Holiday marketing is already well underway, but it’s not too late to put into place some simple ways to boost your book sales over the holidays, particularly if you’ve got your books on Amazon.

Amazon OWNS the holiday sales season.

Everyone is in a buying mood from about the beginning of November through the beginning of January, so it’s the perfect time to piggyback on that trend and sell more of your books.

Here’s a quick timeline to guide your holiday marketing.

Early November to Thanksgiving

• Emphasize in your social media and emails that books make wonderful gifts and shopping early saves time and stress
• Offer pre-holiday book bundles if you have more than one book
• Collaborate with other author friends and all offer discounts on your book on the same day(s) – send out an email and social media posts all on the same day to promote each other’s books.

Black Friday through Cyber Monday

• Everyone is going to Amazon to shop, so remind people they can add on your book to their order and perhaps offer your book at a discount
• Run ads in book deals newsletters that go out in this time frame.

Early to Mid-December

• Offer a discount to colleagues/contacts who have teams and/or employees to buy your book(s) in bulk to go with their holiday gift giving
• Donate a box of your books to a charity or not for profit that would benefit, and create a PR/photo opportunity to promote both you and the charity
• Suggest to colleagues that putting a gift card or bonus check inside of a book instead of just a card is a cool and classy option for team members or clients.

December 20-24

• Remind people that ebooks require no shipping
• Use language that talks about last-minute gifts and stocking stuffers.

January 1-7

• People want to spend those gift cards they got over the holidays AND they are looking to set their goals for the New Year – suggest that they invest in themselves by buying your book
• Offer your book as a gift/bonus for those people who schedule discovery calls with you for your programs and services
• Create a free book club around your book to start the new year off and do a series of 4 free calls going through what you’re teaching in the book – simply require that participants prove purchase of the book buy sending you a picture of them with the book (pssst- get permission and use those pics in your marketing later!)

Do you need to do ALL of these? No, but you may be tempted to! Choose one that feels most free and easy to you, and simply take action on getting that one thing done. Then, do another!

We’re always here to support you in your marketing strategy and implementation to get your message out to the world and reach more readers and leaders.

Which one of these will you use to sell more books? Let us know – knowing that you are out there fulfilling your dreams and goals is a gift to me 🙂

Are you launching a new book or do you want to revive an older title? We can help you reach new markets and leverage your hard work with Audiobooks – the fastest growing segment of the publishing world!

What international authors need to know about their new audiobook publishing options.

Recently some new audiobook publishing options have come available for international authors that I'm very excited about. Since the time I decided to launch the nonfiction audiobook production and publishing arm of my company, I knew I had to include options for international authors. After 20 years of building businesses with people from all over the world, if I was going to serve my community right, it simply had to be that way. So imagine my surprise when I found a complete lack of options for international authors who wanted to create and publish an audiobook.

We created a system whereby international authors fully benefit from the self publishing royalties and benefits offered by Audible and Amazon, without sacrificing their intellectual property rights – plus they maintain full creative control. Authors can narrate their own books or have a fabulous narrator and be fully supported in their audiobook strategy, production, and publishing. In essence, I created the services that I wanted for myself, my clients and my colleagues.

With the exponential growth of audiobooks over the last 6 years or so, I’m surprised it’s taken as long as it has for more options to open up for international authors, and there’s still room for growth. Publishers Weekly reported that 2016 was yet again another double digit year for audiobook sales growth over the previous year.

Good News for Irish & Canadian Authors

ACX.com is the self publishing platform for Audible, Amazon, and iTunes. For many long years, only authors based in the US or the UK had access to publishing their audiobooks through this channel. However, on June 1, 2017, ACX announced that now Canadian and Irish authors now have access to this platform. Excellent news for authors in those countries, although that's still a lot of room on the globe left without access.

But Wait…There’s More!

​That brings me to another option for international authors to get their audiobooks published, which is Authors Republic. Some of my audiobook clients want to distribute their audiobooks beyond Audible, Amazon and iTunes. They want a wider reach to libraries, Barnes & Noble, and additional outlets like Audiobooks.com and Scribd. Authors Republic makes that distribution possible. Although they don't advertise outright that they work with international authors, in truth anyone who has a PayPal account and who has produced an audiobook to the correct audio standards can upload their audiobook to Authors Republic to be considered by these additional outlets for distribution and sale. The potential disadvantage is a reduced royalty rate, which is why having a solid audiobook launch, distribution, and marketing strategy is so important.

Here are 5 ways you can make the most of having an Audiobook and learn more about best practices, production, and marketing.

Would you like to listen in on some of our audiobooks?

If you are an author keen on taking advantage of this booming advancement in publishing, these are my 5 ways to audiobook like a boss.

Audiobooks are the fastest-growing sector of the entire publishing industry. Statistics put forth by the Association of American Publishers show ebook sales down 19.2% and audiobook downloads up by 31.1% from 2015 to 2016. One factor that contributes to this exponential increase in audiobook readership is accessibility—audiobooks are now available through our phones, laptops, and tablets. There's no barrier to where and when we can listen.

As a result, more and more non-fiction authors are recognizing the incredible potential audiobooks offer their business. Eager entrepreneurs, however, may dive in headfirst without giving sufficient forethought into how this unique tool can best be leveraged.

As a nonfiction audiobook publishing specialist, I see critical mistakes and bottom-line opportunities overlooked time and again. If you are an author keen on taking advantage of this booming advancement in publishing—and you have every reason to be—pay attention to these five factors that will bring your audiobook skill level from beginner to boss.

1. Don’t Voice Your Own Book (unless…)

One of the most frequently asked questions I receive is, “Should I narrate my own book, or work with a narrator?” That is the wrong question to ask. What you really want answered is the question, “Is there any advantage to narrating the book myself?” Most often, the answer is no. Here’s why:

Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX) reports that it takes an average of 6.2 hours of production time for a professional narrator and editor to create one hour of finished audio. That means that an average non-fiction book of 60,000 words requires twenty-five to thirty hours of production time—for an experienced professional. Even if you’re an experienced public speaker or podcaster, the skill set for audiobook narration is distinct. In addition to specialized voice training and having to learn microphone and breathing technique, consider the time and expense for a home recording studio setup or rental time in a recording studio. All in all, you can reasonably expect to triple your time investment or more.

Instead, your audiobook could be professionally produced at a reasonable cost and delivered to the world with ease in about 6 weeks. You could be reaping the benefits and leveraging this asset like a boss, rather than spending your time and money going through a learning curve you simply don’t need to go through.

There is however, an exception to this rule. If you have a following in the millions who is used to you speaking on stages, on TED talks or in other audio recordings—and you have built your platform and reputation around your unique voice and speaking qualities—then you may be a good candidate to voice your own audiobooks. Otherwise, ditch the temptation to try to save money—because you won’t.

2. Know Your Rights

Don’t fall prey to the amateur mistake of not knowing your audio rights. It is imperative that you understand the legalities of audiobook production, so that you can protect your intellectual and financial investments.

If you're planning to work with a publisher, this information is absolute gold for you as you negotiate your contract. Many authors sign their audio rights away without even knowing it—they find out after the fact that an audiobook version of their print book has been created, and worse yet, they won’t receive reasonable royalties for the sales of that audiobook. With the rise in audiobook popularity, lack of attention to this detail can add up to substantial financial loss.

3. Collect Bounties

Audible, Amazon, and iTunes have a common back end for self-published authors to produce audiobooks. It’s called ACX.com (Audiobook Creation Exchange). If you hold the rights to your audiobook and distribute your audiobook through ACX.com, you are eligible to earn bounties.

A bounty is an additional type of earning paid to you when your book is the first purchase of a new Audible member. For each bounty earned, you receive $50.

Unfortunately, ACX is only available if you live in the U.S. or U.K., but a good audiobook publisher can help you take advantage of this opportunity as well as self-publishing royalty rates, adding significant income to your bottom line.

4. Leverage Your Launch

There are two “right” ways to launch an audiobook. In one scenario, your previously launched print or digital book is given new life by being turned into an audiobook format.

This strategy gives you the ability to have an entirely new product launch without having to create any new content. If your content needs a little updating, then pairing an “anniversary edition” or “second edition” of your book with an audiobook version is a fantastic option.

Second, if you’re in the process of getting ready to publish a new book, having an audiobook version will extend the life of your launch. To have a powerful launch, you want to reach as many people for as long as possible. Releasing your audiobook two to twelve weeks following your initial book release allows you to keep the momentum and excitement going—with minimal changes to your social media and email content.

5. Build a Podcast Tour

In today’s high-tech publishing world, it’s no secret that in-person book tours are not a cost or time-effective means to connecting with your market. Blog book tours have been an alternative practice for several years now, but a lesser-known opportunity exists via podcast tours.

A podcast is a downloadable, online radio show—a thriving platform for effectively broadcasting your brand. There are now nearly 60 million people in the U.S. alone listening to podcasts every month; this presents a giant opportunity for you to engage with potential readers—if they listen to podcasts, they likely also listen to audiobooks.

Connect with the hosts of podcast shows that intersect with your target market, and arrange to be a guest expert on their shows. Conduct a book reading, answer insider questions about the subject matter, and share how listeners can access further information about your title and services.

To really be a boss, send a short clip of your audiobook to the podcast host in advance of your interview, and invite them to post the clip along with their Amazon affiliate link to your book and audiobook. The host can also include this link in his or her website copy (or “show notes,” as they are known in podcasting) for your podcast episode. This strategy creates more rich content for the host, and an opportunity for both you and the host to benefit financially.

Work with the podcast host to have the show published during your initial launch window, and boom—you’ve successfully leveraged your audiobook to drive sales and initial rankings far beyond the level of a mere beginner.

Would you like to listen in on some of our audiobooks?