Stepping into the world of indie publishing is incredibly exciting, but let’s be honest: the marketing lingo can feel like a secret code. You’re trying to write amazing stories, and suddenly you’re faced with terms like “metadata,” “BISAC codes,” and “conversion rates.” Overwhelmed yet? Don’t be!
Understanding these terms isn’t just about sounding smart; it’s about giving your books the best possible chance to find their readers. Think of this as your friendly, no-nonsense guide to the essential marketing vocabulary every indie author needs to know.
The A-Z of Author Marketing
Let’s break down those perplexing terms into clear, actionable definitions.
A
A/B Testing: Running two slightly different versions of an ad, email, or cover to see which performs better. This helps optimize your marketing efforts.
ACOS (Advertising Cost of Sales): A specific Amazon Ads metric. It’s your ad spend divided by your ad-attributed sales, expressed as a percentage. A lower ACOS means more efficient ad spending.
Ad Spend: The total amount of money you invest in advertising campaigns.
Advance Reader Copy (ARC): Imagine giving your best friend a sneak peek of your book before anyone else. That’s an ARC! These free copies go out to reviewers, bloggers, and early readers to generate buzz and reviews before your book officially launches.
Amazon Ads: This is how you pay to get your book seen on Amazon. Think of them as prime real estate billboards on the world’s biggest bookstore, appearing in search results or on other book pages.
ASIN (Amazon Standard Identification Number): Amazon’s unique fingerprint for your ebook. Every ebook sold on Amazon gets one.
Author Brand: This is YOU as an author – your unique style, voice, genre, and how readers perceive your books. It’s built through consistent messaging, your author photo, and your book covers.
Author Platform: Your entire online presence and reach. It includes your website, social media, and especially your email list. This is how you connect directly with your readers.
B
Back Cover Copy (Blurb/Book Description): This is your book’s sales pitch! It’s that compelling, short summary on the back of your print book (or online description for ebooks) designed to hook readers and make them click “buy.”
Backlist: All the books you’ve published that aren’t brand new releases. Don’t forget about them – they can still sell!
Beta Reader: Your early, non-professional readers who give you honest feedback on your manuscript’s plot, characters, and pacing before you send it to an editor.
BISAC Codes: Think of these as the librarian’s classification system for books. These codes help online stores and libraries categorize your book so readers can easily find it in the right genre.
BookBub: A holy grail for authors! BookBub is a popular service that emails subscribers about discounted and free ebooks. Getting a “BookBub Featured Deal” can send your sales soaring.
Book Trailer: A short, movie-style video to tease your book. It uses visuals, music, and text to give potential readers a glimpse into your story.
Box Set: A bundle of two or more books sold together, often at a discount. Great for series or introducing readers to multiple authors in a genre.
C
Call to Action (CTA): What you want readers to do next! Phrases like “Buy Now,” “Sign Up for My Newsletter,” or “Download a Free Chapter” are all CTAs.
Click-Through Rate (CTR): The percentage of people who click on your ad or link after seeing it. (Closely related to CPC, but focuses on the effectiveness of the ad itself).
Content Marketing: Creating valuable free content (like blog posts, videos, or articles) to attract readers who might then become interested in your books.
Conversion Rate: The percentage of people who take a desired action, like buying your book, after seeing your ad or marketing message.
Copyediting: Focuses on grammar, spelling, punctuation, consistency, and clarity at the sentence and paragraph level.
Copyright: The legal right that protects your original work from unauthorized copying or use. While implied by “Indie Author,” explicitly defining it can be helpful.
Cost Per Click (CPC): In advertising, this is simply how much you pay each time someone clicks on your ad.
Cross-Promotion: Partnering with another author or business to promote each other’s work to your respective audiences. It’s a win-win!
D
Developmental Editor: This editor focuses on the big picture of your story – plot holes, character arcs, pacing, and overall structure.
Distribution: How your book gets to readers – through online retailers, physical bookstores, and libraries.
DRM (Digital Rights Management): Technology that controls how your ebook can be used and copied. You can often choose whether or not to apply it.
E
Email List (Newsletter List): This is GOLD! A list of readers who’ve chosen to receive updates and news from you. It’s your most direct and powerful marketing tool.
Engagement: How much your audience interacts with your content – likes, comments, shares, and clicks on social media or in emails.
F
Front Matter / Back Matter: The pages at the beginning (title page, copyright, dedication, table of contents, prologue) and end (acknowledgments, appendix, bibliography, author bio, sneak peek) of a book.
Formatting: The process of preparing your manuscript for publication in different formats (ebook, paperback, hardcover), ensuring proper layout, fonts, and spacing.
G
Genre: The category your book falls into (e.g., fantasy, romance, thriller). Knowing your genre helps you find your ideal readers.
Goodreads: A popular social media platform for readers to discover, review, and track books. Authors can have a presence here to connect.
I
Impression: Each time your ad or content is displayed to a user. It doesn’t mean they saw or clicked it, just that it appeared.
Independent Author (Indie Author): That’s you! A writer who publishes their own work, managing everything from editing to marketing.
IngramSpark: A major print-on-demand and distribution platform that helps get your books into a huge network of online stores, physical bookstores, and libraries worldwide.
ISBN (International Standard Book Number): A unique 13-digit number for your book. Each format (paperback, hardcover, ebook) usually needs its own ISBN.
K
KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing): Amazon’s platform for self-publishing ebooks and print books directly onto their store.
Keywords: The words or phrases readers type into search engines (like Amazon) to find books. Choosing the right ones is crucial for discoverability.
Kindle Unlimited (KU): Amazon’s subscription service where readers pay a monthly fee for unlimited ebook access. If you enroll a book in KU, it must be exclusive to Amazon for that period.
L
Launch: The big splash you make when your new book is officially released, involving all your coordinated marketing efforts.
Lead Magnet/Reader Magnet/Exit Magnet: A freebie you offer (like a short story or bonus chapter) to entice readers to sign up for your email list.
M
Manuscript: Your finished book draft, before it goes through editing, formatting, or publishing.
Metadata: All the information that describes your book online: title, subtitle, author name, description, categories, and keywords. Accurate metadata is key for readers to find you.
N
Newsletter Swap / Cross-Promo: (You have cross-promotion, but a “newsletter swap” is a very specific and common indie tactic where authors promote each other’s books in their newsletters).
P
Page Reads (KENP): For Kindle Unlimited, this refers to the number of pages read by subscribers, which determines your earnings.
Permafree: Intentionally setting the first book in a series to be permanently free across all retailers to act as a lead magnet for the rest of the series.
Print-on-Demand (POD): Books are printed only after an order is placed. This is a game-changer for indies, as you don’t need to buy and store thousands of copies.
Pre-Order: Making your book available for purchase before its official release. This builds anticipation and can help your launch day rankings.
Proof: A final draft of your book (digital or physical) used for final review before mass production. Similar to an ARC, but typically for internal checks.
Proofreading: The very last check for typos, grammar errors, and formatting issues before your book goes live.
R
Read-Through: How many readers finish your book, or continue on to the next book in your series. High read-through means your story is captivating!
ROAS (Return on Ad Spend): Similar to ROI, but specifically for ad campaigns. It’s the revenue generated from ads divided by the cost of those ads.
ROI (Return on Investment): A measure of the profitability of your marketing efforts. How much money did you make compared to how much you spent?
Royalties: The money you earn from each book sale. Royalty rates vary by platform and how you distribute your book.
S
Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Optimizing your book’s details (like keywords and description) so it shows up higher in search results on Amazon or Google.
Self-Publishing: You, the author, are in charge of every step of publishing your book, from editing to marketing, while keeping all your rights.
Series Page: A dedicated page on a retailer’s website (like Amazon) or your own website that lists all the books in a specific series, making it easy for readers to find the next book.
Social Media: Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter) where you can connect with readers and promote your work.
T
Target Audience (Target Market): The specific group of readers most likely to love and buy your book. Knowing who they are helps you direct your marketing efforts effectively.
Trim Size: The actual physical dimensions (height and width) of your printed book.
U
Universal Book Link (UBL) / Books2Read: A single link that directs readers to their preferred retailer to buy your book (e.g., if they prefer Kobo over Amazon).
V
Vanity Press: A predatory “publisher” that charges authors exorbitant fees for basic publishing services, often offering little or no true value or distribution. (Learn how to avoid predatory publishers here.)
W
Wide Publishing: Making your books available on all major retailers (Amazon, Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play, Barnes & Noble, etc.), rather than being exclusive to just one platform.
Final Thoughts: Book Marketing Doesn’t Have To Be Overwhelming
Phew! That’s a lot, right? But now, instead of feeling lost, you’ve got a roadmap. Understanding these terms empowers you to make smarter marketing decisions, connect with your readers more effectively, and ultimately, sell more books.
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Happy Writing!
