Best Series Tip No. 9: Be a Good Amazon Citizen

The Best Series is based on a presentation by Wheatmark author James D. Best, author of The Shopkeeper, The Shut Mouth Society, and the upcoming release Leadville. Best has offered 10 tips on how to use Amazon to sell your book and we'll look at each tip in depth in a series of blog posts.

Tip No. 9: Be a Good Amazon Citizen

• Always polite
  
• Your writing is being judged
  
• Don't fake it
  
• Be a little edgy
  
• Professional in communications with Amazon
  

Some would say this is obvious, but if you've ever watched someone have a meltdown at a cashier counter over, say, a price reduction, you know that we aren't all on our best behavior when dealing with the public.

I once heard it said that you should always act as if you are being filmed for television. (Now considering the state of most network reality show programs, this is no longer the helpful governor of etiquette it once was, but just forget about the Seacrest juggernaut "Mama's Boys" and the painful-albeit-entertaining sluttiness that commenced and think "Hey, I shouldn't pick my nose on TV.")

This is good advice for the virtual world as well. It is very easy to feel as if you are in a safe bubble and that your interactions online are with your monitor and not an actual human on the other end. It is simple to fire off an angry email laced with offensive language to some faceless drone.

The reality is that you MUST be polite. You must be calm. You MUST BE A GOOD CITIZEN.

Every review, blog, forum query, etc., that you compose is being judged and reflects you as an individual.

This doesn't mean that you can't have a personality. Even Miss Manners was a bit snarky. In fact, it was her sarcasm that made her readable. You can have some edge in your writing. Just remember that you never know who is reading what you are putting out there. You don't want to alienate potential book buyers.

The other set you don't want to alienate are the "faceless drones" at Amazon. They can be really helpful when you have problems, need something, or would like your book to continue to be for sale on their site. 

Remember, despite sometimes cantankerous problems you may face with the giant megastore (glitches happen, ya'll), Amazon can be your greatest ally.

So don't poke the bear. 

Be smart, be prepared, be polite and your Amazon book empire will continue to grow!

Next tip: Tip No. 10! Keep At It!