Happy Tuesday, everyone!
With Hallowe’en behind us and American Thanksgiving (not to mention Christmas!) looming ever nearer, I thought it the ideal time to revisit how to get your books ready to party for the upcoming holiday season.
So, have you:
- Decided on any special holiday prices on any of your novels to hook in readers?
- Made sure you’ve tagged your listings with ‘Kindle’, ‘Kindle book’, ‘Cheap Kindle book’, and any other relevant tag to help all those new readers find you?
- Completed your Amazon Author Central profile, making certain all your books are listed — not just on .com, but also on other Amazon domains (your profile is not automatically filtered through all sites)?
- Ensured your book blurb will grab readers, has no typos, includes praise to entice readers to buy?
- Included positive reviews and praise in the front matter of your book, so that when people download the sample, they receive positive reinforcement?
- Included links in your book to other novels you’ve written?
- Included links in your book to review sites, such as Goodreads, Library thing or your Amazon listing, so that when readers have finished, they’ll be encouraged to visit those sites and leave reviews?
- Updated your blog/ website with anything relevant to the holidays and your novel, to help new readers find you and stay in the holiday spirit?
- Pre-scheduled around-the-clock tweets with links to your novel and fun holiday content to hit all time zones, using hashtags like #Kindle and #Amazon?
- Posted about your novel on forums like Kindleboards, UK KU Forum, etc?
- Made your book available on multiple platforms, such as Smashwords, Kobo and Barnes & Noble?
- Scheduled any KDP Select promotions if you’re enrolled in the program?
- Considered special holiday edition boxed sets or book bundles (DeeDee did this last year, and it worked a treat)?
So much to do, so little time!
How do you ensure your books are ready for the holidays?
Fantastic info, Talli! (Making a list and checking it twice!) Thanks!
Thanks, Monica! Glad you found it helpful.
Wow — great post — I’m participating in a Black Friday blog hop, and will be doing some promotions for my books and will now start working on your other suggestions!
Thanks!
Pheweee, done most of these! I’ve just released 2 new books in time for the holiday season – finger crossed
You’re one busy lady, Sibel! I’m in awe!
I’ve only done one of those things so I’m hanging my head in shame. Thanks for the list, Talli – I’m on it!
I need to do some myself, Joanne!
Needed this post today! I need motivating into December!
You and me both, G! I posted it as a reminder to me, too.
Having read that I now need wine! Super advice as always though! Bring on the holidays!
Have some wine for me, Mandy!
Thanks, Talli! I love list, and the boxed set holiday edition is a great idea. Thank you!
My pleasure, Tamara. Glad you found it helpful.
Hi Talli, Thank you for an excellent check list.
Call me clueless & you’d be right but I’m not quite sure what you mean by “not just on .com, but also on other Amazon domains (your profile is not automatically filtered through all sites)”
What other domains? Girl here needs help!
Hi Ruth! Oh, I mean Amazon.co.uk, .de, .fr, .es… all those ones. You’ll need to fill them out separately. I use Google translator to help!
If your book is in English, why wouldn’t you put your profile in English?
I really don’t trust the online translators, I might be saying something that might offend the reader or have them crashing on the floor in laughter. Well, that one works for me, but the first one doesn’t.
Sorry, I should have been clearer: I post my bio in English, but I use Google translator to get a general sense of what the instructions are if it’s not clear.
Fantastic info Talli!
I had planned on doing a boxed set for the holidays, but am running out of time and my cover person has all but disappeared! If I can get that resolved this week and get it off to the formatter it’ll be a go.
That aside, I have no idea how to make links – and if I understand you correct you’re suggesting going back into the books and adding reviews, etc. to the beginning of the books and then reloading them?
Anyway – great info for everyone as the holiday season inches upon us! Thanks!
Hi Jamie! By making links, I mean inserting hyperlinks to all your novels in the document you upload to KDP so readers can just click the link and purchase your next novel from that document. Hope that makes sense?
Oh it makes total sense Talli! I have never been able to figured out HOW to make them that’s all! There are just some computer things I’m totally ignorant about how to do and this is one of them unfortunately.
Ah, okay! Well, in your word doc, highlight the words you want the link to appear with, then click ‘insert’ at the top (I use Word 7, I think…). Click ‘insert hyperlink’ then type the link you want to insert in the box, and hit okay. Hopefully that should do it!
Thank you! I’ll give it a shot!
I haven’t been doing the hyperlinks lately because I got a note from KDP this summer asking me to take them out that they weren’t allowed? So, are they back to allowing them again?
DD, hmm. I only hyperlink to Amazon within my Amazon novels, but I haven’t had an issue. Yet!
WOW! I’ve got work to do, Talli! Thanks for the tips!
My pleasure, PJ!
Okay Talli,
What is “UK KU Forum?”
Jim Guigli
Hi Jim! Here’s the link: http://www.kuforum.co.uk/ It’s the UK’s answer to Kindle Boards, with fewer authors…
Even with my earlier comment, this post is wonderful!
Kudos to you for doing it.
My to do list is getting long…
Thanks, Pepper.
And I’ve got work to do, too. I have been adding more tags to my books on Amazon and Smashwords, but didn’t even think about putting ‘cheap books’ and ‘Kindle books’. Must make note to do that. There’s also the seasonal names you can put ‘Christmas’ or ‘Valentine’ etc. Will write these down.
Great tip on the seasonal names, Julie. Thanks!
Really useful stuff. Now I’ve got a much longer to-do list!
Sorry, Anne!
Fabulous List, Talli!
Thanks for the reminder too to go in and add my latest release – THE BILLIONAIRES’ CHRISTMAS CLUB, which came out late yesterday
, to my Amazon Author Page!!! I’ve also been trying to remember to add them all to Goodreads.
I’m going to be mixing up my prices a bit this holiday season too, along with releasing two more Boxed Sets…more on that later…
Again, great list and thanks sooo much!!! U rock!!!
Yay DeeDee! Huge congrats on your new novel!
Great idea to mix up prices, too.
Hi,
I have two related e-books and a novelette I been thinking of bundling for the holidays. But how do I do that on Amazon? Do I have to put them all together and publish as one book? Or is there another way to offer them all together at one special price?
You always have good info and suggestions. Thanks.
Wow, great list Talli! Adding this one to the “info in case of self publishing” pile!
What a great, helpful list! Thanks so much, Talli, I’m going to tweet it because everyone out there could do with this advice! (Myself included).
… I’m just hoping St Mall’s will be finished. We’ve been working on it long enough! Ehehe