Your newly published book is like your child. You’ve nurtured it, loved it and now it’s time to send it out into the world. Of course you may have your doubts, like, “Is my book ready?” “Will people like it?” But truth be told, you’ll never know if you don’t try.

Amazon, an online retailer that touts “Earth’s Biggest Selection” of books and other merchandise, has unlimited virtual shelf space and offers consumers a selection of more than 14 million titles.

Last week, we talked about Amazon Author Central and how it can help authors promote their book through blogs, showing off any recent accolades or updates, and even participating in group discussions.

Our goal is to help you find as many outlets as possible to promote your book. That’s why today we are going to talk about some of the additional promotion opportunities available on Amazon.

One way to promote your book on Amazon is through review excerpts. Readers often want to know what others are saying about your book. If your book receives positive feedback, let it be known!

Amazon categorizes reviews two ways: editorial reviews and reader reviews.

• Editorial reviews are reviews that are typically from published sources like book review magazines or newspapers. Dorrance offers the opportunity to secure an independent, unbiased review of your book from two respected sources: Clarion ForeWord and Kirkus Indie Reviews. Learn more about this supplemental option.
• Reader reviews are posted by customers, friends or family members. The only requirement for posting a reader review is that the user has to be an active Amazon member, which means that he or she has purchased something from Amazon.com.  So, encourage your friends and family who have read the book to post reviews on your book’s Amazon page. (However, it’s important to note that if you give away a copy of your book in exchange for a review, Amazon requires the reviewer to disclose that information in the review.)

Another feature is the Amazon Advantage Program, which is a separate, special program in which all Dorrance books are automatically enrolled.  Essentially, if Amazon chooses to stock your book, your book will be available in Amazon’s warehouse and ready to ship to interested customers within 24 hours.

Additionally, through this Amazon feature, Dorrance has control over most aspects of your book’s detail pages, which include a book description, front cover image and the ability to list any reviews or media attention about your book.

Because your book will be part of the Amazon Advantage Program, you’ll reap the benefits of this valuable program without having to learn the intricacies of navigating the program on your own. You’ll have the full support of the Dorrance team backing you up every step of the way.

In short, Amazon.com offers authors multiple opportunities to promote and ultimately sell their books to people all around the world. Log on to Amazon.com today and see for yourself the wide variety of opportunities the site has to offer!