Writer Wednesday: Amazon Features That Help Authors

Although I've sold books on Amazon.com since 2009 when Texas Roads (book 1 in the Miller's Creek novels and an American Christian Fiction Writers' Genesis contest finalist) first hit the shelves, I'm still learning all the ins and outs when it comes to this gargantuan of the internet. I posted recently about the importance of reviews to an author's success, but that is actually only one small part of the Amazon ecosystem.



Here are a few other features that writers should be aware of:



TAGS

One feature that is apparently vital to an author's success on Amazon are tags. As an author, I'm allowed to create tags for each book when the book is first published. Some of the tags that I've used for my books are: Christian romance, Texas, Miller's Creek, home, faith, grace, Christian fiction, inspirational romance, etc. My understanding (which may or may not be correct) is that these tags help readers find similar products. And interestingly enough, readers are also allowed to create tags for books. The more tags a book receives, the more it shows up in that particular tag category when readers go searching for a new book to read.



To find the tag section on a book's page, scroll down to beneath the reviews section to a section entitled: Tags Customers Associate With This Product. (I believe that people are allowed to leave up to fifteen tags for each book.) To tag a book, simply click in each square beside the tags that are already in place. If you want to add a different tag, you can do so in the longer text box that says "Your tags" which is followed by an "Add" button.



I was surprised to find this feature on only the book's Kindle version page, and not on the print copy page. (But it could be I just wasn't looking in the right place...)



SHARED NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS

This feature is only on the Kindle version's page as best I can tell. I accidentally stumbled across this when checking the tags of my books in preparation for this article. As a Kindle owner, I knew I could highlight and make notes on the various books I read on my Kindle, but I didn't realize that these could be shared. How awesome it was to find some of my favorite lines in the books shared by readers! =)



I'm not quite sure how, or if, this feature affects the book's sales, but it is a neat feature, and possibly one that potential readers check out before they purchase the book. On the Amazon pages I visited, this feature was directly above the tag section and below the review section.



AUTHOR CENTRAL PAGE

Directly beneath the book's title on Amazon is the author's name. If you hover the cursor over this name, a little box will pop up that offers the opportunity to visit the author's Author Central page. In my own explorations on Amazon, I've noticed that several authors haven't taken advantage of this feature.



In my very humble opinion, this feature is a great way to show all your Amazon content in one place and interact with readers. There is a place for an author biography, photos, videos, and even allows the author to show their Twitter and blog feeds if they choose. You can check out my Author Central page here: http://www.amazon.com/Cathy-Bryant/e/B002SKQCDO/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1 (While you're there, please take a sec to "like" my author page!) =)



"LIKE" BUTTONS

Speaking of "like" buttons, at the top of each book's page is the thumbs up button we've grown to used to on Facebook. This is a great way for readers to show whether or not they like various books. (Not sure this button is in any way connected to Facebook.) Though I don't know how or for sure, it could be that Amazon uses those "likes" in choosing which books they promote in the "Customers Who Bought This Item" feature. (I do know that downloads on my books' freebie days affects those promotions.)



SHARE BUTTONS

On the right side of the book's page, right underneath the three green boxes are really tiny share buttons for e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. What a great way to share your books with others, and for readers to share your books on social media outlets and e-mail.





SHARE CUSTOMER IMAGES

I don't know why I haven't seen this feature before (maybe because it's still in beta testing), but right beneath the book cover on Amazon, is a little blue text link that allows people to share images related to the book. (On the page for A Path Less Traveled , one reader has shared a blooming tree with the caption, "Springtime in Kentucky," I guess to correspond with springtime in Texas in the story.) After finding this feature, I opted to share this photo of me standing next to a road sign that read's "Miller Creek," as well as some pics of bluebonnets hubby and I took when we made a trip to shoot bluebonnet blossoms for the cover of the book. I was even given a chance to share some personal thoughts about the photos. Again, I'm not sure how it will affect book sales, other than to possibly give a personal edge to the book's page for readers.



Hope all you writers out there found this post helpful. And if you know of any other features that I failed to mention, please list them in the comments below!



Happy Writing!