I took the opportunity yesterday to give myself an intro to Amazon book ads a.k.a. AMS ads. As with every aspect of independent publishing, there is so much to learn. I looked at some Youtube videos and did some online research.
I started a test Amazon book ads campaign with about 20 keywords. I am committing to a budget of $5 per day. Bid averages will probably be around $0.50 for the keywords I’m using. I imagine that price goes up as we get closer to the holidays. By then I should be able to see what works. This is more about exposure and learning the Amazon book ads platform than it is about selling books. I need reviews. I am guessing I’ll see some clicks, but they may not convert if there are no reviews. The cover should do its job. The blurb should do its job. The ad copy I used is simple:
What if Santa went on vacation between Christmas and New Year’s? And what if two mischievous brothers found out about it?
That may need some work. We’ll see. Like I said, I’ll start to collect some data and figure out what works. The best way to learn Amazon book ads is by doing them and getting the experience.
I also need to start building an email list. The email list has the greatest value for any independent author, according to Mark Dawson of the Self Publishing Formula. He says that should be the number one thing any indie author is focused on in the beginning. He suggests offering free books to get people to sign up. I don’t have the luxury to give away my treasured middle grade book just yet. Maybe one day when I have more books to offer I can grow my email list that way. Mailchimp allows for up to 2000 contacts. That won’t be a problem right now.
I wish I could sit down and approach my writing as easily as I can with these morning pages. The morning pages were supposed to help with that. This is supposed to be an exercise that gets me primed to write. But I’m having trouble getting into my next project.
I am distracted. I think that’s what going on. Unlike with Naughty Week, in which I had a previously written feature screenplay to work with that served as an outline, I only have notes for each chapter. Within those notes are nonspecific beats that I want to cover. It takes a little while to get back into the writing. I think that’s what’s going on.
Since I’m doing more than simply adapting a script I wrote, I probably need to carve out more than an hour to get into that flow state. I should assign myself two hours a day to work on it. I should go as far as setting a timer like some writers talk about on the podcasts/audiobooks I’ve been listening to.
Naughty Week had a good weekend. People are reading now. I got a few more pictures of people holding their books. I love the support. I need the support.
