BOOK MARKETING: “Tips for Setting Up Categories on Kindle,” by Award-Winning Author Lorilyn Roberts

According to the latest information from Amazon, here is how to get your categories set up for a Kindle e-book.

First, go to https://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing/signin

Second, sign in to your account.

Third, click the “action button” for the book you would like to update

Fourth, scroll down to number three, select your book to customers

Fifth, click on “add categories.” That will open up to a new screen to add or change categories

Sixth, click on the plus button in front of these main categories to open up subcategories and sub-subcategories. Make your selections.

Seven, click on save.

The screen will return to the default page, where you started. Please notice that this is also where you make other changes to your e-book, including editing your book details.

This information is taken from my book, How to Launch a Christian Best-Seller, the John 3:16 Marketing Network Manual, available on Amazon by clicking here

We just published our first book as a Network, Taste and See, Volume 1 available on Smashwords and Kindle.

And if you would like to watch the video about the Taste and See book, you can see it on Youtube.

BOOK MARKETING: INTERVIEW WITH LORILYN ROBERTS: “Taste and See,” First Chapters by John 3:16 Authors

Interview with John 3:16 Marketing Network 

Founder Lorilyn Roberts

About

New Book

Taste and See

QUESTION: Why did you decide to publish Taste and See?

LORILYN: The idea for Taste and See, a Sampling of First Chapters, came after reading Nathan Bransford's blog on September 29, 2011. He asked the following question:

“There is so much talk about self-published books in the writing-o-sphere. But have you actually read one?"  69% said yes and 30% said no out of 1,772 votes.

That made me think, that one out of three readers has never read a book that is self-published, and if you include print-on-demand books, the percentage is probably higher. I thought, why not give those readers an opportunity to enjoy a sampling of first chapters by authors they have never heard about who are published in a variety of ways?

The John 3:16 Marketing Network doesn't make a distinction and I have always maintained that readers don't care how books are published. If someone finds a book he likes, he will buy it. From that thought came the idea, why not give authors an opportunity to share the first chapter of their book in a “First Chapters Sampling”?

We have all enjoyed chocolate samplings, coffee samplings, tea samplings, and other such assortments, and it's fun to "experiment" and try something new. Sometimes we find something we really like and then we head to the store or web and buy the product, whatever that might be. It's long been known as a proven marketing strategy to give people samples of free products to try, so we are just "piggybacking" on an old idea with a new twist.  I sent out an email to our members to see how many would be interested and the response was overwhelmingly positive.

A very small portion of the publishers was reluctant to let their author contribute a first chapter, so we offered the option to contribute something else; hence, the miscellany section. We wanted to include everybody who wanted to participate.

QUESTION: What are your long-term goals for Taste and See?

LORILYN: My long-term goal is to increase the opt-in list for the John 3:16 Marketing Network.  I hope to eventually offer free e-books, more sample chapters, and other book opportunities. Perhaps we will have a book club where books can be purchased at a discounted price.

The short-term goal is to provide exposure for the John 3:16 Marketing Network as well as Network authors. New and low-profile authors' greatest obstacle to successful sales is exposure. I hope readers will take advantage of this FREE opportunity to sample first chapters and other offerings by close to sixty authors. It's a win-win for everyone. Readers discover new authors, and authors get exposure to readers who may want to buy their books.

QUESTION: How were the books chosen for Taste and See?

LORILYN: The chapters in Taste and See were chosen by the authors themselves. The opportunity was weighted toward those who had contributed the most to the John 3:16 Marketing Network; i.e., featuring authors in the network on their blogs, posting Facebook and Twitter announcements for book launches, offering free e-gifts for book launches, participating in the forum, and other social networking activities.

QUESTION: How does Taste and See expand upon the John 3:16 Marketing Network's ability to help authors market their books?

LORILYN: Because this is an innovative idea, I am not sure how successful it will be to promote authors' books, but my feeling is we focus on process and God controls the outcome. My overall goal is to promote books with a Christian worldview, and in so doing, we are making an impact on the world. If we make a difference for one reader or one author, that is a profound accomplishment. Every great book ever discovered began with one person.

QUESTION: What other plans do you have for the John 3:16 Marketing Network in the future?

I have lots of ideas but until I finish my Masters's in Creative Writing, my time to implement them is limited. I do struggle with that because I tend to be impatient, but God is teaching me patience and to wait on Him. As it is said in Ecclesiastes 3:1: "To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven." (King James Bible, Cambridge Ed.)  It is then I remind myself that the John 3:16 Marketing Network is bigger than my vision and that God has a purpose and a plan. When I give my dreams to the Creator, He does far more than I could ever have hoped for or imagined.

My biggest “reward” from the John 3:16 Marketing Network has been the relationships I have formed with members. We pray for each other, encourage each other, share knowledge, post links to articles, announce upcoming opportunities, provide answers to questions, write book reviews, and offer encouragement when needed. We even share heartaches and disappointments, for there is a genuine humility among members. There is nothing else like it on the web.

For more information on Taste and See: Volume 1, click here.

BOOK MARKETING: SIXTY “FIRST CHAPTERS” IN ONE BOOK – “TASTE AND SEE” Volume 1, edited by Lorilyn Roberts

SIXTY BOOKS IN ONE, AND IT'S OUR FREE GIFT TO YOU! 

Christmas Gift 2011

Volume One

We are on the cusp of a revolution in publishing, and the John 3:16 Marketing Network is at the forefront of marketing innovation. Readers want diversity, options, and choices. The John 3:16 Marketing Network has released the most innovative way to expose readers to the latest in fiction and nonfiction Christian publishing.

Check out our new book, Taste and See, A Sampling of First Chapters by John 316 Marketing Network Authors.

Dear Readers of Christian Books, you are in for a treat! This is our gift to you for Christmas, and it's completely free through Smashwords or the John 3:16 Marketing Network!  You don't have to sign up for ANYTHING through the holidays, not even give us your email for an opt-in list.

Enjoy reading the first chapter of fifty-eight books and other surprises by sixty authors AT NO COST. Nothing like beginning a new book that whets your appetite for more. You won’t have to travel to a book store or surf the web to find the kind of book you want. We have made it easy for you to sample close to sixty books and authors while drinking your latte at Starbucks, at home curled up on the sofa, or during your lunch break at work. Sit in front of your fireplace and relax. Taste and See is over 165,000 words long--the equivalent to TWO BOOKS.

Our John 3:16 Marketing Network authors are known and unknown, young and old, first-time published and multi-published, standard-industry published, self-published, and print-on-demand published. Our goal is to glorify God in our writings and help each other to promote books with a Christian worldview.

Taste and See is also available on Amazon for  $0.99 if you prefer to "purchase" it there. Don't miss out on this FREE OPPORTUNITY through the holidays. Find a chapter you like? There is a link at the end of each author's original work to buy the complete book HASSLE-FREE.

Remember, this is the season of our Savior's birth. We want to celebrate that with this FREE GIFT from us to you.

“O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusts in Him”

Psalm 34:8

Smashwords  FREE (multiple formats available) 

Kindle (99 cents)

BOOK MARKETING: “A New Way to Sample Christian Books by the John 3:16 Marketing Network Authors” by Cheryl Rogers

John 3:16 Network to Release Taste and See First Chapters Book Soon

Article by Cheryl Rogers originally appeared on the John 3:16 Marketing Network blog.

A new book by the John 3:16 Marketing Network will showcase the work of 58 authors who have banded together to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ through their writing talents. Slated for release in early December, Taste and See, a Sampling of First Chapters by John 3:16 Marketing Network Authors will be available in various ebook formats.

"I am excited to offer this book completely free through the Christmas holidays," says Lorilyn Roberts, the network's founder, who is editing the book. "I had no idea initially if anyone would be interested or if publishers would let us reprint the first chapter, but the response has been overwhelmingly positive."

"After the first of the year, people will need to sign up for the John 3:16 ezine to get Taste and See for free, but until January 1, everyone can download as many copies as they want from Smashwords and other distribution sites, including Apple, Kindle, Nook, and Sony with a coupon."

Lorilyn started the John 3:16 Marketing Network, which is free to join, as a means of collaborating on book launches and other marketing endeavors. As of this writing, the network has grown to 150-plus members. In addition to launching books, the network offers book showcases, reciprocal blogging, monthly prayer meetings via teleconferences, a bulletin board, an active Facebook page, a site to post book reviews, and tutorials for some of the more technical aspects of marketing. Lorilyn has also written a book, How to Launch a Christian Best-Seller Book, to help authors reach best-seller status on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. A storefront is run in affiliation with the New Christian Books Magazine, operated by network member Cheryl Rogers.

Taste and See, a Sampling of First Chapters, features fiction and non-fiction aimed at readers of all ages, plus a few surprises," says Lorilyn.

The John 3:16 Marketing Network plans to publish the Taste and See book annually to enable readers to enjoy new authors' books. "We write and publish a lot of books each year," Lorilyn adds. "I am sure we will have many new books to include in another sampling next year."

Again, the sample book will be free through the holidays; sales links to the full works are included. Taste and See will retail for $3.99 at Smashwords.com after the holiday promotion. It will continue to be free after the new year if you sign up for the John 3:16 ezine.

Distribution is planned through Smashwords.com and its retail network, the John 3:16 Marketing Network website and blog, New Christian Books Online Store, and network member blogs and websites.

The book's cover features mini book covers submitted by authors, in a collage format. "My goal was to showcase all the authors and their books in a visually pleasing way," says Rogers, who designed the cover and assisted with the book's formatting. Rogers, who has authored a number of books aimed at Christians of all ages, publishes New Christian Books Online Magazine as a free service to Christian readers and writers.