Tag Archives: Amazon

Books, Publishing, Uncategorised

Update: KDP vs. Ingram Spark

Now that Create Space has merged into Kindle Print, authors are once again trying to determine the relative merits of Kindle Print and IngramSpark, the old print industry standard.

For many self-published authors, it’s an Amazon world and there is little point in exploring other venues, unless you are trying to get into bookstores. Amazon is where readers will find your book. Amazon is where you will market your book. And when people ask where to find your book, the answer is usually, “Amazon.”

But there are still a wide variety of nuances and pros and cons to each platform, making it a tough choice for new publishers. From paper quality to payments, it’s not an easy choice and the priorities of every author are different.

In a recent post on Indies Unlimited, author Melinda Clayton detailed the pros and cons for each, offering a wealth of information on both platforms. If you’re confused and unsure about which s best for you, it’s worth a read.

The post can be found here.

 

 

 

Publishing

Why Does Amazon Want Brick-and-Mortar Stores?

Amazon storeAmazon’s drive to control the book business is taking a surprising twist. Best known as a book store killer, Amazon is opening book stores around the country. Although the online giant isn’t opening hundreds of stores, as originally rumored, stores are starting to pop up in select cities and a dozen or more are in the planning stages, according to published reports.

The big question: Why? Amazon’s reason for existing is to make the online experience so seamless and efficient, it can deliver any product faster and cheaper than any store. Why bother with an old-fashioned brick-and-mortar operation?

Amazon doesn’t talk strategy, so it’s left to others to speculate. And once you start to scratch the surface, there are signs that physical stores may fit with Amazon’s larger online strategy.

On one level, the stores simply represent promotion and marketing for Amazon. And the retail operations, even if they are financial losers, cost pocket change for Amazon; they can afford it.

Although counter-intuitive, stores fit the big picture for Amazon. Many people misunderstand the company—Amazon is not a retailer, it’s a fulfillment company. Amazon is all about distribution, delivering products as quickly and efficiently as possible. A storefront, even if it serves only as a distribution center, can actually strengthen the network, providing that “last mile” link to the consumer. If nothing else, a store is a pick-up point for shoppers who buy online.

Amazon also recognizes that shoppers still like to hold and touch a product. The first Amazon store in Seattle provides an opportunity for shoppers to integrate with Amazon, as shoppers can quickly and easily use the Amazon site to learn more about the book and read reviews. The stores also feature sections promoting the Kindle reader and other Amazon products.

In many ways, it’s possible that Amazon can simply create a better retail environment. The Seattle store, Amazon’s first, offers a “highly curated” selection of books, notes Wharton School of Business management professor Daniel Raff in a recent article. All the books are displayed face-out, making for less inventory but better browsing, and all the prices reflect Amazon’s steep discounts, the type of pricing conventional book stores will never be able to offer.

Amazon might be looking at bigger goals, using the stores to better integrate customers into its “ecosystem,” Raff says. New technologies might enable Amazon to tap into data about its customers, providing another competitive advantage.

Of course, all the speculation might be wrong and Amazon might be simply trying to kill off its last remaining bricks and mortar retailers.
Wharton’s Web site hosted an interesting discussion of the issues. It can be found here.

Publishing

Trends to Watch in Changing Publishing World

book buyingIn the age of Amazon, the book publishing world is changing at a rapid pace. Book stores continue to close, reader habits are morphing and competition grows for the attention of the consumer.

“The future of publishing is fraught with opportunity and peril,” writes Mark Coker in Publisher’s Weekly. He details 10 trends that he thinks every author and publisher should be closely following for a read on where the industry is heading in the next few years.

The list includes the “democratization” of publishing; the global reach of e-books; the rise of indie authors; the glut of high-quality, low-cost e-books; and Amazon’s impact on “devaluing” e-books.

More than anything Coker focuses on the growth of self-publishing and shifting perception of indie authors. Self-publishing no longer has a stigma for authors, he says.

“Ten years ago, self-publishing was viewed as the last resort for writers,” he writes. “Today, self-publishing is becoming the first choice for many writers.”

Independent authors will play a much larger role in the industry forward, he argues. In a fragmented industry, quality writers will still be essential.

“The power center of the publishing industry is shifting from publishers to writers,” Coker writes. “Writers will determine the fate of publishers and retailers by deciding when, where, and how they publish.”

Read the full article here.

Publishing

Five Tips for Creating Successful Kindle Ad Campaigns

AmazonMarketingMany independent publishers are wary of Kindle ad campaigns, which can ratchet up expenses with no guarantee of success. Spending money to run ads on Amazon seems like one more scam to throw away money without selling any books.

There’s also the Evil Amazon angle. Many independent publishers resist the Amazonization of the book world; they don’t want to participate in the online giant’s takeover of the industry. Participation in a Kindle ad campaign requires enrollment in Kindle Select, which demands that publishers exclusively list their e-books on Kindle, and dump all other e-book sales channels. Kindle Select books are also tossed into the Kindle Unlimited program, which allow members to read books for free. Some publishers don’t want to make that leap.

But maybe you’re willing to accept that, like or not, it is an Amazon world. And instead of fighting and whining about Amazon, maybe you want to take advantage of its vast audience. If that’s the case, than Kindle ad campaigns make sense. They are an effective method to specifically target readers interested in your type of books. More than most book promotion techniques, Amazon gets your titles in front of people ready and willing to buy a book.

Kindle campaigns are easy to set up and simple to execute. Publishers must be willing to commit a minimum of $100 for a campaign, but it can cost less if the campaign ends before all the money is spent. And you can cancel the campaign at any time.

Here are five tips for a successful campaign:

1. Don’t Set the Cost-per-Click Too Low: Amazon uses a bidding system to place ads–the higher the cost per click you’re willing to spend the more likely it will appear on a prime page. While it is tempting to set the rate low and earn more per purchase, you’re going to get better results with a higher rate, especially if you’re running the ad for a limited time. A higher click price translates to more exposure and a better chance to connect with the right people. While there is no science to it, typically a rate close to or slightly above the suggested average rate per click earns adequate placement.

2. Work on the Ad Text: You only get a few words to promote the book (and Amazon won’t let you use an excerpt from a review). You need to make the words count. This is a competitive environment, a world of people with short attention spans browsing the Internet. Don’t make the text complicated. Maybe ask a question to engage browsers—“Was JFK the victim of a mafia conspiracy?” If the book is on sale, give the discount a good old fashioned shout out: “On Sale for a Limited Time.” Try to focus on the interests of the categories you’re targeting. If it’s a mystery, emphasize the murder and intrigue.

3. Timing is Key: Ad campaigns are usually more effective if there is something special to promote. That could be a discounted price or a tie-in to a timely event. Play up the promotion and give the reader a sense of urgency to buy it now. A discounted price is one approach. But if you’re book is about music and the Grammy awards are coming up, use it. If your book is about politics and there is a political scandal in the news, emphasize the connection.

4. Target Your Readers: Kindle allows two strategies to target readers—by topics or specific Amazon books and products. There is no guarantee which pages will work best for you, but don’t take the decision lightly. If you’re using the category option, make sure you choose multiple categories. If you opt to target products, consider the interests and demographics that fit your book and link to the most popular items in those categories. Amazon lets you link to most products on the site. If you’re book is about gardening you can place ads next to garden tools; your book on the music industry can be advertised next to Rolling Stones CDs.

5. Experiment: No matter what so-called experts tell you, there is no set formula for success with an ad campaign. Every book is different. Try a variety of categories and different text. If it’s not working, cancel the campaign and try a different approach. Maybe you’ll have better success placing your ad next to different Amazon products, instead of the categories. If the ad is not generating enough impressions, than it is easy to adjust the cost per click during the campaign.

Keep in mind, not every book is going to generate sales based simply on the cover and a few catchy words. But Kindle ads give independent publishers easy access to the biggest book-buying population in the world, without spending too much money.