Every self-published author should have an Amazon Author Central Account. If you don’t have one yet, or aren’t sure how to set one up, then you’ve come to the right place. In this article we will walk you through:
- What Amazon Author Central is
- Why you need one
- How to set up your account
- How to optimize it for better results
What is Amazon Author Central?
Amazon Author Central is a free tool Amazon provides for authors who publish through Kindle Direct Publishing (also known as Amazon KDP). In short, it is a simple website where authors can link all their books, upload their professional headshot and biography, and optimize their book listing page for better results.
If your goal is to reach more readers and connect with them then Amazon Author Central is one place you can do that. While it won’t replace a traditional author website, what it does is give shoppers who are looking at your book on Amazon a convenient place to learn more about you without having to leave the Amazon universe.
Authors who set up an Author Central Account will have a clickable link to their account from their book page.
Why You Need an Amazon Author Central Account
The main reason you need an Amazon Author Central Account is because this is where you can add additional details about your book to your Amazon book page. Things like editorial reviews, flap copy if you have a hardcover version of your book, and notes from the author. All of this extra marketing copy must be added through your Author Central Account, not Amazon KDP, so if you want to include it then you need to create an Author Central Account.
You can also update your book description through your Author Central Account and fix any formatting errors that may have occurred during upload.
It’s also where, if you’ve written more than one book, you can link all your books in a single place so that readers and potential readers can see what else you’ve written.
And lastly, your Author Central Account is a place where you get to tell your readers more about yourself. This is where your professional headshot and thoughtful, well-written bio live. While you may have these inside your book, or on your website, your Author Central account gives you a place to display that information and connect with shoppers directly on Amazon.
How to Join Amazon Author Central
Now that we’ve convinced you that you need an Amazon Author Central account, here is how you set one up:
- First of all, you can’t set up your account until at least one version of your book is live on Amazon. Once your book is live, you can go to author.amazon.com and click “‘join now.’
- Log in using your same Amazon log in that you use for your KDP account and accept the terms and conditions.
- Next, add your book by searching for its ISBN number. You can also search by your author name or book title, but the ISBN number works the quickest.
- Select the book and confirm that you want to “claim it.” Amazon will review your request and get back to you via email when the request has been completed.
- If you have more than one book already published, search and claim each book.
Optimizing your Amazon Author Central Page
After you’ve set up your account it’s time to optimize it in four simple steps:
- Upload your professional headshot. Your headshot will appear under your book title and cover on Amazon so it should be taken from a close enough distance to see your face, and be a quality representation of who you are. This shows readers you are a real person and helps build trust.
- Upload your biography. Every author needs a well-written biography. It belongs in the back of your book, on your website, and even shorter versions of it on your social media.
An author biography should be written in the third person, and tell the reader enough about you to convince them to read your book. It can include your academic and professional merits (that relate to your book) and even a few personal details.
- Add editorial reviews. Once your books have been connected to your Author Central Account you can click on each version and add editorial reviews. These are elevated reviews that live separate from customer reviews.
They could be the endorsements that live inside your book, or professional reviews that you’ve paid for. Make sure you add them to each version of your book.
- Add your blog feed. If you have a blog writing strategy on your website you can even add your blog feed to your Author Central Page.
And there is everything you need to know about creating and optimizing your Amazon Author Central account.
