by Wouldn’t it be great to earn extra commission while selling more copies of your books? Amazon’s Affiliate program for books will let you create an additional revenue stream and do a lot more.
With the right strategy, you can monetize the traffic of your suitable blog using affiliate links. You can add affiliate links to your book blog and change your hobby into a revenue stream. If you are an author, you can harness the power of the KDP program to shower more limelight on your content.
Here in this article, we will explain the different ways to leverage the power of the Affiliate program for your books and other associated programs. So, get ready to dive into all the details.
Contents
What is Amazon Affiliate Marketing?
The affiliate marketing program by Amazon is a commission-reward system through which you can earn a small commission on every sale made through your “affiliate link.”
This process includes special Amazon affiliate links that carry out the whole process. You can create the links for the products on Amazon. Then, use them on your blog or website to promote them.
You can create links by joining the Amazon Associates Program. The program is free to join and allows you to monetize your blog or website traffic to make more money.
How Does Amazon Affiliate Marketing Work For Books?
It is necessary to have an online presence to make a commission and generate your affiliate income. Whether you have your book blog or review website, here is a step-by-step guide to connect with the program and promote books on your site.
Join Amazon Affiliate Program for books
The first step to earn affiliate commission is to join the program with a valid Amazon account. If you have an existing one, you can use its credentials to sign-up and create your affiliate account. Here are some easy steps to follow.
- Visit the official link of the website. Now click on the Sign-Up button.
- Select the correct personal information and click on Next.
- Add all your book blogs, websites, or apps to the list. Ensure all the sites are completed, as the company will review them properly.
- Now create a valid store ID for your account. Make sure to keep a name that you can easily remember.
- Add other valid details about traffic & monetization.
- All done. You have a valid store on the program.
Create Valid Tracking IDs
Once you create your Amazon Affiliates account, it is time to generate tracking identifiers. These unique identifiers help you track the commission associated with the books and other products you will promote.
You can create up to 100 tracking IDs for a single store. We recommend you make the names associated with your blogs or website where you will add the links. It will help you sort all the identifiers quickly.
If you wish to create a new tracking ID, simply click the Create ID button and fill in the details.
Create Amazon Associate Links
Now, you need to create book links to add them to your blog or website. You can make the links using the SiteStripe tool.
- Open Amazon, and search for the book that you want to promote. Click on the product page.
- On the top left corner of your screen, you will see the SiteStripe tool. You can use the tab at the top to use Text, Image, or Text+Image options to create the links to your books on Amazon.
- Click on the Get Link button to obtain the link.
- You can switch between the short link or full link variation according to your preference and add the links to your site.
Promote Your Books
Now you can include the affiliate link wherever you want, such as in your blogs, articles, YouTube channel, social media handle, and more. Just copy the URL and paste it where you can grab the attention of your visitors. You can create a widget or paste the text directly. Make sure that the link text stands out from the rest of the content on your page. Once the visitor clicks on the link on your site, they will be redirected to the Amazon page. If they buy the products, you will earn the commission associated with them.
Moreover, if the visitor creates a cart with other items and purchases within 24 hours of clicking your link, you will make money for all the products sold in that timeframe.
Why Authors Should Use The Amazon KDP Affiliate Program
Stressed about marketing, advertising, setting the royalty, and other aspects of your book? Don’t worry. The Amazon KDP program is here to the rescue. All these aspects, combined with storytelling, play a vital role in taking the book to the next level.
Most authors usually focus on the storytelling part and look for an agent and other third-party companies to manage all the other things like promotion, pricing, etc.
However, the Amazon KDP program puts you in the driver’s seat, giving you complete control over everything. It is an easy and free way to publish and market your book. You decide the price and can make the change to your books anytime. You can post an eBook or paperback according to your choice.
Amazon Kindle encompasses 72% of the e-reader market. Yeah, that’s right. Without paying any hidden cost, you can put your book in the hands of tons of readers worldwide.
Whether you are writing a new book or want to publish your first-ever masterpiece, the program will help you widen the audience horizons for your book in a day. You can post your book in 5 minutes and take it to the Kindle platform within the first 72 hours.
On top of this, you can earn 70% royalty on your books in the selected countries. Here are some easy ways to join the KDP program.
- Visit the official website of the KDP program. If you already have an Amazon account click on Sign-in, else select Sign-up.
- Expert Advice: Before publishing with the KDP program, format your script according to the current guidelines. Click here to understand the policies for different formats.
- Click on Bookshelf and then the ‘+’ button and choose the preferred type of book you wish to create.
- Add all the details, like title, author name, subtitle, etc., for your book.
- Now, you have to upload your manuscript and cover.
- After that, you can preview your book.
- You will get an ISBN for your book. Add it in the given column. If you have any doubt, click here to understand everything about it.
- Special note: Make sure that the manuscript includes everything related to the title and description of your books, like the main plot, idea, and theme. If there is any mismatch between them, then you will face an error message while working with the eBook format.
- Set the royalty, book price, and other elements for your books. Also, you have to review the terms and conditions of the program. You can modify the book’s price and other aspects after publishing.
- All done.
How Much Commission Can I Make Selling My Books on Amazon?
Well, there is no bar to how much commission you earn by selling your Amazon books. There are three main channels of your earnings:
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Royalties
Every book you write and sell on Amazon helps you earn royalties. Book royalties differ from paperback or hardcover books to eBooks.
If you opt for Kindle direct publishing, your eBooks can let you earn up to 70% royalties. Check out how you can qualify for 70% royalties.
Paperback and hardcover books have individual printing costs that highly affect the royalties you’ll earn. So, use the royalty calculator to depict your cut in each book’s sale.
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Standard Commission
Read the given standard payout for every book affiliate category below. Then, check out the commission percentage for each product category here.
- Physical book: 4.50%
- Kindle ebook: 4.00% [Not mentioned explicitly on site anymore]
- Audible audiobook: $0.50
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Supplementary Commission
Besides standard commission, you can easily make a hefty income if you combine both royalties and affiliate income. This means joining the Amazon Affiliate marketing program to share links to your books can help you get additional income.
The best part happens when someone clicks on your book’s link and buys something else in the 24 hours window. That’s when you earn an extra commission for products you don’t sell. This magic happens with the saved cookies on your device.
Where Can the Author Use His Amazon Affiliates Link?
Here are the prime ways to use Amazon affiliates for books and earn good commission.
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Indirect Promotion
When it comes to books, you can link the products to your videos, blog, or website content. You can review different books, compare them within a specific category, create custom lists, or recommend specific books.
For instance, you have a hobby of reading tons of books. You can post a detailed review of your favorite books on your blog. In addition, the blog will give you ample opportunities to add affiliate links that will be useful for the readers.
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Selling directly through eCommerce Store
You can also create a bookstore on your website and use the affiliate linking to create a passive income. Selling the books in your store may sound intimidating as Amazon is one of the major corporate beasts with worldwide recognition.
However, you should use your store to redirect your traffic to Amazon using your affiliate links. Through a solid content and SEO strategy, you can attract more traffic and divert it using your store to earn a better commission.
Moreover, you don’t have to rely just on affiliate marketing. You can even sell your own stock using the store.
What About Amazon Audible Program?
Amazon Audible is a platform that gives you access to many audiobooks. People who love to read books are also interested in listening to them.
Besides this, the program has an excellent potential for the affiliates to earn commission using the Amazon affiliate audible program.
Once you are connected with the Associates program, you can promote the audiobook on your static website or blog and earn commission using the affiliate marketing links.
Besides this, you can even apply for the special bounty event. Here are the steps to follow.
- Log in to your Associate account.
- Now, hover your mouse over the ‘Promotions’ tab and click on ‘Bounty Program.’
- There are several bounty programs available. Scroll down to look for the Audible program.
- Go through the details mentioned and use the link on your site to promote it. Once any visitor successfully registers with the program using your link, you will earn a commission. The commission rate varies according to your country.
Amazon Affiliate for Books FAQ
Can you put Amazon affiliate links in ebooks?
Yes. You can add relevant Amazon Affiliate links in eBooks until they don’t violate any of the publishing terms.
As for Kindle eBooks, this can be easily done. Just take care of no link stuffing that may hamper the reading experience. Read what Kindle terms and conditions clearly state under the 5.1.2 section.
What is your tracking ID?
Associates can use the tracking ID for performance evaluation of a bevy of sites and other strategies by adding all earnings using one common ID.
Once you join the Amazon Affiliate for books, you can either generate an individual report using tracking IDs or check combined earnings for different tracking IDs.
What other book affiliate programs exist?
Besides the Amazon Associates program, numerous other programs can help you earn a commission seamlessly. Programs like CJAffiliate, IndieBound, ShareASale, Awin, etc.
Just Include affiliate links in blogs or social media, and you’re good to go!
