These days, most books are self-published. And the Amazon Kindle Marketplace makes up a huge majority of the ebook market. So, as much as it might suck, if you want to sell well, you’re going to have to go to Amazon. Fortunately, selling ebooks on Amazon is easy! Well—publishing your manuscript on Amazon is easy. Actually selling your book might not be so simple. Most people don’t make much. But if you follow these simple steps, you might just see some sales!

So, you’ve got your manuscript ready. You’ve gotten it edited, you’ve found a decent artist for an eye-catching cover, you‘ve done everything right. And now, you’re raring to go, hovering your finger over that “publish” button. But what happens when you press it? To be honest, selling ebooks on Amazon can feel lonely and underwhelming. The second you touch that button, you’ll be a published author. Still, there’s nothing worse than searching your own book’s title on Kindle only to find it on page four. How do you boost your visibility, then? Easy. You have to do outreach.

Selling Ebooks on Amazon With Social Media

Okay, so if you want people to buy your book, you need people to know about your book. Trouble is, most people’s books don’t end up with a great ranking on Amazon. And unfortunately, Amazon’s SEO system isn’t all that transparent. So, how do you get people to see your book?

Link to it.

As much as I hate to say it, social media is the number one way to get noticed online. Selling ebooks on Amazon is going to require a Twitter account at least. Follow popular hashtags and subscribe to creators everywhere. #WritingCommunity and #AmWriting are good places to start, but they’re far from the only ones. Throwing links to your book around will prove really important as time goes on, and there’s no time limit. You’re gonna have to keep selling yourself. Forever. I’m not kidding.

Another big option is to run a blog! What do you think I’m doing? Setting up an author’s website is difficult. I did mine on WordPress, but if you want, it’s not too hard to hire someone off of Fiverr and make a decent-looking site. Then, you’ve just gotta pump out your posts on a consistent basis. Easy? No. Effective? More or less!

Selling Ebooks on Amazon With Advertising

Well, it might suck to hear this, but self-publishing ain’t free. It can be, if you skimp out on your cover and refuse to hire an editor. Then, you get to watch your book disappear into the ether, never to be heard from again. If you actually want to sell ebooks on Amazon, however, it might be a good idea to invest in advertisements. Now, there are a million campaigns you can go run in various places, but I’m going to focus on Amazon itself.

There are two types of Amazon ads for books: search ads and Kindle ads. Search ads show up in Amazon searches, sprinkled around the page in various locations. They often show up as banner ads, as well. While most people avoid clicking on these kinds of ads, some people might. And that can make selling ebooks on Amazon pretty easy. All you have to do is just leave one of these ads on and forget about it.

Then, there are Kindle ads. These are simple banners that show up on Kindle devices, either in the bottom area during searches where they can be safely ignored, or on the lock screen when the user puts their device to sleep. Can I be honest for a minute? I despise ads as a rule. But when I put my Kindle Paperwhite down, and somebody’s book cover up pops up over the lock screen, it brings a smile to my face. I have no idea why. Maybe it’s just me, but those ads are some of the few I tolerate. And that’s huge. These ads are worth a serious look, at least.

Side Note: What About Reviews?

Reaching out to reviewers can be a great idea. Do it. Do it as soon as you can. But most reviewers are busy people, and if they’re worth their salt, they will probably have a long, backed-up waiting list. Don’t be discouraged, though! There are thousands of reviewers with decent audiences out there, and you should do as much as you can to get their attention!

As a side note, NEVER buy a review. Thousands of people around the world accept money for reviews, but they’re just not worth it. First of all, it’s unethical. Obviously. But in case that’s not enough for you, consider that some nobody with a blog full of paid reviews isn’t going to be the most reputable person in the world. People have to trust the reviewers they follow. And the unscrupulous types who would take your money aren’t going to be the most trustworthy. The return on investment just isn’t going to be great, especially if you’re selling ebooks on Amazon, where there are a gajillion books just like yours to choose from.

In Conclusion

Well, those are the best tips I’ve got. There are always more things to do, but the nice thing about self-publishing is that you get to go at your own pace. The amount of effort you put in will directly translate to the return you get.

In the future, I plan to write an article discussing the optimal settings for your novel on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing. Selling ebooks on Amazon can be hard, but it can be a rewarding experience in the long run. Whether you sell a lot or not, getting to call yourself an author is amazing, and it’s something I wouldn’t trade for the world.

Happy hunting!