My Experience Working with Amazon Publishing

Amazon Publishing
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Note from Jane: Today’s guest post is from Carol Bodensteiner (@CABodensteiner), author of the self-published memoir Growing Up Country and the upcoming Go Away Home via Lake Union Publishing, an imprint of Amazon Publishing.


Unable to land a publisher after I wrote my first book, a memoir, I cast my lot with the indie world. I enjoyed the control, and good sales put money in my pocket. So when I completed my pre-WWI-era novel, Go Away Home, in July 2014, I didn’t even look for a traditional publisher.

Imagine my surprise when six months later an email arrived in my inbox from an acquisition editor at Lake Union Publishing, an imprint of Amazon Publishing. I felt like the average teenage girl sitting at the soda fountain counter who is spotted by a director and cast in a major motion picture.

Every author I meet is curious about how that happened and what it’s been like. I’m only a sample of one, but here’s my experience.

How did Amazon find your book?

Acquisition editor Jodi Warshaw told me she was first attracted by the many positive reviews. It was gratifying to hear that all the work I’d done to get reviews—fifty-plus reviews in the first few months—was worth it. When Warshaw read the story and loved it, she contacted me—first to say how much she enjoyed the story, then to talk about whether I’d be interested in partnering with Lake Union, an imprint of Amazon.

Why did you sign with Amazon/Lake Union?

Skeptic that I am, I contacted a knowledgeable author friend to see if this was legit. She told me the only reason not to sign was if I was selling head over heels on my own. I was selling okay, but I spent thirty years in marketing and public relations and knew how much more could be done. Since there can’t be many with greater marketing expertise or a better email list than Amazon, this is what really hooked me.

What happens to a book once it’s acquired by Amazon?51i-N0AHXdL._UY250_

I hired professionals to copy edit, proofread, and design the cover of Go Away Home before I published. I felt good about the book, but I always believe good can be better. Amazon/Lake Union sent the manuscript through developmental and copy editors and a proofreader. I was closely involved every step of the way. Editors suggested; I acted. We talked on the phone and exchanged emails. The editing was detailed and time intensive. I liken the editing to going to the gym. With hard work, I come out a toned, tightened, stronger version of me. After going through this new round of editing, the story is the same, but tighter and stronger. I was pleased with the first edition; I like this new edition even better.

I was involved in the same way with the cover re-design. I provided input to the designer, and we went back and forth through a number of concepts, identifying the right look and feel. Though the original cover garnered reader raves, Warshaw felt a new cover could do a better job of signaling the place in time. Initial reader reactions are that she was right. To see what my readers say about the new cover, check out my blog.

What does Amazon Publishing pay?

My contract with Amazon/Lake Union prevents me from talking specifically about royalties, but what I can say is they are consistent with industry standards. True, I will make less on each copy than I would have as an indie author, but where I would have sold thousands of copies on my own, I anticipate that I’ll sell tens, maybe hundreds of thousands with Amazon marketing muscle behind me. The expenses Lake Union picks up for editing, design, production, and marketing are substantial (all money that came out of my pocket as an indie author). As one example, here is an ROI look at BookBub promotions I ran. At the moment, the trade off feels worth it, but time will tell. The new edition launches on July 7, 2015.

What’s the downside to Amazon Publishing?

At this point, I don’t see one, but here’s a potential stumbling block that Lake Union’s Warshaw brought up: Amazon Publishing focuses on digital marketing. If an author’s main goal is seeing stacks of their books in traditional bookstores, Amazon may not be the right publisher for her. This does not mean that Amazon doesn’t provide physical copies. They do. But they don’t put sales people on the street to fill the shelves.

What’s the upside to Amazon Publishing?

Two things.

  1. Amazon marketing muscle makes me salivate.
  2. People. Because I worked twenty years in a marketing agency, I was used to having specialized experts upon whom I could rely. With Lake Union, I once again have a team working with me. I’m delighted.

What about the next book? Amazon or indie?

My contract with Lake Union is for this book only, so my options are open.

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[…] Author Carol Bodensteiner answers the seven questions she gets most about working with Amazon Publishing.  […]

Carol Bodensteiner

Thanks for allowing me to share my experience with your readers, Jane.

RobynBradley (@RobynBradley)

This is excellent! First, congratulations. Second, thanks so much for sharing these insights. Question (and I’ll understand if you can’t answer this): will you be selling the new edition on non-Amazon outlets, such as B&N.com and iBooks?

Carol Bodensteiner

Thanks, Robyn. I will find out and come back with the answer.

Carol Bodensteiner

Here’s the scoop on distribution. Lake Union print distribution is handled through Brilliance Publishing, and they work with all major offline wholesale and retail partners, such as Baker and Taylor and Ingram. This means that any bookstore, including major chains, can order “Go Away Home” through one of these wholesalers. Because of this relationship, other online retailers will list the book in their stores. It is, for instance, already listed in bn.com and Books-a-million. The ebook will be available on all Kindle devices and Kindle apps, including Kindle for iPad, Kindle for Android, etc., not not on iBooks or other ebook retailers. Thanks for asking.

RobynBradley (@RobynBradley)

Thanks for sharing the details! Best of luck. 🙂

Leslie

Fascinating post! Love it if you could come back and tell us more of your experience with Amazon a few months after the book releases… It would be great to hear more about their marketing and if it lives up to your expectations.

And many congratulations!

Carol Bodensteiner

I’m happy to share what I learn, Leslie. Since I spent my career in marketing and public relations, I’m eager to see how the marketing works both because it’s my book and also because the whole marketing aspect interests me in general.

Alexis

Carol – thank you for sharing your delightful story! Can you elaborate a bit about the marketing muscle of Amazon? I mean I know theoretically what that can mean but specifically what will they do for you? When you evaluated this opportunity did they outline what you could expect (target emails to Amazon customers, inclusion in “best of summer reads” lists, etc.). One of the thing I’m frequently baffled by is what people mean when they say marketing because the term can mean different things to different people. Cheers and thanks!

Carol Bodensteiner

I don’t know all the details yet of how Amazon will market, so this will be a partial answer. Amazon’s power lies in their email list and knowledge of customer interests, i.e., ‘if you bought this, you’ll also like this.’ So targeted emails will definitely be in the mix as well as cross promotion on Amazon book pages. I’ve benefited from this targeting – and been the target of the targeting – already. More traditional approaches are also in play, e.g. Goodreads giveaways (one is going on now), advance review copies to reviewers through NetGalley, and price promotions such as Bookbub. You’re right about marketing meaning different things; I am eager to see all of the ways Amazon puts marketing into play. Stay tuned!

Frances Caballo

What an interesting post, Carol. Your hard work certainly did pay off. Kudos to you. I would have made the same decision … to proceed with Amazon/Lake Union. Who can beat their mailing list? I actually didn’t know that Amazon represented authors through what I imagine is a subsidiary. And yes, it must have been great to work with a team and to help your book evolve. What an experience!

Carol Bodensteiner

I, too, was unaware that Amazon was in the publishing business until they contacted me. It makes sense though. Helping authors sell more books can only be good for them.

Marcy McKay

What an inspiring story, Carol. Thanks for sharing it with us and best of luck to you!

Carol Bodensteiner

Thank you, Marcy. Just goes to show what can happen when you least expect it.

krpooler

Carol, thanks for sharing the details of your experience with Amazon Publishing. Congratulations on a job well-done. It all started because you wrote a great book that connected with readers. You are such an inspiration!

Carol Bodensteiner

Thanks, Kathy. You make me blush.

shirleyhs

🙂

Trish McCallan

I can answer some of these questions as a Montlake author– Amazon’s Publishing’s romance line. I’ve been a Montlake author with them now for two years and have two books out through them, plus two translations. As for how their marketing goes–every year so far they’ve put my books on the following promos. Targeted email blasts through the first few weeks of release, not just in the US but in UK and Germany as well. The Kindle Daily Deal, not just in the US but in the UK and Germany as well. The new and noteworthy list at the very front of the Amazon home page for the first month the books is released. The Kindle Select list on the front of the Amazon home page. The 100 books under 3.99 in the US, UK and Germany. The 20 books under 1.99 in the US, UK and GErmany. The Summer, or Winter or Fall Big Sales. They seem to rotate the books through each store’s promo every month, and surprisingly it doesn’t seem to matter how hard they hit the promo, once they rest the book for a while and hit it with promo again the sales take off again. So far the first book has sold over 175,000. (45,000 of these sales were made during it self-published period) The second book which was released in Jan of 2014 is closing in on 100,000 copies sold. I’m middle of the road among the Montlake authors when it comes to sales. We have three authors who have sold over a million copies of their books in the past two-three years. And several others closing in on that amount.

As for iBooks, Kobo and Nook. No- the ebooks are exclusive to Amazon.

Paperback and audio additions are available through Amazon as well as B&N online and they have started placing paperbacks of our better selling authors in the retail outlets- Walmart, Walgreens, Target. I haven’t had mine placed in any retail outlets yet so have no idea how the paperbacks there are selling.

Carol Bodensteiner

Thanks for sharing your experience, Trish, and the distribution details I just confirmed with my editor. As an author new to Amazon Publishing, it’s encouraging to me to hear the promotion and sales details. Your sales results are consistent with how I’d been thinking about it, but there are no guarantees, so I have resisted putting numbers out there. Continued good luck.

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