Book Authors

While every book that we publish has a dedicated Amazon page, Amazon is an especially important channel for trade books, where a completed Amazon author page and Amazon reviews can improve searchability and sales.

How to Create Your Amazon Author Page

The goal of your Amazon author page is to give readers a sense of who you are in a more personal and engaging way, while also showing off your expertise. It should read like a narrative bio, not a CV. An expanded bio also helps improve your searchability on Amazon, increasing the chances that readers will find you and your work.

Complete the checklist below to build a strong Amazon author page:

• Create your Author Central account on Amazon.
• Add an author bio. Tell your story in a personal and intentional way, giving a sense of your professional interests. Weave in some of your expertise, media coverage and major accomplishments. Incorporate a line or two on your new book, focusing on why it's unique and important. Remember to keep it short and snappy, just 1—3 brief paragraphs.
• List all of your books on your author page.
• Post at least one high quality author photo.
• Post relevant videos. These can include video interviews, book signings, or presentations/talks you have given on your book’s topic.

Check out examples of great Amazon author pages: Jonathan Malesic, Ieva Jusionyte, Simon Morrison.

Visit Amazon Author Central for tips on how to create your page and optimize your book’s search results.

How to Get Amazon Reviews

Reviews establish credibility, increase searchability of your book, and help build your sales ranking. While reviews cannot be posted ahead of your book’s pub date, you can still work to secure reviews beforehand, so that your reviewers post them within the first few months of publication.

Here are some of our guidelines and tips:

• Push for Verified Customer reviews. Amazon has recently started restricting reviews from unverified purchasers — people who did not buy the book on Amazon. In your outreach to your networks, make sure that you clearly state that only folks who purchased on Amazon should post reviews. Otherwise, a number of reviews posted in a short time that aren't from verified purchasers may lock the reviews section.
• Leverage your network. When reaching out to your colleagues and friends, encourage them to order the book on Amazon and then post a review after the pub date.
• Avoid mention of personal relationship with reviewers. Reviewers who mention a personal relationship with you, or a direct role in the book’s creation process, will be flagged. Amazon also does not allow individuals who share a household with you or close friends to write Customer Reviews for your book.
• No paid reviews. Amazon does not allow any form of compensation for a Customer Review.
• Encourage reviewers to include photos with their reviews. This can be a selfie of them with the book, or just a personal photo of the book. It’s a nice touch and adds legitimacy that real people bought and read the book, and it lets your book cover shine!
• Active Amazon customers only. Reviewers must have spent at least $50 on Amazon.com using a valid credit or debit card in the past 12 months in order to leave a review.

Tips for Your Amazon Reviewers

We recommend sharing the following suggestions with your reviewers:

• Focus on audience. What would other customers who are curious about the subject want to know? Speak to this community as if you were recommending a book to a friend—personably, energetically, and respectfully. What would compel you to pick up this book?
• Identify what differentiates the book. Is it the voice, the tone, the case studies, the uniqueness in the research? Highlight this and consider drawing comparisons with other books that this book may be in conversation with or builds on.
• Do not share any personal information about the author. (i.e. “I know John Doe from college, so of course I had to read his book!”) You can, however, mention if you’ve read the author’s previous books before or have interest in their work/research. Feel free to compliment the author, but do it at a distance.
• Try to include as many keywords as possible. Think of keywords as the buzzwords that make up the book’s word bank—even if these terms may not be completely accessible to a general audience, think of who the book is actually for. You want to be specific enough to reach the right readers. What kind of jargon will reach the target audience of this book? (i.e. If you’re reviewing a book about eco-burnout, you should try to refer to ‘eco-burnout’ in your review.)
• Include photos. Post a selfie or photo with the book to add a personal touch and a sense of legitimacy to your review.

Please see Amazon’s Customer Review Guidelines for more information.