I like finding new authors I know from Twitter, Goodreads, or other groups and checking out their stuff. While doing this, I have noticed a few things that authors can do to help me and other potential readers in their search.

First, an author needs a good photo that they can consistently use for all their accounts. I recommend you hire a photographer, but if you can’t right away. Here are a few tips to get a better photo. Use your phone or have a friend take a pick with their camera. Here’s the trick. Utilize the natural light outside on an overcast day, or wait until the sun goes behind a cloud. If it’s too bright out, find a lightly shaded area. If you utilize the shade, you can brighten it up a bit with an app. Try a few different angles so you have options. Now that you have a nice photo, utilize it on all your sites. This makes it easier to find you and your books, and readers know they have found the correct author.

Next, why authors are not using the author page on Amazon confuses me. It’s free. Again, have the exact same photo you are using everywhere else and set up your author page on Amazon. I would say over 70% of the authors I check out do not have their author page set up. So sad.

Finally, why is your book on Amazon and not on Goodreads? Goodreads is free. Use the identical author info as you do on the Amazon page and the same photo, and you’re good. I use goodreads to keep up with books I’m interested in reading in the future. It is my reading to-do list. And when I find your book on Amazon or your website, but it’s not on goodreads how will I remember I wanted to read your book? I probably won’t. You are possibly loosing me as a future buyer and others as well.

Uniformity is a wonderful thing. It helps you the author been seen in many places across the internet and it makes it easy for potential readers to find you. I goggled my name and book title before writing this. My blog was the top link and from there a hypothetical reader can find my book easily. They can also be sure they have the correct author because my photos are all the same. This may sound like a no brainier to some, but with all the research I’ve done on fellow authors and their books lately. I’ve found this is not the case.

So, make it easier for me and other potential readers to find you and your books online by making your sites, blog, and social media accounts more uniform.