Selling on Amazon

In the self-publishing world, an author’s book is automatically set up on Amazon. However, being successful selling on Amazon involves a series of strategies first of which is setting the book up properly and thoroughly. This is done through the metadata which is supplied by the self-publishing company or printer.

Authors should understand all of the programs Amazon has to offer. This allows them to be involved first-hand in deciding which of these programs fit into their marketing strategy.

Here are some Selling on Amazon facts:

• Almost 50% of online shoppers go to Amazon first to purchase something.
• There are over 3.8 million books for sale on Amazon.
• There are approximately 12 books being added on Amazon every hour.
• 70% of shoppers are using smartphones to purchase online.
• Over 9 billion dollars in revenue (2014 stats) was generated in book sales.

Amazon programs you need to know about:

Amazon’s Advantage Program is available to publishers, music labels, studios, authors, and other content owners who would like to sell their titles to millions of customers in the U.S., Canada and dozens of other countries. This program offers a proven way to sell and distribute books, videos, and music along with other similar products. The relationship is between the author and Amazon and requires shipping product in bulk to multiple shipping centers around the U.S. It’s a consignment relationship where the author is paid for products sold 30 days after the month they are sold in.[Tweet “There are approximately 12 books being added on Amazon every hour”]

Tip: It’s important to create a marketing strategy for selling on Amazon. Just adding your title and waiting will not work!  You need to be proactive and make sure your product page is set up correctly and thoroughly. You need to get positive reviews for your title and cross-promote other complimentary titles. Amazon has a number of tools for helping authors. Take advantage of tools like Search Inside the Book and Author Central. You need to find ways to ‘stand out’ from the crowd! Ask us about out Amazon Optimization program.

Amazon’s Seller Central Program allows authors to sell consumer to consumer. Customers searching for discounted new and used titles will purchase these titles from individual sellers. As the seller, you are responsible for getting the product to the customer on-time and in the listed condition. You are also responsible for responding to any customer inquiries and can be rated and reviewed by the customer. This will have an impact on the success of your Seller Central account.

Sellers can choose between selling as a professional where you need to meet certain thresholds or as an individual. The cost to participate will depend on the program you sign up for, but Amazon will allow you to switch between programs based on your selling strategies.

Tip: Before you enroll in Seller Central, think about whether shipping products directly to a customer will work for your marketing plan. If you don’t want to deal with shipping and or responding directly to customers, you should stick with the Advantage program or look at Amazon’s Fulfillment Services.

Amazon’s Affiliate Program allows anyone with a web presence to create links and ads to promote any item on Amazon.com. Participants earn a percentage of the sale when a customer using their affiliate code makes a purchase.  Commissions are paid on a monthly basis. This is a great way to leverage your website and generate additional revenue for your titles. You can take it a step further and promote other titles as well.

Other programs such as Vendor Express, Amazon Business, Payment Solutions, ACX Audiobook Solutions are additional offerings that give entrepreneurs the opportunity to leverage Amazon’s powerful network.

If you’re not taking full advantage of every opportunity on Amazon, you are missing a key component in your success.

If you’re looking to learn the basics of selling on Amazon, increase your existing sales, or just need help with their often frustrating customer service and/or billing issues, contact us today.

Rick Lite of Stress Free Book Marketing, stands at the forefront of the ever-changing book industry. He is a seasoned book marketing professional with over 13 years of experience in the industry. Rick’s expertise comes from tirelessly working on new and innovative ways to market his own books and CDs with his company and parent company, Stress Free Kids. Embracing the core values of integrity, innovation, and growth, Rick works closely with authors to create custom, robust book marketing programs. His easy-going manner provides “stress-free” support and comfort to authors going through the book marketing process for the first time. Rick is quick to share his knowledge and “insider tips” for a successful marketing campaign that will lead to increased exposure, awareness and most importantly, sales.