Bookfinder for You! #AuthorToolboxBlog Hop

#AuthorToolboxBlogHop

Hello and welcome to the Focused on Story Blog and to the Author Toolbox Blog Hop #AuthorToolboxBlogHop which meets every third Wednesday of the month to share resources and tips for authors. Thanks to Raimey Gallant for hosting this venture. 

Please join us to learn more about the craft of writing and to meet bloggers who are dedicated to helping each other become the best writers possible. Click here to visit other blog hop participants.

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Is Bookfinder for You?

I just discovered this tool, Bookfinder, last week thanks to author and teacher, Rebecca Holman. Bookfinder is a unique tool for you if you have a book in print.

According to the website, Bookfinder.com, "is a one-stop eCommerce search engine that searches over 150 million books for sale—new, used, rare, out-of-print, and textbooks. We save you time and money by searching every major catalog online and letting you know which booksellers are offering the best prices and selection. When you find a book you like, you can buy it directly from the original seller; we never charge a markup."

You may be wondering why I would share a tool for out-of-print book searches. Actually, they also search for up-to-date print books with their prices. Not only is it a good tool for comparison shopping, but it can also "find" your book and you can discover where your book is being sold and the prices.

This tool opened my eyes to places where my books are being sold, not only at amazon and Barnes and Noble but also tucked away sellers I never imagined. 

I wondered why my books were in so many different booksellers. Rebecca Holman, an excellent teacher of no or low content books, explained it this way, "When you check expanded Distribution Amazon then allows thousands upon thousands of booksellers to have access to sell your books to their millions and millions of buyers. For you, it means FREE ADVERTISING. Some of the vendors are WalMart and Barnes and Nobles..which you couldn't even afford to buy an ad on, what so ever. That is why you get so little from Expanded Distribution because Amazon is basically using them to advertise your book and expand your reach."

Now that is exciting news! If you are an indie author, this may help you decide if you want to check Expanded Distribution or not for your books. With the Expanded Distribution, you do not receive as much royalty from the sale, but you may sell a larger number of books.

You may want to take a screenshot(s) of your results when you enter your book, print only, in the form. Then, in a month, take another screenshot to compare if you are in more stores or not. Keep a record of your growth, we hope, and see how it compares to your sales.

Have you used Bookfinder? What information do you glean from the results? If you are an indie author, what tools do you use to keep track of sales and in what location?

Please leave a comment below. Thanks for stopping in!

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UPDATE ON KEYWORDS EVERYWHERE

Last month I shared the keyword finding tool, Keywords Everywhere. I just discovered, as of October 1, 2019, KE is no longer free. They are charging a minimal amount for the service. Click here to learn more about their explanation for going to a paid browser extension and the changes made to the program.

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EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT!

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