Great idea, Donna. Thanks!

Sandy

Thanks for the tip, Valerie! I’m making a note of that for the next update. I use Bookshop.org for that, but I’m happy there’s another source, too.

Sandy

Is it available on BN.com? Still, since most people who buy books online discover and buy them on Amazon, I wouldn’t spend a lot of time investigating where else to sell it unless you’re doing a major marketing push that will drive traffic to the book’s page on an alternative retailer.

Sandy

Thanks for the info on where to buy books besides Amazon. Now, any ideas on where to SELL books online other than Amazon? I’m in desperate need of an alternative. Here’s why:

Amazon misclassifies my Dad’s WWII memoir, “Two Steps from Glory,” as a religious book because its search bot focuses on the word, “glory,” and completely ignores the book’s subtitle (“A WWII Liaison Pilot Confronts Jim Crow and the Enemy in the South Pacific”) which makes it clear that this is NOT a book about religion at all.

In an effort to correct this problem, I’ve written Amazon many times asking them to change the bot-supplied keywords and, as recommended, I always provide a list of specific terms more accurately aligned with the true subject matter of the book.

Amazon reps then correct the keywords and Dad’s book—now properly listed in categories such as WWII memoirs, liaison pilots, civil rights, or war in the Pacific—sells like hotcakes. I can barely keep up with the orders.

But within days, the search bot overrides our work, reclassifies the book as a religious one, and sends our sales plummeting to zero once more.

Having been through this cycle at least FOUR TIMES, I am truly at my wits end, so my question is this:

Do ALL online sellers let the bots rule as Amazon does? Or is there a site where the HUMANS are in control, not the algorithms? I can’t sell a book no one can find.

Beyond frustrated,
Karyn

Thanks, Christine.

Sandy

Great suggestion, Sandy. Do you use publisher links when you promote your books?

Sandy