Simple Story https://www.simplestory.us/ Amazon Top Authors Selling Books Sun, 17 Jan 2021 04:37:33 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.6 https://www.simplestory.us/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/cropped-english-logo-32x32.png Simple Story https://www.simplestory.us/ 32 32 Children’s Book Illustrations https://www.simplestory.us/2018/08/24/childrens-book-illustrations/ Fri, 24 Aug 2018 16:39:59 +0000 http://projects.cuberoute.in/simple-story/?p=2578 A subject that occupies a lot of children books writers is choosing an illustrator. Illustrations are an inseparable part of the story. ...

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A subject that occupies a lot of children books writers is choosing an illustrator.

Illustrations are an inseparable part of the story.  The characters, emotions, ambiances and each expression, background & color matter.

I remember how in my book, ‘Maya & Daniel Do Business’, the story got an added meaning once I’ve started receiving the illustrations.

How to Choose an Illustrator? 

  • You can find a local Israeli illustrator or possibly one from abroad through the Upwork website, (formally Odesk), communicating in a native language is obviously easier but on the other hand, the price is mostly irrationally expensive. You can find an illustrator abroad on a decent budget, starting from $2 up to $200 per sketch, where in Israel the range is more like between 500 to 1000 NIS per sketch.
  • You have to ask to see samples & make sure you like the style of the sketches. There are different & diverse styles and it’s important they are according to your taste & how you would like your book to look like.
  • Check for availability, ask & make sure the illustrator can provide you with all the necessary illustrations on a decent time frame, also, never pay in advance more than a sum for one-two sketches.

How to work with an Illustrator?

  • Send him a clear description of the main characters of the book and ask for a black & white sketch for them.
  • Once the characters are approved by you, send him 2-3 first scenes from the book, once you get them review them for approval.
  • Send over all the scenes, still ask for black & white sketches.
  • After you have approved all sketches ask him for coloring.
  • When deciding whether you use one of the sketches for the book cover or have one custom-made, I feel you should choose one of the existing sketches, no need for another order.

In conclusion, you need to take the time when choosing an illustrator.
In children’s books illustrations are a crucial part of the book and you shouldn’t take any ‘short cuts’ and choose something out of lack of choice. In addition, you need to consider that the work with the illustrator could be long & exhausting, plus the choosing process takes time, but you shouldn’t compromise – it’s important your book is done the way you wanted!

We here at ‘Simple Story’ provide also illustrations service for our clients. During the work process, we stay in touch with the illustrator & offer you professional advice, but all definitions, decisions & choices are the author’s himself.

Wishing you the best of luck, and we are here for you for any question you may have.

A short email to us ([email protected]) and you have someone to consult with.

Good luck choosing your illustrator,

Amit

 

P.S – have you seen our marketing & promotional packages?
Marketing Your Book Straight To the Top of Amazon

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Authors Secrets https://www.simplestory.us/2018/08/24/authors-secrets/ https://www.simplestory.us/2018/08/24/authors-secrets/#respond Fri, 24 Aug 2018 16:36:08 +0000 http://projects.cuberoute.in/simple-story/?p=2570 In each & every month we learn more new things & develop our expertise. The learning curve here doesn’t end for the...

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In each & every month we learn more new things & develop our expertise. The learning curve here doesn’t end for the simple reason of the market change constantly. More competition, more niches, more ideas and it doesn’t end.

We have decided to share with you, our ideas, methods & tips learned throughout our work, and especially by observing & keeping track for hours each month of what is happening around the world. We are members on dozens of Facebook groups and online authors websites, constantly observing what works & what needs improvements.

The ideas featured here are not suitable for everyone and not for every niche, it’s important for you to read, understand & choose if it’s suitable.

General

Do you have a digital book? You can turn it into a printable version and start selling it through the ‘Print On Demand’ platform.
Do you have a printed book? You can turn it into a digital version and start selling it in another sales channel. This way you will significantly increase your chance for meaningful book sells.

A digital book stays on the web forever, unlike a physical printed book that stays on shelves and after a certain period moves on to storage. Remember that when you can’t decide where you should publish & promote your book.

You can have a perfect book in English even if you don’t speak or write English well. Learn to work with outsourcers abroad. Once you have a team of writers, illustrators, translators & proofreaders as well as another outsourced profession you might need, it will make it easier for you with your next book publishing.

An Independent author sets his own book price, size, cover and any other given option. Anyone can become an independent writer with no dependence on the goodwill of publishers with significantly reduced cost.

Amazon

Put time & effort into finding the best suitable categories for your book. You only have 2 category options to choose and you shouldn’t choose lightly, it is highly recommended to find 2 different main categories for your book, this way it will be exposed to a larger reader audience.

For Israeli citizens, Amazon pays by check once sales reach $100/Euro & up. In case you have an abroad bank account info Amazon will transfer the sales sum monthly without any minimum earnings.

While your book is being published, review & learn the acceptable pricing for books under your category. If you are not a well-known author you might not manage to sell with a higher price than the ones offered in your niche. On the other hand, there is no reason to be significantly low priced than the average pricing of your book subject & niche.

When running a major sales campaign on Amazon, it’s important that your book will have at least five good reviews, it influence well on readers & increase your chance to sell more copies.

Amazon has different languages websites for specialized sales in countries such as Germany, France, England, Australia & more. Holland is the last to join. Your book will be featured there automatically and your sales royalties will come from each region separately. This is an opportunity for you, the author, to translate your book & reach a larger target audience.

Digital Books

The cover is one of the essential aspects of the digital book. It’s important to remember that the reader only see a thumbnail image of your book and it should be captivating enough to make him pause and look at your book. When choosing the font size, amount of words & the image for your cover, remember that.

If you feel that the book is not selling as much as you expected, try changing the cover or the price. It’s free, fast and can bring a substantial change.

You wrote a children’s book in English & spent a lot of money on illustrations. If your story can relate to children across the world, think about translating your book to additional languages such as French, German, Spanish etc. you already have your illustrations so the only additional cost will be for translation. This way you can reach more readers worldwide in a relatively small investment fee.

Another major influence on book sales is the book description, the ‘marketing paragraph’ written on a book back cover. In the world of digital books, the description can be changed easily in minutes in case you feel it is not satisfyingly sold or for any other reason.

Promotion & Marketing

We recommend joining the KDP program on Amazon, it is a great platform that offers your new book exposure to thousands of new readers through the KDP free or Countdown plans.

We recommend joining Facebook groups of books & authors abroad. But it’s important to obey the group’s rules, some groups allow you to promote your book for sale, some groups offer to exchange views & consultations, others are for free days etc. good useful information can be found on good groups.

Offer your readers a truly valued gift and use it as a way to collect your clients mailing info to create a mailing list, it can be of a great importance during the book promotion process. For your next published book, you will have guaranteed first readers who know & love your writing style and you will offer your book to them first, it works!

 You should create a short minute long promotional video for your book, and promote it on your YouTube channel, the more visibility & exposure for your book the more chance for it to sell well.

When preparing the book description, forget for a minute that you are your book’s sales person with the aim to promote it, just describe the book in a marketing dialect & emphasize the book’s unique trades for the readers.

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6 Ways to Profit from Your Book https://www.simplestory.us/2018/08/24/6-ways-to-profit-from-your-book/ Fri, 24 Aug 2018 16:35:07 +0000 http://projects.cuberoute.in/simple-story/?p=2550 Many times authors address me and say: “I have written a book, published it & it’s great, I only have one problem...

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Many times authors address me and say: “I have written a book, published it & it’s great, I only have one problem – it is not selling enough”. They continue with “truthfully, I have given up, I want to earn money of my book, but I don’t know what else I can do”.

Sounds familiar?

We here at ‘Simple Story’ think & believe there is a lot more to do to manage to earn money from your book sales, the book can be a digital or a printed book or any other knowledge-based product you have created.

Our starting point being that it is edited well with a great looking cover and overall a quality product you have created.

Here are the 6 significant ways to profit from any book:

  1. A Printed Book

    Did you make sure you have enough printed copies? Many times here at ‘Simple Story’ we meet independent authors who published a digital book and think that ‘they did it all’ by that. You have to keep in mind that digital books are a growing market and in the US it’s close to 30% of sales, but don’t be confused, 70% of sales are still of printed copies. Amazon has a ‘Print on Demand’ system, meaning you don’t have to have a costly stock of books in storage. You upload your book to this system and a client can order a printed copy and Amazon takes care of the printing & delivery. In conclusion, don’t pass the option of having a printed copy.

  2. A Digital Book

    You have written an excellent book and you arranged to print it and to sell it on various marketing channels, on which we will discuss on a separate post. But did you consider publishing your book on a digital platform? It is a growing trend for a number of years now. You cannot pass on digital marketing & sales platforms. The Facebook-smartphones generation is also purchasing online eBooks.In conclusion, have you written a book? Let us, ‘Simple Story’, help you transform it into an international book and you into an international author. Digital books are the future of literature.

  3. Audio Books

    In recent years, there is a growing demand for audiobooks. It is not right for every book, but for most niches it is. To a photographer who composed a book with aerial shots it is not right but for a romantic novel or a children’s book, it is a very suitable platform. The world today is frantic and people don’t have time or patience, they drive long to work, spend (or suffering) hours of running and going to the gym and more of them consume information by hearing.
    Remember, we at ‘Simple Story’ publishing work with the international market and not just focusing on the Israeli market, which has different criteria. The translations and preparations are done for us by professional with English mother-tongue language. In conclusion, ask yourself if your book is suitable to be an audio book and if it is, don’t miss out on that profitable channel.

  4. Video Version for Your Book

    Similar to the audio books, this option is not suitable for every book. If you wrote a guide on how to make sugar dough cakes – why not film it as a tutorial guide & sell it? if you wrote a book on how to create polymer clay jewelry – why not film it and use your knowledge as a source for another income? In conclusion, video clips are suitable mainly for professional how-to guides.

  5. In what language your Book is written in?

    We all know English written books are very popular, but not just English, what other possible languages we can communicate in (Chinese & Japanese are harder for us):
    Spanish – more than 20 countries worldwide speak Spanish.
    Germany – one of the most evolved books markets worldwide.
    French and many others, at least, those who Amazon has opened separate websites on. Amit Eshet, the co-founder of ‘Simple Story’, has translated his Hebrew written book: ‘Maya & Daniel Do Business’ into English, Spanish & German and each month they sell on Amazon. In conclusion, do you want to profit from your book? Check if your line of expertise and your subject fit other countries & languages.

  6. Complementary Products Based on Your Book

    Many books convey ideas, themes, thoughts and a way of life.
    Did you ever consider how they can be transformed into complementary products?
    If your book is about an alternative lifestyle, make some complementing treatment cards based on the book’s illustrations and idea. Have you written a book about the tooth fairy? Create bed sheets based on the characters of the book. Are you an internet marketing expert? A mouse pad with some strong messages from your book will do the trick. In conclusion, it takes some creative thought on how you can transform your book into a well-oiled sales machine of accompanying products, it’s possible and many other writers do that.

We here at ‘Simple Story’ believe that you can earn money from books. It’s possible that you wrote your book in order to offer the world some of your knowledge & vision and that is awesome, but it doesn’t mean that you cannot profit from the hard work already invested.

Please note that all that is written here applies also to every knowledge-based product such as educational courses & lectures as other examples.

We believe that with a different way of thinking, a small financial investment and the belief in the quality of your book, you can deliver your messages to the whole world in a wide range of methods and it’s true to digital & printed books alike.

We are here and we will be happy to assist you.

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Why have a Digital Book? https://www.simplestory.us/2018/08/24/why-have-a-digital-book/ Fri, 24 Aug 2018 16:34:25 +0000 http://projects.cuberoute.in/simple-story/?p=2624 I am being asked a lot: “most of the books acquisitions worldwide are of printed books, so why are you preaching about...

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I am being asked a lot: “most of the books acquisitions worldwide are of printed books, so why are you preaching about digital books so much”? This is definitely a suitable question, and in this post, I will give you, the reader & you the writer, some answers.

Let’s start with the reader:

Easy Purchasing

You can purchase books online through Amazon or any other worldwide bookstore, 24/7. You don’t depend on opening hours and availability or if the book is in stock or not.

We here at ‘Simple Story’ purchase books that are not available in Israel and the digital media enable us to get them from anywhere in the world.

Quick Book Reception

From the moment of purchase, the book is in your possession in mere minutes. We live in an impatient generation; we don’t like to delay gratifications. You have decided that you like a certain book and you want it here & now, with a digital book that is what you’ll get.

Ease of Reading, Carrying & Storage

No more packing up 5 books for a week vacation abroad & pay for over-weight to the airline company. One electronic device (Kindle, Tablet, smartphone) stores hundreds of books.  Of course, you also clear up your home from storing bookshelves of dozens of books you read once and don’t have anything to do with it anymore. You’ve earned room for wall art & décor. Beyond that, you are able to control the font size, background shade, and even the font type.
I find it very easy to control visually and the ease of flipping through the pages & chapters is very convenient. Most devices also ‘remember’ what page you were last reading, and on your next reading, you will reach the exact same page. There’s also a possibility for bookmarks if there is more than one reader for the book.

The Price

The majority of digital books is significantly cheaper than printed books. It makes sense as you don’t need papers, printer, transportation, distributors & a store to profit from it. with the low cost of digital books, you can buy more books on the budget.

The Environment

For environmentalists, digital books bring major satisfaction; fewer trees are cut down for paper, less wood delivered by ships and tracks to printer shops & stores, this is a major energy saving process. Books packaging are spared from recycling cans & plastic bags and, of course, you need fewer storages to store the tens of thousands of printed by not selling books.

After reading the first part of this post the reader is already convinced, he should move on to digital books, now let me explain to you, the writer, what are your advantages in the digital sector. Most of what is written here is for the independent writer, the unfamiliar author, but the principals apply also to well-known published authors who have yet to transform their book into digital books:

You are Independent!!!

As a writer, publishing digital books online, you are your own boss. You decide where to publish when to publish & at what price, how the cover should look like, how to promote it etc.

Unlike a book issued by a publisher, where you have limited impact, here you call the shots! When you write & publish your own book no one would reject it or tell you that your book is not adequate enough or all kinds of more or less polite answers book publishing gives out.

Immortality for Your Book

Printed books arrive in stores and stay on the shelves for weeks or maybe months. After that, they move on to storage and aired out on special sales.

When you publish a digital book it has an immortal life as long as the internet exists, clients have a chance to get to it at any hour of the day from anywhere in the world.

Costs Savings

Assuming that all writing expenses including the writing, paging, cover & more are identical, we still have a distinct costs gap during the distribution stage.

A printed book needs printing, publishers demand mostly at least 1,000 copies to distribute to as many shops as possible, a cost of about 15,000 NIS (depends on the book of course). You have to pay a distributor to transport and place your book in stores, bookstores want to earn proceeds it makes sense, and they should. The overall of expenses sum up to around 25,000 NIS with no guarantee or knowing that the book will be successful and sell well, many times you will get back hundreds of printed copies that you will need to store.

Royalties

Due to the major expenses mentioned in the previous paragraph, you, the writer don’t have anything left. The writers’ law is trying to minimize that problem, but with relatively less success. The ‘4 books in 100 NIS’ sales and the likes continue and leaving you with pennies.

With a digital book, Amazon pays you 35% or 70% royalties of the book price (which is set by you). Other online digital books websites pay high royalties; some even 100% of the revenue after an initial payment to the website.

It is important for me to emphasize that I do recommend anyone to give readers who wish to buy a printed copy of this opportunity upon order. Amazon has an internal system of ‘Print on Demand’.  There are also local Israeli printer shops, that we work with, who can give you a solution for printing out 100 and 200 copies in reasonable prices. It is also important to proudly present a copy of our book to friends, colleagues & family members.

 

In conclusion, the digital books market is constantly growing, but the printed books market is still larger & popular so it is not recommended to overlook it. It is recommended to find a solution of print by demand and mainly give our readers the digital available version for him to read through easily & in high availability.

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Who is a Successful Author? https://www.simplestory.us/2018/08/24/who-is-a-successful-author/ https://www.simplestory.us/2018/08/24/who-is-a-successful-author/#respond Fri, 24 Aug 2018 16:29:44 +0000 http://projects.cuberoute.in/simple-story/?p=2618 We at ‘Simple Story’ publishing often encounter the questions: can my book succeed on Amazon? Should I publish a printed book or...

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We at ‘Simple Story’ publishing often encounter the questions: can my book succeed on Amazon? Should I publish a printed book or a digital book or both?

I’m sure these questions trouble you too, and in this post I will offer you some points to think about that will help you succeed.

Let’s start with the ‘simple’ question: what is a success?

Everyone measure success differently and each cause has a different way to follow in order to reach your goals. I will show you several success options and you decide which one you want to accomplish.

Make Money, Here & Now

A very legitimate cause, and on my blog ‘How to earn money’ I offer a few ideas on how to do so. There are numbers of companies worldwide that do sponsored promotion for writers on Amazon and distribute their books, on free days or regular pricing, to a large number of subscribers.  One of the leading companies is ‘BookBub’. The payment on different companies varies from a few dollars to a hundred of dollars per one ad. This option is suitable to the writer who believes his book will sell well through massive promotion (not always happening), and his royalties will be high enough to cover the costs with an excess profit.

This doesn’t fit a writer with other purposes, or the risk on this one-time investment is too high.

It’s important to understand that even if on the book’s publish date it will sell nicely and in large amounts usually in a number of weeks the book drops in the sales rankings.

Becoming an Authority

For many, the purpose of book publishing on their line of expertise is the public acknowledgment of their knowledge. For them, the ones who carry themselves in public, it’s easy to stand on a podium and present themselves in a few words including the emphasis on them being successful international authors; this is the success they are looking for.

Grant the World a Value of Your Knowledge

For professionals & people who have gone through a personal different experience, success is the ability to present the world their knowledge, their unique story. They mostly know that they might not make a lot of money, but it is important for them that their message will be echoing around the world.

Orit Chucho-Shulim, an educational expert, attuned to the success of each student and caring for children with ADHD, has published a charming children’s book with the help of ‘Simple Story’, with it, she send her professional message in a way children & parents can relate to easily.

Building a Mailing List

For many around the world, the digital book is only one part of their multiple activities. For example, T. Harv Eker who is running courses & workshops all over the world, he is using his books as another manner to deliver his message and gather interested parties.

As I have written on my post on mailing lists, the list can be a serious leverage of selling additional products to your subscribers besides books. For many, one of the most important measures of success is expanding the list.
Amit Eshet, co-founder of ‘Simple Story’ publishing, uses his mailing list to promote his methods & techniques on all that is related to the world of finance. Amit runs mailing lists for subscribers locally & abroad.

Leaving a Memory Forever

A digital book will remain online until they will invent something new, which will probably take a few decades. For many, success is to publish their family legacy like a book written by a member of the family who passed away etc. their success is measured by the gratitude & tribute to that family member who is no longer part of our physical world.

Universal Person wanted his story heard worldwide, and we at ‘Simple Story’ were happy to help him with the task.

Hobby & Amusement

Many are excited by the opportunity to publish their written creation, no matter whether it’s a guide book, a children’s book or a romantic novel, worldwide. The thought of them being in little Israel and the whole world could be exposed to their creation is extremely appealing to them. For those people, if a person in Brazil and another in Canada purchase their book, it’s a measure of recognition & pride. That is a success to them.

 

I have reviewed here several different definitions of success.

Of course there is no such thing as right or wrong, each person needs to define for himself what he sees as a success after his book is published.

And no matter what you chose, and off course you can define several different goals, in all of them you will have good sales and profits. The difference could be in a number of sales and that, of course, depends on the form of promotion you will choose.

The form of promotion will be defined, of course, by your definition of success.

All that is left for me to do now is to wish you the best of luck, and we at ‘Simple Story’ will be happy to continue to help you succeed and to answer any question you may have.

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Where is the Right Place Not to Be Modest? https://www.simplestory.us/2018/08/24/where-is-the-right-place-not-to-be-modest/ https://www.simplestory.us/2018/08/24/where-is-the-right-place-not-to-be-modest/#respond Fri, 24 Aug 2018 16:27:13 +0000 http://projects.cuberoute.in/simple-story/?p=2613 On your author page, of course. I am constantly amazed when I visit Amazon. I find an interesting book with an excellent...

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On your author page, of course.

I am constantly amazed when I visit Amazon. I find an interesting book with an excellent title, read the description, it sounds intriguing and then when I want to know:

Who wrote that book?

I Scroll down and reach an empty author page…

Make sense? Not at all and even silly & does harm for this writer.

An author page has many advantages, among them:

  1. It is the place to tell your readers who you are, what your mission is and why you bother writing books in the first place. Don’t be modest! This is the place to celebrate, praise & promote yourself. Even more, it is the place to convince the reader in buying your book.
    Perhaps, due to a personal experience or by events prior to the book (for example grandchildren stories in a children’s book), and perhaps due to public recognition earned and more, readers’ likes to know who wrote the book – let them know.
  2. You can endorse yourself, let readers know what else you can give them, refer them to a Facebook page or your website, give them access & closeness to you along with a feeling that an actual human being is there behind the book.
  3. A link to your own books catalog.

If you don’t have a website or an English advertisement platform, your author page link is an excellent way to refer your readers to.

Why? Because it leads your readers straight to the list of all your published books and to your story about yourself; as writers, we want a reader to buy not only one of our books but as many as possible. As soon as I refer them to my author page, they will be exposed to my entire books catalog on Amazon.

Technically, on each Amazon website (Com, De, UK etc.) you need to open a new author page and that is opposed to the books themselves that Amazon makes sure to publish on all websites.

So, don’t be lazy, invest some thoughts on words, images, and make sure all is written well and publish an author page with links to all of your books.

Actions will progress you to results. 

Good luck on your next book publishing, we here at ‘Simple Story’ will be happy to help you to become an international author.

Amit

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To Be a Bestseller on Amazon https://www.simplestory.us/2018/08/24/to-be-a-bestseller-on-amazon/ https://www.simplestory.us/2018/08/24/to-be-a-bestseller-on-amazon/#respond Fri, 24 Aug 2018 16:23:37 +0000 http://projects.cuberoute.in/simple-story/?p=2610 We have recognized a lot of confusion & misunderstandings of the terms of a ‘Bestseller’ on Amazon, here is a short video...

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We have recognized a lot of confusion & misunderstandings of the terms of a ‘Bestseller’ on Amazon, here is a short video explaining the difference between:

  1. Amazon Best Seller
  2. Category Best Seller
  3. Free & paid eBooks Best Seller

To Watch the Video Click Here

I hope this video can help you know the difference, we here at ‘Simple Story’ will be happy to help you to become a bestseller on Amazon.

Amit

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The Secrets of Successful Marketing for Your Book https://www.simplestory.us/2018/08/24/the-secrets-of-successful-marketing-for-your-book/ https://www.simplestory.us/2018/08/24/the-secrets-of-successful-marketing-for-your-book/#respond Fri, 24 Aug 2018 16:21:02 +0000 http://projects.cuberoute.in/simple-story/?p=2603 You have finished writing your book. You’ve made it a perfect cover, beautiful illustrations, the best proofreading edit possible, and now it...

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You have finished writing your book. You’ve made it a perfect cover, beautiful illustrations, the best proofreading edit possible, and now it is time to act on the different marketing channels to let your readers know that the book they have been waiting for – have arrived.

Whether it is a printed or a digital book, you are the writer responsible for the promotion of your book. From our experience at ‘Simple Story’ publishing, if you don’t take responsibility and get involved in the promotion for your book, your sales would drop dramatically.

You need to remember that we, as publishers specializing in Amazon, aim to market books internationally, not just locally, and for that the book needs to be distributed in multiple languages.  And even if the word ‘promotion’ leaves you a little nauseated and think of yourself as a salesperson seems shocking to you, you will soon realize that the actions needed are not so complicated and you might even enjoy doing it.

So on to some marketing work!

  1. Your Website

    Many authors have a website related to their writing niche and their writing is about their career or hobby. I am constantly amazed to see how many of them did not mention their book on their website. In a remarkably easy way, you can link payment options button to the book’s page, create an impressive landing page and within an hour, you have created another marketing channel, that also gives you some respect and a professional authority.

    You can see an example on Amit Eshet’s website, where you can find his digital books and his diverse languages print books.
    Sigalit Eshet’s books are linked directly to the Amazon website for direct purchase. she didn’t even have to link any payment options.

    In conclusion, use your website as a promotion channel and at 0 costs you have another exposure for your book.

  2. Emails – Distribution List

    It is very important to know who your readers are & to stay in touch with them. The most common way is a mailing list. There are many diverse ways to obtain readers email info, no matter what way you chose to collect them, use your readers’ audience to promote your book.

    Even if you don’t have a mailing list, use you contacts list. Email them with every notice of a new book published, a new creation or accessories you have created based on your book and ask them to share, pass on to their friends & perhaps even purchase from you.

    In conclusion, despite the massive use of social medias & smartphones, emails are still the most powerful way to send targeted messages to your audience.

  3. There are many social media platforms available, each one is a bit different than the other. As you spread the news about your book in as many platforms you can, you will increase the number of your readers.I will describe here several options, there are a lot more & more pops up every day. The important thing is the principal & understanding the process. Each one can choose where he is present:Facebook – start a fan page for your book & invite your friends to follow it, and you should definitely join authors groups worldwide and spread your word.

    Twitter – up to 140 characters with a hashtag (#) about you & your book does the work, more tweets and followers the more potential readers.

    Pinterest – pin your book cover or any images and illustrations you may have, clients’ comments & anything that could create an interest for pinning and sharing your work.

    LinkedIn – a very popular network and considered of a high standard. Share your book information and let them assist you to spread the word.

    In conclusion to the social media subject, and I only reviewed part of it, there is a distribution level of tens of thousands of people every keyboard type. The only investment is your time. Make sure to spend a few hours a week on it, it will help you help your book with a wide international exposure.

  4. Conventions & Launch Nights

    In each field, there are gatherings, discussions & lectures. For professional guides’ writers, there are professional conventions, and poetry nights for poets & prose writers, authors’ talks and more. Lately, there are more & new digital conventions and webinar lectures where the viewers listen to from their home.
    People want to hear your story, talk to them.

    In conclusion, the more you expose yourself to new circles & events, the more people will get to know you and your book, you can generate more discussions about it and sales will go up. It doesn’t matter whether it’s in a way of lectures, gatherings or digital platforms – your presence is important.

  5. Media Exposure

    By media exposure, I refer to TV, Radio & press on one hand, on the other to your ability to start your own YouTube channel and advertise your book there.
    A newspaper article or an item on one of the TV channels gives you huge amount of exposure. It is not always easy to get, and the truth is you will need great connections and some elbows, but don’t let it stop you.

    In conclusion, sometimes a newspaper story or a 2 min. item on TV are more valuable than spending hours on another activity, don’t give up on that marketing net.

  6. Articles & Blogs

    There are thousands of international article-based websites; you can write a story and publish it there with a referral to your website or your book. On any subject and for every single idea there are blogs, find the right blog for your area of expertise and ask for a review on your book, if they’ll love it they will publish it.

    In conclusion, the written word is your strength. Use this strength not only for writing but also for promotion with bloggers and websites.

In this article, I brought to you, in a nutshell, several options & ideas where you, the author, can help yourself with promoting your book.

We here at ‘Simple Story’ help authors with some of these actions because we care about your success. Even if you don’t feel that promotion & marketing is something you like to do, read this post again and find the actions you can relate to.

Share your book with the world, reveal it, this is not the time to be modest.

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The Right Book Price https://www.simplestory.us/2018/08/24/the-right-book-price/ https://www.simplestory.us/2018/08/24/the-right-book-price/#respond Fri, 24 Aug 2018 19:13:06 +0000 http://projects.cuberoute.in/simple-story/?p=2601 Not once I am asked: “what is the right price for my book”? My answer disappoints many because the only right answer...

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Not once I am asked: “what is the right price for my book”? My answer disappoints many because the only right answer is: there is no right price. And this answer also applies in the business world, not just in books.

A price is set mainly by your standards. I will not go into the broad pricing theory here, but I will give you several considerations when coming to set the price for our digital book.

The right price for a book is the maximum amount that readers will agree to pay.

The advantages of digital books are that you can change the price daily, every week and anytime you want. These are not printed books with a set price printed on. Here, in a few clicks, you can change the price.

We here at ‘Simple Story’ publishing highly recommend to change the price every once in a while and to examine what it does to sales.

It’s important to mention that you need to give at least a month to every price you set to see the progress of purchases. A change every day or two will not give you a real true estimation.

FYI, Amazon has a price recommendation system, they have an algorithm that runs according to the book subject & keywords that offer you the ‘right’ price for your book to reach maximum profits.  It is not so clear how much these system’s recommendations are accurate & correct, Amazon also mentions to take these recommendations as a reference & not an exact truth.

Many independent authors want to profit from selling their books and obviously, the price is one of the key elements on your ability as a writer to earn money.

Allow me to offer you several considerations in setting the price:

  1. An average pricing in your niche

    We need to remember that sadly, we are not alone on Amazon and in the book market in general, our clients will always look at us to compare with other alternatives they have. If the average price on our niche is $0.99 per book (children’s books) and we would try to sell each book by $8, the chance we would sell a lot is very low.

    On the other hand, if the average price is $6 and you offer your book by $1 – readers will suspect it has no real value.

  1. Do not compete by price

    Many in the business and the books worlds are mistakenly thinking that if their price is low, they will sell a lot & earn a profit. No!

    If you have a name for yourself & an authority and you have seized your own niche, there’s no point in dropping the prices and earn less than what you can make.
    During free days or any other sales that support your marketing formation, you can definitely drop your price, but during the rest of the time try to reach the possible maximal price.

  2. ‘Play’ with the Pricing of a Series

    In the hope that you already have a series of books, your ability to ‘play’ around with the prices and attract readers is increasingly high. What does that mean?

    In some of the books set a price based on the niche’s average pricing, for some place a higher price and for some lower. This way every reader will find several books on different price ranges and will choose what suits him, in the hope that he will buy more than one book. We at ‘Simple Story’ recommend you to change the mix of prices between books every number of months.
    Sigalit Eshet’s mosaic books are all at the same level and can be at a matching price. Yet, on this unique niche, she changes the prices every once in a while.

  3. A Price during Ad Campaign

    When you run a major advertising campaign and email your mailing list – it is recommended to play around with the prices. If you chose to use Amazon’s free days’ campaign you should raise the price a day before the campaign and then your potential client feels he will earn more by buying the book.
    You can also use Amazon’s temporary discount tool they offer us writers.
    We at ‘Simple Story’ can recommend you when it is best to use each price tactic on your campaign.

In conclusion, the book price is, of course, one of the main features that would determine your books profit. It may be that for you, success is measured in one parameter of the revenue but in any case, it is important for you to understand Amazon’s authors’ royalties’ method or any other website you are publishing your books on, for you to know & feel that the price of your book respects you & your aspirations.

We here at ‘Simple Story’ digital books publishing will be happy to help you with any question or doubt you may have.

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The Power of a Series https://www.simplestory.us/2018/08/24/the-power-of-a-series/ https://www.simplestory.us/2018/08/24/the-power-of-a-series/#respond Fri, 24 Aug 2018 16:09:19 +0000 http://projects.cuberoute.in/simple-story/?p=2599 You have published your first book that is a very exciting experience. The writing & editing, creating the cover, planning the promotion...

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You have published your first book that is a very exciting experience. The writing & editing, creating the cover, planning the promotion process and beginning to sell, after the initial excitement I am challenging you to your next challenge: writing your next book.

Following your publishing, especially if it’s an eBook on Amazon, some people will tell you that it is time to improve it, change pricing and promote it more. I want to share with you from my own & many independent writers’ experiences: you have written a book, you are happy with it then start with your next one.

There are many reasons to continue with writing & publishing a number of books & I want to share them with you:

Creating Additional Asset

You have to look at any additional book and an asset that will bring more income. We usually think of real estate as assets, a book is a passive income platform and the more books we have the more we would profit & from all of them.

Convincing a Reader to Read Our Books

In the world of printed books as well as eBooks, readers have countless opportunities. We need to convince book lovers to purchase our books, for we have a special something to tell them. Many check to see who the writer behind those words is, and as soon as they see a series of books they realize it’s not just a one book independent writer, but an author who has a great value to offer. For a reader, it will be easier to buy a book from us when he sees our series of books.

Changing Prices

When we have just one book and it’s the source of our income, then we will not change its price. We would even rarely use Amazon’s free days module. When we have a series of books we can ‘play’ a bit with the pricing, some will be free, some we will raise their price and change it every few weeks, this way the reader will see our series of books in a range of prices and would be able to choose according to his budget. This way we create great visibility and make our readers read our books and acknowledge the value.
Of course, this is relevant for eBooks only, with printed books prices are harder to play with.

What is interesting to our Readers?

Sadly we can never know in advance which book will be successful and which will not. The more books we publish the more we will increase our chances to create a bestseller. New books create curiosity & interest, but even if we follow the same actions, there will always be more successful books. Why? We don’t know. Perhaps it’s the book title; perhaps it’s the book cover and perhaps its luck that is involved. The more books we write will help our luck to work for us.

‘Simple Story’ publishing had followed many book series, including our own, and there were always different levels of success between different books in diverse niches.

Amazon Likes a Series

There are many promotional services of books & authors on Amazon. The more they feel a writer has more selling books the more they help him succeed. Why? Because they profit from sales commissions just like we enjoy the royalties. They promote successful writers with more emails to their subscribers, they grant successful books more category options and in general, would help you to sell more.

There is a lot to tell your mailing list

Your previous book subscribers are on your mailing list, they have read and were captivated by your book and now they are waiting for your next one. Don’t disappoint them, write your next book and send it to them. Your sales & publicity would rise and the additional asset you have created for yourself will grant you more financial options.

An example to a successful mosaic book series by Sigalit Eshet, co-founder of ‘Simple Story’ can be found on this link.

Any published book has increased the sales of all previous books in the series. The first and meaningful purchases always came through the mailing list.

Another example of children’s books series is by a ‘Simple Story’ client, Sigal Magen.

In conclusion to the subject of books series, I can only say that publishing your first book is difficult and a very challenging but fun experience. From your second book, it’s becoming a whole different kind of experience, your readers would love to get from you another story or more professional knowledge. Each book is an asset that helps create your passive income and deifying your professional name.

‘Simple Story’ would love to help you continue to grow your readers’ audience.

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