How to hit #1 on Amazon... Showing 301-350 of 2,339

[Rowena]

Hi, Carole,

I'm doing as you do. Memorizing and clicking. Also occasionally writing in tags.

I don't think you were involved in what I perceive as a glitch, and I may have been out of touch with recent developments. I see that there is a whole new level of tagging of other authors' books, which I'm not participating in.

I may have posted too hastily, too, because I haven't seen the "See other tags" link in some cases... in theory, the tags we are requesting ought to be showing up as the top ones on the page.

I've been working from Todd's reviews where they have the amazon links, and also from the sign up page, and also from the Tag You're It page.

My comment was intended for those who have yet to sign up, not for those who have already locked in their selections. If in doubt, Todd's advice is best. He is the genius who started this.

Best wishes
Rowena Cherry

[Todd Fonseca]

All,
Here's an easy tip to help with tagging instead of memorizing (I should add this to the blog page). On the "tag you're it" page, when choosing a book to tag, first copy that books entire requested tags from the blog:
Example, they list: fantasy, romance, literature

1. Highlight the entire list by holding down your mouse left key and dragging across this list.
2. Hit the and "c" button on your keyboard
3. Click on the books image to open the Amazon page for the book
4. Go to the tag section and instead of clicking the boxes (which also works), go the section that says "Your tags" and paste the copied tags from the blog (click on the box next to "your tags" and then hold down the and "v" keys on your keyboard).
5. the list from the blog will enter the box.
6. Then click the "add" button.
7. This enters all tags at the same time.

Clicking the already existing boxes also works if the tags are on the main page. It gets more challenging if they are on a back page then you have to enter manually.

Anyway, whatever works best for everyone!

[Todd Fonseca]

Carole wrote: "Dee wrote: "Hey Carole,

Cheese-and-Rice...Look at your numbers grow! I am impressed :]

As to the sunglass wearing smilies...I am not sure what you are referring to, but they sound real cool :] Ar..."

Carole,
Ha, I just noticed the smiley faces and i think I figured it out! When the publishing date is 2008, something tricky is happening. I cut and paste this info from Amazon and they have the date in ( ) so for 2008 in ( ) it is (2008). I think there is a smiley code for 8) which is a smiley face with sunglasses. So for anyone with a (2008) publish year they come up (200 smiley face!
Strange but funny...
T

[Todd Fonseca]

Rowena wrote: "Happy New Year, everyone.

I'm back from Guernsey in the British Channel Islands, where I have been for a month, with access to the internet for less than half an hour a day, so if it was one of m..."

Rowena,
An author had sent me a copy of his book requesting I review it which resulted in a 2 star review. I agree with all of your comments on the blog. I read each and every page of his book. I won't post a review unless I've read the entire book myself!
T

[Todd Fonseca]

Sandy wrote: "Hi, everyone! This is not about reviews, it's about what I've been up to lately. I have something to post that has nothing to do with selling books, and yet may benefit my/our efforts more than the..."

Sandy,
Thanks for sharing your experience! I learned a lesson with my own book (written as juvenile fiction adventure story with a 10 year old boy as a main character) - why didn't it dawn me - a scout cubmaster for years to market to the cubscouts! - duh! So when I finally did this, (just last month) I sold 15 books in 20 minutes. Hmmm, good return on investment. I'm planning to hit more scout meetings in town!
Todd

[Todd Fonseca]

Carole,
Regarding choosing tags, my recommendation is to research the amazon customer communities (these are formed by creating tags) and see which one's are the most active. For example, one that is really active now is the "thriller" community. Lot's of discussions on that board, etc. On that community the #1 tagged book comes up at the top of the Amazon page for every discussion - pretty good visibility. So check the communities that have tags similar to your books genre and perhaps that is a good choice.

On the other end of the spectrum, some folks want really specific tags. I have "amish" for example - not a huge community but a very specific one. Because my book happens to have the most tags for Amish, a professor at a university found the book and is using it for a multicultural creative writing class for children. I guess you never really know what will work and what won't!

Good luck!
Todd

[Chariss]

Dee wrote: "Hi Chariss,

I just tagged your book [b:Make a Joyful Noise: Searching for a Spiritual Path in a Material World|4765657|Make a Joyful Noise: Searching for a Spiritual Path in a Material World|Cha..."

Hi Dee, I just tagged your book. It surely makes it earier to find everyone when they mention the name of their book in the message. Do we have signatures here?
Anyone who is anxious for their book to be tagged, send me a message. I have been through the list that Todd has up, and anyone else I can find by name or bookname in this topic. Just let me know ... Chariss,
Make a Joyful Noise: Searching for a Spiritual Path in a Material World. (I have 12 tags on my book. Would love to see all increase but especially the first four. Thanks to anyone who tags it. ;-))

[Rowena]

Chariss,

Goodreads frowns on signatures. However, you may see in green font "add book/author" just above the comment box profile as you reply.

You can click on that, type in the name of your book, and select either the link (to Goodreads) or the cover and it will show up in your comment.

Rowena Cherry
Forced Mate
Insufficient Mating Material
Knight's Fork

futuristic, futuristic romance, fantasy.

[Chariss]

Todd wrote: "Holy smoke guys, the website is growing fast. I've got to put in some serious time today to update the blog with new authors, tags, etc.!
Thanks again all for the support.
I'm experimenting with s..."

Hi Todd,
I have been scanning through old messages to find books to tag. Then I noticed that people are sending you messages after they have submitted their book to you. I have submitted my book to you also. And I have been tagging away -- yours and any member's book I can find relayed in this topic.
You are doing a lot or work, Todd. And I just wanted to say "Thanks!" And thanks again!
Chariss
Make a Joyful Noise!

[Todd Fonseca]

Chariss,
Thanks so much for the kind words!

Folks, I'm off to the scout pinewood derby today (as cubmaster I have to be their early to setup, etc.). But I'll try to update the website tonight. By the way, started reading "Vespa" - great beginning like a cross between Indiana Jones (1st movie) and Jurassic Park (also 1st movie).

Todd



"[The Time Cavern:] is an intelligent youth literature combination of adventure, fantasy and science" -- Aileen Cho, Associate Editor, McGraw-Hill

[Rai]

Hi fellow taggers!

I am all caught up on the tagging as well! It's great to see the new books added & I will be sure to keep checking back frequently so as to stay on top of my tagging :)

Here's to great success to all of our books in 2009!!!

Rai

[Thersa]

Hello, I'm new to Good Reads and the forums. But I am convinced that people who love to read and write are good people. And browsing this (and other) threads I'm even more convinced this is true.

I submitted my book; although it won't come out for a few months it is available for pre-order on Amazon. I hope that's okay. I'm more than happy to tag others as well and purchase books that catch my fancy.

Thank you Todd for doing all this. I have nominated you for sainthood. What a brilliant idea!

Terrie

[Dee]

Hi Terrie,

Welcome to the "Tag Team" :]

What is the nanme of your book? I like your avatar :]
Dee Marie

[Dee]

Just a comment on tagging...
When Todd first set up the "Tag Team" he requested that we only submit three main tags that we would want other TT-members to tag.

However, I have found that it is just as easy to tag ALL the tags that are listed for a book, than "just" tag specific tags :]

Correct me if I am wrong, but I don't think an author wouldn’t mind having you tag more than their specified tags :]

Dee Marie

[Todd Fonseca]

Hey Terrie,
Welcome aboard! Good to have you on the team!
Todd

[K.G.]

My stomach is in knots... I spent one whole day last week tagging everyones books here, and on my friends list, also my friends list at amazon. I know the people that tagged my books, and am very grateful to both of them. Have I offended anyone in some way? If I did, it was unintentional, and I apologize.
Kathy

[Dee]

Hey Kathy,

I apologize, I could have sworn that I tagged your books. I just went back and tagged all four of your books today. Thanks for the gentle reminder.

Huge hugs,
Dee Marie

[K.G.]

Thank you Dee. Part of being who I am is always thinking I hurt or offended someone. I appreciate you very much. Kathy

[Dee]

Hey Kathy, we appreciate you as well :]

With the growing number of books, it is inevitable that some books will be accidently overlooked in the tagging process. Again, thanks for the gentle reminder.

[Todd Fonseca]

Kathy,
Tagged all your books! Sorry, I've been so focused on the blog tagging everyone's books there - hadn't gotten to yours yet - but I tagged them this morning!
T

[Gina]

Hi Kathy,

Oops, I thought you were on Todd's tag site so assumed I'd tagged you. I've just tagged all four books :o)

[Dee]

Hey Gina, Todd, and Carole,

I just went shopping on Amazon.com and guess what I bought...Well, ok, yes, I did pre-order the "Twilight" double DVD set (how did you ever know).

But...(yes I have "but" face), I also ordered three novels {insert way evil grin here}:

The Time Cavern
Ferryman
and the tale of Da Grumpy Man (I could not resist after viewing your book's promo video, Gina)

I can hardly wait until next week to start reading…the worst part will be which book to open first.

Dee Marie

[Author]

Dee, you forgot to get "Kill the Messenger: Gemini". Just kidding but I do feel left out. I hope you enjoy your books. I am reading "The Ultimate No No" by Tamika Newhouse that I won on a radio show and listening to "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman on 20 cds. I'm having fun.

[Dee]

Hey Johanna,

I am very excited to read Kill the Messenger: Gemini: A Small Novel. It is next on my to-purchase list. SOOoooOOOoo many books, so little money :]

Dee Marie

[Author]

I hear you Dee.

[Gina]

So do I. So little time... so little me. I'm putting in an order for another hundred years, so I can get through a tenth of what I want to read. Either that or a much faster brain and bionic eyes.

Dee, that's the danger of tagging... it empties your pockets of coinage! I hope you like the book... it's very different to the other one.

[Author]

I listened to "The Parable of the Sower" by Octavia Butler this weekend. It took two days on 10 cds. This is really alot quicker than reading.

[Todd Fonseca]

Wow thanks Dee!

[Rai]

Hi Kathy,

My apologies as well - I just assumed everyone here was also signed up on Todd's tagging forum, I am caught up on the tagging there & check back regularly for new books that have been added.

I just logged onto Amazon & tagged all four of your books :)

Rai Aren, co-author of Secret of the Sands
www.secretofthesands.com

[Thersa]

Hello, I apologize for my gap in replying. I live in Japan so there's the big time difference.

Dee, the book is called "A Robe of Feathers and Other Stories" coming out by Counterpoint Press this May. The author name: Thersa Matsuura. I was thinking the tags could be dark fantasy, Japanese folktales, and short stories.

I started tagging but it got late. I'm going to go at it again when I get off work today. I'll start with Kathy (*wink*wink*).

While I was tagging I kept sticking books in my Shopping Cart. I totally feel an a too-soon-after-Christmas Amazon purchase coming on. And that's a good thing!

Thanks to all,

Terrie

P.S. Dee, the avatar is a Japanese mythical creature, the kappa. Those are the little cuties/beasties I so like to write about. I wonder if the word "youkai" (mythical creature) is even a tag? I'll have to check.

[Gina]

Thersa, your book sounds like my cup of tea... I'm a bit of a Japanaholic :o)

I've just tagged your book.

[Vincent]

Hi GR tag friends!

I have a question for you guys (and Todd, you might be the best person to answer this).

How do you rearrange the tags so that viewers can immediately see the ones you want clicked? I have 15 or so tags that are sorted by "most popular" and a few of these (the ones that need higher numbers) are located in the link "see more tags."

Is there a way I can pick which tags show up so that it's not harder for the tagger to click on them? (Is it under the tag management field?)

Thanks!
-Vince

[Dee]

Hi Terrie

Thanks posting A Robe of Feathers: And Other Stories title. Goes off to play Tag :]

Hey Vince...
Great question...I am sure Todd would know...Todd knows everything there is to know about tagging :]

[K.G.]

Thersa... tagged you, too! wink wink
smiles, Kathy

[Shirley]

Hey Kathy do you mind posting here your books so that I can make sure I tagged them? (once again) Thanks Shirley

[K.G.]

Thank you Rai!!! Smiles, Kathy

[Thersa]

Ooo, thanks so much! I am fixing to walk out the door but I tagged Kathy, Shirley, Dee, and Gina.

And Gina, I spent an hour on your website the other day...fascinated! I adore woodblock prints and what you've done/are doing is amazing. I will def. pick up your books. The Guppy book sounds like a hoot. I love black humor, too.

Now for the geeky question: I've read people say they can see who tagged them...um, how do you this? It is probably something very simple that I'm overlooking.

Terrie

[Todd Fonseca]

Hi Tersa,
The way you find who has tagged what is to view their Amazon profile. For example, I typed "Thersa Matsuura amazon profile" into google. I then clicked on the first google response and went to your profile tagging page:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/tagging/cust...

Viola - all your tags for everyone to see! (Thanks for tagging my book by the way!)

Todd

[Todd Fonseca]

Vincent,
Hmm, I have to look into that one. I'm not sure they can be moved in order. They are listed by number of times they have been voted on. Once we get your tag count up that will move them to the front page. If I come up with anything else, I'll let you know!
Todd

[Carole]

Dee wrote: "Hey Gina, Todd, and Carole,

I just went shopping on Amazon.com and guess what I bought...Well, ok, yes, I did pre-order the "Twilight" double DVD set (how did you ever know).

But...(yes I hav..."


Whoopee-doo! Someone has actually bought Ferryman! Thank you Dee, that is terrific news. I hope you enjoy the read. I heard again from Amazon yesterday that they are splitting the order I sent them last week for two books (no extra charge on postage) as one of them will be delayed. Apparently, I won't receive your Sons of Avalon until mid February now. Never mind the waiting will be all the sweeter now!
Carole

[Todd Fonseca]

All,
I added 7 books so far today on the blog; I know I've got a few more to go - I'll try to get to it after dinner!

By the way, I'll finish "Vespa" tonight - holy smoke what a fast read. It's like a mix between Michael Chricton and the Preston/Child duo (think Jurassic park meets The Relic).

Todd

[Thersa]

Thanks Todd! I knew it was something...

Terrie

[Carole]

Todd wrote: "All,
I added 7 books so far today on the blog; I know I've got a few more to go - I'll try to get to it after dinner!

Hi Todd, et al,
I have just finished all you have to tag up there. I double checked Kathy's and discovered I had tagged only one out of the four books, so have now amended that oversight. Okay Kathy, sorry for the oversight.
Have a good day, everyone,
Carole

[Dee]

Way to go Carole...U B da Tag Queen :]

[K.G.]

Not a problem Carole. I was more worried that I had done something wrong to hurt or offend than I was whether I had been tagged or not. I appreciate all the tagging that everyone has done for me, and for each other. Group Hug, Kathy

[Bernadette]

Hello all! I am very new to the whole marketing and distributing aspect of writing - I just picked my books up from the printer a few weeks ago. I don't have it listed on Amazon yet, but I have been busy tagging the books listed on Todd's site - I'm about halfway through. I hope we are still playing tag when I get my book to the States and listed on Amazon!

I've learned a lot from all the posts here. THANKS!!

Bernadette

[Dee]

Welcome Bernadette (what a pretty name),

Please be sure to post your book's title as soon as it is appears on Amazon :]

Thanks for playing tag with us,
Dee Marie

[K.G.]

Shirley, sorry I didn't see your request last night. The Wind Whispers War, War Written Words, Welcome... With Wrath, What Went Wrong? The next two books are all W's too! I'll double check your site to be sure I tagged all of your work too.
Smiles, Kathy

[Chariss]

Dee wrote: "Just a comment on tagging...
When Todd first set up the "Tag Team" he requested that we only submit three main tags that we would want other TT-members to tag.

However, I have found that it is..."

Hi Dee, I think it is easy to tag them all, too. And I hope that when folks get around to tagging my book, they will click all my tags. I kinda feel like Kgcummings -- left out. But then my book is at the very bottom of the list because I just got into this forum/topic. So I will try to be patient and keep tagging others books. I know the law of attraction works -- and what goes around, comes around!
Hugs to all, Chariss

[Dee]

Hey Chariss,

I don't think anyone should feel left out :]

Not everyone gets tagged right off the bat. And some people tag some books and not others. Although I tagged your book, it does not mean that you have to tag mine.

Also, I may not tagging books on subjects that I am not interested in…or tags that I do not wish to appear in my profile’s Tag List.

In the same respect, I do not expect “everyone” to tag my book. Although I appreciate it when anyone takes the time to play tag.

As to your book being on the bottom of a list...it depends on what list you are looking on. As I was one of the first ones on Todd's tag team, my book is on the bottom of some lists as well. It is not big Whoop :]

The bottom line is tagging is a fun game and the "tag team" is a close knit group of authors...who love playing tag :]