Book Marketing Tips: Amazon, Goodreads, Pinterest, Google Plus

I have been experimenting with various online promotional opportunities. Here are notes from some of these experiences:

Amazon:

In working with a client to optimize her book’s Amazon page, I checked various Kindle ebook categories. And I noticed that there are no longer the indication of how many books are in each category. (Gone as are the likes at the top of a book page and tags.)

I assume this is to prevent authors from “gaming” the system — in other words, putting their books in categories with less books even though the categories are not right for their books. (Being in a category with less books gives your book a better chance of ranking higher in the category.)

But for those of us authors who used the information legitimately and NOT to game the system, it is an unwelcome change.

(To see these categories, put “Kindle Store” in search bar and hit GO and then click on “Kindle ebooks.” On the left you will see the categories and you can click on these to drill down.)

Goodreads:

Today is the last day of the Goodsreads giveaway of 10 paperback copies of my teen book HOW TO SUCCEED IN HIGH SCHOOL AND PREP FOR COLLEGE. Although I did not think the Goodreads audience would be particularly interested in this giveaway, more than 450 people have signed up.

Whether this interest will translate into sales of the paperback or Kindle ebook when the giveaway is completed tonight is to be determined. (I’m on Goodreads at www.goodreads.com/pzmiller and welcome Goodreads “friends.”)

(Warning: Although Goodreads chooses the winners of a giveaway, Goodreads does NOT send you an email with the addresses of the winners, as I expected. Instead you have to scroll down on your book’s giveaway page to find the addresses.)

Pinterest:

Thanks to author Carolyn Howard-Johnson‘s Google Plus update, I watched author Shelley Hitz‘s YouTube video about tips for Pinterest. I immediately followed the video recommendation of re-arranging the boards on my Pinterest account — see http://pinterest.com/ZimblerMiller — to put the most important ones in the top row.

The weird thing about doing this is that I had to return to the old format in order to do this. I could not find this option on the new format.

Click here to watch Shelley’s video.

Google Plus:

Digital strategist Michele Jennae interviewed me via a Google hangout, one of the Google Plus functions. This turned out to be a great experience, and click here to see the resulting interview on YouTube.

And if you enjoyed the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT, I hope you will read the YA short story PINKY SWEAR. Click here to buy it on Kindle.

Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of fiction and nonfiction books/ebooks, including TOP TIPS FOR HOW TO PUBLISH AND MARKET YOUR BOOK IN THE AGE OF AMAZON and the romantic suspense spy story CIA FALL GUY.

Click here to visit her Amazon author page at www.amazon.com/author/phylliszimblermiller

She also has an M.B.A. from The Wharton School and is the co-founder of the online marketing company www.MillerMosaicLLC.com