Customer Reviews

Once your book goes live, it will be absolutely vital to have positive customer reviews on places like Amazon and Barnes & Noble (particularly on Amazon). Begin contacting friends, family, colleagues, etc. who have read your book to encourage them to leave positive reviews once it's live – preferably within the first few days of publication.

The most powerful Amazon reviews are those that have been left by someone who has actually purchased your book from Amazon, (“Amazon Verified Purchase”).

Not only will reviews directly help to boost sales, but they will also indirectly help as Amazon rewards well-reviewed books by placing them higher in their search rankings.

 

Editorial Reviews

If you have not already obtained blurbs, reviews, and/or endorsements from people who are well-credentialed and/or prominent within your genre, you will want to strongly consider doing so. We are able to list these reviews on your book’s detail page and they can act as a powerful tool to encourage sales.

 

Build a Following

It is very important that you begin building a following of readers (especially if you plan on writing more than one book). This can sometimes take a while to do, but persistence is key and everything you do can make a difference. Below are some things we strongly recommend:

  • Create a dedicated Amazon Author Page: You will want to create an Amazon Author Central account. This will allow you to share your most up-to-date information and help you connect with and reach additional readers (you can also create your own Author Page on Amazon’s international marketplaces).

  • Social media: We encourage you to promote your book across social media, including Facebook, Twitter, and other sites.

  • Social media for book lovers: There are several excellent social media sites (e.g., Goodreads, LibraryThing) designed specifically for book lovers, which we encourage you to join and take part in. Signing up for accounts on these sites is a great way to connect on a personal level with readers.

  • Word-of-mouth: Good old-fashioned word of mouth is still a major way people hear about new (and existing) books. Let people know what you’ve been doing whenever you feel it is appropriate.

  • Email signature: Consider including a reference to your book as part of your email signature on outgoing messages (see the signature at the bottom of emails from your Author Manager for an example).

Additional Author Resources

  • Publishing forums: Amazon hosts publishing forums, which are a great place to learn from others and share your experiences about independent publishing.

  • Promo codes: You can request up to 250 promo codes per eBook to provide free copies of your book to reviewers, bloggers, or others to build momentum. The cost is $5 per 10 promo codes. Note: promo codes are only valid for four weeks from the date they are requested, and are only for use with Apple eBooks.

  • ‘Like’ Gatekeeper’s Facebook page for additional marketing tips: We are constantly adding helpful tips and articles to our Facebook page and encourage you to check them out from time to time.