It’s 2020 Authors, Do You Have A Website?
Book marketing is challenging and often the rewards are slow. Writers who market their books have to make sure they are doing things early in their writing careers that will help them reap future rewards. One way writers can market their books is having a website. The benefits of having an author website won’t happen overnight however writers should have at least a small website to grow their newsletters list and sell their books directly to consumers.
“It doesn’t make any sense to be on a New York Times or USA bestseller lists if you still have a 9-5 or not transitioning out of a 9-5,” said author and graphic designer Navi Robins who runs Northshore Publishing. “The accolades are great but they aren’t going to feed my family. What is the author going to do if Amazon shuts its door or does away with the Kindle?”
Navi says that authors should invest in a website early to train readers to buy directly from them. Most authors don’t have he number of viewers needed on social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to sell books. The author website is a place where writers can communicate, market and sell directly with people who have already shown an interest in their books. Unfortunately many authors are totally relying on social media and thinking their Author Central page on Amazon is enough.
There are reasons for this belief. Amazon is the largest online seller of books. It has been estimated that about 50% of all online book sales come from Amazon. In the beginning new authors should spend a lot of time on Amazon to catch readers but they also need to develop their own websites so that they can sell their books.
“The author website is the source and foundation of your project,” Navi said. “No one will see your product better than you. If you sell it yourself you will realize more money than selling it on Amazon.”
Navi has started a Facebook group, The United Author’s Literary Group to educate writers on how to make a business out of their craft. He says that as a business all authors need a website and should optimize it to sell books and grow their newsletter list. Keep reading for more of his tips.
The current Amazon model is that author’s get paid for on pages read which usually translate into a percentage of the cost. This has drastically reduced author profit who were previously getting paid when the book was downloaded.
#1 Author Who Have a Website Make More Money
When authors sell their books on Amazon they must split the sale with the online retailer and pay the IRS. They are also paid on a scale based on pages read.
When they sell on their own website directly to the consumer they get to keep the money and only have to pay taxes. This is why it is so important to train readers to buy from the author website to capture these sales. Authors that do not have a website and promote the sales of their book on their site can potential lose sales. There is a learning curve on formatting a book from online sales and authors should work with a professional designer, unless they have these set of skills, to produce an ebook for their website.
#2 Authors Who Have a Website Can Control Prices
There are many restrictions when using Amazon. Amazon restricts the number of times you can make the book free and how many promotions that can be done in a certain time period. Amazon has certain parameters when it comes to pricing and payment The current Amazon model is that authors get paid on the percentage of pages read and not the download of the book. For example if an ebook is $2.99 for a download with this percentage read systems the author may only get a few cents on the dollar on books. The author must typically wait 60 days for Amazon to pay.
“The author who sells on their site doesn’t have to do a 30/70 split with Amazon, ” Navi said. “They don’t have to wait for a check. They get their money as soon as a person downloads their book when the author is selling on the site.”
Another plus is that an author can set the book price and run as many promotions as they want on their own site. This can help them with the sales. Navi says that authors can price their ebook cheaper on their website to get readers to buy direct instead of another online retailer.
#3 Authors Who Have a Website Can Increase Their Mailing Lists
Getting an interested readers email is essential to grow a business. An author can send out a newsletter and communicate with interested readers about upcoming releases. Once an author has a reader’s emails they can send them updates about their books, advertise book signings and share with them author news. Authors who solely use Amazon or another online retailer are relying on them to push their products. Authors will have to pay for advertising to stand out and get seen. A mailing list is a way to advertise directly to a consumer.
#4 Authors Who Have a Website Can Sell Advertising
Building traffic to a website takes time. Consistently offering promotions and prominently putting newsletter sign-up on a site can help an author grow traffic and subscribers. The author can charge for advertising on their site and in the newsletter creating another revenue stream,. This is another revenue stream for them.
#5 Author Who Have a Website Can Compete for Grants
Authors who publish on their site are in a sense small business. There are grants available to small business to help them however the grantee is going to want to see a website. An author website offers legitimacy for the writer and is the place where the author can create an online resume and bio.
Authors have to make their newsletter valuable to readers. Providing information that may interest readers and soft selling of their products.
#5 Author Who Have a Website Can Sell Merchandise
The author website is not limited to book selling only. The author can sell other products related to their brand such as bags, make-up and other accessories. They can tie these merchandise sales to their books.
#6 Authors Who Have a Website Can Use Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing links are placed on the page of the site. Once a reader clicks on these sites and go to Amazon the author gets a percentage of whatever the reader spends even if it is not their own book. This can be a sweet, little unexpected bonus. Most authors won’t make a ton of money having this links but even a few dollars a month can help. Authors who lack the expertise to insert these links can have their web designers plae them on the site. The good thing is once this is done there isn’t any upkeep in maintaining these links.
Thanks so much for reading this article. Please feel free to share tips about your online book sign experience. Check out my article How to Sell Books Without Amazon: Tips From Wendy Jones