Here’s why Amazon remains the most powerful retail platform for book sales
By Scott Lorenz
Westwind Book Marketing
Every so often I hear an author say, “I don’t want to sell my book on Amazon. I’ll just sell it through my website and keep all the profits.”
On the surface, that sounds like a smart business decision. Why give Amazon a percentage when you can keep more money for yourself?
The answer is simple: because you can’t keep 100% of a sale you never make.
There are exceptions. Textbooks, training manuals, corporate publications, association guides, and highly specialized niche books can often do well through direct sales. If you have a captive audience, a built-in customer base, or a product people specifically seek out, selling direct can be profitable.
But if you’re writing a consumer book, whether it’s fiction, memoir, self-help, business, history, health, or children’s books, you need to be on Amazon.
Here’s why.

That’s Where Readers Shop

• Amazon has become the world’s largest bookstore. When people hear about a book on television, read about it in a newspaper, hear the author on a podcast, or see a social media post, their first instinct is usually the same:
• “Let me check Amazon.”
• They don’t search for the author’s website.
• They don’t hunt around Google.
• They go straight to Amazon.
• If your book isn’t there, you’ve just created friction between a potential buyer and a purchase. Every extra click reduces sales. Every obstacle costs you readers.
• The easier it is to buy your book, the more books you’ll sell.

Amazon Gives You Instant Credibility

• Readers trust Amazon.
• They trust the reviews.
• They trust the ordering process.
• They trust the delivery. They trust that if something goes wrong, Amazon will make it right.
• A professional Amazon listing immediately gives an author credibility. When readers see a polished product page, reviews, endorsements, and recommendations, they feel more comfortable making a purchase.
• An unknown author asking people to buy directly from a personal website often faces an uphill battle.
• Fair or not, consumers feel more comfortable purchasing through Amazon than through a website they’ve never visited before.

Media Exposure Works Better with Amazon

• I’ve spent more than 30 years helping authors secure media coverage.
• When an author appears on television, radio, podcasts, or in newspapers, one thing happens almost immediately:
• People go to Amazon.
• Not your website.
• Not your publisher’s website.
• Amazon.
• The easier it is for readers to buy, the more books you’ll sell.
• Every interview should create a direct path to purchase. Amazon provides that path.
• When someone hears about your book during a morning TV interview, they often grab their phone and look it up instantly. If your book is readily available on Amazon, you’ve got a sale opportunity. If it isn’t, you’ve probably lost one.
• I recommend authors get the domain name for their book and redirect it to the Amazon link.

For example, for my books www.booktitlegenerator.net and www.booktitlebible.com go to the book sales page on Amazon. You can do that too. Then when you’re on that interview just tell them your book title and add dot com or dot net. BAM!
As a book publicist, I have booked my clients on thousands of TV, radio and podcast interviews. Here’s a list of tips I give to my clients prior to their interviews. https://book-publicist.com/33-radio-interview-tips-for-authors

Reviews Matter

• Reviews influence buying decisions.
• Whether we like it or not, readers often judge books by the number and quality of reviews.
• Amazon provides a platform where readers can leave feedback and recommendations. Those reviews help convince future buyers that your book is worth their time and money.
• Without Amazon reviews, you’re asking readers to take a leap of faith. Are you really going to put a bad review of your book on your own website? NO!
• The reality is that people buy what other people recommend. Amazon reviews provide social proof that can dramatically influence purchasing decisions.

Amazon Helps Readers Discover Your Book

• One of Amazon’s greatest strengths is discoverability.
• A reader searching for a book on leadership may stumble across your leadership book.
• Someone buying a gardening book may see your gardening title in the “Customers Also Bought” section.
• Someone reading books on entrepreneurship may find your business book through Amazon recommendations.
• These are readers you never would have reached through your own website or media outreach.
• Amazon becomes a silent salesperson working for you 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• Most author websites simply can’t duplicate that level of exposure.

Kindle Is a Game Changer

• Many authors underestimate the power of Kindle. That’s a mistake.
• Think about how people buy books today. A potential reader may be sitting on a beach in Hawaii, waiting for a flight in Chicago, riding a train in New York, or relaxing at home when they hear about your book.
• With Kindle, they can buy it and start reading within seconds.
• No shipping.
• No waiting.
• No searching for a website.
• No creating an account.
• No entering payment information if Amazon already it has stored.
• The impulse purchase becomes an instant purchase.
• Try duplicating that experience through your own website. It’s nearly impossible.
• Readers want convenience. Kindle delivers it.
• I’ve seen countless situations where media coverage generates immediate Kindle sales because listeners and viewers can purchase the book the moment they hear about it.
• That kind of buying convenience is hard to beat.

Amazon Is Also a Marketing Platform

• Many authors think of Amazon only as a bookstore.
• It’s much more than that.
• Amazon is one of the most powerful book marketing platforms available to authors today.
• Through Amazon Advertising, authors can place their books directly in front of readers who are already shopping for books. You can target specific genres, authors, keywords, and categories.
• Think about that for a moment.
• You’re not advertising to random internet users.
• You’re advertising to people who are already looking to buy books.
• That’s a huge advantage.
• Most author websites receive little traffic unless the author spends considerable money driving visitors there. Then they still have to convince those visitors to make a purchase.
• Amazon already has the traffic.
• Amazon already has the customers.
• Amazon already has the checkout process.
• Amazon already has millions of credit cards on file.
• You’re simply putting your book in front of readers who are ready to buy.
• That’s a much easier sale.

I’ve written another article about utilizing Amazon A+ space on your author page. Check it out: https://book-publicist.com/book-publicist-scott-lorenz-shows-how-amazon-a-content-turns-browsers-into-buyers/

Convenience Wins

• Readers want convenience.
• One click.
• Fast shipping.
• Stored payment information.
• Easy returns.
• Most consumers have become accustomed to the Amazon buying experience.
• If a potential customer has to leave Amazon, visit another website, create an account, enter payment information, and then complete a purchase, many simply won’t bother.
• Convenience drives sales.
• Successful authors understand this. They don’t force readers to jump through hoops.

Your Website Should Support Amazon, Not Replace It

Some authors think it’s an either-or decision. It’s not. You absolutely should have an author website.  Your website should collect email addresses, provide information about your books, showcase media appearances, host blog content, and help build relationships with readers.
It should be your home base.  But when it comes time to buy, most consumer authors should make purchasing as easy as possible. That often means sending readers to Amazon.
Your website and Amazon should work together, not compete with each other.

Direct Sales Still Have Their Place

• I’m not against direct sales.
• In fact, many authors make excellent money selling signed copies, special editions, bulk orders, speaking-event books, and companion products directly from their websites.
• Those sales can be highly profitable.
• But direct sales should usually complement your Amazon strategy, not replace it.
• Think of Amazon as your retail storefront and your website as your marketing headquarters.

The Economics Don’t Add Up

• I understand the temptation.
• An author looks at Amazon’s fees and thinks, “Why should I give Amazon a percentage when I can keep all the money myself?” But that’s looking at the wrong number. The real question isn’t what percentage you keep. The real question is how many books you sell. Let’s say you make 100% profit on a book that nobody buys. One hundred percent of nothing is still nothing.
• I’d rather see an author earn a smaller percentage on 1,000 book sales than earn 100% on 20 sales from a website nobody visits.
• Too many authors focus on maximizing profit per book while completely ignoring volume.
• Successful authors understand that accessibility, visibility, convenience, discoverability, reviews, Kindle availability, and Amazon advertising all contribute to selling more books.
• And selling more books is what ultimately matters.
• To be clear, I am not a shill for Amazon… just a pragmatic book publicist who knows a thing or two.

The Bottom Line

Sell your book on Amazon. But don’t make the mistake of treating your website as a replacement for Amazon. The smartest authors use both. And remember: 100% of nothing is still nothing. That’s a lesson too many authors learn the hard way.

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Sell your book on Amazon. But don't make the mistake of treating your website as a replacement for #Amazon. The smartest #authors use both. #bookmarketing #amazonreviews
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About Book Publicist Scott Lorenz

Book publicist Scott Lorenz is President of Westwind Communications, a public relations and marketing firm that has a special knack for working with authors to help them get all the publicity they deserve and more. Lorenz works with bestselling authors and self-published authors promoting all types of books, whether it’s their first book or their 15th book. He’s handled publicity for books by CEOs, CIA Officers, Navy SEALS, Homemakers, Fitness Gurus, Doctors, Lawyers and Adventurers. His clients have been featured by Good Morning America, FOX & Friends, CNN, ABC News, New York Times, Nightline, TIME, PBS, LA Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Woman’s World, & Howard Stern to name a few.
Learn more about Westwind Book Marketing at https://www.WestwindBookMarketing.com or contact Lorenz at scottlorenz@westwindcos.com or 734-667-2090. Follow Lorenz on Twitter @aBookPublicist. Want help titling a book? Check out Scott Lorenz’s new award-winning, bestselling book: Book Title Generator- A Proven System in Naming Your Book www.BookTitleGenerator.net. His newest book for Christian authors is called Book Title Bible: How to Name Your Christian Book with Faith and Inspiration.

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