Creating an ebook brand. Practical tips and ideas.

[stormjb1]

Hey Guys,

I've been self-publishing on Amazon on and off for a while now, but never really took it seriously enough to make it into a fully fledged business, until now.

With so many people now flooding the amazon ecosystem with similar types of books in nearly every niche, i think its more important than ever before to create a brand out of one's portfolio of books, a-la Chapter 43: Build brands not businesses in MFL.

I started researching the various topselling books like Harry Potter etc on how they built their brands, but, I've struggled to find any practical strategies or applicable steps that i could apply to new ebooks as a lot of the information is either abstract in nature or only applicable once the books have a fanbase.

Ideas I've had thus far, though nothing groundbreaking:

• Consistent cover design (color, font etc.) across all books
• Consistent pricing
• Turn one book into a series

If anyone has any other tips would be really helpful.
Thanks folks.

(P.s A sincere thank you to MJ for changing my life)

 

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[blackbrich]

I heard an interview with Dan Gookin, the guy behind the "For Dummies" series. Seems along the lines of what you put forth. And they are all formulaic, you know exactly how they'll be when you open one.

I couldn't find that same interview, not quite sure where I heard it. But I did find this on YouTube. I've only skimmed it, but maybe it could be of some value.

 

[EricZ]

I have a ton of tips for you:

Steve Scott
Nick Stephenson
www.Zbooks.co

The above 2 mentioned are marketing masters in the Ebook world, and they have all sorts of free resources.
The www.Zbooks.co is my site dedicated to getting people on amazon and total beginners first book finished ALSO marketing tips!

The Title and Cover are the most important part of the process.

First you gotta decide - Fiction - Non-Fiction
They are two different worlds with fiction,romance and Sci-Fi being the 2 biggest movers in amazon.

For non fiction, Authority Blogging and How To books are the mainstays, and there you need to optimize your titles like this:
http://www.zbooks.co/2015/04/how-to-create-titles-that-sell-more.html

Check out Zbooks.co, there are tons of articles about your cover, and in this one you get a free title creator too:
http://www.zbooks.co/2015/03/birth-of-book-101-plus-free-title.html
The guy in that article is actually a young entrepreneur from this forum!

Brgs
Eric

 

[BigBrianC]

Notice how Eric is able to answer your question by constantly referring to his brand and books*. Hes providing value, and in turn you're going to remember his books. Great content can'tbe understated in building a brand and getting returning customers.

*Not a shot at him. Great job, great copy and im sure the books are extremely helpful

 

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[themaxx]

Follow what this guy does:
http://www.stevescottsite.com/
Or:
http://www.hughhowey.com/

 

[stormjb1]

I heard an interview with Dan Gookin, the guy behind the "For Dummies" series. Seems along the lines of what you put forth. And they are all formulaic, you know exactly how they'll be when you open one.

I couldn't find that same interview, not quite sure where I heard it. But I did find this on YouTube. I've only skimmed it, but maybe it could be of some value.

Great find Black! some great lessons there from Dan, in particular the quality vs quantity. This goes with MJ's point about the product being the absolute focal point of your business.

Although the thing with Dummies is that its solving a need making it "easier" to satisfy demand compared to fiction books. What im trying to say is how would i strategically make my fiction books stand out from the the 000's of others. Ive written 2 fiction books in the past which have had great reviews on amazon but hardly any sales, so for my next book i really want to work on the business side of things as well as the "art" of writing.

 

[stormjb1]

Follow what this guy does:
http://www.stevescottsite.com/
Or:
http://www.hughhowey.com/

Wow! Steve's podcast is super helpful! some great insights there.

 

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[mike c]

hi

lead generation should be priority #1 - email or download mobile app and use push notification

put on first page "to get next book free or updates or bonuses go to www.your site"

i'm writing non-fiction book series - before single word i build entire business around the topic including world tour for business owners, art gallery and live concert

will see how it plays in real life but book is just little step in bigger game

broke writers want to sell books

successful ones - how can i make money without selling single copy

mike