8 Tips for Creating a Professional Author Page on Amazon Author Central

Are you an author searching for an effective way to boost your book sales? Look no further than the Author Page feature on Amazon Author Central. Your Author page is the perfect place to tell readers more about you, share book related content, prove your legitimacy as an author, and sell your books. With these 8 easy tips you’ll be on your way to creating an impactful Author Page on Amazon Author Central.

By the time you’re done reading this article, your Author Page will have:

• An effective bio

• An author photo

• Blog posts and videos

• A clean shareable URL

• All your books claimed

• Editorial Reviews

• International accounts

Getting Started

Before we dive into the tips, it’s important to understand what Amazon Author Central is and How an Author Page works. An article from feedvisor explains that an Author Page on Amazon Author central allows any published author to sell books that have an ISBN. it is free to use and a very successful marketing tool. 

As a new author using Amazon Author Central, you’ll want to follow these step-by-step instructions for creating an account.

1. Visit Amazon Author

2. Click join for free

3. Enter your email address and password

4. Verify your email

With 4 easy steps you’ll be on you way to creating an effective Author Page. Once your account is created, you can search for your books using their ISBNs, and then begin creating your Author Page. 

Tip 1: Create an Effective Bio

Your author bio is the first place readers will go to learn more about you. It should be a way for readers to connect you to your books. 

Things to include in your author bio:

• Interesting facts about you

• Relevant awards

• Hobbies

• Your social media handles

• Your Website

Below is an example of an effective bio from author Rodney Curtis. He includes details about his personal life and career, as well as his website. 

Tip 2: Include an Author Photo

Adding a photo of yourself to your Author page is a great way to personalize your page. This allows readers to put a face to a name and feel more connected to you and your work.

Your photo should be in high definition, colour, and include your whole face. Make sure it is well lit so readers can tell exactly what you look like. 

You can include up to 8 photos on your Author page so don’t be afraid to attach a relevant photo of yourself to different books.

Tip 3: Share Blog Posts and Videos

Adding blog posts and videos are a great way to keep your readers up to date with news surrounding you or your books. 

You can add a blog post by:

1. Selecting add blog from the blogs section of your Author Page.

2. Add the RSS address for your blog. Make sure it’s the RSS and not the URL

3. View your blog under the Author Updates section of your Author Page

You can add a video by:

1. Selecting add video from the videos section of your Author Page

2. Select browse and choose the video you would like to upload

3. When the video is done uploading, you will have to select approve

The videos you upload to your page can include things like book trailers, readings, and any other content related to your books. 

Some things to keep in mind:

• Videos need to be mov, mpg, avi, flv, or wmv format

• Videos need to be smaller than 500MB

• Videos need to be less than 10 minutes long

Tip 4: Customize Your Shareable URL

Your shareable URL should look clean and professional. People will be less interested in your author page if the URL is filled with a bunch of random letters and numbers. 

Changing your URL is simple. All you have to do is select Amazon Page URL, and then edit it so it is clean and simple. Sometimes the URL you choose is already in use so be prepared to have a couple different variations if your first choice is unavailable.

Tip 5: Claim More Books

When you first set up your Author Page, you’ll have already claimed your books. If you’ve written books under a different pen name or as a collaboration with other authors, you can also claim those! 

Here’s how to claim more books

1. Select Add More Books under the Books tab of your Author Page

2. Search for your other titles

3. When you find them, select this is my book

4. A dialogue box will appear where you then select this is my pen name

Once you complete these sets you will have a new Author Page created for that pen name. It will all be linked with the same Amazon Author Central account, and you can have up to 3 pen names for each Author Central account. 

Adding books that you collaborated on is also very easy. All you have to do is click add more books and select your name as author.

Tip 6: Add Editorial Reviews

Do your books have lots of glowing reviews? You can add them right to your Author Page and show them off to your followers

Here’s how to add reviews

1. Select the books tab

2. Choose the book you would like to attach a review to

3. Select add and then follow the formatting guidelines to add your review

4. Preview and then save changes

Kindle copies of your books can have an unlimited number of reviews and physical copies are limited to five reviews, so make sure you are choosing reviews from reliable critics. 

Tip 7: Update Your International Accounts

Amazon Author Central is available in multiple countries, so make sure you set up Author Pages in other countries where you have books published. 

If you have an Author Page set up on Amazon Author Central in a country that speaks another language, it’s a good idea to translate your page to that language. Make sure to hire an actual translator and don’t use google translate.

Try utilizing LinkedIn, one of the largest professional networking sites in the world. With its expansive database of professionals from all industries and backgrounds, you have access to a wide range of potential translators who might be able to help you out with your project. Once you’ve identified a few potential candidates, use an email finder tool to quickly look up their contact information so you can reach out and discuss the project.

Tip 8: Keep Your Author Page Updated

The most important, and probably the most difficult thing to do is keep your Author Page updated. Add new books, update your bio and photos, and remove anything that becomes irrelevant, you don’t want viewers to get caught up in the unimportant things. You should be updating your Author Page at least once a month to keep content fresh and readers engaged.

Final Outcome

After putting all these tips into play on your author page, you should have the following:

1. A detailed and effective bio

2. All your published books listed, including ones you have collaborated on

3. Photo and video related content

4. A linked blog that is updated regularly   

If you’re still feeling a bit lost, check out this short video on setting up your Amazon Author Page.

Written By: Leah Gerber

Conclusion

An Amazon Author page is an effective tool for any author to use and it’s easy to set up as well! You’ll be able to grow your following on your Amazon Author page in no time with these tips. 

Are you an author with an already established author page? Let us know in the comments what you did to create a developed Author Page!

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If you need help turning your book into an audiobook, we offer audiobook production services that will help you reach a wider audience and increase your book sales. 

Listen to some of our audiobook samples here to get started.

How To Be Successful In Life

How do you define success? Many people have different versions of what they believe success to be. Some people want money, some want power, others want fame. However, no matter what it is it’s probably not the easiest to come by. It takes hard work!

Below you will find 13 tips and tricks to achieving the success of your dreams. 

1. Big Thinking

When you were a kid, did anyone ever ask you what you wanted to be when you were older? Do you remember your answer? It was probably something wild and imaginative. Embrace your inner child and go for that dream you’ve always had. Don’t shy away and settle for something easier. Instead, be ambitious. The good things never come easy.

2. Do What You Love

Even if you believe success is defined by wealth, is it reward enough to continue doing something you potentially hate for the rest of your life? To be successful in life should ultimately mean being happy. So find what you love to do, and do that instead because happiness is often more rewarding. 

3. It’s All About Balance

It’s true what they say, when you put in work you will see results. However, many people will feel burnt out after investing all of their time and energy into their job. It’s important to have balance between work life and personal life. Work hard, but allow your body to rest and take care of your health. 

4. Don’t Be Afraid To Fail

Many people are afraid to make mistakes. It’s a natural human response when wanting to become successful. However, mistakes are bound to happen because nobody is perfect. Mistakes are great lessons that teach us something and make us stronger people when overcoming them. They’re how you learn and grow as you make your way down the path of success.

5. You Should Always Want To Succeed

After experiencing a failure, it’s quite easy to want to give up on your goals. But if you have a burning desire to succeed and push through your shortcomings, anything is possible! When you’re not fully dedicated to your cause, every failure you experience will continue to shy you away from your goals. But when you continue to push, your efforts will be rewarded. 

6. Do What It Takes

Think about some of the most successful people in the world. People like William Shakespeare and Leonardo Da Vinci who shape the way we all think about past eras. Think about how different life would be without Bill Gates or Steve Jobs, who’ve accomplished everything they have. These are all good examples of people who stood outside the norm. They didn’t let society shape them.

So if you have a good idea, do it. Even if you fail, keep trying until you get there. And don’t worry about being different, the best people are.

7. Have Good Relationships

Maintaining good relationships is key to success. Some of the most influential people in the world were people that were genuinely liked. They cared about people, they didn’t just push them away. Plus, when you’re good to someone, they will likely be good back to you. 

8. Follow Up With Your Ideas

It’s true that sometimes the people with the boldest ideas get shut down. However, it’s important to listen to your ideas and act upon them! We were taught to follow like sheep, but some of the best inventions were made from people thinking outside the box. Your key to success might be the weird idea you had before falling asleep that night!

9. Believe In Yourself

Success has to be something that you 100% see yourself achieving. If you don’t believe in yourself, what’s the point in investing any of your time and energy. It will ultimately be wasted if you don’t believe in yourself from the get-go. Continue to remind yourself why you started and encourage yourself even in moments of failure. 

10. Stay Positive

As difficult as this may seem, staying positive really is crucial on your journey to success. Many people don’t realize the amount your thoughts influence the things in your life. Try replacing your negative thoughts for positive ones, and soon you’ll be on your way to manifesting everything you’ve wanted. Obstacles shouldn’t deter you, instead they should be items on a checklist that you’re just crossing off before achieving success.

11. Don’t Be Discouraged

It’s so easy to feel discouraged after failing. We often begin to doubt ourselves and our abilities, especially if others are doubting us too. We need to ignore this. Believing in ourselves is so important during times like these. Take the feedback and do better next time. 

12. Hard Work Pays Off

Success doesn’t come easy. That’s why hard work truly pays off. Not everyday do we meet people whose life is handed to them on a silver platter. So do what it takes and put in the work. When you put in all your time and effort, results will show.

13. Follow Your Intuition

Your body often knows what it needs before your mind can comprehend it. Follow that gut feeling, that gut instinct. You might generally know what you should stay away from, things that will only hinder you on your way to success. Give yourself some credit, you know more about yourself than you think.

These were 13 tips and tricks you can use to achieve success that have been used by just a few of the world’s most famous people. Success takes hard work, but it is definitely rewarding.

- By Jessika Molnar

It takes time and dedication, but to anyone who truly believes in themselves and their capabilities, then achieving success is definitely possible. Do you have what it takes?

If you need help getting yourself out there, we offer audio / video production and marketing services that will help you elevate your brand!

We look forward to being a part of your success. Contact us here to get started.

14 Ways to Make Your Video Go Viral

1. Be Like A Magician 

Have you ever been to a magic show, or watched magicians on TV? It’s fascinating to see them captivate their audience and keep them engaged, writhing on the edge of their seat the whole time. When you’re trying to achieve a strong online presence, it’s important to engage your audience as well. But unlike a live performance, videos are often much shorter and you only really have a couple minutes to draw your viewers in.

So don’t waste your precious time on things that can be shown towards the end of your video. Really hook people in with something interesting, and stray away from things including logos if you can help it. 

2. Be Different

There’s an analogy that follows the story of a purple cow. When you look into a field of brown cows, none of them really stand out. But if you were to see a purple cow, well it would definitely stand out and probably be worth talking about later. 

An example of a brown cow would be an advertisement for a blender that showcases the speed and power of it. But an example of a purple cow would be if the advertisement asked viewers whether or not they thought it could blend something tougher or not. People would be more likely to stay if you peak their curiosity. 

3. Use High Quality Equipment

When starting out, high end equipment is often unaffordable. You can still make a viral video just using your phone’s camera. But people are more inclined to watch something when it looks professionally done. 9 out of 10 of the most viral videos on Youtube were made by legitimate producers according to The Wall Street Journal. 

However you can create a viral video just using your mobile phone and many people have! You can learn how to do so here. Don’t let gear stop you, a lot of the time, the idea and creativity is the most important factor in going viral.

4. Be Practical

Don’t shy away from practical videos that can help teach your audience. For example, there’s a video online from famous Youtuber Wendy Nguyen, a fashion blogger who posted a video on 25 ways to wear a scarf in only 4.5 minutes. 44 million people have watched the video, and it encouraged a lot of people to subscribe to her channel. 

5. Marketing Is Important

Oftentimes, people are nervous to promote themselves and their work. They worry whether or not they’ll waste time and money on marketing but then have their work flop. It can be embarrassing. But in fact, it’s crucial to promote yourself instead of leaving it up to chance, especially if you put a lot of hard work into it. You should be proud of yourself and show it off.

Using videos on landing pages can increase conversions by 86% (Joe Girard, 2015). 

6. Release On A Monday Or Tuesday

Weekends are unfortunately a bust, because everyone is busy on the weekends. Most people tend to watch videos on break at work. So post on a Monday or Tuesday so that it has the rest of the week to gain momentum. Be mindful of breaking news that may take attention away from you. Also, be careful around holiday times. Instead, choose a day without any major news and post during the times people are on their phones the most like in the morning or right before bed. 

7. Have A Strong Video

Promoting yourself can only get you so far. You can get your family and friends to share your videos, but what about beyond your social circle? You need to have some strong content there; content that will spread like wildfire. 

Consider striking an emotion in your viewer, because people share your videos when they feel something. Emotions that typically get you those shares include happiness, eagerness, enjoyment, frustration, etc. 

8. Keep It Short

When deciding on a video to watch, do you ever look to see how long it is before clicking on it? I know I have. When a video is longer, people usually don’t have the time to watch the entire thing. But if you can fit a lot of information in a 2 minute video, better yet 30 seconds, people are more inclined to watch it. Also, short videos get more shares and spread to different audiences better. 

9. Find Your Steak

If you’re trying to make a viral video, think about the people and companies you want to hire you. If you need any marketing, these companies can work with you on that. If you make a video, include links to potential sponsors. 

For example, if you are doing a clothing haul then you could link to a company like Nike. Ideally, Nike would hire you to rep their brand and in return they could reimburse you. You won’t win every company, but that doesn’t mean one wouldn’t hire you. Don’t be afraid to reach out. 

10. Okay, You’re Viral

Now what? There’s a good chance you will receive a lot of criticism. For example, someone once posted a video from a car accident that they where involved in, and it got over 10k views. It was not the person that was filming’s fault, nor where they charged. But from the angle they took the video from, it left people thinking that it was indeed their fault and they said horrible things. But don’t let it get to you! It’s good to create controversy, it keeps the attention on you. 

It’s important to remember that the media might try to get a hold of you, so be sure to answer. Make your email address and social media links easy to find. Understand where you want your traffic to go. If you have a website, be sure to include a sign-up page.

11. Write A Good Description

People often neglect the importance of a good video description. After waiting for your video to upload, writing a description may seem like a nuisance. But in fact, the description is the perfect area to include all your keyword searches. Also, post tagged URLs to companies that you want to sponsor you. 

Use the description box to your advantage, don’t just leave it blank!

12. Subtitles and Captions

People often don’t remember that when you neglect subtitles and closed captions for your videos, you’re cutting out a large demographic of people with hearing disabilities or language barriers from watching you. 

Youtube does a decent job at auto-generating captions for you, however they often offer up mistakes. So to ensure they are proper, you might need to invest your time into doing it yourself.

13. Mobile Devices

Did you know that half of all videos on Youtube were made using a smartphone? Not only that, but Youtube’s top priority is actually mobile phones. So definitely consider making mobile friendly videos for your viewers. Cater to the larger demographic, but continue pushing videos that could suit every device. 

14. Consider Overlays

Have you ever watched a Youtube video, and then suddenly a small text box popped up that had a link attached that you could click on? Overlays are an amazing tool in getting more subscribers. It provides more intractability with your viewers, and shows that you put more time and effort into your videos. 

When using all of these tools and by paying attention to keywords and phrases, you’ll definitely be on your way to becoming highly discoverable.

- By Jessika Molnar

Do you think you’re ready to make a viral video?

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We look forward to being a part of your success. Contact us here to get started.