Reading time: ~2 post-final minutes 🏆
Welcome back to the Weekly Book Business Brief—your weekly shot of strategy, tools, and real talk for authors building a book-based business.
Well. That was a final. 🏆 Whether your team lifted the trophy Sunday night or bit, hats off to what turned out to be a wild World Cup game! Mr. Corder, the fam, and I watched most of the final during Sunday family dinner, and I'm officially done with soccer stress until 2030. #whew
If you got to write down your 100-day goals (Halloween target, remember?), amazing! 💪
If you're still circling the field about the whole thing—you get no judgment from me (it's all about the timing, amIright?).
This week, I want to share about something specifically for those of you who are already authors that most of you have missed (on Amazon).
Yes, I'm talking to you, Reader. 👀 (And if you're not yet an author, add this to your Book MAP as a to-do item.)
📚 ONE OF AMAZON'S BEST-KEPT SECRET: YOUR A+ CONTENT
A few Briefs back, I mentioned A+ Content in passing and said "that's a topic for another Tuesday." Guess what day it is! 😉
Quick refresher: A+ Content is the visual, formatted content section that sits below your book's description on Amazon—the images, the headers, the comparison charts, the pull quotes, the "why this book" panels. It's how you turn a plain-text description into something that actually looks like it belongs to a book someone should buy.
Here's the wild part: if you're a KDP author, A+ Content is available to you, for free, right this minute.
I don't think most authors even know about it, which is why 99% of authors leave this section entirely blank. #missedopportunity
🎯 5 THINGS TO PUT IN YOUR A+ CONTENT (TODAY)
1. An actual picture of your book. Not your cover image (the one you already uploaded in KDP's backend). An actual real photo of the physical book, in your hands, or placed prettily on your desk, or even in the hands of a reader (think book launch party photo with a reader). The message of this type of photo: "it's authentic and an actual human will read this."
2. Your "who this book is for" panel. Three short bullets describing your reader by name-and-life-stage. When they see themselves, they buy, read, review, and share. #bestearningbook
3. The "what you'll walk away with" panel. The three most specific outcomes your reader will get.
4. A comparison chart—your book vs. the standard approach in your topic (be diplomatic and proceed with kindness, I know you know this). This one converts like crazy for how-to books, so don't miss it!
5. An endorsement or reader quote. This is from a reader, a peer, or a client. Bonus points if you can put their face next to the quote.
These five blocks should take less than an hour of design work (Claude, Chat and/or Canva are your friends to get it done quick like a bunny). The real impact you'll see is on the number of people who click "Buy Now" instead of scrolling right past your book.
✏️ YOUR FUN (Home)WORK
Log into your KDP dashboard. Click "Marketing" → "A+ Content Manager." Take a look at what's there. (For most of you: probably nothing. That's 100% okay.)
Next, you'll either audit what is there (does it still represent your book?) or build out the 5 blocks above. Can you get it done this week? If you have more than one book, aim to do one a week until they are all finished. I just did it for Your Book Means Business, so take a look at what I did in concert with this message.
I just added a new module on A+ Content inside of Publishing Ph.D. (It is Lesson 6.4: Marketing With Your Amazon Page: A+ Content.) Use code subscriber to save 30% on Publishing Ph.D.
📚 BOOK SPOTLIGHT: YOU MUST MARKET YOUR BOOK
If A+ Content made you realize how much of Amazon you haven't touched yet, You Must Market Your Book is your complete reference guide so you can ensure you're not missing any of the most effective ways to get the word out about your book(s).
Inside is the exact marketing system I've used to sell 5 million copies of my own books, and the same one I use as the basis for the assets I create for my Bespoke Book clients.
If you've been sitting on a finished book that isn't selling or generating the results you want, you'll want to:
👉 Grab You Must Market Your Book on Amazon.
Have a wonderful week creating your A+ content, and I'll see you next Tuesday!
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Honorée Corder.
Author. Executive Book Producer.
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P.S. Forward this email to an author friend whose Amazon page could use some love. And send them to grab my free Roadmap so they get these missives every Tuesday too!
P.P.S. Missed last week's STMA sale? The code subscriber is still live for 30% off the STMA 100-Day Program.
