Copywriter Q&A: Suzanne Kearns Talks the Ins and Outs of E-Book Publishing

The Writers For Hire (TWFH) team member Suzanne Kearns is our very own e-publishing guru. She’s written and ghostwritten more than a dozen e-books and her extensive list of published works includes a variety of genres, from how-to and business books to Christian fiction.

In this installment of Copywriter Q&A, Suzanne answers all of our burning e-book questions and clears up some common misconceptions about self-publishing (spoiler alert: writing and publishing your own e-book is way less complicated than you may think).

TWFH: How long have you been writing and publishing e-books?

SK: I’ve been writing e-books since 2016. I’ve published about 13 since 2016. I released two traditionally published books before that, but you don’t make any money that way.

TWFH: Why did you make the switch to e-books? Was it about the money?

SK: It was the whole experience. I published a non-fiction and a fiction book using a traditional publisher, and I had no creative control. Everything was very regimented, and I was operating on their schedule. Finally, I said, “Okay, there’s got to be a better way.” That’s about when the e-book thing started coming about. I said, “I can do this on my own.” I’m glad I did.  

TWFH: What do you like best about self-publishing e-books vs. traditional publishing?

SK: Control. When I published my first fiction book, the publisher changed the cover and title without my input. But probably the biggest eye-opener for me happened when I wrote my second fiction book and sent it to the publisher. That book didn’t have a happy ending. But I loved it! The ending was the best part of the book! My publisher said, “We have to change the ending. Readers want a happy ending.” I felt like I was a commodity and they were going to wrap me up and package me how they wanted, rather than just letting me be creative.

TWFH: One of your non-fiction e-books was a guide to publishing e-books. How did that come about?  

SK: When I decided I wanted to publish my own e-books, I started researching and I went to every webinar and read everything I could get my hands on. Everything that was published was a half-book that ended with a sales pitch: “Buy my $1,000 course to learn more about publishing an e-book!” It’s really predatory.

TWFH: What about marketing? There are a lot of companies that say they’ll do all of the marketing for your e-book.

SK: All they do is write press releases — and they usually charge you thousands of dollars to do it. There are two problems with that. A: Press releases don’t work for books, and B: You can market a book yourself if you learn how Amazon’s algorithm works.

TWFH: So, a press release isn’t the best way to market an e-book?

SK: People don’t buy books that way. I tried doing press releases in the beginning. They don’t work. They just don’t. Really, the thing that works with selling e-book is getting your book seen on Amazon. That’s the only thing you want to do. Amazon has algorithms, and there are very specific ways to get your book up in their algorithm.

TWFH: What’s the key to getting a place on Amazon’s algorithm? Can you explain the basics?

SK: It’s changed over the years. In the past, what authors would do is start out with a promo so the book would shoot up in rankings. So, let’s say you released an e-book and you sold it for 99 cents for one day. You might get 100 sales on that one day. And that used to be a way to move up quickly in Amazon’s rankings. But they’ve changed their algorithm now. The one-day promo doesn’t work anymore. They want to see a long, steady dribble of sales. Best way is to pre-release your book, and get the word out if you have audience or email list. Have sales dribble in. Run a promo and leave your book at 99 cents for a week. Then you’ll have sales every day. Amazon’s algorithm likes that. Then after two or three weeks, you can move it to regular price.

TWFH: What are some other things you can do to make your e-book stand out?

SK: It has to be visible and have a good description on the product page. You have to have a really good cover. If people see it and review it and like it, it will sell.

TWFH: What makes a cover “good”? Are there any rules?

SK: Yes! Your cover should be in line with genre that you’re selling. So, for example, if you’re writing fiction, you want a cover with bold colors and block print. That’s what readers expect to see. Whatever genre you’re writing, go to the best seller list and look at the covers. You’ll see that they’re all kind of similar. They all have the same kind of font; the same theme.

Readers know what their genre’s covers should look like. When they’re scrolling through Amazon, they’re not reading words, they’re looking at covers. And they just see a thumbnail. You have to catch their attention. They’re not going to stop and read what your book is about unless you can grab them with your cover.

TWFH: So, in addition to choosing an appropriate cover, what else can you do to market your e-book and make sure readers see it?

SK: Email lists are extremely important. There are several good mailing lists out there that showcase what’s on sale on Amazon. You buy a spot on a mailing list. There are three I use that work – and they always make their money back. You can buy a spot on Buck Books for and $29 and on Robin Reads for around $60. They always make their money back. There’s another one called BookBub They’ve got an incredible mailing list, but they’re also more expensive. It costs anywhere from $500 to $1,000 to get on their list. I haven’t tried that one yet, but I’ve heard it’s very good.

TWFH: Do you have any advice for a first-time e-book author?

SK: First, don’t buy into the idea that it’s complicated. It’s not. If you break it down really simply, it breaks down like this: You write your book, format it, get a cover, upload it, do a promo. It’s five steps. It’s just not that complicated.

I’d also recommend that if it’s your first e-book, consider hiring an editor. For my first book, I hired an editor and it was well worth it. 

And finally, a lot of new authors think they can put out one book and make a bunch of money. That’s not the case. You’ll need at least three books before you really start seeing some sales. Most first-time book most authors only make $100. Sure, some people publish one book and are runaway bestsellers. But for most authors, you need to be constantly publishing. Once you publish a book, you need to get another one published within 90 days or your books start falling in the Amazon rankings. There’s a lot of back end stuff involved. Amanda Hocking was the first person to make a million dollars self-publishing on Amazon. She wrote a vampire story. Everyone thinks that’s going to be them. It’s not. Well, it could be — but it’s a long shot!

You’ve got to put work in it if you want to get anything out of it.

Paul Alleyne’s Book

Writing is easy, journalist Gene Fowler said. All you do is stare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead.

Granted, today you’re more likely to be staring at a blank screen than a piece of paper.

But the sentiment is the same: Writing an eBook can be a long, tough slog.

Unless you’re working with The Writers For Hire.

With thousands of pieces of content on their resumes, our writers are skilled at creating thought leadership copy that entices and provides value to readers, increases market demand, generates responses, and gets shared.

Don’t worry if you’re not quite sure what your focus should be – they’ll help you or your subject matter experts (SMEs) pinpoint a topic that will resonate with your target audience and convince them of your perspective.

Need research to fill in any knowledge gaps? They can do that, too.

Have your copy in place, but want the skills of an eagle-eyed editor? Our professional editors can provide copyediting – checking for grammar, spelling, and word usage; ensuring consistency in spelling, hyphenation, and so on – or more comprehensive line editing, which improves sentence flow, tightens the narrative, removes redundancies, and adds sparkle and sizzle.

And unlike some eBook ghostwriting services, The Writers for Hire does not outsource our work to less experienced, less fluent writers overseas. Your eBook will be written by full-time, U.S.-based writers with college degrees and lengthy resumes.

eBooks

As much as our writers love the printed word, they know that the digital word has become more prevalent and important for our clients. And they’re experienced in writing for the digital world – so you can rest assured your project won’t be a practice run. Your copy will be punchy, to the point, and scannable – exactly what electronic device readers seek.

What makes The Writers For Hire so good at crafting eBook content?

  • They’re experienced in helping clients laser in on a topic that will benefit readers. They form productive partnerships with your SMEs, getting great information that becomes great copy.
  • They know that an eBook isn’t just a bunch of disparate blog posts hurriedly hodge-podged together. They’ll create a cohesive theme that supports your eBook’s purpose.
  • They understand the importance of writing to your audience. They’ll use the right tone and bring the key messages to the forefront.
  • They’re obsessed with details, so you don’t have to be.

Our writers’ experience working in a broad range of industries offers proof they’ve got the brains to quickly understand your business and your audience. Consider us for projects in:

More than Words

eBooks are about more than putting words on the page in an engaging way. Formatting is a critical part of creating an eBook. Our team understands how to use things like white space, images, and infographics to ensure a scannable final piece that's a pleasure to read on a screen. That's why we offer formatting and design support for our eBook clients, ensuring a final wow-factor layout.

What’s it like to work with The Writers for Hire on your eBook? Here’s what you can expect.

  • A team not afraid to research and understand your topic.
  • Writers who understand that writing online often requires thinking in pictures and graphics – not just words.
  • Interviews to get the process rolling.
  • Help selecting a topic, if needed.
  • Development of an outline or table of contents to make certain everything is headed in the right direction.
  • Crystal-clear copy, with compelling headlines, subheads, and suggestions for graphics.
  • Fact-checking and editing by an experienced editor.
  • Revisions, if necessary, after you’ve reviewed all content.
  • Final proofreading to ensure perfection.

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Make Your Own Kind Of Music

This week we have some advice passed on to me from best-selling author Karleen Koen.  Your assignment:  Write something, anything, every morning.  No need for prompts like those we gave you in a recent post.  No, this exercise is completely freestyle.

Keep Your Mind and Fingers Nimble Every Day

As a writer, even if you aren’t working on a particular project, you will benefit greatly from daily practice, like Hemingway’s write-500-words-every-single-day devotion we mentioned in a recent post. And as we’ve also said before, even the world’s greatest musicians practice on their instrument every day.  They hone their skills, keep their artistic inspirations fresh, and even discover new things about their talent.

Writing can actually be a lot like playing an instrument. Imagine sitting down at a piano and just playing around with the keys, plinking out a light, brief little ditty off the top of your head.  Now compare that to sitting down in front of your computer and tapping out a few words, whatever comes to mind.  You’re just goofing around, right?  No pressure.

But you may stumble across a good setting, a useful piece of imagery, or some clever dialogue.  You may even get to meet a character screaming out that she has a story to tell you, speaking to you from your brain to your fingertips as you “jam” on your instrument of choice, be it your computer or one of those yellow legal notepads or a beautiful Moleskine.  (Have you ever heard of a Moleskine?  They are legendary little pocket journals used for scribbling inspirations and ideas, cherished by artistic geniuses like Van Gogh, Picasso, and our pal Hemingway.)

Open Your Mind As Soon As You Open Your Eyes (and Maybe Yawn and Stretch, Too)

Koen believes in writing first thing in the morning.  To Koen, it’s an exercise to get her brain going, not an attempt to generate useable copy.  She suggests taking just about fifteen minutes, or maybe just three pages, whatever comes first, and simply writing whatever comes to mind.  Best of all, she does this even before the coffee is ready.  You can do it while you’re still in bed, even.  At that time of the morning, your mind is still half-asleep, with one foot still in the wonderful, bizarre world of your dreams, where some of the best ideas come from.

Wash Your Face, Comb Your Hair . . . and Brush Up Your Writing Skills

Add to your morning ablutions a rinsing of your thoughts.  Let them wash away from your mind and onto the page.  It may just be a few hundred words of randomness, a jumbled mix of what you dreamt the night before and what’s on your mind about what you have to do that day.  But there’s more than one reason this little exercise is so valuable.

Yes, it is a wonderful way to sow and eventually reap some great ideas, and practice is always beneficial, no matter what you are practicing.  But you’ll have also put your thoughts in a writer’s mindset, right from the minute you wake up.  You’ll be able to spend the rest of the day seeing the world through your writer’s eyes, even more sharply and acutely than you usually do.  You will find a symphony of inspiration everywhere you look.

I guess it’s like waking up and putting on your glasses right away so you can see more clearly.  Oh, I could compare this exercise to a million different beneficial behaviors, but the bottom line is: it’s great.  So tomorrow morning, give it a try!