Front Edge
Publishing
Your Ideas Take Flight
One of the hottest topics in the Amazon.com empire, this month, is the mysterious world of Amazon Vine. The New York Times published an extensive report on the “elite” Vine Voices who receive whole truckloads of free merchandise in exchange for pumping reviews into Amazon. Our Editor David Crumm tells the true story of how he was invited into this strange kingdom—and returned to tell the tale.
Amazon has the largest body of consumer reviews in the world! And, within that carefully monitored Community, honest reviewers can make a big difference in helping others to find the authors they enjoy. Our Editor David Crumm is a veteran Amazon reviewer and, in this column, explains the guidelines that shape Amazon’s vast “Community.”
Choosing the correct title and subtitle for your book is the most important step you can take in successfully marketing your book. In this column, our Marketing Director Susan Stitt describes the many factors that contribute to a successful book title. Do you know all of the places your title will appear? Have you tested your prospective title? Have you considered Amazon’s rules governing titles? Susan touches on all of those issues, and more.
Marketing Director Susan Stitt explores—and simplifies—the complex world of codes that sort millions of books into topics readers can readily find in online bookstores. Today’s industry standard is the set of BISAC codes, which are regularly updated to help readers find emerging topics. Susan offers 5 Tips for finding the right BISAC codes.
Now, it’s time for the fun part of a book launch! This is the point, close to completing a book, when we summon our allies and angels to help us. In our Metadata 101 series, David Crumm writes about gathering the Foreword, Preface, Introduction and endorsements for a new book. You may be surprised by the powerful influence these opening pieces can have on an author’s success.