So this is *not* going to be about any of the following:
1) Primaries
2) Candidates
3) Politics
What this IS about is supporting indie authors, on Amazon in particular. Now if you have a dislike of Amazon, no worries, some of this is also applicable to things like Smashwords though to a lesser extent.
Did you know the following?
1) Amazon bases a lot of it’s rankings for a self pubbed book (eBook or Physical) not only on amount sold, but the NUMBER of reviews?
2) While 4 and 5 star reviews count for more, even 1, 2, and 3 Star reviews count for something.
As someone who does self-publishing, and about to come out with a new book (side note: Thanks to those here who helped me out by Beta reading and sending me feedback, very very helpful.) I often find it a bit frustrating when I ask that if you like the book, to leave a review. People usually say, sure, but don’t, or they say.. eh.. I’ll get to it.
If you really want to support a self-published ‘independent’ author, leave a review.
1) During the first 2 weeks of a book coming out, Amazon keeps track of sales AND review numbers. Getting a good number on both the first two weeks (approx 20 reviews and 30-40 sales) can get the author on the ‘Hot and New’ Amazon list for their sub-genre. This can be huge, as this means your book gets put out in front of hundreds and thousands of potential readers, not stuck on page 183 where no one will see it.
2) Once you hit roughly 50 reviews, Amazon basically starts marketing your book for you. At 50 reviews Amazon considers your book to have ‘social awareness’ meaning, people are talking about your book, so it must be good. That means it then gets on newsletters, ads, and suggestions pretty much for at least 4-6 months. If the sales continue, they keep putting it on those area’s. This is HUGE.
See like most self-published authors, I’m a bit lost on marketing. It costs $$$ and honestly, I don’t like doing it much. But having Amazon do it for you? Awesome.
So always remember, if you like a self-published book, PLEASE leave a review. It means the world. Even if it’s not totally 100% positive, leave the review. It matters.
We now return you to primary wars, 2016 edition.