Use an Amazon Associates link in your book promotion.

Amazon Associates is that site’s affiliate program. An affiliate program lets a company sell products through others — “affiliates” — who market the company’s products for a commission. When you sign up for the Amazon Associates program, Amazon is the company with the products and you’re the affiliate.

Sign up for the Amazon Associates program here.

Get your book’s Amazon Associates link quickly and easily

Once you’ve joined the Amazon Associates program, there are two ways to get your affiliate link for your book. You want to use this link when promoting your book because you’ll make a few more cents per sale when people purchase through this link. This is in addition to your royalties through your KDP account.

You’ll also earn a small commission on anything else an individual buys on Amazon during that visit when they go to the site with your affiliate link.

The video below shows you the easiest of the two methods you can use to get your book’s link.

Here’s an abridged version of the video demonstration.

1. Make sure you’re logged in to your Amazon Associates account.
2. Get a “clean” link for your book. Don’t know how to do that? Watch the video in “The right way to save your book’s Amazon sales page link.”
3. Find the “Amazon Associates SiteStripe” at the top of the page, then look in the upper left for “Get link.”
4. Select the option you need — text (which is what I use the most), image, or text + image.
5. Copy and share the link or embed the coding for “image” or “text + image” on a web page.

Finally, if you’re new to the Amazon Associates program, be sure to read the operating agreement.

Have a question about this? Please share it in a comment.

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 BookBubble, a service that will promote your book for free — no strings attached. (I even asked the owner why he doesn’t charge and he said it was a hobby — “an act of service.” Pretty nice of him, right?)

BookBubble, “a resource for book lovers,” lets readers search for books by category using the list on the left side of the page or by search term in the search box.

Want to add your book to the site? Follow the instructions on the “about/submit” page carefully; email the required materials to the address provided on that page. The owner asks that you keep it to one book per author.

It’s easy to do, so there’s no reason not to. You never know where or how that next reader will discover your book. This site’s owner is doing his best to aid that discovery. I’m impressed and grateful. I’ll bet you are, too.

Ever wonder why Amazon removes some of the reviews on your book’s Amazon sales page?

It could be because of the way you saved and shared your Amazon sales page link.

There’s a right way and a wrong way to do it. When you do it the wrong way, you’re signaling to Amazon that you shared the link with lots of people.

When you do it the right way, Amazon doesn’t know that book buyers and reviewers got the link to your book’s sales page from you rather than on their own.

So how do you do it the right way?

It’s easy. Watch this short, two-and-a half-minute video to find out how.

Did I get this information directly from Amazon?

Nope.

But it’s been widely promoted on the Internet by authors and others. And it makes sense, so I feel comfortable sharing it.

And really, it can’t hurt — it can only help.

Saving your Amazon sales page link with the Associates program

There’s another way to share your link, although it’s comes with restrictions. You can enroll in Amazon’s Associates (affiliate) program so you make a few extra pennies every time someone buys your book with the Associates program link you provide. If you do that, though, note that Amazon doesn’t allow you to send Associates/affiliate links in emails or include them in e-books. You can use them on your website and blog, but that’s it.

Why? Because it’s Amazon.

Learn more about the Amazon Associates program and how to use it on the Amazon website.

If you’re starting to realize that you need to learn more about how to maximize your book’s presence on Amazon so you sell more books, our video training program is for you. “How to Sell More Books on Amazon” teaches everything you need to know. Learn more about the training at this link.

Think other authors might need to learn how to share their Amazon sales page link? Please share this article with friends and colleagues who need to learn this important step.

What other Amazon tips can you offer to help save someone time or frustration?