Aiming at Amazon: The NEW Business of Self Publishing, or How to Publish Your Books with Print on Demand and Online Book Marketing on Amazon.com [Paperback]

Aaron Shepard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2007

 

There has never been a self publishing manual like this. 

 

"Aiming at Amazon" is NOT about getting your book into bookstores. Instead, it lays out an innovative approach that targets sales on Amazon.com. It reveals how to make a book sell well online, with tips never before offered. And it doesn't stop there -- it gives you a way to publish your book with print on demand that can double your profit per copy. 

 

Avoid publishing plans that handicap you almost before you begin. Let "Aiming at Amazon" introduce you to the NEW business of self publishing. 

 

**********BECAUSE OF CHANGES AT AMAZON, READERS OF THIS BOOK SHOULD BE SURE TO VISIT THE AUTHOR'S WEB SITE FOR UPDATES**********

 

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Aaron Shepard is a foremost proponent of the new business of profitable self publishing through print on demand, which he has practiced and helped develop since 1999. Unlike most authorities on self publishing, he makes the bulk of his living from his self-published books, not from consulting, speaking, freelance writing, or selling publishing services. In a parallel life, Aaron is an award-winning children's author with numerous picture books from major publishers. He lives in Friday Harbor, Washington, in the San Juan Islands, with his wife and fellow author, Anne L. Watson.

 

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Aaron Shepard has been more successful selling through Amazon than any other self publisher I know." -- Morris Rosenthal, author, "Print-on-Demand Book Publishing"

"Solid gold advice. . . . This book will give you the benefit of years worth of hard-earned experience." -- Steve Weber, author, "The Home-Based Bookstore"

"If you want to learn how to sell more books on Amazon, this is the best book on the subject." -- Stacie Vander Pol, author, "Top Self Publishing Firms"

"An essential read for anyone having to market a self-published or POD-published book." -- Jim Cox, Jim Cox Reports, March 2007

"A must read for any progressive self-publishing author." -- Dehanna Bailee, author, "The ABC's of POD"

"Truly great . . . . If your efforts are focused on Amazon, this is THE book." -- Thomas Nixon, Degree Press and SmallPress Blog

"Packed with practical techniques for today's savvy small publisher." -- Susan Daffron, Logical Expressions, Inc.

"Filled with details and tips obviously garnered from much tinkering and thinking." -- Barry Beckham, Beckham Publications Group

"Experience-laden recommendations." -- Kyra Hicks, author, "Black Threads"

"The perfect guide for the first time publisher, [with] just enough information to inform but not overwhelm." -- Cheryl Kirk, Expanding Books

"A must-have book: pertinent, unduplicated, current, authoritative, and well-written. . . . The best advice available." -- John Culleton, WexfordPress, and list co-moderator, Self-Publishing

"With low upfront costs, and simple procedures that don't require specialized software, it's a method that almost anyone can use." -- Sheila Ruth, Imaginator Press

"Written by an author, for authors, in a style that even head-in-the-cloud dreamers can act upon." -- Barry Tighe, Can Write Will Write

"Truly, if you're interested in selling via Amazon, you need to look at Aaron Shepard's book." -- Marion Gropen, Gropen Associates, and list co-moderator, Self-Publishing and Pub-Forum

"Without Aiming at Amazon, I simply would not be where I am now." -- William Linney, Armfield Academic Press

"Absorbing. . . . Aaron Shepard is a savvy marketer. . . . Shepard writes simply but skips the chirpiness that mars many self-help books." -- Marie Shear, The Freelancer (Editorial Freelancers Association newsletter), Sept.-Nov. 2007

"I've published ten other books through regular publishers, and this route is much more fun and rewarding!" -- Ellen Hodgson Brown, Third Millenium Press "Dramatically changed my direction and turned a money-losing hobby into a growing, profitable business doing what I love most." -- Charles Sheehan-Miles, Cincinnatus Press

"It gave me a business plan that was feasible, simple, low-cost and potentially VERY lucrative." -- Darcy Pattison, Mims House

"What Aaron has done is to identify, analyze, and tweak the key factors that contribute to profitable sales at Amazon.com." -- Roger C. Parker, author, Looking Good in Print, and Webmaster, Published and Profitable --Testimonials for "Aiming at Amazon"

From the Author

 

"Far and away the best book on modern low-inventory, low-cost publishing." -- W. F. Zimmerman, Nimble Books

 

"Buy it! Study it! Learn from it! Apply its lessons! It will be the least expensive yet most valuable book marketing training you will ever get." -- Walt Shiel, Slipdown Mountain Publications

 

"I am a big fan of 'Aiming at Amazon' -- it is rare to have such specific advice on a topic." -- Andrew Darlow, author, "301 Inkjet Tips and Techniques"

 

"Shepard boils it down to the essentials so you can get done what you need to get done and get out." -- Zoe Winter, Indie Books Journal (blog of IndieReader.com), Apr. 12, 2010

 

"Shepard comes across as honest, likeable and brimming with common sense. . . . Would be helpful to all writers with books on Amazon, not just those who self-published." -- Catherine Ryan Howard, Catherine, Caffeinated, July 21, 2010

 

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CONTENTS

 

ABOUT THIS BOOK

 

1 ~ AIMING AT AMAZON

Forget Bookstores | Print on Demand | Plan Your Route | Go to the Source | Ignore Amazon

 

2 ~ OPTIMIZING FOR AMAZON

Embrace the Possible | Research the Market | Optimize Your Title | Write a Great Book | Produce Your Pages | Craft Your Cover | Stick to a Format | Collect Comments

 

3 ~ ACCESSING AMAZON

Set Up Accounts | Find Resources | Make Contact | Look Up Your Profile | Keep Up with Change | Take the Express

 

4 ~ MARKETING ON AMAZON

Check Your Listing | Make Corrections | Add Your Content | Submit a Cover Image | Share Other Images | Suggest Tags | Classify Your Book | Get Customer Reviews | Connect with Readers | Explore More Options

 

5 ~ MONITORING AMAZON

Watch Availability | Watch Sales Ranks | Watch Search Results | Watch Pairings | Watch Rivalries | Watch Customer Reviews | Watch Tags | Watch Other Content

 

6 ~ POINTING TO AMAZON

Channel Your Sales | Earn Commissions | Tame Your Links

 

7 ~ UPDATING FOR AMAZON

Refine Your Book | Refresh Your Content

 

8 ~ GLOBALIZING WITH AMAZON

Aim at Amazons | Optimize for Amazons | Access Amazons | Market on Amazons | Monitor Amazons | Point to Amazons

 

APPENDIX

Where to Get Help | Amazon Etiquette | Kindle Books | Publishing Reprints | Removing a Listing | Rogue Sellers | Amazon Vendors | Amazon Ref Codes | The Book Depository | Replica Books | Self Publishing Terms

 

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SAMPLE

 

In recent years, self publishing has become big business. But not often for self publishers. 

 

Though self publishing has been around for as long as there have been authors and the printers they could pay to work with them, it got a big boost in the mid-1980s. That was when personal computers, desktop laser printers, and desktop publishing software first allowed authors to compose their own print-ready pages. 

 

But it was only in the late 1990s that self publishing really took off. In that period, the desktop publishing revolution was joined by the dual revolutions of print on demand and online bookselling. Together, these sparked a whole new industry of "self publishing companies" -- an industry that has now made self publishing accessible to almost anyone who can type. 

 

What has been largely lacking, though, is the know-how for making such publishing profitable. Though the classics on the business of self publishing -- books by Dan Poynter, Tom and Marilyn Ross, and John Kremer -- have all been revised in the decades since their first publications, they're still products of their time, focusing on the hard-to-crack world of bricks-and-mortar bookselling. They have little to say to those ready to exploit today's much more accessible opportunities online. 

 

What we've needed, then, is a new business of self publishing. 

 

That's exactly what I and a number of other self publishers have been working out over the past number of years. Many of us are earning a respectable profit from our work. Some, like myself, even make a reasonable living. Now I'd like to offer you the same possibilities. 

 

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Shepard Publications (January 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 093849743X
• ISBN-13: 978-0938497431
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (146 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #32,963 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #97 in Books > Education & Reference > Publishing & Books

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

160 of 164 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mayra Calvani--Midwest Book Review, February 16, 2007

By 

Mayra Calvani "Multi-genre author and reviewer." (Brussels, Belgium) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Aiming at Amazon: The NEW Business of Self Publishing, or How to Publish Your Books with Print on Demand and Online Book Marketing on Amazon.com (Paperback)

In his latest book, Aiming at Amazon, Aaron Shepard proposes a revolutionary way to easily self publish your non-fiction work and market it successfully.

No, this is not one of those books that will teach you how to become an instant Amazon Bestseller. What Shepard suggests is much more ingenious. While becoming an instant bestseller may appear glamorous, the effect of this marketing trick lasts little compared to a real bestseller with good steady sales over a long period of time. Furthermore, the author's innovative technique includes ignoring--yes, totally disregarding--bookstores. With this plan, your aim will be selling your book via Amazon only. While this method may appear a little extreme, there's a beautiful simplicity to it.

Shepard demystifies distributors and wholesalers and offers you a practical, step-by-step plan on how to become your own small press, print your book, and sell it to the public via Amazon. He explains why it's important to stay away from subsidy companies that use print on demand, and he takes you right to the POD printer itself--Lightning Source--saving you an infinite amount of money in the process.

Some of the topics discussed include: choosing POD for printing your books, researching the market, designing and layout, cover design, setting up accounts with Lightning Source and Amazon, Amazon marketing tactics, and getting reviews, among others. In sum, everything you need to know to become your own press and start selling your book online.

Whether you live in the US or in another part of the world, this is an important book to read if you plan on self publishing a non-fiction book, as Shepard also offers valuable information for those living abroad. Written in Shepard's friendly style, Aiming at Amazon is a must read for anybody who is considering self publishing without too much hassle or expenses.

55 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A story about the whole new world of print on demand and online bookselling which is an alternative to traditional publishing., March 25, 2007

By 

Jeff Lippincott "JLIPPIN" (Princeton, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Aiming at Amazon: The NEW Business of Self Publishing, or How to Publish Your Books with Print on Demand and Online Book Marketing on Amazon.com (Paperback)

What a story! What a book! It used to be that a consultant or coach would seek out a publisher to put his "credibility piece" before the masses to see and read. Now a consultant or coach can still do that, but they would be foolish to do it often after reading the instant book. By reading this book you will hear the author's story regarding how he became successful (and what he did) as a self publisher using print on demand resources and focusing his efforts at using Amazon's Web site as a key marketing tool. He recommends that bricks and mortar bookstores should not be sought as distribution channels for his (or your) texts. And after reading the book I understand why.

The instant book is an example of what a print on demand (POD) book looks like since it was written, produced and sold using the very techniques described in it. It's not like the reader of the book is reading about theory - he is holding an example of what he is reading about.

The book is divided into four parts:

1. Publishing for Profit
2. Building Your Book
3. Meeting the Market
4. Finessing the Future

I cannot say I had a favorite part. I liked them all equally because I am not well-versed on the publishing industry. Therefore, I learned a great deal about putting together a book not intended to be sold in digital format. I also learned that it is not all that hard to put together a great self published book and have it be successful. The author seems to want to publish his works in order to profit primarily from them. I think that is great, but I highly recommend anyone who wants to publish their works to boost their consulting or coaching practice get a copy of this book and study it. In many ways it is easier to create and market a book for a consulting practice than to market the practice itself. And a successful book or books tied to a consulting practice can make that practice very lucrative. I'm going to have to read it at least one more time for it all to sink in. The book was packed full of content. 5 stars!

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good advice on selling books on Amazon, November 29, 2007

By 

Kara D. Lane "Author, Wake Up to Powerful Living" (Carmel, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Aiming at Amazon: The NEW Business of Self Publishing, or How to Publish Your Books with Print on Demand and Online Book Marketing on Amazon.com (Paperback)

Additional comments added 1-2-08 (*****)

I am leaving in my original comments (see below) because I do still feel the same about Search Inside and the cover, but now that I've had a chance to apply some of Aaron Shepard's other suggestions, I would rate the book higher.

His suggestion on using TitleZ for long-term analysis is very useful. Also, I was also able to come up with additional suggestions to give Amazon for BISAC codes by using the website he referenced. Additionally, I have now done So You'd Like to guides and Listmania lists and they do attract a surprising number of viewers, as he notes. I am working on adding search suggestions, so I don't know the impact of that recommendation yet, but it looks promising.

It should be noted that Aaron comments that it takes about a year for your book to reach its full potential on Amazon...so I guess I'll have to wait until then to give all his suggestions a shot. But, if I were rating the book for the first time today, I would give it 5 stars.


Original comments (***)

I bought this book hoping it would show me how to gain greater exposure for my book on Amazon. I'm a first-time author; I'm not a celebrity; and I didn't go the traditional publishing route. So finding a way to reach the people who might benefit from my book despite these obstacles is key.

So I was surprised that some of the advice in the book, like skip Search Inside because the Search Inside logo degrades the thumbnail cover images, didn't make sense to me. For one thing, I've seen books with Search Inside and the cover images look fine. Also, I would think that Search Inside was a good strategy, because (a) Amazon says books with Search Inside sell better than books without it, (b) I know I like it when I'm buying books on Amazon (and I've bought hundreds of books) because it's like browsing in a bookstore, and (c) It gives Amazon more information on the book which would theoretically increase the chances of the book showing up in Search Results.

Also, the author emphasizes the importance of the cover, but his are rather plain. And he says "Avoid using a white background," but I bought the book and his cover is white (though it looks pink on the book page).

Anyway, I did find some good tips in the book (like how to effectively use subtitles to aid in search results), but I didn't find this book as helpful as Brent Sampson's book, Sell Your Book on Amazon.