Author Site or Amazon Page?

[TinkSaid]

After years with Weebly, for reasons, I went elsewhere & created a new author site. Nothing fancy, just a plain here's me & here's my books. So back matter needs to be updated on all previous titles.

Because all my titles are exclusive to Amazon, I'm toying with the idea of sending readers to my Amazon page where all titles can be seen at a glance, as it were.

So I'm thinking link to next in series, followed by a link to my Amazon Author page, because these are URLs that remain constant.

I can see advantages and disadvantages - your thoughts and/or experience welcome!

[Simon Haynes]

In emails, facebook, twitter, etc, I always send people to the Amazon page, but I mention that my books are available elsewhere.

The covers in my sig - below - go to the individual book pages on my website.

[VanessaC]

I'm sure there are Reasons why it's not a good idea and I have a feeling that many more experienced, and technically sophisticated, writers have website landing pages - I seem to remember Books2Read being mentioned as somewhere that will create a link for you, but I'm not sure I got the name right.

Anyway, I'm also exclusive to Amazon and at the moment, the back matter in my books lists the books I have out with clickable links to the Amazon US product pages.  I hadn't thought about linking to my author page, but I can see how, if you have a ton of books, that's much easier - I had to update the back matter when I released book 5 and between the slow internet and KDP requirement to go through the full process again, it took me most of an afternoon.

When I'm sending newsletters, and on my website, I include links to the UK and US stores as I figure that's probably where most readers will be (but keeping an eye on that as things go on).

[RBC]

Are you sending people to your website to build a list or sell books?

If to build an email list, then great, send them to website. If to sell other books, probably should send them to Amazon for convenience.

BUT if aren't building email list at all, well, you're just increasing your dependence on Amazon.

P.S. You should also have a domain name like yourname.com and your website there. It doesn't matter what service you use for making your website, Wordpress or Weebly or Wix etc, that domain can stay the same and it can redirect people to wherever needed. Thus you don't need to update all back matter and change the address everywhere. That's the drawback of having yourname.weebly.com or yourname.wix.com as your domain. Those are temporary and frankly, less professional. Having your own domain is a must, if anything, for your brand name protection and not letting anyone else have it.

[RPatton]

Are you sending people to your website to build a list or sell books?

If to build an email list, then great, send them to website. If to sell other books, probably should send them to Amazon for convenience.

BUT if aren't building email list at all, well, you're just increasing your dependence on Amazon.

P.S. You should also have a domain name like yourname.com and your website there. It doesn't matter what service you use for making your website, Wordpress or Weebly or Wix etc, that domain can stay the same and it can redirect people to wherever needed. Thus you don't need to update all back matter and change the address everywhere. That's the drawback of having yourname.weebly.com or yourname.wix.com as your domain. Those are temporary and frankly, less professional. Having your own domain is a must, if anything, for your brand name protection and not letting anyone else have it.

So there's actually a good reason to send a reader to a website and not an amazon page. Amazon tracks those conversions. If people just click and look, it won't help you. Keeping the Lookey Loos to your website increases your conversion rates and Amazon love.

[RBC]

[quote author=RPatton link=topic=2271.msg42131#msg42131 date=1557788955

So there's actually a good reason to send a reader to a website and not an amazon page. Amazon tracks those conversions. If people just click and look, it won't help you. Keeping the Lookey Loos to your website increases your conversion rates and Amazon love.
[/quote]

I do not know about the conversion rates and if they impact anything in Amazon(sounds bad actually if so). Building an email list is a good reason on it's own.

No real way to know who are lookey loos either.. so it's kind of choice to make for each person.