Amazon Book Promotion Tools On The KDP Dashboard

It’s easy to overlook all the Amazon book promotion tools when you are busy self-publishing your new book.

Even if you have already published your book, there are sometimes changes and new tools added by Amazon.

Any book promotion is worthwhile, so you should always look at every means available. Social media, your author’s website, and perhaps paid book promotions will help.

But never forget that Amazon wants you to succeed in selling books so it can make money. That’s why it’s always worth checking what book promotion services Amazon offers.

Book promotion tools on Amazon KDP

The best part about Amazon marketing tools is that they are primarily free. The only feature that is not free is Amazon Advertising.

You probably know about free ebooks and Countdown Deals. However, there are many more tools at your disposal, which you can find on Amazon’s marketing page or directly from your KDP Dashboard.

You can check for updates, additions, or changes on the Marketing Resource page.

However, to see the tools available for your books, you need to go to your title on your KDP dashboard and select Promote and Advertise.

If you don’t see it in the Actions box, hover over the three-dot menu button on the right of your title.

You can access this option for both your ebook and paperback versions.

Once you click the Promote and Advertise option, you will see all the book promotion tools you can use for your book.

It’s worth noting that you won’t see all the tools because your book may not be eligible for some of them. There are also some tools that you need to access directly.

You can check my list of Amazon promotion tools below, and I will indicate how to access tools that are not connected to your book.

Amazon A+ Content

A+ Content is the latest feature for book promotion on Amazon. With it, you can add a lot more information to your book sales page. You can add images, text, and tables.

There is a lot more to it, and it may or may not suit or be available for your book.

If you are interested in knowing more, Kindleprenuer has published a full tutorial on how to use A+ Content.

KDP Select

Enrolling and granting exclusivity to Amazon for your ebooks is always a tough decision.

You need to weigh the pros and cons of KDP Select to see if it suits your needs. However, for authors who enroll, it is usually the attraction to make your Kindle ebooks available to Kindle Unlimited readers.

You also get free ebook giveaways and Countdown Deals, but these two options are not as effective as they used to be.

Amazon Advertising

This is the only option that is not free. However, advertising your book on Amazon can be an effective way to attract more attention and sales for a new book.

You need to set a budget for your campaign, and then you only pay when someone clicks on your ads.

Author Central

Amazon Central Author Pages are a must for all authors self-publishing with KDP.

You can do so much with your page, but the list is too long for this article. You can refer to our in-depth article about Author Central for all the details.

But there is one feature that is worth mentioning here. You can add your editorial book reviews, which will appear on your book’s sales page on Amazon. This is a real bonus for new authors struggling to get book reviews.

Run a Price Promotion – Free Books and Countdown Deals

Before Kindle Unlimited, these two promotions worked quite effectively.

However, it’s still worth taking a look and perhaps offering free Kindle ebooks to help you find new readers and hopefully gain some book reviews.

Nominate your eBooks for Kindle Deals and Prime Reading

There’s no harm in trying different ways to attract new readers.

These two options cost you nothing, so they are worth a try.

Making your ebook available for free for Prime customers is worth a shot.

However, Kindle Deals is perhaps a better option because some readers are attracted to a price reduction.

Kindle Pre-Order

Many new authors rush into self-publishing on Amazon and miss out on giving a new book its best chance.

By using pre-order publishing, you can build some buzz around your book.

You can also plan your book marketing and promotion to coincide with your release date.

Gifting for Kindle

There are some restrictions on buying and gifting ebooks.

However, it is an ideal way to send copies of your new book to reviewers or book bloggers.

But if you want a Kindle gift to count as a sale, it’s not as simple as it seems.

You can check our earlier article about how to earn a sale from a Kindle ebook gift.

Kindle Instant Book Previews

This must be one of the best free book promotion tools you can use.

It used to be called the Embed Widget, but it now has a far better name.

With the instant preview widget, you can add a preview read with a buy button to your website or blog.

You can find the link on your book sales page by clicking the share icon on the right of your book title. It’s still simply labeled <Embed>.

If you are not sure how to use it, you can refer to our full how-to article.

Summary

Effective book marketing and promotion require a lot of work. They require time and effort, and occasionally, they can cost a little money.

Luckily, however, there are many free ways to promote your book to help you find readers.

If you are new to self-publishing, Amazon is the best place to start your book promotion.

All the tools Amazon provides are free and easy to use, except for Amazon Advertising.

Generally, it only takes a few minutes to set your book promotion tool in motion.

For me, the most useful tools are the Author Central page and the Instant Preview widget.

Both of them will work for you 24/7, and once you set them up, there is nothing more you need to do.

Make sure you check the marketing resources available on Amazon from time to time to see if there are any changes or new tools available to help you with your book promotion.

Related reading: Social Media Book Promotion Is Past Its Prime For Authors