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02 June 2002

Amazon is the world’s largest bookseller. Net sales for the first quarter of 2002 were $847 Million dollars. At Amazon consumers find books not stocked by their local bookstore. Thru Amazon publishers reach consumers that would be too expensive to reach through direct mail.

Yet although, Amazon will list a publisher’s book, publishers often do not do the extra work required to maximize their sales through this sales channel.

How often have you seen titles listed with availability as special order or 3 to 4 weeks?

How often have you come across books with only the title, author and price listed?

Many tiles are not properly classified by subject and thus do not show up in all relevant subject area searches.

The following tips will help you to maximize your sales thru Amazon.

1. Get your title listed in the Amazon.com database.

2. Submit title information - table of contents, description, cover jacket, reviews, etc to Amazon.

3: Encourage your authors to comment on their own titles at Amazon. Every book has an author. Tell him, the author, that an author's review will help increase sales of his book.

4: Encourage readers of the book to post truthful reviews about the book on Amazon.

5. If you are a small publisher consider joining the Amazon Advantage program. Under this program Amazon stocks your title on consignment for immediate shipment and scans your cover jacket for free (in exchange for a 55% discount on trade books).

• Advantage Program - for trade book publishers
• Advantage Professional - for publishers of professional books

6. Fulfill Amazon & Ingram purchase orders ASAP. Why? They base the availability information for your title based on their real life estimate of how long it takes for you to restock them or their supplier; Ingram. If an Amazon order comes in during the morning, ship it that afternoon.

7. Book Cover Images are very important.

"Books with a cover image sell 50% more copies" - Amazon.com Book Buyer at BEA 2001.

8. Ask that your book be listed in their Look Inside Program. This allows customers to view sample pages from your title, along with the jacket copy and table of contents. More Info

9. Increase your chances of getting an Amazon Review or become a featured book. To submit your book for possible feature or review, send it via the U.S. Postal Service to the address below. Please refer to Amazon's extensive list of subject areas to determine which category would best represent your book. Indicating a category will ensure that your request is processed in the most efficient manner possible.

Editorial Department
[Relevant Category]
Amazon.com
PO Box 81226
Seattle, WA 98108-1226

10. Ensure that your title is fully searchable by subject and that it is eligible to appear on appropriate browse (or bestseller) lists.

According to Amazon "Up to 10 subject headings can be assigned to each title. The subjects are drawn from industry standard or U.S. Library of Congress (LOC) assigned title headings.

We'll probably need your help to classify your title. Since the LOC has thousands of headings, it is easiest to browse our site for suitable subjects. The validity of one or more specific subjects can be determined by performing a Subject search. If the search results return other books, then that particular subject is most likely a valid LOC subject.

You may also consider looking on our site for a different book on the same topic or a similar topic, and seeing which subjects are listed. The subjects assigned to a book can be found at the bottom of the book's information page under the caption "Look for Similar Books by Subject."

Once your title has correct subject headings, it should be eligible for related browse lists. A title must fall within the top 100 bestsellers in the category in order to be included.

Send a message to book-typos@amazon.com with any subject suggestions for your title. We will do our best to classify your title accurately in our database."

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Tips for Publishers is a weekly column authored by Edwin Fager. If you have any suggestions for future articles please email tips@kensailtd.com

Hats off to the Amazon.com Advantage Professional Program! Since joining the program, our sales have skyrocketed and show no signs of letting up. We are delighted with the ease with which we list our titles, manage inventory and gather sales data.

With print marketing costs rising and results often disappointing, the Advantage Professional Program is a gift. There simply is no better way to reach the individual reader... and now institutions. It's amazing what a little exposure and Amazon know-how can do.

- Sales Manager, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press