new Amazon feature, 3 secrets, 2 links, 1 quote

Reader,

A little story to kick of the 321 today.

Ask for a book recommendation from anyone in business and they’ll give you How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.

No wonder it’s sold over 30 MILLION copies.

Dale Carnegie was born into poverty in 1888 on a farm in rural Missouri.

During his primary years of education he developed a love for public speaking.

After school he went on to become one of the leading sales people for Armour & Company selling bacon, soap, and lard.

He saved up $500 and quit to pursue an acting career in New York.

It failed and he began living out of a YMCA.

While at the YMCA, he convinced them to let him offer public speaking classes – giving 80% of proceeds back to the organization.

The course did so well that he started to offer lectures out of Carnegie Hall.

Wait so he shared the same last name as Andrew Carnegie?

Actually..NO! I found this out while writing this but Carnegie was actually born Carnagey and changed his name to honor the steel magnate (I’m sure the marketing aspect didn’t hurt).

A Simon & Schuster rep convinced Dale Carnegie to release a book with them based on the course which was a bestseller from day one.

Before Carnegie’s death in 1955 the book had already sold 5 million copies.

3 Secrets:

1. Amazon Ads new exciting feature:

When you make a campaign without custom text, you’re now able to use a new “bid adjustments” feature to increase your competitiveness given certain situations.

Under “bid adjustments” on the campaign dashboard you have the ability to now optimize your campaigns based on:

Specific audiences (great for non-fiction): For example if your book is about personal finance, you can get Amazon to target people who have previously purchased these types of books

Specific brands (great for fiction): If you have a back list or other products than Amazon will now serve ads to those people.

This a great tool for utilizing the insane amount of data Amazon has on readers and your ability to now leverage that data even more.

Check it out!

We’ll be testing this new feature automatically with all of our authors when relevant.

2. Vision boarding with chatGPT:

For those who prefer to visualize what success looks like for them, we no longer have to rely on cutting photos out magazines to see our future life.

Describe Your Dream Scenes

Write out what you want in detail: locations, activities, vibes, colors, even outfits. The clearer the better.

Share Your Photos (Optional)

If you want you in the scene, upload a clear photo of yourself so I can make it accurate.

Pick a Style

Photorealistic, artistic, minimalist—tell me the look you’re going for so it feels inspiring.

Iterate & Refine

chatGPT generate a first version, then you can tweak details (change scenery, lighting, outfits, etc.) until it feels perfect.

Print or Save

Use your images in a digital vision board, print them out for your wall, or create a custom screensaver.

Here’s my future ranch in Northern Australia 🙂

I’d love to see yours so email me back your vision!

3. For those working on your next book:

When deciding what to write about. Look at the 3-star reviews of books in the topic that interests you. 1/2 star reviews are usually people who are just having a bad day. 4/5 star reviews are usually people who know and love the author. For genuine feedback on what’s missing for a topic – look at the 3-star reviews.

BUT Charles Mason becomes less relevant every day.

SO WHY is this book so popular?

Our world right now is (unfortunately) one of deceit and distrust and that’s what this book is really about.

What is your book really about?

2 Links

Listen Thomas Erikson on Before The Bestseller this week to talk about how he convinced a NYT bestselling author to co-author with him so he could borrow their credibility and following in launching their own author career. Listen here: https://getshelflife.com/btb165-over-12-million-copies-sold-the-self-publishing-story-behind-thomas-eriksons-surrounded-by-idiots/
I’ll be co-hosting a training on Thursday at 1pm PST all about Amazon Ads and how they fit into a comprehensive book marketing plan. Join me live by emailing back that you’d like an invite to the event and I’ll send you the link.

1 Quote

“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.”
– Confucius

with love and sincere appreciation,

Alex
BeforeTheBestseller | ShelfLife
alex@getshelflife.com