Boost Your Book's Amazon Ranking

How are your book sales? What proportion are made through Amazon and does your book's Amazon ranking concern you? If your book is not selling in significant quantity, it may not be re-printed when the present stocks are cleared. Hmmm.

How do people find your book? What do they search for in Amazon to be offered your book? Is it the title or your name? Or is it the topic? What can be done to boost your book's ranking?

Now, if you are expecting me to provide clear answers, you are going to be disappointed, but one thing that may just help a little is 'checking the tags'.

Let me give you an example.

Rachelle Burk, a network and SCBWI buddy from the US, has written an excellent book titled 'Tree House in a Storm' that has 8 five star reviews. Like all good picture books for ages 5+, it tells one story but the theme is universal - children build a tree house, but unfortunately it's in New Orleans and in the path of Hurricane Katrina and the tree gets uprooted ...but there's a happy ending - the theme is really about recovery from loss, generally. And it also fits in well with curriculum topics on hurricanes and natural disasters.

Though it was published in 2009, recent sales have not been as high as Rachelle would have liked - no certainty of a re-print. With an increase in hurricanes in the US over the last couple of years, sales might have been expected to improve, but if you put 'hurricane' into a children's book search it has been way down on page 5 of suggestions, or worse. What's it doing down there?

One answer could be that it didn't have the tags added or ticked.

So, this week, as friends of Rachelle, a number of us have been trying to give her book a help along. You could try the same technique:

Author/Illustrator:
Log into your Amazon account and go to your book's page.

Scroll down beneath 'Customer Reveiws' (you may have to go even further down, close to the bottom of the page beneath 'Inside this Book' and 'What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item') and you'll find 'Tags Customers Associate with This Product'.

If someone was doing a Google or Amazon search, what keywords might they use and be delighted to find your book as a result? Add 10 such keywords as Amazon Tags (include your name and the book's title as separate keywords). Be sneaky - find the tags that are being used on any high-ranking competing titles, and consider including them, too, presuming they are appropriate. But it's good to have some that are different..

Friends:
Ask your friends to log into their accounts, find your book and the Tag area and tick the tags they think are appropriate. There's also the opportunity to add others you may not have considered.

Hopefully, some keyword tags are in the book's title, but use a significant number each and every time you have a chance to promote your book - your blog, website, blurb, article, press release, synopsis, on Jacketflap, Goodreads, SCBWI page...

There are no guarantees this will help, but it may be worth a try!

Ticking tags could be something that you should do as a habit whenever you visit the Amazon page of a book belonging to a friend, though they'll probably be doubly pleased if you also make a purchase.

If you know of other techniques for boosting Amazon sales, please share them.

Peter Taylor
http://www.writing-for-children.com/

PS You may find Rachelle's 'Resources for Children's Writers' useful, too:
http://resourcesforchildrenswriters.blogspot.com/
It's in the Writer's Digest list of "101 Best Websites for Writers".

Book Crossing – Children’s Books

Someone close to my home, whose house is next to a bus-stop, has fixed a book box to the fence. The label says ‘Give a book, take a book or swap a book’. I see they’ve sold the house – I hope the next owners keep the scheme going.

Book Crossing http://www.bookcrossing.com/  costs nothing to join. Members leave books on cafe tables, buses, park benches etcc for anyone to pick up, read and then release somewhere else. For preference a label is stuck inside, saying that the book is free to be picked up and read, and is travelling the world.

Those who register a book on the website, prior to leaving it somewhere, can generate a code for the label so that they and readers can track where it’s been – but no one ever knows the person who gave it or found it.

If you put ‘Book Crossing’ in Google ‘Images’ and do a search, you’ll get an idea of the labels and the places books are left. One picture shows children’s books in plastic bags hanging from a tree, in England, at the perfect height for children to take them. The picture was originally posted by Sally-Jayne Poyton, http://sallypoyton.blogspot.com/ on the SCBWI UK Ning website (which can only be joined by members who live there).

What a great idea!

I think I should start a book tree in the park opposite my house. Sally-Jayne has suggested ‘we should have SCBWI book trees up and down the UK’. Why not Australia and worldwide?

SCBWI stands for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators – http://www.scbwi.org/

Let's get children reading in every way we can!

Peter Taylor
http://www.writing-for-children.com/

Network Celebration

One of the most worthwhile activities that any children’s writer or illustrator can do is to network with other creators. Apart from feeling and becoming ‘part of the industry’ and not working in isolation, over the years I have learned a lot from members of many organisations and forums, and continue to do so – writing craft, opportunities, publisher and editor preferences, printing presses, publicity efforts that work, and much more. And I hope some of the things that I write in forum posts are helpful to others, too.

The SCBWI discussion board is a wonderful forum for members, and I try to regularly contribute to several on LinkedIn and Yahoo Groups, for example http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kwdownunder/ which is for southern hemisphere creators, and ‘CW’ - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/childrens-writers/ which has an international membership. You’ll be welcomed if you’re serious about writing for children, or illustrating, and would like to join us and contribute.

Today, I’m celebrating a long membership of ‘CW’ – you’re all wonderful - by holding a draw for one member of this group to win a copy of my picture book, ‘Kangaroo’s Visitor Gets A Surprise’, which has been wonderfully illustrated by Gail Breese.

It’s a dream to meet many of you personally. So if any ‘CW’ member would like to leave a comment, perhaps but not necessarily about the value of group membership – either this group or others you may belong to – or just say 'Hi', I’ll add your name into the hat and draw a winner next weekend. If you’ve clicked to follow the blog, I’ll give you two chances.

Many thanks for your kind words on Aussie Reviews, Sally!

http://aussiereviews.com/2008/05/kangaroos-visitor-gets-a-surprise-by-peter-taylor/

There are more details of the book on my website, along with true facts about the Aussie animals depicted as characters.

But if you wish to make a purchase ($13.50), the easisest way is through Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Kangaroos+Vistor+gets+a+surprise&x=8&y=23

With many thanks and all best wishes

Peter Taylor
http://www.writing-for-children.com/

A Contract Winning Line for the Bologna and London Book Fairs, and possibly others

The purpose and focus of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair and London Book Fair, and probably other big ones, too, is the negotiation of the sale of 'rights' of books already published or about to be released, and other deals. Hundreds of publishers from around the world display the latest additions to their ranges, and members of their teams sit at tables at each stand and negotiate with other publishers' and industry representitives.

Our Australian Publishers Association also has spaces for Australian publishing professionals to do business, but in 2010, when I visited, at Bologna it also hosted an exhibition of the work of Australian illustrators, curated by Ann James and Ann Haddon. Individual illustrator attendees were allocated time on this stand, too, to show off their skills. This is me:

The evening APA dinner allows creators and publishing people to interact and get to know each other better. Check to see how your country’s stand representatives can help you.


Many countries’ stands host a ‘party’ at the end of one day. These parties are found by passers-by as well as invitees. Whereas many folk arrive only for the free food and alcohol, it is also possible to make useful contacts at them and get to know publishing professionals better. Special thanks to the APA and Amanda Vanstone for the wonderful spread put on by Australia, and also to those involved with the Italian party and...

It was wonderful for me to be absorbed into the world of international children’s books and their creators. One of my aims was to survey and gain an appreciation of the books currently being released by a large number of international publishers, especially those with which I was unfamiliar. Although this can be done through online catalogues, at a Fair you can easily see the house style of layout and content, and there were books displayed that will never get to the shelves of Australian stores. I was fascinated by the distinctive regional illustration and design styles used by publishers in some countries. The printed catalogues I collected had to be sorted and culled when it was time to weigh the suitcase.

Before arriving at the Fair, most publishing people will already have booked a full week of half-hour appointments. ‘Gate-keepers’ on some stands only allow entry to those with appointments. This stand belongs to the always wonderful Walker Books:

It may just be possible that an appointment can be made by your agent or publisher for you to promote your already published book to an individual (if you’re lucky), but this is really their job.

A large number of stands have open access and no gate-keepers. With those, I actually found it quite easy to meet and talk to publishers - particularly those producing non-fiction. After initially spying from afar, as soon as an appointment finished and the next person had not yet arrived, I casually walked up to the shelves to look at the books on display. Not knowing if I was a publisher or agent, I was often asked what I was looking at, and why.

Proudly wearing my SCBWI name badge from the Bologna Symposium, my line was, “I’m an Australian author and occasional illustrator, and I’m looking to see if you have any titles that are likely to compete with my new book about to be released - and also to see if there are any gaps in your list that I might be able to fill.”

That was always a good starting point for a conversation and I’d usually be asked what I write. They all wanted to know what was going to compete with their books! I think that coming from a distance is an advantage – it’s a bit different for them to meet someone from Down-Under. As well as fiction, I write about paper crafts, science and natural history, so I came away with names of people who will be delighted to receive proposals from me for books on lettering, decorative borders, the sea shore, fungi, cute furry animals and more. While some stands are manned by sales force members, many have powerful people present, such as the Associate Publisher and Managing Director – or even the company founder.

A similar line could be used by those who are unpublished: “I’m just completing a proposal for a book and I’m looking to see if you have any new titles that would be likely to compete with the contents I have in mind - and also to see if there are any gaps in your list that I might be able to fill.”

It’s easy to leave a business card or flier at every stand - the gate-keepers being happy to discuss the most appropriate person they should pass things to. I didn’t try pitching fiction, but in retrospect, I could have asked at each stand to find out if the publisher was open to submissions and who would be the most appropriate person to send work to. They may even have chatted and I could have tempted interest with a good ‘hook’ line or 'sound bite'.

Advice from the http://www.scbwibologna.org/ website suggests that illustrators contact specific publishers prior to the Bologna Fair and ask if it is possible to make an appointment with an editor or art director. Bring labelled samples to give them. Large sized portfolios are discouraged.

Some publishers (particularly Italian and French ones) advertise a time when illustrators without appointments can briefly show an art director their portfolio and hand over a print. On each occasion, the queue is long. I carried my A3 portfolio in a bag, and having introduced myself and gathered interest in the subject of my then forthcoming new book, I showed artwork used for images that appear in it (...and they readily looked at more), and I left them with a flier.

Going to the Symposium and Fairs was claimable for me as a tax deduction as professional development and research. It is also possible that you may be able to get a grant, perhaps from your regional Arts body, to cover at least some of your expenses.

From Bologna, I travelled to the UK to do research for my YA in progress and also to attend the London Book Fair in Earls Court, and the London Digital Conference. The London Book Fair is similar to the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in many ways, mainly being geared to publishers selling rights. A large corner is devoted to over 100 children’s book publishers. Some had not exhibited at Bologna. As well as the myriad of publishers of books for adults and technical works, the LBF also has stands taken by distributors, printers, illustrator agencies, digital converters, print on demand book services, apps sellers, digital rights negotiators, digital reading devices, remainder vendors and others – along with more parties and a free massage service.

At both Bologna and the London Book Fair, there is a continuous program of talks, seminars and interviews with authors, illustrators and publishing professionals - with translators.

I continued to try the same spiel at the London Book Fair as the one I used in Bologna and found swag of other publishers keen to receive proposals on non-fiction topics we discussed. The first proposal sent out resulted in a contract for the book that I’ve just completed for a UK publisher, ready to be released worldwide in June 2012 – ‘Calligraphy for Greetings Cards and Scrapbooking’ for GMC publications.

Deals are not guaranteed, but I’ve proven that they are possible.

Through http://www.wotif.com/ I even found cheap London accommodation in York House, a converted elegant old terrace house backing on to Earls Court – nothing like The Ritz inside, but clean and all that was needed: 7 nights for 405GBP, with microwave and hotplate cooking facilities.

I believe you will thoroughly enjoy the experience of attending the SCBWI Symposium, Bologna Fiere, the London Book Fair or any of the other big book Fairs if you have the opportunity, and you find them useful. And it doesn’t have to break the bank. I have to admit, however, that I did spend a significant amount on freighting home the catalogues, books and other things I just had to buy while on my trip.

Peter Taylor
http://www.writing-for-children.com/

SCBWI Report - What to do after you have completed the first draft

Here are some notes I made from the last SCBWI meeting I went to:

At the July meeting of the Queensland branch of SCBWI Australia (The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators), we were delighted to have Louise Cusack, author and manuscript assessor/development consultant/editor http://www.louisecusack.com/, speak to us about what to do after finishing the first draft of a story, and she also provided a lot of other great advice:-

Ask any editor what they look for in a ms (manuscript), and you’ll probably be told the same thing – ‘A good story and characters I care about’.

Stories are about people. The people you put in your story must come across as real.

Make sure it's clear as to whose story it is. In some mss, the main character is not the one the author intended to write about.

Consider each character as an iceberg. Only 10 percent of an iceberg appears above the surface. You will only show about 10 percent of a character in the story, but you must know all about the other 90 percent.

You must love your main character. Think of your best friends. What is it about a particular ‘best friend’ that you like most? Consider making that trait a virtue also possessed by your main character.

Each character will have a best virtue and worst flaw. Make sure you know what each is. (We were asked to write these down for our main character.)

In the first few (??3) pages, in the first scene, show (don’t tell) your main character’s best virtue in action.

Stories must have conflict - there must be an adversary, or a problem to be overcome. This must be the core of the story.

The main character wants (what is their goal?) because (what is their motivation?) but (what is the external conflict?).

The goal and motivation for the main character must be clear.

(Though stories for very young readers rarely have an internal conflict, those for older readers usually include an emotional problem facing the main character, which affects their life.)

The best external conflicts push the character’s emotional button (internal conflict), so:

The main character wants (what is their goal?) because (what is their motivation?) but (what is the external conflict?), and this really winds them up because (internal conflict). This is resolved by (ending).

The conflict has to test their virtues to the max and make their flaws show up to the max.

The internal conflict is affected by the external conflict.

The thing the character never wants to do becomes the thing that he/she must do.

In a structural edit, list all the scenes, then, beside each one, write down what it has to do with the main character’s goal. How does it help or hinder progress to the goal?

Always write from beginning to end of a story without polishing each chapter. That way, when structurally editing, it’s easier to discard unnecessary scenes. If they’ve been polished, it’s more tempting to keep them when you shouldn’t.

You should have confidence in your ability to edit and polish at the end – give yourself permission to write knowing that it will be edited and improved later.

Check all details for continuity - eg the floor plan of buildings is known, so you don’t write about turning left from the kitchen to the lounge at the beginning, but turning right at another point in the story.

If romance is involved, it is never enough to centre the plot around misunderstandings - they could be easily sorted out if the people sat down together or talked to each other.

If the main character falls in love, it is important to make clear the exact time when this occurs - never let them just grow in that direction.

To increase your own feeling of the reality of characters, consider cutting pictures of people from newspapers or magazines – people with a sinister look, a twinkle in their eye… , and create a collage of them all.

When writing a synopsis, first list all the evocative words in the story, then include a large number of them.

In a synopsis, most editors like to know how the story is resolved. They mainly read from the slush pile at night, in their own ‘free’ time. The synopsis must convince them that it will be worth spending their leisure time reading the sample chapters.

When a ms is taken to an acquisition meeting, the accounting department may ask how much editing it will require, ie, hours of an editor’s time at $x per hour. Is it worth the expense?

You may write well, but a ‘head hopping structure’, without flow, may lead to rejection. An appraisal for structure may help avoid this. It's a common reason for rejection.

Mss get rejected for simple reasons that you have no control over. A ms can be well written and rejected by one editor because they don’t like ‘time slips’, whereas another might like that plot feature.

Louise wrote seriously for eight years before her first book was published.

Never give up.

Write what you love most, because after you have been published, people will want more of the same.


Happy writing - may the words flow freely!

Peter Taylor
http://www.writing-for-children.com/
www.myspace.com/writingforchildren