We all know the importance of a marketing plan and the big pushes to get the visibility your story needs. But did you know that there are some easy (FREE) things that you can do right now to sell more books?
In this post, we'll outline some simple but effective strategies to increase your book sales and gain more traction.
Ask for reviews
The average customer chooses whether or not to buy a product based on the reviews but rarely ever leaves one. Before I was an author, I think I left one Amazon review ever.
Honestly, people just don't think to!
So that's why you need to ask: on social media, inside your book, on your website--anywhere it's clearly visible. Not all your readers will follow through but many will if you give them a chance.
Want some help with this? Contact us for more details about our review team.
Show off your other books
This is one that self-published authors often forget: you have free, prime advertising space right there in your book! The back matter, or the pages at the back of the book, is a great place for you to show off other stories that you've written.
If the reader liked the book they just finished, they'll be excited to see that you have more. But often, it's out of sight, out of mind--if you don't show off your other books, not all readers will take the time to actually look you up. So take advantage of this opportunity. When you create more books in the future, go back and update the files of your old books.
This method has increased my sales exponentially because, without this strategy, people were only buying one book. But when they know I have more and they were already engaged enough to reach the end of the story, now they're purchasing three, four, or five books in total instead of one.
Don't miss another moment!
Increase the Look Inside feature
The Look Inside feature on Amazon allows readers to take a sneak peek at your book before adding it to their cart, but if the percentage is too low, they'll only see your title page, copyright, and dedication. That doesn't give them any information about your actual book.
People love the Look Inside feature because they get to see the quality of the book, how many words are on each page, and they get a taste of your writing style.
Why does this matter?
It increases the number of satisfied buyers. Imagine that the Look Inside feature didn't show them the actual story and they bought it, thinking it was a chapter book or an early reader because your cover was a portrait trim size. And when it arrived, they realized that it isn't what they thought and the book won't fit their needs. The customer will be upset and disappointed.
But if your Look Inside feature gave them a taste, only people who are excited by your book will be the ones purchasing. This leads to more reviews and helps Amazon's algorithm show you to more people who are likely to purchase rather than people like my example.
All you need to do is email KDP and have them increase the percentage of the book that is shown with the Look Inside feature.
A+ Content
If you're a KDP user, you have access to something called A+ Content which allows you to create a "From the Publisher" section of your Amazon listing page. According to Amazon, adding this increases sales by an average of 3-10%.
Plus, it makes you look more credible and on-par with traditional publishing houses!
All you need to do is create eye-catching graphics or hire someone to do it for you and upload the content based on the A+ specs. You can even feature your other books interactively--they're clickable links! You can read more about A+ Content here.
Want a step-by-step tutorial? Check out the video below! 👇
Before you doubt this one, let me confirm that yes, physical books do sell better than ebooks BUT statistics have proven that 25-30% of readers prefer ebooks. So by not offering a digital version of your story, you're automatically closing yourself off to a large buying pool of individuals.
This is especially silly because creating an ebook file through Kindle Kids Book Creator is 100% free, as is uploading it on KDP.
Check out this video to learn how:
You can also enroll in KDP Select, which is called Kindle Unlimited on the customer side. It's essentially a digital library where people can "check out" your book (they can borrow a maximum of 10 at a time) and you get paid for the pages they read.
But KDP Select also allows you to run free ebook promotions that let people "buy" your ebook for free during the time period you've set.
Here's the thing: offering your ebook for free will only hurt you if your book is poor quality. Free ebooks for online shoppers are the equivalent of thumbing through a book at the store before purchasing; if they like it, they will buy a physical copy. (After all, picture books aren't just read once--they're read time and time again!) Plus, free ebooks help you gather reviews and drive traffic to your Amazon page.
So what are you waiting for? Take these tips and get marketing! And if you need more help, check out our marketing course.
Disclaimer: This blog post may contain affiliate links to products we enjoy using ourselves. Should you choose to use these links, At Home Author may earn affiliate commissions at no additional cost to you.