A Publisher's Conversation with Authors: Is your book getting enough attention to sell? The importance of SEO

 


It is Tuesday. Monday's madness is over, and Wednesday will take us over the hump, so Tuesday it is--for some serious discussion with authors. Tuesday talks mean to address authors in waiting and self-published authors who would like to go a more traditional route or who would at least like to take their steps with a publisher by their side. 

Today's post asks whether your book is getting enough attention and then explores the importance of SEO (search engine optimization). If your book is NOT getting enough attention and your SEO essentially sucks, which usually are related, there are things you can do to make the situation better.

Check how much attention your book is getting

Sales, of course, is one of the greatest indicators of whether your book is getting enough attention. If your book is not getting enough sales and you suspect lack of sufficient attention (there are many other reasons, including poor quality, for books not to get sales) to be at blame for that, you can check out your suspicions.

To check the amount of attention your book is getting, at least as reflected through online attention, go to a search engine, like Google, and google your book. Your name and/or the book title should be listed at site after site for at least the first ten pages of results. (There is nothing magic about that number; that is the number, however, we have found at MSI Press LLC to reflect the difference between a popular book and a struggling book.)

These online listings for you/your book show the SEO for your book. If your book is few listings, you may need to improve your SEO. 

Where SEO comes from 

Wherever something is carried on the Internet, there is another chance for your book to gain attention. These can range from inclusion at the online booksellers, your publisher's website and blog, your website and blog, to mentions by others (sometimes libraries post the books they shelve, awards competitions are usually carried online, and some book reviews are carried online, along with all kinds of websites, tweets, posts on various social media platforms and more and more and more. There is no lack of places that can help you improve your SEO.

Start with an analysis

Starting with data is always the best way to improve SEO. You cannot improve something unless you know its status. There are specialists who can do an SEO analysis of your website. It costs a little but not a lot. (Be sure to get references for whoever you hire.) That analyst should be able to show you where your SEO is weak and strong. 

Then, fill in those weaknesses. It might mean more key words on your website or better key words. It might mean improving your book description on your website and at the online booksellers.

Increase mentions of your book

The same advice that goes for book marketing and book promotion also goes for improving SEO. Write articles for refereed journals and magazines; they get shared online. Write articles for online magazines. Get interviewed on podcasts. Make your own youtubes. The list goes on. The important thing is not to lose hope and keep adding to your SEO (wisely, if possible, hand in hand with a specialist, but if not possible, then by one online entry after another).

Bottom line: Remember the turtle won the race, not the rabbit. If your SEO is not helping to get enough attention for your book, keep at it, if not daily, then at least weekly.

For previous conversations on this topic, click HERE.

See more Publisher Conversations with authors HERE.



 Learn more about publishing from an acquisitions editor -- how to get your book proposal accepted, why proposals are turned down/accepted, and how to find the right publisher for your book. On special sale for $5 while inventory lasts at MSI Press webstore. Also available as an e-book and an audiobook.



The Tuesday talks reflect real discussions between the management of MSI Press LLC and our own authors or those would-be authors who come through our doors but don't make the cut--yet. If you have a topic that you would like addressed, leave the question in the comment section. Chances are, in our 18 years of publishing first-time and experiences authors, we have had a conversation with one of our authors that we can share with you.

                             

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