5 Quick Ways to Ramp Up Your Amazon Author Central Page
Amazon is full of book marketing tools for you as an indie author. And, although I often talk about book page optimization, your Amazon Author Central page probably needs some attention too. Because, when was the last time you gave it some love? For most indie authors, the answer is “not recently.” And, if you haven’t set it up yet, you aren’t alone, but you’ll want to take the time to do so now.
There’s no time like the present.
Because your Amazon Author Central page is possibly Amazon’s best book marketing tool for indie authors. It’s your very own landing page (or website), and you should treat it that way.
On The Story Reading Ape’s blog I found a blog post, written by Randy on ‘advancedfictionwriting’. I found it very interesting and found more people should read the post. Thank you, Randy.
Are you about to publish your novel? If so, should you try going with a traditional publisher, or should you go indie? How do you make that decision?
Lynne posted this question on my “Ask A Question For My Blog” page:
I’m planning to go indie with my WIP. It’s only my second novel, I’m still a newbie, but here’s the question: what are the biggest reasons for seeking an agent and/or traditional publisher?
There are a number of obvious negatives associated with traditional publishing, such as low royalty rates. And I’ll have to do much of my own marketing even if my manuscript is accepted. I’d also like to do my own kindle pricing, something I can only do as an indie.
Thoughts? I want to know both sides before committing to my course.
Randy sez: Lynne, I have a feeling your question is much bigger than a single blog post can handle. I’m pretty sure I could write a whole book on the subject, and maybe someday I will. But you’ve got to make a decision right now, so I’ll try to boil things down a bit.
One of my biggest plights as a writer is beating the blank page. It’s always a deterrent when I start a new manuscript. It takes a few minutes to linger, sometimes days before I get anything down. Once I have something set up, the words start to flow, but it’s getting past that white space that weighs on me. It doesn’t even have to be the start of the manuscript really. I have a hard time beginning a new chapter. How I get past it, is trying new things. A new title, in case that gets the words going. A new angle to come into the story or article at, believe me, it helps.
Most of the time, it’s not that I don’t know what to say, it’s just getting it phrased right, framing how that chapter’s going to go. I do outlines to frame…
I know you might ask yourself – a “furry friend”? And I’ll reply: Yes… VERY furry. The ones of you who read my blog regularly will probably know by now who I am talking about. For the clueless ones: Here he is:
Of course, we know him as TSRA, but as most of us know, behind this pseudonym a real man hides. His name: Chris Graham.
Chris is a writer supporter, an excellent blogger, an avid reader – and an amazing personality – a friend!
What is the purpose of “The Story Reading Ape’s’ blog? He writes on his “About” page:
What is the purpose of my blog?
1. To introduce YOU to new (to me) authors I’ve come across in my wanderings through books and the cyber forest.
2. To provide a platform (battered old homemade soapbox) for authors to introduce themselves to you. (See my Contact Me Section for Guest Author article Guidelines)
3. As an informal information service to authors, poets, or anyone else who is thinking of becoming a published person of that ilk.
4. To promote FUN and an OASIS OF CALM and Font of useful Knowledge and tips for Indies (please do NOT feed my naughty chimps or they may follow you home) from the woes and stresses of the real world.
But Chris does more than that. He supports, entertains, helps, consults, suggests and answers.
Whenever I have a question and don’t know where to go with it, I know I can ask The Story Reading Ape. If he can’t help, I know he’ll find a way or a person who can.
How often have I been crying on his shoulder (not literally though!) – and he comforted me. And he was there for me when I didn’t get anywhere with my book blurb – and again when I needed a cover designer.
Not to forget he was the one who spread the word about ‘Writer’s Treasure Chest’ to his thousands of followers, re-blogged my posts, published guest posts, accepted me into his author’s hall of fame and supported not only my writing but also my blogging significantly.
The Story Reading Ape has a soft spot for his readers, followers, authors – and fans.
To me, Chris is one of the cornerstones during the last few years of my writing and blogging progress and a valuable and appreciated companion on my path to publishing my book. It will take another while, but I know, whenever I need help, he’ll be there.
Even though I never met Chris Graham personally, I consider him a friend, and today I wanted to say:
Tonight, when I opened ‘Writer’s Treasure Chest’ Dashboard I got wonderful news!
Twelve days before my blog’s ‘3rd Birthday’ I got my 1,000 followers which makes me very proud.
This milestone is once again an opportunity to say Thank You! Thank you to all my followers, to all people who read my posts regularly and the visitors who drop by occasionally. Thanks so much for all the re-blogs. Thank you for all your comments and thank you all for your help and your ongoing support.
Thanks to you my blogging adventure is that much fun. Thanks to you this part of my writing work is not only challenging but also a gift to me. I learned a lot, publishing all my posts. But without you, all this wouldn’t have been possible!
If I had not as many visitors and the progress on ‘Writer’s Treasure Chest,’ my blogging life would not be what it is now.
Hey Guys! Wow. It’s been a long time. I miss you all!
*waves to readers and sits on virtual sofa*
This article started out extremely long but then I realized how necessary it was to keep this short and simple.There is so much information out here for Independent Authors and so many made-up commandments it isn’t funny. Everyone has an opinion on what the new author should and shouldn’t do. Everyone has a piece of advice to give or stones to throw. If you move this way you are doing it wrong and if you move that way you are still doing it wrong. There are more laws for the Self-Publisher than there are in the bible. There is something to say about everything. This is why I humbly advise each person to experience everything for themselves and to do their own research. Sometimes you don’t need to…
In my January Newsletter, right at the end, I added a link to a YouTube video. It leads to the ‘Waltz of Flowers’, composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, an amazing, wonderful and heart touching piece of music in my opinion.
(Just in case: You can listen to the music here)
But where do I go with this post? I had been considering writing about all the music I listened to while writing – but that’s not the case today.
First of all: I write my first drafts by hand – always. After I finish them, I type them into my computer. During writing, I never listen to music. It distracts me. But during typing in I do.
Today I want something different. While typing and listening to this amazing waltz I re-read and corrected a fighting scene in my book, and I asked myself: if this would be turned into a movie, what music would be playing during this particular fighting scene?
Oh yes, it’s easy as eating an apple to find the matching sound for a kissing couple, a romantic dinner or a love scene.
But a fight? That’s different. I got the fight in my head… monsters, demons, shadows, against a tracker and a hunter… magical creatures, good against evil!
They meet up in the mountains, between jagged rocks, dangerous winds, and storms and groundless abysses. The bloodthirsty mood is covering the entire scenery, no matter how ‘civilized’ the opponents try to act, suppressed violence is making their foul blood boiling…
And I found it, yes. The music that is supposed to cover the reader’s (or watcher’s) skin with goosebumps. The music that shows the brutality of the attack which injures one of my protagonists so badly, death is holding out its horrible claws.
It’s a section of Havergal Brian’s Gothic Symphony. I was lucky and able to find just the part I need on YouTube. Of course, you just enter the composer’s name and Gothic Symphony and will be able to listen to the entire mammoth piece. To me, the entire symphony is too dark to listen to – but to my dark battle scene, it is just the right music.
Did you write a scene you imagined music for? Or do you know a movie after a book which’s music you like? Let us know in the comments.
Are you about to publish your novel? If so, should you try going with a traditional publisher, or should you go indie? How do you make that decision?
Copyright: 
Twelve days before my blog’s ‘3rd Birthday’ I got my 1,000 followers which makes me very proud.
