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Are Books From Amazon Worth Promoting ?
kurt
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Joined: 10 May 11
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17 Aug 13 11:01 pm

Are Books From Amazon Worth Promoting ?

Does anybody promote books from Amazon? I was just wondering if it's worth my time or not. I realize that Amazon commissions are a lot lower than what you'd get from promoting products on Clickbank. It's just that I read a lot and I can always think of good books that I've read in any of the niches that I'm interested in. Where as a lot of the ebooks I see on Clickbank look pretty crappy. So, I'm just wondering if it's worth my time or not.

Also, I have an idea. Have you ever read a book that started each chapter with a popular quote by someone famous? Well, I was thinking I could start some of my articles off with a quote. And the quote could come from a popular book in that niche. So after the quote you would add the author of the quote or the name of the book as a affiliate link to where it's at on Amazon where you would get a commission if they purchase it. Would this be a good idea or would it be like google adsense - a distraction from the main products you're promoting?

Thanks
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aletta
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19 Aug 13 12:38 am

 I've made a whopping $1.80 off Amazon, so there's definitely money to be made! (Moderate sarcasm)

I think that talking about Amazon products could be useful for a couple of things:

1) Creating content: It's clearly easier to write about products you've used and appreciated, and a writing a range of reviews of products in your niche (even if they are only available on Amazon) is a sweet way to get a lot of relevant content for your website.

2) Attracting SEO traffic that is close to buying *something* -- People searching for product names, author names, and anything with "review" in it tend to be closer to purchasing than people just looking for general information. If you can get your site ranking well for a particular book name or author name, you may be able to cunningly turn them towards a more highly-paying affiliate product.

I don't think I'd be looking at Amazon commissions as an ultimate goal. I would use it as the first step in a funnel... trying to push visitors towards higher paying products, or towards my newsletter series (where I could promote higher paying products). I would use it like bait.

The quote thing might be something interesting to try. I don't know what the deal is with copyright, and I would be concerned about duplicate content issues (make sure you've got a lot of good original content on the page as well). I would also be thinking about the attention span of my visitor: Is the quote giving them the information they're actually looking for? Is it really contributing ANYTHING? Does the reader actually want to read a quote, or are they more interested in your opinion?

But it's certainly something worth testing.
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jmpruitt
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19 Aug 13 10:06 am

 my experience has been a bit different than alletta's although I do agree somewhat with the things she said in her post.

I have actually had some really good sales of some amazon products. I think a lot depends on the specific products in mind and the particular people coming to your site.

One great thing about amazon is that it isn't just the one item they click on that will get you a sale. I have had people click through a link for a $10 book (like a 6 cent commission) and wind up buying several hundred dollars worth of related items. remember, with amazon, anything they buy within 24 hours of clicking your link you will get a commission on.

in order to make big money on amazon you have to be able to drive massive ammounts of highly converting traffic. although you can get there, it takes a lot of skill, and that takes time to develop.

I also like looking at kindle books and other items, and I use amazon as a way to have some kind of affiliation for products I can't find any other way.

I generally look up products to see if the publisher has their own affiliate program which will usually pay out higher commissions, and may give you some new ideas on materials to check out as well.
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kurt
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19 Aug 13 7:49 pm

 Ah, thanks guys.

Btw, I had another idea. Like James just mentioned - "with amazon, anything someone buys within 24 hours of clicking your link you will get a commission on." This made me wonder if I should say something like this on my website next to my Amazon affiliate link: "Need something from Amazon? Check this book out why you're there" - [insert affiliate link here]

I was thinking something like that might get them thinking about whether or not there's something else that they could use from Amazon, which in some cases might increase your commission. It's like a subtle little trick to get them thinking about other things they could buy at the same time, but worded in a way where you seem to still be focusing on the book. :) What do you think of that idea?
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cecille.l
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29 Aug 13 10:21 am

 Hi Kurt,

I think the idea has merit, but I'm thinking maybe it's better to have a widget on the sidebar, or maybe a set of ads on the sidebar, showing the user the latest discounts on Amazon? You can review the books you recommend and put a link to purchase it on Amazon within the review. Then on the sidebar, you have those ads that show what's on sale in Amazon.

So, while they may not be interested in getting the book, then maybe you could interest them in going into Amazon still by letting them know what's on sale.

My two cents. :) Have a good day!
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Cecille

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