Book Boffin

Print Book and eBook Self-Publishing for Creative Entrepreneurs

The Value of FREE: How to Make Your eBook Permafree on Amazon

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Should you make your book permafree?

If you have published more than one eBook and are aiming to increase your following of readers, you may be considering heavily discounting one of your books in order to entice readers into making a ‘no-brainer’ purchase decision – with the goal of gaining some of those dollars back (a repeat reader) when they go on to buy your subsequent books.

Many authors have won new reader’s hearts with their low price or zero price initial book offering, and it is a strategy that works particularly well if you have a series of books to funnel your readers through.

If you sell your ebooks through Amazon KDP, you will know the minimum price you can set your eBook to is 99 cents, because setting your book to free does not make Amazon any money. However, there are eBook titles that are always available on Amazon for free (that is, they are not participating in the KDP select program where they are able to set their books to free for 5 days in every 90 day cycle) – so how do you make a Kindle book permanently free?

Setting your Kindle book to free, permanently.

Part of Amazon’s Terms and Conditions require you to not sell your eBook for anywhere online for less than the price you have set it to on Amazon. If you do not comply with the Amazon terms, they will automatically price match your book to the lower price.

Authors use this policy to their advantage when setting their book to permanently free (or ‘permafree’). Simply set your eBook to 99 cents in KDP, then set it to free on another eBook platform (Smashwords allows you to set your book to free). Rather than waiting for Amazon’s bots to catch up with you, you can email Amazon Customer Service and alert them that this title is free elsewhere and provide them with the link. As per their own policy, they are obliged to set the same title to free on the Amazon store.

Note: use this tactic if you are confident you want this title permanently free, it is not recommended if you are experimenting with different price points as the Amazon wheels can sometimes turn slowly if you are wishing start charging for this title in the future.

7 Clever Ways to Build CTAs into your eBook

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Books can sometimes be a one dimensional product. You take it from the shelf (physically or virtually), immerse yourself in that world, and if it was a book you truly connected with, feel the sadness of it being over when you come to that inevitable last page.

For fiction authors, having more than one book available for readers of your work often forms the cornerstone of a smart book marketing plan. It’s never good to leave your readers wanting more if you haven’t got anything else to deliver. Having more than one book gives depth and dimension to your work that takes people beyond the first book, and helps move them from readers to fans.

What about non-fiction?

If devoting your career to writing fiction novels were considered a marathon, how do you add depth and dimension to your work if you are writing a non-fiction book, and your natural inclination is to sprint?

When writing your non-fiction book, it is useful at the outlining stage to consider the question “Where next?” In other words, where do you want to lead your readers with this book? If you have no plan as to where you want your readers to go next, what is the point of writing a book for your business?

Whether the goal of your book is to sell as many copies as you can, or perhaps it was written to be a high-carbon footprint business card – below are some ideas to consider building into your book in the formation stages. Doing the thinking now will pay off, rather than as an afterthought which potentially impacts on your time, your expenses, or the momentum that has already gathered for your book once it’s published.

Here are 7 ideas to add value to your book – and your business – through strategic calls to action:

  1. Ask for a review – just ask. Social proof is a powerful motivator for potential readers, so make it really easy for a happy reader to review your book by providing a link inside your ebook that directs back to the book’s sales page where the book was purchased from, with some encouraging text for a review.
  2. Link to your other titles you have previously published – if you have written more than one book, provide a link inside each book to the sales page of your other books. If they like your book, make it really easy for them to buy your other books.
  3. Add a bonus chapter – if you have more material you are constantly developing, consider writing a bonus chapter with extra material that supports the book. Place it on a hidden page on your website and provide the link inside the book.
  4. Create a Facebook group based on the key point of the book – just for readers of your book. This is perfect if part of your strategy is to encourage interactivity and discussion around your book. Something to keep in mind, don’t start what you don’t want to manage. If you don’t have time to devote to this group, this might not be the strategy for you. Moderating Facebook groups is both rewarding and time-consuming.
  5. Start a movement – a website, or forum, or Facebook page focussed on the transformational element of the book. If your book is a small representation of a larger movement, lead your single readers, one-by-one to the place where your movement is congregating – whether it be a Facebook group, online forum or face-to-face city meet-ups. There is power in numbers for keeping the ideas alive and thriving.
  6. Link to further resources – your recommendations on software, hardware, further reading – especially useful when you have further information to share that is not evergreen, or something that you wish to keep adding to as you delve deeper into the subject.
  7. Make an offer – in the form of a discount, bonus or something special just for readers of your book. Whether it be an enrolment offer into your courses or trainings, discounts or bonus add-ons for your consulting packages, an offer inside your book can be a creative and subtle way to raise awareness of your core offering. You could provide a coupon code, or special access that readers will have to find inside your book to access.

And in case you were wondering, the answer is no: having only your website address on the contact information on the imprint page of your book does not count as a call-to-action – but good to have your web address there rather than none at all. ☺

By taking on the marathon mentality of a novelist to your non-fiction book, ensures your readers will have the best chance of becoming a fan of you, fan of your work, and coming back for more – even if you only publish one book.

Book Descriptions versus Book Synopsis

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Book Descriptions versus Book Synopsis

A synopsis is different to a book description, which is again different to a blurb. In the self publishing space, you do not necessarily require a synopsis, in the traditional sense.

To publish your book on the online bookstores requires a long and a short book description, these are sometimes are referred to as a blurb – but this is incorrect.

There are a lot of different definitions out there for these terms, so this is my understanding of it.

Why do you need a book synopsis or book description?

The purpose of a synopsis is to sell your work to a publisher, whereas the purpose of a book description is to sell your work to a reader.

The publisher looks at a synopsis through the lens of finding a commercially viable product, whereas the reader is looking for an entertaining read. Both audiences are looking for different things: the former is a commercial decision, the latter is an emotional decision – so the wording for a synopsis needs to be different to a book description, to fulfil the different needs.

Synopsis:

A good synopsis is written in a way that helps a publisher evaluate if this product is likely to get a good return and is worthwhile their investment. A good book description is written to hook the reader in so they want to invest both their money and time reading the book.

Being two different audiences to fit two different purposes, they need to be written in very different styles.

Developing your synopsis is important if you plan on taking your work to a traditional publisher.

A synopsis is written as a brief summary of the major plot points of a book, or an abridgement of the book’s contents, articulated in an interesting and succinct way. It has a beginning, a middle and an end. They are normally included with a cover letter to a publisher who is considering their work.

For some sound advice on constructing a synopsis, Jane Friedman has it covered.

Book Descriptions:

A book description is written to entice a reader with the journey or transformation the book will provide to them, without giving away the answer or ending. It is a grab of one or two key points and shaped into a teasing summary of the outcome or conclusion a reader can expect by reading this book.

When self-publishing your book to an online bookseller such as Amazon, iBookstore or Kobo, you will need both a long description (about 1000- characters) and a short description (about 400-500 characters).

The short description appears on the back of the book cover, so a potential reader can scan the back and decide if they want to purchase, and the longer descriptions are included on a landing page or where online bookstores allow book descriptions to be placed on the book’s sales page. As it does not need to fit within the confines of a book cover, this allows you to elaborate a little more, whilst still remaining within the conventions of it’s purpose, which is to hook the reader.

If you are stuck for words when crafting your book description, here is a brilliant piece of reverse engineering to come up with book descriptions, by Joanna Penn.

A Book Blurb:

Book blurbs are different again, and a terrific sales tool for your work. Read more about book blurbs here: http://bookboffin.com/how-to-get-book-endorsements/

So to sum up, I see the synopsis as a selling tool, and the book description as a promotional tool. One is sales, the other is marketing.

If you have already developed your synopsis, I don’t want to discount the work that has been done because that can incredibly useful when working with designers and copyrighters to develop your product and marketing pieces. Include your synopsis with your brief to enable them to get a quick grasp on the type of book this is, so they can get the styling and messaging right.

When you are self-publishing, you are bypassing the traditional publishing houses so don’t have to try and sell it to anyone except your target audience – they are now your gatekeeper. So your only job now becomes building an audience of fans of your work, and that is easily done through showing them the amazing journey you can take them on in your book. And one of the ways to do that is through an effective book description.

Tips to Get Glowing Endorsements for your Book

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Tips for Getting Glowing Endorsements for your Book

Endorsements (or blurbs) can be a real credibility boost for your book. When you find the right person that is highly relevant for your market, their endorsement can provide word-of-mouth marketing that is leveraged to the degree of stardom of that endorser.

So aim high and just ASK.

When looking for endorsements for your book, keep in mind the most successful endorsements are usually given by someone influential in your book’s genre (particularly in fiction) or a thought-leader of the industry or niche in which you are writing about (which works well for non-fiction books).

Endorsements are not the same as reviews. Although less leveraged than endorsements, reviews are incredibly valuable to authors. Reviews are given by fans of your work or readers of your books. They are usually unsolicited, impartial and you probably don’t know the reviewer personally.

And in the same way the right celebrity endorsement can provide the break-out success you are hoping for your book; reviews en-masse can become the catalyst for a book’s longevity or quick death.

So how do you find the right person to endorse your book? Here’s some tips for finding the right endorsement:

  1. It’s all about the name – social proof is a powerful force in marketing. A nod from a high profile person attaches their brand to your work. So for this same reason, choose wisely.
  2. When it’s not ‘all about the name’ – see what I did there? Yep… totally contradicted myself, because us humans don’t always use our logical brains.
    A glowing endorsement from a lesser known person can sometimes be more effective at selling your work than a ‘Meh’ endorsement from a well-known person. You be the judge when deciding which endorsement should take up the premium real estate in your book.

When you find someone who agrees to endorse you, here’s some tips on how you could provide some framework for the endorsement:

  1. Is there a particular angle you would like them to cover that highlights an area of the endorser’s expertise that also has the most relevance to your book? Let them know what you are looking for, they will probably find it helpful to be given this direction.
  2. Ask for their title, in relation to their endorsement of your book. They may wear many hats (professionally) and may keep some separation between them, so always check with them what title they would like to use with their name in relation to the endorsement.
  3. The endorsement does not have to be long. A well articulated one to two paragraphs is sufficient to provide potential readers with enough proof as to the quality of your work and what they will gain by learning from you.

And here are some ideas in how to keep the endorser/author relationship strong, positive and in flow:

  1. Provide the book in the format they want to read it in. If you are asking someone to take the time to read your book, give it to them in the most reader-friendly way possible, for them.
  2. Don’t send them a half-done book. Send your book once it has been copy-edited and proofread. Asking them to read a book full of typos and incorrectly structured sentences will interrupt their reading flow and may affect how glowing the endorsement ends up.
  3. Communicate your expectations – When you give them the book, let them know up front when you would ideally would like the endorsement sent to you, and give them all the ways they can send it to you, for example: email address, Facebook PM etc. And provide them with sufficient time to carve out some space in their schedule to read your book and give thought to the endorsement – I would recommend 6-8 weeks notice.
  4. Remind them of the deadline – don’t wait til the due date to ask them where the endorsement is. Send them a note a couple of weeks prior to remind them of the date you will need the endorsement given to you in order to stay on track with your publishing schedule.
  5. Thank them. They have done a nice thing for you. Their brand of fairy dust liberally sprinkled over your book may just give your book the amplification it needed to boost it beyond the boundaries of your influence. Thank them sincerely and send them a copy of the book once it’s published.

If you are interested on further reading about obtaining endorsements for your book, this Writer’s Digest article provides excellent perspective on how to approach this process.

Finally, a book blurb is not the same as a book description. We cover book descriptions in detail here: http://bookboffin.com/book-descriptions-book-synopsis/