Table Of Contents
Book Marketing Tip
Have you ever been on Amazon browsing reviews and then read a really good review and decided to buy the book that you are looking at because of the review? A well-crafted review can really tip the scales for me when I am looking to read a book.
As a writer for self-published Christian books, I took to writing reviews for every book that I read and loved and signed off the review with this tag line
With Love
Your full name
Author of (number) Christian books on Amazon
I have found in my time of writing books and speaking to people on Facebook that have read my books, that quite a number of people have found my books because of the reviews that I write.
You are a writer, and you have books to sell, and as a writer, you are probably a reader like me, and so what is stopping you from writing positive reviews. And putting a tagline like mine.
You can write a review for a book in Intimacy with God and sign off with a tag that says
With Love
Jan Johnson
Author of 6 Christian books on Amazon including 7 Tips to Intimacy with Jesus
Did you know that Amazon will allow you to do that? How great would it be to be one of the first people to write a comprehensive and positive review on Amazon for that book on Intimacy with God and have people upvote your review to such a point that you are the first or second review to be read on a popular author’s page?
Now a few rules with reviews
I only write reviews for books that I enjoyed, and loved. The least number of stars I write a review for is 3 stars, but most often my reviews are 5 stars and sometimes 4 stars. I will only do a 3-star review when I have something negative to say about a book, yet I still want the people to read the book. However, there is something about the book that I feel readers need to be aware of.
I don’t write two or one-star reviews, however, I am happy other people take the time to write extensive 1-star reviews because they often help me from buying a book that is going to let me down.
I also make a point of letting people know how the book made me feel. Many times, I will use a sentence to let people know that I am a writer like this sentence.
As a Christian writer, I appreciate the candor of this writer when he speaks about his indiscretions as I try to use the same candor in my books, and I love people who are transparent.
This line I have just used lets the reader know that the book is transparent and also that I am a transparent writer myself.
As a writer concentrate on blessing other writers, and your reviews will be fine.
Marketing an eBook
So often, eBook writers and marketers forget that the Introduction to the eBook is often available for viewing by the online reader who is interested in purchasing the book. It should therefore be used as not only an “introduction” but also a marketing message to the buyer.
Over the years I’ve helped many authors prepare their Forewords, Introductions, Prefaces, and Author’s Bio pages. I’ve also helped eBook authors edit their eBooks and helped them put together and award-winning title and a compelling table of contents. It matters.
Okay so, let’s talk about how to write an introduction. For my example, I will use an eBook about addiction, dependency, and substance abuse. This sample is best suited for a self-help or nonfiction eBook. Read this Introduction below and see if you are able to see how this page can help you sell more eBooks online.
Introduction
Over the last many years, we’ve had a tough time with the opioid/fentanyl crisis in the United States. Of course, as our history shows – Americans have always had issues with addiction and dependency. We’ve dealt with opium, heroin, cocaine, marijuana, alcohol, cigarettes, etc.
None of the current crisis exacerbated by the 2020 Coronavirus shutdown surprises dependency professionals and addiction experts. After all, when people lose their jobs or become stressed out substance abuse skyrockets.
It’s amazing how much time we spend in school studying various subjects, yet something as serious as addiction in our society gets little mention unless one is majoring in social services, psychology, or looking to pursue a career in healthcare.
After doing research writing for a few residential dependency treatment facilities, I quickly realized that there is so much more to know about the subject. I found that much of what I thought I knew was only partially correct and that there was so much more to the story.
I thought back to my high school and college days and all the friends I had and how their paths went off track due to substance abuse, addiction, and alcoholism. A few recovered from their poor choices of partying and carrying on, but many did not. We’ve all had friends like this, perhaps we understood their pain, perhaps not.
Addiction is a serious business, it’s not as easy to quit as we might believe. Alcohol, drugs, and chemicals we intake can re-wire our brains making quitting extremely difficult and even health-damaging.
I wrote this eBook for anyone who is having a problem with addiction or has a close friend or relative that suffers from dependency. It’s also a good starter for anyone in the healthcare industry or thinking of working in the dependency treatment field.
This eBook would serve parents, teachers, employers, and others who are concerned about this growing issue. You see, addiction and dependency affects everyone and every family in some way, as it affects people we know and love, do business with, or rely upon. It’s important to understand the signs, the causes, and know what to do about it to help our friends and family members.
I want to thank you for purchasing this eBook. I enjoyed the 100s of hours of study and research I put into learning about substance abuse and dependency for our Online Think Tank. It occurred to me that others might also find this information valuable. Thus, I condensed the topic into bite-sized, thoroughly researched, and foot-noted articles. Next, I compiled them into an eBook format and added this eBook to my collection of authored works.
If you are someone who loves to learn new things, I invite you to check out the other eBooks I’ve written on a variety of esoteric topics to further feed your brain with pertinent information helping you to better understand the human endeavor in all its intricacies. Thank you again for your confidence and trust in purchasing this eBook.
Now then, try writing one yourself. Just make up a topic and work to make the introduction inviting and conversational. Read it out loud. Does it sound like you are talking to someone? If it does, and if it sounds compelling and sincere. You’ve done well. Please consider this.