I’ll Show You the Money: Monetizing with Amazon

money packs-163497_960_720If I offered you a raise of between 5% and 6% for spending a trivial amount of extra time (we’re talking only seconds) you wouldn’t turn it down, would you? I didn’t think so. Yet that’s exactly what an author who isn’t setup as an Amazon Associate and using proper links when linking to their books on Amazon from their websites, Facebook pages, and elsewhere is doing. Amazon has made a few changes in the associates program over the years. Some of those changes haven’t been so good (they’ve dropped the percentage commission an associate gets) but some have been good (it’s easier than ever to get and use associate links). This post will walk you through the absolute basics, but it will increase the amount you make for every copy of your book you personally sell from your website through Amazon. If you’re going to bother putting links to your books on your website, why not grab a few percent more when they get clicked on? Continue reading “I’ll Show You the Money: Monetizing with Amazon”

I’m Throwing My Eggs Into One Big Amazon Basket

amazon affiliate basket eggs-791463_960_720I’ve seen all of you authors struggling with the basketing of eggs question. Go exclusive with Amazon, join Kindle Unlimited, and maybe, possibly, at least that one guy is convinced, it will give you more visibility in the Amazon store. At least a few of your peers have said it worked for them, plus they picked up a few dollars they’d have never seen from borrows. Others report they’re doing great elsewhere, a few even selling more eBooks through Apple, Kobo, or Barnes & Noble.

I have a situation that is different. And yet maybe not. In any case I think explaining it will provide some insight into the indie book world that could be valuable for indie authors, especially when they’re wearing their marketing hat. Continue reading “I’m Throwing My Eggs Into One Big Amazon Basket”

Amazon.com Monetize! Tutorial

K. S. Brooks Ironing Money
Monetize your links & next thing you know, you’ll be laundering money!

In my first post about utilizing the tools given to us by Amazon.com, I covered setting up your Author Central page. No matter how many books you have available, you should take advantage of this. The tutorial is here. I’ve also shown you how to set up your own book store using Amazon’s engine. That tutorial is here.

Now that you’ve gotten yourself set up, the next step in this grand scheme should be monetizing links. Yes, this applies to you. You have a blog, right? A web site? A web presence? Anything you post anywhere with a link to your book or author page on Amazon.com should be monetized. Why not make a commission on your own books? And better yet, if you’re providing another author the platform to promote their work, why not see some commission off any sales you generate for them? Honestly – if you post a link to my book on YOUR blog or web site – THANK YOU. Go nuts…post them all! And go right ahead and monetize them. You deserve a commission for doing me that favor. Capiche?

Amazon makes this ridiculously easy to do. You can use your existing account to set up your “Amazon Affiliates/Associates” account, which you should have already set up in order to make your book store. If you haven’t done that yet, please use the link above to the book store tutorial and follow the instructions there. Amazon gives you the ability to set these accounts up for the US, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and more. We are only going to cover the US today – but in essence, the techniques are the same. Continue reading “Amazon.com Monetize! Tutorial”