This author was getting clicks on her Amazon ads, but those clicks to her book’s detail page weren’t converting to purchases. She thought her book description might be the problem, so she asked if anyone would be willing to review it.

There’s a lot I like about this, but what I like the most is that she was open to suggestions. That’s the sort of thinking that will turn her book marketing around.

Here are four other things you can do today to get – and stay on – the right path with your book marketing.

1. Get feedback on everything. (And pay attention to it.)

I love that the author mentioned above asked for feedback on her book description. You can continually improve your book’s Amazon page as you learn and grow.

Take what she’s done one big step further and get input earlier in the publishing process. You want to solicit feedback from your target audience on your:

• Manuscript with beta readers
• Cover design
• Book description

It’s important that you solicit input from your target audience.

Case in point: In a Facebook group I belong to, authors ask for opinions on cover design options. When I don’t read the genres involved, I don’t weigh in.

Why? Because I’m not in the target audience.

2. Stop promoting to everybody.

New authors often think that “everybody” will love their book. Those with experience know that’s not the case.

As fashion designer (and countless other people) Joseph Abboud said, “You can’t be all things to all people.”

I’ll bet you had someone in mind while you were writing your book. It might even have been yourself. Maybe you wrote the kind of book that you want to read.

You aren’t “everyone,” right? That means your ideal readers might very well be people just like you.

You will be far more effective with your book marketing if you invest the time to determine who will buy your book, then select the tactics that will help you reach those people.

3. Learn from the best-selling authors in your genre.

Make a list of the 10 top-selling authors in your genre, whether it’s sci-fi/fantasy, memoir, cozy mystery, or soups and stews cookbooks.

Study their websites, Amazon book pages, and social media profiles. Pay attention to these elements:

• Author branding: Do you see a uniform look on the website and social media headers and graphics?
• Website content: What are the tabs/menu options, and what information is on each?
• Social networks: Which ones are they using (that information will give you insights into where you’ll find your readers)? What content do they share and how do they do it?

Best-selling authors have figured it out. Take the time to learn from them.

4. Track your results.

You want to do more of what works and less of what doesn’t. You won’t know what is and isn’t working unless you’re watching for a connection between what you’ve done and whether it’s had an impact on sales.

This applies to all of your book marketing goals, not just book sales.

For example, let’s say that your goal for the next two months is to get more Instagram followers. Set a specific goal (how many is “more?”), then track what happens every time you do something that you believe should generate an increase. Laura Laing’s excellent guest post, “Social media data tracking for authors in four easy steps,” is a good how-to starting point.

When your specific goal is related to book sales and you’re self-published, implement one tactic at a time. Then check your KDP dashboard to see if that sold any books. If you’re not self-published, monitor your Amazon category rank in your book’s product details.

As you try new tactics, watch what happens when you do. If you don’t get the results you expected, determine if it’s because:

• You didn’t execute the tactic properly (see more on that in “3 social media mistakes authors must stop making now“)
• The tactic isn’t a good fit for your book or audience

Always keep learning

The author I mentioned above knew she needed to be open to outside input. She realized that this was an opportunity for her to learn how to do something better.

If you’ve been writing and publishing books for awhile, you know that what works and what doesn’t can change. Amazon is a great example of that — the rules and algorithms there seem to be ever-evolving.

That’s why it’s important to be open to learning from others who might be more successful or more knowledgeable. Just as importantly, though, you should learn from your own experiences. They’ll teach you a lot if you pay attention.

What’s one change you’ve made with your book marketing that has helped you move forward? 

Tip of the Month

I like to share a “Tip of the Month,” a free resource or tool for authors, on the last Wednesday of the month.

This month, it’s a free download for “700+ power words that will boost your conversions” from Optinmonster. Use the words on this list to help you craft:

• Book titles
• Blog post headlines
• Web site content
• Advertising text
• Email subject lines
• Social media posts

To get your copy, just click the cheat sheet title in the blue box under the first paragraph of text (see below), provide your name and email address, and download the PDF cheat sheet to your computer.

Sometimes, changing just one word can make all the difference.

I was recently asked to be a book beta reader, only to discover that the author was actually recruiting volunteers for a launch or street team.

Not long after that, an email from another author showed that she was using “beta reader” and “launch team member” interchangeably.

But a beta reader and a launch/street team member aren’t the same thing. They serve different purposes.

Here’s what you need to know so you don’t confuse the people you recruit for the important tasks involved.

What’s a beta reader?

Beta readers, known collectively as a “beta group,” help improve the manuscript before the book is finished.

You typically ask beta readers to read the close-but-not-quite-there-yet manuscript for specific details.

For fiction, ask about specifics that concern you. Consider plot, character relatability, story plausibility, whether anything was confusing, and so on.

Nonfiction beta readers can serve different purposes, so they fall into two categories:

• Subject matter experts
• Target audience members

Subject matter experts read for content accuracy and to see if you’ve overlooked anything important. Depending on the book, you might recruit several expert beta readers, sending each only the table of contents and chapter(s) relevant to them.

Nonfiction target audience readers provide feedback on things like:

• Were they confused at any point?
• Did you go into enough depth in each chapter?
• Did they feel satisfied that they learned enough about the topic?
• Did they expect to see something that wasn’t in the book?

What’s a launch team?

A launch team, also known as a street team, writes reviews and shares information about the book online. Your launch team kicks in after the book is done, but before it’s released.

via GIPHY

You provide team members with a pre-publication copy of the final book as well as the team “rules.” They will read the book, write an honest review, and post that review on retail sites as close to publication date as possible.

You also ask them to help launch the book by sharing book announcement images and text that you provide. They can do that with email or on the social networks they use.

Depending on the situation and relationships, some of your beta readers might volunteer to be on the launch team, too.

One is a critic, the other, a reviewer

Beta readers critique early versions of the manuscript, helping you make it as good as possible. You might end up doing more than one round with beta readers.

Launch team members don’t see early versions of the book. Because they’re reviewing the manuscript after it’s been edited and proofread, they critique the book differently than beta readers will.

Beta readers read and comment for an audience of one: the author. Launch team members read and review with other book readers in mind. Their goal is to help readers decide if they will like the book.

Note, too, that while it might not be too late to fix an errant typo when you’re at the launch team stage, you’re past the point where you will re-structure the entire book based on a single team member’s feedback.

But if a few team members provide the same “this doesn’t work” feedback? Consider postponing your publication date so you have time to fix the problem.

Should you skip the beta readers?

Authors often ask if beta readers are really necessary.

The answer depends on a number of factors, including your writing experience and comfort level with the topic or genre. For example, if I wrote mysteries and was trying historical romance instead, I’d probably want beta readers.

A professor with in-depth knowledge on the nonfiction book’s topic might not need a content review, but could benefit from feedback on readability.

A professional writer with a subject specialty might feel confident skipping the beta reader process altogether.

Be honest with yourself when deciding

That said, be honest with yourself. If your pattern is to be overly confident (admitted no person ever . . .), factor beta readers into your schedule. If you’re unsure of your writing ability, positive feedback from a beta group will boost your confidence.

The last thing you want to do, though, is skip beta readers because you think they’ll slow down an arbitrary publishing schedule. Make time for anything – anything – that will help improve your book’s quality.

You want your book to be as good as you can make it. Beta readers can help with that. Launch/street team members can help share that good news with others.

If you’ve recruited beta readers or launch team members, please share your best recruiting tip in a comment. 

That gave me pause, because peer reviewers are usually used with academic or scientific works, and his is neither. I asked if he meant “beta readers.” While peer reviewers read for factual accuracy, beta readers aren’t limited to “peers” and can be from your target audience.

“Beta readers” was, in fact, the term he meant to use.

Why you need beta readers

Beta readers are invaluable in the writing process because they can help you improve your manuscript. Fiction beta readers will provide feedback on anything from their overall satisfaction with the book to the characters, plot line, and whether the story flowed well. It depends on what you need from them.

Nonfiction beta readers who aren’t experts on your topic provide help when they comment on what they expected to learn but didn’t, where you went into more detail than necessary, or when they needed clarification.

Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, you want to end up with a manuscript that will satisfy the people you wrote it for – your ideal readers. Beta readers can help you reach that goal.

Where do you find beta readers?

You can find your best beta readers in many places. In her short report, The Author’s Ultimate Guide to Beta Readers, Stephanie Chandler, founder of the Nonfiction Authors Association, offers the following sources (section reprinted with permission):

• Your own social media and mailing list.
• Ask your colleagues, family and friends to participate.
• Ask your colleagues, family and friends to reach out to their networks.
• Online groups that reach your target audience. For example, if you’re writing a memoir on living with diabetes, locate groups for people who have diabetes.
• Reach out to trade associations, alumni groups and other professional organizations that reach your target audience and ask them to help you get the word out to their members.
• Goodreads has a public group specifically for finding beta readers, and so does Facebook.
• Post to writers’ forums and communities, such as Absolute Write, Writer’s Circle or The Writer’s Workshop.
• Contact Amazon reviewers. Look up competing titles on Amazon and then click on each reviewer to find their public profile. Oftentimes reviewers list a personal email, so you can send them an invitation.

(To download the full report, go to the Nonfiction Authors Association site.)

How many do you need?

The number of readers you recruit depends on how much feedback you want, need, or can handle. For example, I want just a few clear, strong, honest voices providing feedback. I seek quality over quantity.

Still, how many you ask depends on the number of people you think will actually follow through, too. You’re asking for a significant time commitment, so presume that many who volunteer won’t be able to follow through.

If you want six to offer feedback, consider asking 12 – knowing that you might only get feedback from three. Start with determining the ideal number of beta readers, then ask twice as many people as that. Adjust from there.

What do you say to them?

The most important thing to communicate when reaching out to potential beta readers is your expectations.

When the goal is to help improve your book, tell them that. Be as specific as possible.

That means you have to know what you’re most concerned about with the manuscript. The author client I spoke to about this last week will ask one category of early readers to comment on whether or not the concepts he’s presented resonate with them. Can they see themselves implementing them?

I use nonfiction beta readers to identify what I should have covered but didn’t or where I haven’t communicated clearly and effectively. Maybe I’ve presumed that readers know something that they don’t, or perhaps the book left them with unanswered questions.

Feedback from beta readers helps me get the right balance and tone.

Knowing my weak spots helps me get specific with the help I need. It will help if you know yours, too.

Don’t skip this step

It’s tempting to skip this important process.

We’re always in a hurry to get the book done. Maybe the publisher has imposed a deadline; maybe you’ve set your own deadlines that you keep ignoring.

You’ve probably heard many say, “Good is good enough.” But is “good” good enough for your book? Do you want your book to be just “good,” or do you want it to be the best you can possibly make it?

To help make your book better than good, enlist the support of the right beta readers. Sure, it adds to the timeline, but it also adds to your book’s quality.

That’s a good thing.

Did you work with beta readers on your manuscript? How did you find them? Please tell us in a comment.

I’ve got two significant collaborations in the works already. In one case, I’ve teamed up with a colleague to create a training program for authors. In the other, I’m partnering with another writer on a ghostwriting project.

I’m focusing on collaborations this year for a pretty simple reason: This approach can help me go farther faster.

More specifically, collaborations help me:

• Work with a partner who has different skills.
• See situations, problems, and opportunities from someone else’s perspectives.
• Become involved with interesting projects I wouldn’t find on my own.
• Learn and grow.

How might you collaborate?

I’m collaborating to create things, but collaborations can serve many purposes. Authors can collaborate with other authors in a myriad of ways that help all parties move forward.

Here are five ways to work together with other authors to create a win-win situation.

1. Email book news to each other’s email lists.

Find another author in your genre and offer to send book announcements to each other’s mailing lists.

If you have at least 200 names on your list, take this “refer a book” process up a few notches by joining the Books Go Social “Army of Authors” mailing list program. After joining, you’ll occasionally be offered books in your genre to promote to your list. You can decide which ones you do or don’t promote – you have control over that. Participating authors are rewarded.

2. Share beta readers.

Why should two authors in the same genre have to look under rocks to find ready, willing, and able beta readers?

Give each other access to your beta reader networks. Better yet, partner to create a shared group of beta readers you can both turn to when you’re ready for feedback. Make it official with a group name, a sign-up page that details expectations, and a dedicated mailing list you use to share information and offer books.

3. Create and sell an e-book bundle or box set.

Bundles with books from multiple authors sell well on Amazon because they give genre or topic fans an opportunity to “sample” several new authors at a cost that’s less than buying each book individually.

Novelists can collaborate with others in their niche, while nonfiction authors should focus on topics. If you’ve got a collection of Instant Pot recipes, for example, look for other authors with Instant Pot cookbooks. The author of a book about how to write a book might look for authors who have written books on other aspects of publishing, such as self-publishing and marketing.

4. Support each other on social media.

Every once in awhile, one of my most favorite people who just happens to be an author will email me with a request to help her share special news related to one of her books.

It might be a milestone number of reader reviews, a pre-order campaign, or a particularly significant media hit.

I am more than happy to help spread the news in my social networks. I am also comfortable asking her to do the same when I’ve got something that’s bigger than usual to share.

Find a couple of author buddies you can count on to do this for you, too.

5. Review your marketing materials before they’re finalized.

An author friend does this for me. I can’t underestimate the value fresh eyes and a good brain bring to the project.

I often reach a point where I’ve looked at that book description, announcement press release, or landing page so many times that I can’t be objective. Another author can point out missing details, confusing language, or boring text.

Nothing is too small for this review. Swap services for proofreading business cards, evaluating bookmarks or postcards, even checking over Amazon keywords.

Don’t compete, collaborate!

Instead of seeing another author in your niche as a competitor, view that person as a potential collaborator.

Benefits of taking a collaborative, rather than competitive, approach include:

• Reaching more of the right readers than you can on your own.
• Potentially discovering a new way of looking at your topic or genre.
• Reducing author isolation.

These are all good things, right?

Be open to the possibilities that could come your way when you collaborate with other authors.

Looking for someone to partner with? Join the Build Book Buzz Facebook group and post your request there. You might find your ideal collaborator.

How are you collaborating with other authors? Tell us in a comment.