Redeeming Amazon by Lucy Rycroft

A few years ago, we were invited for dinner at our then-vicar's home. The other couple who were invited ran their own Christian publishing company, and we got into a discussion about Amazon.

"They take 60% commission - they make it very hard for authors and small publishers to make money," said our new friend. "But, as a publisher, you have to use them. They have such a monopoly over the market that you simply won't stay in business if you don't. I know of only one publisher who doesn't sell on Amazon, and he has a very niche output, so his buyers know to go directly to him. But for the rest of us: we're stuck between a rock and a hard place."

That information, along with various news stories at the time about how Amazon were evading tax laws, made my mind up: I would buy elsewhere.

And, for the most part, the boycott worked. I can think of only a handful of times over the last few years where I've had to shop at Amazon - most of the time I can find what I want elsewhere, at the same price, or even cheaper. I'm a big fan of eBay, and the way that I can support small businesses who trade there, and I also use Google Shopping to compare prices at different online retailers.

Now I'm sure eBay and Google have massive faults too, so perhaps my boycott is totally redundant. But I got into a habit of not using Amazon, and it stuck.

That dinner guest eventually became my publisher - and my book Redeeming Advent was released in October. But when a member of my launch team told me to try and get as many pre-orders on Amazon as possible, as they would add to the first day of sales and therefore give me a better chance of ranking in the bestseller list (which would then sell more books), I found myself forced to re-think my Amazon stance.

I reluctantly changed all the book links on my email and website to Amazon links, hoping it would pay off.

It did! That and a few other things (see below). Meanwhile, a top Christian retailer (who I'd much rather have pointed people to) increased the price of my book by 50% more than the RRP, and refused to bring down the price even when challenged - leaving me very conflicted as to where I should buy my Christmas presents!

The thing is, much as I was encouraged by the handful of people who asked where they could buy my book as they didn't want to buy it from Amazon (it's not just me), the reality is that people do buy from Amazon. In their droves.

And, more importantly, Amazon is where people go to browse and to find new titles. If you're going to make a success of your book, you're going to have to get it seen by people who don't know you, and this is where Amazon can help.

Leaving the tax evasion to one side for the moment, it's true that Amazon does take a huge commission. However, if you can get them to work for that commission, it can work out very well for you as an author. You just have to know how to play their game.

I won't confess to knowing very much at this stage, as an Author-Of-Only-One-Book, but here are the tips I picked up along the way to redeem Amazon for your benefit.

* Organise a social media launch team for your book. Mine were helpful sources of information as well as great promoters of the book. Because several of us were sharing the book in our different circles, this increased the amount of eyes that were going on the book - usually on Amazon. I absolutely couldn't have done this by myself, and remain enormously indebted to each and every member of my wonderful team.

* The blog tour, which I organised for around a month after launch, was also a brilliant way of getting new eyes on the book. I thoroughly recommend organising one of these.

* Direct people to Amazon up to and including the launch date. As I mentioned above, all these pre-orders add up to first day sales, which gives you a chance of ranking in the bestseller lists.

* Join Amazon Affiliates, so that you can start collecting commission every time someone buys your book from Amazon. It's a tiny way to claw back some of that massive 60% commission they've taken!

* It's never too early to start talking about your book. As long as it can be pre-ordered, your marketing period has begun. Use every opportunity to get those Amazon clicks and pre-orders. Most of us have to see something a few times before we buy it, so don't think you're being too repetitive. Add a link to your email signature. Post regularly on social media. Include a clear 'pre-order now' button in all your emails to your mailing list. You can never mention your book enough!

* Keep an eye on the Amazon bestseller lists. There are loads, in all sorts of different categories. You can find out which categories your book falls into by going to your book's page on Amazon, then under 'Product Details', look for 'Amazon Bestsellers Rank'.

* If you're getting near the top of one of these lists, do a marketing push every way you can! Send emails, use social media, send personal messages, and so on. I was slack at looking at these lists after the first few days of release, but a month later my publisher happened to mention I was at number 2 in 'Christian Education'. I did a bit of a push and, hey presto, I moved to number 1 (only for a day or two, but that's all you need!)

* Your rank on the bestseller list will improve visibility. After I hit the number 1 spot (albeit for just a few hours), typing 'Advent devotional' into amazon.co.uk always brought up my book in the top result. This undoubtedly has an impact on sales - how far do people actually scroll down a search, after all?

* Once people have finished your book, don't be afraid to ask them to leave a review on Amazon. Annoying Amazon-boycotters like myself are usually not allowed to leave reviews, but most people actually do use Amazon, so get into the habit of following an 'I loved your book!' text with a 'Thanks! Could you leave an Amazon review?' reply. Every review counts, and the more the better in terms of visibility, others seeing your book and so on.

* If you're aware of readers in other countries, ask them to leave reviews too. Sadly, UK reviews won't show up in the States, or Australia, or New Zealand, or wherever people might be reading and enjoying your book. So get your overseas readers to help you out.

Good luck redeeming Amazon to work for you!

Lucy is the author of Redeeming Advent, blogger at Desertmum, part-time music teacher, and full-time mediator between the four small people who share her home. When she's not making packed lunches, fixing toys or boycotting Amazon, she enjoys writing and blogging, good food and conversation, strategy games, music and reading. Lucy is married to Al and they live with their crazy brood in York.