When selling your books on Amazon books and Amazon Kindle, the first thing authors need is an Amazon Author page to go along with your books listed. It helps readers who are inquisitive and want to know WHO the authors are they choose and enjoy reading their books. This can be done here at  Amazon Author Central and you’re on way!

While your there setting up your author page, you will learn about some tools and a new website Amazon has to help market your books and checking out the author insights website here amazonauthorinsights.com is a must! They have so much helpful information for authors with marketing, writing, publishing and more. So I wanted to share some of the exciting information with writer and authors in this post to help you feel more comfortable with using all of Amazon Centrals tools, tips, and advice in your marketing plan for the New Year and can be found on Author Central News and Amazon Author Insights!

Promote your book outside the bookstore ~ BY ETHAN GILSDORF

When it comes to promoting your book, you need to think beyond the ordinary book store reading.

Really, you should think beyond the traditional book tour. Your goal is to get your book into the hands of as many potential readers as you can. But people don’t find out about books only on the bookstore shelves anymore. There’s the Internet, and blogs, and subcultures, and niche groups, all to tap into. It’s a whole new world out there. So take advantage of it.

These are all things you can do yourself. You don’t need a publicist or a publisher’s PR person to open doors for you. Get on the phone, send out some emails, press the flesh, and get your promotional campaign rolling.

Think outside the bookstore. Bookstore readings are fun. But if you can appear at more targeted organizations related to your book, all the better. If your novel is about World War II, then send out an email blast to related book groups, Meet Ups, organizations and their various and associated conferences and hoedowns that specialize in that time period. If your book is about kids with allergies, find specialty shops, natural food stores, and parents’ groups where you can appear.

Go back to school. I’ve had a lot of success appearing at high schools, colleges, libraries, teen centers, youth groups, writing centers, and adult education centers. I offer a variety of talks – sometimes regular readings, but sometimes PowerPoint slideshows, writing workshops, “what it’s like to be a writer” Q&As, etc.

Be an expert: Any speaking engagement where you can appear as an expert in a topic related to your book is good. Same with moderating or being on a panel, or pitching yourself to local media (TV, radio, or as an op-ed contributor) to weigh in on some trending issue or news item.

Don’t just read. Book events are more fun when your event is as much a party or performance as it is a reading. Partner with musicians or fellow writers. Rent a back room of a bar, or offer prizes or discounts for anyone who attends. Ask a related local business, school program, or club what they think would attract people to your event.

Scale your presence. Sometimes you’ll be asked to speak in front of 500 souls. Sometimes your “event” is just five people sitting in a circle. Sometimes you’re given a table to sit at with a stack of your books, and you’ll need a big splashy banner, a “Meet the Author” sign, and a basket of goodies to get people to stop by.

Be prepared to present. Make preparations for the variety of appearances you’ll be wanting to make. Type up bullet-point lists of topics you want to make sure to hit during an interview or a lecture. Pack your PowerPoint with interesting images related to your memoir, novel, or idea books, and prepare a few versions: one long, one short, one for adults, one for kids. Come up with flexible plans and props for each potential situation.

Hit the Internet. For every niche topic that relates to your novel or nonfiction book — video games, Korean cooking, PTSD, New Orleans — there’s going to be leading blogs, reviews, journals, and other publications. Make sure those editors know about your book. Ask if they’d review it, or offer to write a guest post.  (A version of this article appeared at GrubStreet)

Happy Book Promoting.