Jason! I was just talking about you with my buddy and bass player, Tobey. He asked if you heard the new song yet and I said not till it's 100% done (mixing and mastering included). We both agreed you're going to be floored!
My pleasure! Hang in there, I've got an even better video waiting in the wings. You're going to get a DEEP dive into my recent book (from preparation to publication).
I have gotten numerous compliments on my covers for my Elves of Vacari series and lucked out I found a cover designer on Etsy (yea I didn't expect much when I first tried the person out) and it was great. I was specific as I wanted my lady elf to be a redhead and she had to wear purple (don't ask lol)and he did exactly what I wanted
That is awesome! When you find a great cover designer, don't let them go. That's why I had to mention in the video how my three options aren't the only ones to consider. I would've never thought to look into Etsy for cover designers. Very neat!
hahaha Whenever I don't script my videos, I end up riffing and improvising stuff I wouldn't normally put into the videos. You've gotta admit...that orange cover for that yoga book was HIT! haha Open the dictionary and you'll see that picture next to "jojo". haha
It's a crap shoot, so tread with caution. I'd almost prefer going to a social media marketing company versus a freelancer company since it's more niche. But, you might find a good freelancer. Take them for a test spin and see if it gets you the results you're looking for.
How can I obtain emails to build my list. I've published several activity books which have sold a total of maybe 50 books. At the end of each book I have a page to request reviews AND my email for readers to contact me. I'm doing this also in my upcoming middle grades novel. However, I've received no emails to put on my list. How can I obtain emails to build my list? I will get emails through the ARC I'll be running on my new novel. What are other ways of gathering emails? Thanks. Your videos are very helpful.
Work with other publishers in your niche. You can look into newsletter swap or group promos. Some premium book promotion sites have email list building campaigns where they giveaway something in exchange for an email address. They're decent but you'll have some pruning to do once you get the emails since you get the freebie seekers. Consider doing in-person events at bookstores, book fairs, flea markets...nothing is off the table. Who are your activity books good for? Look for where your ideal reader congregates. If it's activity books for kids, go to schools, libraries, local youth organizations. If you want to spitball more ideas, hop into my Discord community. I'm sure more people can toss in their two cents and grease your creative wheels. The more visible you can be the better. But, if you want to grow your list, make that part of becoming more visible. You did the first best step: including it in your back matter. Might I recommend slipping it into your front matter? Also, consider offering a lead magnet (a simple downloadable PDF that is a good accompaniment to your book). You could have a lead magnet that's something like "10 MORE Puzzle & Brain Teasers". Experiment with it a little and don't be afraid to talk to others in this business beyond just me. haha I'll give you ideas, but you're going to get even more value in networking with others in this business (another nod to my Discord community).
If I search for specific phrases or unique words on Amazon that are in my product page (such as a unique character name) description, none of my books come up - so I don't think the product page provides anything for Amazon to index and return results unless it only does it for a very limited set of words.
Again, it's a cloud-based word system. You'll even see how Amazon uses the cloud-based word system in their reviews. Also, it has a lot to do with relevance. So, yes, it's still indexed despite your not being able to find a random obscure word you tucked into the description. If only you are searching for this random word, then it's not going to bear any relevance in Amazon's algorithms. Sell more books, grow a big enough following? Then you're more likely to see your book pull for that random word. Does that make more sense?
@@DaleLRoberts I see. So, one of my books has a dedication to an artist in it - a dedication that is written also in the product page itself. A search for the artist's name comes up with about 2 pages of results, but my book is not among them. So the word is in the search but not triggering my book to come up because my book is not relevant in terms of popularity? It's also interesting that even a book title doesn't seem to come up very near the top of the results even though it is clearly far more specific and unique than the results that come before it - that's something that seems a bit off to me on Amazon search results. If I gave someone the title of my book they would not find it (though it does come up if you then put the author name after it - but what if someone hears of a title but not the name of the author???)
Correct, relevance plays a key role in discoverability. And though you might have a keyword doesn’t assure you’ll get placement for it. Amazon’s algorithms are fickle beasts. Keep increasing your readership and sales and you’ll be popping up for those searches. Don’t lose heart!
Yeah, revisions aren't any fun, but worth it if you take the time to iron out all the kinks. I have a video coming out real soon about my latest book and how the cover design came together. It took about four revisions for us to get it right.
As always a great deal of useful information. Thanks, Dale.
Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Another power-packed video full of great tips and resources.Thanks, Dale, for the shout-out!!
Hey! Thank YOU!
Brother Dale, great info as always!
Jason! I was just talking about you with my buddy and bass player, Tobey. He asked if you heard the new song yet and I said not till it's 100% done (mixing and mastering included). We both agreed you're going to be floored!
Thanks, great video. Very detailed and helpful. I also have a few books on Amazon, I do my own book cover designs.
Glad it was helpful! I hope your covers are great and you're selling the amount of books you want.
Thanks Dale, good info as always
My pleasure! Hang in there, I've got an even better video waiting in the wings. You're going to get a DEEP dive into my recent book (from preparation to publication).
I have gotten numerous compliments on my covers for my Elves of Vacari series and lucked out I found a cover designer on Etsy (yea I didn't expect much when I first tried the person out) and it was great. I was specific as I wanted my lady elf to be a redhead and she had to wear purple (don't ask lol)and he did exactly what I wanted
That is awesome! When you find a great cover designer, don't let them go. That's why I had to mention in the video how my three options aren't the only ones to consider. I would've never thought to look into Etsy for cover designers. Very neat!
Jojo lol 👏🏽👏🏽 awesome advice
hahaha Whenever I don't script my videos, I end up riffing and improvising stuff I wouldn't normally put into the videos. You've gotta admit...that orange cover for that yoga book was HIT! haha Open the dictionary and you'll see that picture next to "jojo". haha
Hey Dale,
What are your recommendations and thoughts about hiring a social marketing manager for a book through Fiverr or Upwork?
It's a crap shoot, so tread with caution. I'd almost prefer going to a social media marketing company versus a freelancer company since it's more niche. But, you might find a good freelancer. Take them for a test spin and see if it gets you the results you're looking for.
How can I obtain emails to build my list. I've published several activity books which have sold a total of maybe 50 books. At the end of each book I have a page to request reviews AND my email for readers to contact me. I'm doing this also in my upcoming middle grades novel. However, I've received no emails to put on my list. How can I obtain emails to build my list? I will get emails through the ARC I'll be running on my new novel. What are other ways of gathering emails? Thanks. Your videos are very helpful.
Work with other publishers in your niche. You can look into newsletter swap or group promos. Some premium book promotion sites have email list building campaigns where they giveaway something in exchange for an email address. They're decent but you'll have some pruning to do once you get the emails since you get the freebie seekers.
Consider doing in-person events at bookstores, book fairs, flea markets...nothing is off the table.
Who are your activity books good for? Look for where your ideal reader congregates. If it's activity books for kids, go to schools, libraries, local youth organizations.
If you want to spitball more ideas, hop into my Discord community. I'm sure more people can toss in their two cents and grease your creative wheels. The more visible you can be the better. But, if you want to grow your list, make that part of becoming more visible. You did the first best step: including it in your back matter.
Might I recommend slipping it into your front matter? Also, consider offering a lead magnet (a simple downloadable PDF that is a good accompaniment to your book). You could have a lead magnet that's something like "10 MORE Puzzle & Brain Teasers".
Experiment with it a little and don't be afraid to talk to others in this business beyond just me. haha I'll give you ideas, but you're going to get even more value in networking with others in this business (another nod to my Discord community).
@@DaleLRobertsgreat advice. I’m going to try some of these. 😅
I have created lots of book but they are not generating much. I really need your advice
If I search for specific phrases or unique words on Amazon that are in my product page (such as a unique character name) description, none of my books come up - so I don't think the product page provides anything for Amazon to index and return results unless it only does it for a very limited set of words.
Again, it's a cloud-based word system. You'll even see how Amazon uses the cloud-based word system in their reviews. Also, it has a lot to do with relevance. So, yes, it's still indexed despite your not being able to find a random obscure word you tucked into the description. If only you are searching for this random word, then it's not going to bear any relevance in Amazon's algorithms. Sell more books, grow a big enough following? Then you're more likely to see your book pull for that random word. Does that make more sense?
@@DaleLRoberts I see. So, one of my books has a dedication to an artist in it - a dedication that is written also in the product page itself. A search for the artist's name comes up with about 2 pages of results, but my book is not among them. So the word is in the search but not triggering my book to come up because my book is not relevant in terms of popularity?
It's also interesting that even a book title doesn't seem to come up very near the top of the results even though it is clearly far more specific and unique than the results that come before it - that's something that seems a bit off to me on Amazon search results. If I gave someone the title of my book they would not find it (though it does come up if you then put the author name after it - but what if someone hears of a title but not the name of the author???)
Correct, relevance plays a key role in discoverability. And though you might have a keyword doesn’t assure you’ll get placement for it. Amazon’s algorithms are fickle beasts. Keep increasing your readership and sales and you’ll be popping up for those searches. Don’t lose heart!
Get covers is great. I got mine done. The revision progress was a huge pain in the a$$.
Yeah, revisions aren't any fun, but worth it if you take the time to iron out all the kinks. I have a video coming out real soon about my latest book and how the cover design came together. It took about four revisions for us to get it right.