4 out of 4 stars
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Are you an aspiring author who’s ready to publish their first book and looking for a guide that gives you the secret to becoming an instant NYT bestseller overnight while making millions by the end of the week?
If so, this is not the book for you.
As an author myself, I’m always suspicious of the books promising results with popularity and sales numbers. “There’s no proven formula,” as so many have told me. “Anyone promising you results is lying or trying to scam you.”
But Richard McCartney, author of The Unofficial Author’s Guide to Selling Your Book on Amazon, does not promise instant bestseller status. He doesn’t say you’ll be able to quit your day job on Monday or even boast that his proven technique will have your sales climbing the charts like Spider-Man trying to save Mary Jane from a thousand-foot drop.
What he does is give simple ways to use Amazon’s systems to the self-published author’s advantage. As a reader, I found this book to be a fascinating look into how Amazon works. As an author who got frustrated with the self-publishing track, I found this uplifting. It put so many small things that could have a big impact in my control.
From selecting proper categories to getting your book to appear alongside bestsellers in its genre, this short guide is packed with tips and tricks that could actually have an impact on visibility. Even better, they are all things the author can do without shelling out hefty chunks of change. There are many services out there promising success for the low, low price of…not so low, after all. And once the author has paid this price, the results are never seen. I quite appreciated McCartney’s no-nonsense approach to bookselling. I also found the way he pulled Amazon’s “secrets” out to be useful. Really, they aren’t secrets. Just things an author may never think of if it’s not pointed out. There are definitely things here that I never thought of, and I can’t be the only one. McCartney puts them in simple terms—like the difference between KDP and browsing categories and how to use them effectively.
One of the best things about this book is that McCartney also gives tips for what not to do. For example, he dedicates a chapter to removing negative reviews. He then cautions the reader not to remove them because even bestsellers from wildly successful authors have bad reviews. He also encourages authors to take a look at what’s causing these reviews. Is it just that the book is in the wrong categories and not getting to the right readers? Or is it that the book is poorly formatted/edited? Regardless, McCartney says not to delete negative reviews, but instead, he offers ways to maximize on the positive reviews. Fantastic advice.
I noticed exactly one error in the book. Due to how well this is written and the outstanding advice it gives, I rate The Unofficial Author’s Guide to Selling Your Book on Amazon 4 out of 4 stars. I recommend this book to self-published authors, new and established, who seek ways to get their work in front of a wider and more appropriate audience. This book truly is full of useful information. And for those who read this and think “great, but I don’t have time,” there are suggestions for well-known, reputable paid services that can help at the end. Oh, and have questions? McCartney invites readers to contact him and provides his email address. Truly, this is one of the best self-publishing books I’ve read. Color me impressed.
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The Unofficial Author's Guide To Selling Your Book On Amazon
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