Building the Buzz: Day 4 Purchase Links

Have you ever gotten a Sunday flyer in the paper advertising the perfect doohickey you absolutely must have...and it's on sale. You head over to the store to get it right away, only it's not on display the way you hoped. That's okay, you're willing to scan the shelves. It's on sale, after all. You make a beeline for the right department, but it's not there either. You check the next logical spot. No doohickey. You search around for an employee to  help you, but the few you see are all busy with lines of people.

Thirty minutes of searching later, that doohickey you absolutely had to have this morning doesn't sound that important anymore. Dejected, you leave the store. In a few days, you forget you ever wanted that doohickey when you see a commercial for a thingamabob that looks awesome.

Happy May the Force!

That's what happens when you don't make it easy for a potential reader to find your book. I've actually had situations where a "buy link" took me to Amazon or the publishers home page. From there I was expected to do a search for the book. I have never once bought a book this way. The beauty of the online marketplace is instant gratification. This can't happen if the purchase can't be instant. Make sure that your "buy link" takes a reader directly to the place they need to be to buy your book.

Right now Amazon is king so I would suggest linking your cover photo to the Amazon purchase page. But that doesn't mean you can only provide one link. Now I've seen this done in a messy fashion with buy links all over the place. Don't do this. Sometimes, too many options can paralyze a potential buyer. I suggest three buy links. This gives variety without overwhelming your reader.

An easy way to do this is right under the cover photo (everywhere you have the photo). A simple line like "Available at Amazon, B&N, Kobo and everywhere books are sold" keeps the information concise and easy to navigate. But don't be afraid to add a little creativity if you can make it work for your genre. For example, if you writer thrillers you might say "Get your thrill on at (insert buy links)".

But what if your book isn't out yet? You still need links. Consider a line like "Coming June 11th, 2013. Pre-order now and add to your TBR list." Just make sure you update this to the actual buy links once the book releases.

Keep it simple and consistent. Use the same short line everywhere you book cover appears, including any guest posts. Post your purchase link verbiage below and dazzle us with your genius. :)