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In this episode we are going to talk about everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask … about Amazon Book Ads! And to help us with that is our special guest, Brian Berni …

Show Notes

  • Brian is a former Vatican Secret Archives employee, and is now a bestselling author under multiple pen-names. He blogs for writers and self-publishers at AuthorsTech and is the co-founder of BookAds, an agency that helps authors advertise their books through AMS (which stands for Amazon Marketing Services) and BookBub Ads.

Questions:

  • What are Amazon ads?
    • Similar to FB ads
    • Big difference … on Amazon people are primed to buy
  • Why are they so popular right now?
    • New updates have happened that shows Amazon believes in this program and they’ve given people better tools to work with
  • Walk us through the process of creating our first ad …
    • Advertising.amazon.com
  • What are some of the best practices when it comes to creating amazon ads?
    • Experiment, have a scientist mindset, you’re testing and discovering what works
    • Don’t limit yourself to too few keywords. Use lots!
    • Use auto targeting- improved lately. Try it.
  • What are realistic expectations on how well an ad will work?
    • Tough to answer, but we see trends. Fiction and nonfiction is difference. Non-fiction tends to do better. New books tend to do better
    • Start small. $2 or $3 per day. But run as many ads as you can with your budget
    • Four hundred to five hundred percent return is not unusual
  • What tools make advertising on Amazon easier? What do you use for keyword research, that sort of thing.
    • Words in reviews
    • Be creative with your keywords
    • KDP Rocket
  • What are some common mistakes you see authors makes on their ads?
    • The ads are NOT set and forget
      • At least 3 – 4 times per week, go in and check so you can adjust
    • They don’t use all the tools available
      • Experiment with them
    • They don’t have the fundamentals in place
      • Cover
      • Number of reviews, 10+
      • 150 character book blurb
  • Negative keywords are key.
  • What other changes have you seen in book ads over the last year or so?
    • Getting more competitive, yes, but probably no more than 10% of indie authors are using Amazon ads
    • Consumers are starting to trust these ads, good time to dive in
  • Before we go, tell us about the Indie Author Summit.
    • Online event aimed at those who have never written or finished their novel.
    • Step by step from A – Z.
  • Where can our listeners find out more about you and what you do, Brian? AuthorsTech and at BookAds.
  • Lucia’s Renaissance    by Cl Peterson
  • “A Novel of 16th-century Italy, by C.L.R. Peterson.  “Heresy is fatal in late Renaissance Italy, so only a suicidal zealot would so much as whisper the name of Martin Luther. But after Luther’s ideas ignite a young girl’s faith, she must choose–abandon her beliefs or risk her life in the turbulent world of late sixteenth-century Italy.”

Sponsor:

  • MyBookProgress is a powerful way to show off your book’s progress on your website keeping your readers more engaged. It also helps you write faster by giving you reports on your progress while helping you grow your email list. You can learn more at www.mybookprogress.com.
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