The celebration confetti flew earlier and I’m already into what happens after you hit the publish button. Following my own advice, I’ve posting in blog and linked away. The next few weeks are going to be a flurry of posts and some in-depth sharing on my results when I use the automated campaigns in Amazon KDP, and when I use Facebook.
Right away, I’m going to tell you that those key words you type in when you enter your title make a different in online platforms. Many authors that flash high numbers are even titling the keywords right into their book titles. I hear an old friend who created handmade artwork whisper in my ear, “what’s more important? Do you want to make money? Or are you in this more for the creation?” You can see the split in our writing community because there are those out there who only make low content books to make money, versus those who are in it for the long haul of writing – money or no money.
I’m not going to tell you which is right and which is wrong because we all have the desire to make a living. To be honest, I’ve combined both. I fill in my writing months with low content books that are more art driven than deep fiction. This is my way of giving my mind a break, brainstorming, and using other creative methods to unleash writing blocks. The money part is just a perk.
No matter what kind of books you publish, finding out when and how to promote your pieces is the best plan. After speaking with a new author who had to navigate the publishing upload her first book, things are never as easy as the video. The buttons aren’t even in the same place for paperbacks and kindles. You have to hit the approve button in the preview launcher for paperbacks, and you have to hit the house with “book details” in the preview launcher for kindle. The preview launcher for kindle books doesn’t highlight in yellow like the paperback. And who would know that that need to save and continue each time they upload a new book to update the preview launcher when their new to the platform.
Well, using Amazon’s Ad Campaign was the same. I think I’ve forgotten how to view my ad campaigns each time I publish. Here’s my next tip. You can view your sales in reports, and in order to see active ad campaigns or create them you need to click on Marketing. Then, choose which Amazon Marketplace you want to promote your ad under (most will choose Amazon.com), and select create a campaign. Once you do those steps, you can create a new ad or view your old ones.
If you forgot and clicked on Ad Campaigns in Reports, then you would get nothing but a “Learn more about how to view your advertising console.” You might stare at the screen until you remember my words of advice, and realize that you need to go to Marketing.
The actual testing of the kinds of campaigns you can create are harder to figure out. Some authors split test their ads by using the standard, then then use a custom message at the same time to see which ones yields a better result. Other authors run ads to boost their rankings throughout the year to give their books a better chance. I ran ads every weekend for a month and had some sales but they didn’t blow me out of the water. Looking back, I need to keep testing because the marketing side of being published is also a long game. Books can revive themselves depending on trends. Just like clothes, some books come back into style. The difference is you have something to ride the wave instead of wishing you had something ready before you saw the contest deadline.
Social media is a different kind of game. I’ve seen people soar on TikTok faster than any other platform. When I’ve seen people make progress on other platforms, it’s because they poured in thousands of dollars. I’ve had times when I wished I saw just one click. Turning a trickle, into a stream, and then a river and ocean is something I’m still trying to figure out, or my posts would be…unrelatable to most writers:). I hope I never lose that new to this feeling because being in the struggle of pages gives me that raw emotion, a power of words. A hunger that has faded away once I’ve achieved one of my goals.
Then, my readers, I might need you to prompt me back into why I created this blog in the first place.
My posts are Monday through Friday.
Imagine Inspire Create: 52 Weeks of action and gratitude is available at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09S6XCLFY/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_Q7MHM9CFBSASDG56YMJQ
Get closer to your writing goals with my Writer’s Journal filled with writing prompts and exercises. You can find a copy at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0931QRL7C/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_VTHN0QSHXRYK6RJ1XSWQ.
Writer's Block Inc 