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The Smarty Pants Book Marketing Podcast

Award-winning marketer Chris Syme and bestselling indie author Becca Syme give self-published authors the latest social media tips and strategies that sell more books and build loyal fans. Join them as they interview top book marketing experts, showcase successful indie authors, and offer tips from their own successes on this weekly show.
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Now displaying: July, 2018
Jul 28, 2018

In this episode Chris outlines two changes in Facebook recently: the removal of the shop option to send buyers to bookstores and the ability to use third party applications to schedule posts on your personal profile. (14 minutes)

Notes & Links:

-What do the new changes to Facebook's shop tab mean for authors?

-What alternatives are available for those who still want to use social media to sell books?

-Is it worth it to try and sell books on social media?

Links: 

Link to video on changes in Shop tab on Chris' Facebook page.

 

 

Jul 22, 2018

In this episode Chris discusses Amazon's new edition of their ebook bulk buy program--who may benefit and who might not give a hoot.  Included in the podcast are reflections on questions answered by Amazon's director of Author & Vendor Relations, Dan Slater.

Show Notes & Links:

-We'll talk about what the Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) official post on the new program says and what it does not say.

-Chris gets reactions from Amazon and BookBub.

-Would a purchase of 100 ebooks count directly as 100 books to my sales rank? 

-Unredeemed copies can result in a refund within 60 days of your purchase.

-The new program involves sending the free codes through Amazon—they don’t generate codes you send out via your email.

-You will earn royalties based on the royalty options in place at the time of your bulk book order. If you buy books at 99 cents, you will earn a 99-cent royalty no matter what the price of the book when it is redeemed.

-Pre-order books and free books are not eligible for the program.

Links:

Here is the post from Forbe's featuring comments from author and marketing expert David Gaughran.

Here is the link to the explanation of the new program guidelines on KDP.

Here is a link to find out more about The Content Formula. Remember, if you purchase The Content Formula before Aug. 1 you'll get an email invite to register for Chris' class, How to Set Up a Facebook Page That Sells More Books for free. ($49 value).

 

Jul 2, 2018

In this episode Chris asks AMS Ads expert Brian Meeks questions from authors in the SMART Marketing For Authors Facebook Group.

This episode is not for beginners. If you're interested in finding out beginning level strategies for AMS Ads, listen to episode 56.

This episode is 52 minutes long.

Show Notes & Links:

-What’s the best way to know which keywords will work the best in my genre with my book? Where would you suggest I start looking?

-What is the minimum number of ads I should be testing to get good results?

-Is it true that AMS ads aren't really worth the effort unless you're in Kindle Unlimited. What's your opinion?

-What are the biggest mistakes people make when running their AMS Ads?

-I’ve heard that you should be running ads targeted at the books in the top 100 in your genre. I would think they would be the most expensive bids. How do you choose which books to target? 

-How long should I let an ad run before I consider deleting it or changing up the copy? And how can I tell if the copy is the problem?

-What are some benchmark numbers to watch? For instance, I've heard 70% ACoS or higher is considered good. Is that consistent? What's a good CPC for AMS? 

- When should I consider tweaking keywords? Those with lots of impressions but no clicks? Only those with clicks even though they have no sales? 

-How do I know if I am bidding the right amount to get traction on my ad?

-Is it important to get on the first page of results for promoted books on another book’s sales page?

Links:

Mastering Amazon Ads (book) by Brian Meeks

Mastering Amazon Ads online course

SMART Marketing For Authors Facebook group (you'll have to answer three questions to get in)

 

 

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