How Would YOU Position My Book?

[Michael]

Seeking the wisdom of the community: maybe we'll develop a great new approach to promotion.

We're positioning "Your Name Here: Guide to Life" as THE gift book to give to graduates this year. Young adults like its absence of preaching, so we think there's a natural fit.

The question, of course, is how to do it. I suspect the answer will come not from PR professionals but from you.

Please take a few minutes to look at the description, reviews, etc. at Amazon and let me know what you think. What hook would you use if you were trying to sell this as a graduation gift? What would you avoid? Is there a lesson (you can read sample pages) or review you find valuable for our marketing purposes?

You'll have the best ideas, I believe, because you are engaged in this process of writing/reading/promoting.

Your ideas are most welcome.

Michael

Your Name Here Guide to Life: The book you'd have written, if only you had the time.

[Rowena]

First, Michael,

You need to use the correct URL for Amazon. Secondly, it would be a really good idea to ask people here and on Todd's group to tag the book "graduation gift"

I've just written it in for you, but you'll need a lot more write-ins before it gets on your main menu.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0982...

There are 823 rival tags of "Graduation Gift". 459 products are in the Graduation Gift community.

The top tagger is Linda Chai with 71 products tagged, but your most creative rival is probably Dahlia, because she is the only one with an atavar, and has tagged 49 times.

http://www.amazon.com/tag/graduation%...

There is one discussion (only one!) and it is hardly scintillating.

42 Lists and guides (have you started a Listmania?) but no images!

You could own this Amazon Community. Get on the leader board by tagging 75 of your rivals starting with those that only have 1 vote/tag.

:-)

How's that?

Rowena Cherry

[Michael]

Rowena,

First, huge thanks re the link. I added it per the instructions on Goodreads and didn't realize it went to the Goodreads page instead of Amazon.

I have added graduation gift and gift idea as tags, per your recommendation, and now will start whining about getting people to tag it this way, as well.

Do you think I should add professional whiner to my resume? I'm getting pretty good at it, ya know.

MR

http://www.amazon.com/Your-Name-Here-...

[Rowena]

Nah! Whining doesn't really work, and people don't buy books out of pity.
:-)

People tag out of reciprocity. Also out of gratitude if you comment on their discussions in their Communities or blogs.

For instance, you could go to http://rowenacherry.blogspot.com and comment on my guest Kelly A Harmon's guest post. (She's doing a blog tour and offering one prize over the course of the tour to one commenter, so commenters will be returning to my blog from her later blogs to leave some remark in hopes of winning.)

So, you visit my blog, and you leave a comment for Kelly... and ask if her book would make a great "graduation gift" and if so would history graduates enjoy it. When you sign in, you include your http TO YOUR AMAZON PAGE instead of to your website.

Maybe you add a sig line at the bottom of your comment
"MR 'graduation gift' expert"

Others see "graduation gift" and associate your name with it. The search engines eventually pick up your name in connection with "graduation gift".

:-)

[Michael]

Thanks for all the insights and ideas. Hugely appreciated.

Rowena wrote: "Nah! Whining doesn't really work, and people don't buy books out of pity.
:-)

People tag out of reciprocity. Also out of gratitude if you comment on their discussions in their Communities or blogs..."