An Interview with Penny Sansevieri, author of The Amazon Author Formula Workbook.

Publishing a book is a creative triumph—but making it visible on Amazon requires structure, planning, and a deep understanding of the platform’s inner workings.

The Amazon Author Formula Workbook by Penny Sansevieri is a strategic, hands-on resource created for authors who are ready to shift from uncertainty to action. This workbook offers a clear, customizable roadmap for improving discoverability, sales, and reader engagement across every stage of the Amazon experience. With over a dozen worksheets and guided exercises—covering everything from metadata and pricing to Amazon Ads and launch timelines—it encourages authors to move beyond surface-level fixes and engage with what’s really holding their book back. Every tool is backed by years of field-tested strategies and includes a downloadable version for easy printing. Whether you’re launching your first title or course-correcting a backlist, this workbook helps you take measurable steps toward long-term success on Amazon.

Amazon Author Formula Workbook
The Amazon Author Formula Book Cover
The Amazon Author Formula

 

 

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What inspired you to create a workbook version of The Amazon Author Formula?

I’ve worked or consulted with thousands of authors over the years, and I know that learning is one thing — applying it is another. The workbook was born out of a desire to bridge that gap. It’s designed to guide authors through hands-on exercises — refining keywords, polishing descriptions, rethinking pricing — with space to brainstorm, track, and implement. Think of it as a strategic playbook that turns learning into lasting results. And it absolutely plays off of The Amazon Author Formula, so using the two side by side works extremely well.

Amazon Author Formula Workbook Sample Page
Title Brainstorming

What’s one of the biggest mistakes authors make on Amazon?

They ignore their retail page. Authors focus on ads or social media without realizing that every campaign leads back to that Amazon page. If it’s not converting — if your keywords are off, your description is vague, your book cover is lackluster, or your categories are wrong — no amount of traffic will help. That’s why so much of the workbook focuses on refining that page. Every tweak improves your relevancy and increases your chances of showing up in searches.

Sample Page of Amazon Author Formula Workbook
Category and Sales Rank

Can the workbook help if my book has already been published?

Absolutely. In fact, most of the authors using the workbook already have books out. The beauty of Amazon’s system is that it’s fluid — you can update keywords, adjust pricing, optimize your book description, and test new ads. The workbook helps you evaluate what’s working and make strategic changes that keep your book competitive.

How is this workbook different from just hiring someone to do it for you?

Hiring an expert can be helpful — and I work with plenty of authors one-on-one — but not everyone has the budget for that. The workbook gives you the framework we use with our clients, but puts the power back in your hands. It’s built for authors who want to learn the process and make smarter, more confident marketing decisions going forward. You don’t just get answers — you learn how to ask the right questions about your book’s positioning, pricing, keywords, and more.

What part of the workbook do most authors find the most surprising or eye-opening?

The keyword research section! A lot of authors think they know what readers are typing into Amazon — but when they go through the keyword planner in the workbook and start researching real shopper behavior, it’s a total mindset shift. Most authors realize they’ve been using keywords that are too vague, too competitive, or simply not aligned with how readers actually shop. That section alone has helped so many authors increase visibility almost overnight.

Can this workbook help new authors who haven’t launched yet?

Yes, and honestly — I wish every author had this workbook before they launched. There’s a whole section on planning a successful book launch, including how to build momentum with ARCs, how to set a smart (and competitive) price point, and what to have in place before you run Amazon ads. Whether you’re still writing or getting ready to publish, the workbook acts like a roadmap so you can avoid costly mistakes and start strong from day one.

Workbook
Amazon: https://bit.ly/3IvRBmY
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/236895802-the-amazon-author-formula-workbook

Book
Amazon: https://amzn.to/40YJfKN
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/205853206-the-amazon-author-formula

Penny Sansevieri Author Photo
Penny Sansevieri

Penny Sansevieri is widely recognized as one of the most forward-thinking minds in book marketing. As the founder and CEO of Author Marketing Experts, she’s built campaigns for thousands of authors—many of whom have gone on to land spots on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. But Penny’s work goes far beyond launch campaigns. A bestselling author of 24 books, she has also taught at NYU, hosted the Book Marketing Tips and Author Success podcast, and developed workshops that equip authors with lifelong marketing skills. Her approach blends deep technical know-how with a fierce commitment to empowering indie voices. Whether it’s category optimization, ad strategy, or brand positioning, Penny brings clarity, structure, and real results to every author she works with.

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Amazon Author Formula Tour

© 2025- Ronovan Hester Copyright reserved. The author asserts his moral and legal rights over this work.

Book Publishing Company open to new Submissions.

Book Publishing Company open to new Submissions.

Our mission is to create a family-centered clientele where our authors will grow their audience and be satisfied with the outcome of their product.

We prefer CLEAN stories to publish that represent Christian values. This means stories that do not intentionally set out to create a hostile profile of any religion, ethnic group, or gender. We publish real-world stories which include real-world problems pulled from the headlines of today as well as fantasy, horror, and other genres. If you have a manuscript that fits these criteria, please submit.

What do we mean by CLEAN? CLEAN to us means no explicit or pervasive profanity or sexual situations or language present in the words of MS. The MS of course may infer there has been intimate activity off-screen if the story calls for it.

We understand real-world situations may dictate material that is borderline to staying within our preferences but meets the majority of our criteria. Please submit and we will give your story consideration. If we do accept your manuscript on the basis of your submission but then discover material in the body of the MS is much more beyond our understanding of the initial submission, we reserve the right to null and void any contracts and agreements.

WE PUBLISH:

Christian & Sweet Romance

Christian Non-Fiction

Contemporary Romance

Fantasy

Horror

Mysteries/Suspense/Thriller

Paranormal

Poetry

Psychological Thriller

Science Fiction

Young Adult

Publishing Submissions

  1. Send the first five chapters of your manuscript to [stainedglasspublishing @ gmail .com] along with a short cover letter. In the letter, be sure to include a full synopsis, and let us know if it is a simultaneous submission and whether or not the manuscript is complete.

  2. Give us 3 business days to get back to you. If you have not heard from us by then, please send us another e-mail. We respond to ALL submissions.

(Email address was broken up by litworledinterviews.com to hinder any phishing of email accounts.)

Stained Glass Publishing offers other services in addition to publishing, such as Editing, Formatting, and Pimping (Marketing) assistance.


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© 2020 Ronovan Hester Copyright reserved. The author asserts his moral and legal rights over this work.

#NEW #BOOK PROMO SITE! Check out the #FREE opportunity NOW!

THE FREE SPACES HAVE BEEN FILLED!

Thank you to those that participated.
Authors, do you want to get in on the ground floor of a NEW BOOK ADVERTISING SITE about to launch?

 

eBook Site

 

LWI’s own Dr. Jason Royle contacted me with this proposal;

 

Email and offer removed due to spots filled.

 

There is also a “Author in the Spotlight” spots.  To be featured simply email me an “author photo” and “title of book” on Amazon and they will be listed on the site, (with a link to their book) permanently.

 

The title of the site is eBook Christian, but you do not have to be Christian to submit a book.  The only requirement is that your book does not contain vulgar language, graphic violence, or sexual/erotic content.  

 

Children’s books, poetry, self-help, fiction, non-fiction, suspense, romance, etc. all genres welcome.



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@RonovanWrites

© Copyright-All rights reserved by LitWorldInterviews.com 2016

Why Free Ebooks Don’t Sell.

Why does Free not sell?

That’s a question I have seen a few times around the author blogs. Having recently, okay, not too recently signed up for BookBub.com I have been getting a lot of Free Ebooks. But then again I’ve passed on a lot as well—a whole lot. I subscribe to a broad range of genres, from kids to adults, from romance to even horror.

Why do I pass on getting a Free book?

  • First thing is the cover just doesn’t work for me. Yep, the visual hits me first.
  • But, I can move past that if the title works. But then the Title doesn’t work.
  • Then the blurb doesn’t work.
  • Then there is the pen name of the author. The name chosen doesn’t work because it’s an obvious cheese attempt to grab attention. It grabs attention but for the wrong reasons.

I think we all want to believe we can do it all ourselves and for free. Perhaps you are a great book cover artist, creative book blurb writer, and you already have a great name for an author. But for the rest of us I think we need to come to terms that if we want to stand out from the crowd and catch an eye we need to be willing to either put in the effort to really learn how to do everything professionally, which does mean some money and a lot of time, thus meaning a longer time to get that book out there, or we pay professionals to do things for us.

Really, it all depends on what our idea of success is.

  • Do we want to be a million-seller?
  • Do we want to sell enough to do okay living?
  • Do we want to simply have people read and enjoy our work?
  • Do we want the sense of accomplishment that we wrote a book?

If you want to test out what you’ve done, you could put a selection of book covers on your site, without author names and titles, and see which ones work. Use books already out there and mix yours in. That doesn’t mean to actually use their book cover as your own if people like it better. Then do book titles. Then go for book blurbs. Test out what people like. Look at Amazon and see what those top selling people, that aren’t perhaps big names, doing. Big names can almost put out a blank cover with their name on it and people will buy it knowing what to expect inside. Test, test, test.

Much Respect

Ronovan

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© Copyright-All rights reserved by litworldinterviews.wordpress.com 2015

March 18th at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT to talk #audiobook #marketing #TalkingACX Twitter Chat @K8Tilton @ACX_com

Authors have a lot to juggle, from writing to publishing and everything in between. So how do you find the time to market your audiobooks?k8combined

ACX is teaming up with author assistant Kate Tilton this Wednesday, March 18th at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT to talk audiobook marketing and other ways an assistant can help your career. Join us for a #TalkingACX Twitter Chat to get tips and advice for fitting marketing into your busy schedule.

How can you participate? It’s easy!

  1. Follow @ACX_com and @K8Tilton on Twitter.
  2. Join us on Wednesday, March 18th just before 8 pm ET/5 pm PT on Twitter, or follow along on Twubs.
  3. Bring your questions and comments, and tweet them at us using the hashtag #TalkingACX.

We look forward to chatting with you on Wednesday!

The ACX Team

 

Remember to Reblog, Tweet, share this however you can. Free, good advice is hard to find.

 

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers Review by @RonovanWrites

renni browne dave king This was a great gift I received. One reason it was great is because I asked for it. And that means I did  not have to pay for it. I would have but writer’s love free things. I love this book. It’s a 5 Star Rating from me here and on Amazon. I intentionally read the book before starting my most recent novel and it has really helped a lot. In what ways?

  • I am aware of some little things that show a professional from an amateur
  • I can make at least some things right so during my next draft I don’t have to struggle through those parts
  • My beta-readers, proofreaders, editors or even possible co-authors don’t have to find a way to tell me that my writing stinks, well at least no more than usual
  • It has a check list at the end of each chapter to help you learn and create a habit of what to look for and remember to do each time you read

It doesn’t matter if you are a 20 novel veteran or a first time novelist, this book is worth the money. It tells you everything in plain English and common sense language from ‘Show Don’t Tell’ to ‘Voice’. Some of my favorite chapters are ‘Proportions’ and ‘Once is Usually Enough’. Get this book It has great reviews and plenty of them. And a lot of reviews is always a good thing to see. So get it at Amazon for Kindle or Paperback by clicking here.

Watch my Video Review below.

Ron_LWI

 

 

 

 

@RonovanWrites
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© Copyright-All rights reserved by litworldinterviews.wordpress.com 2015

My Guest Post on @JensPenDen It’s all about being #Free

Author Jenna Willett did an amazing Guest Post for us about what She Learned from Chuck Sambuchino. It was only fair I did a Gust Post on JensPenDen.

Five Free Author Gifts For Christmas

five free downloads

That’s right. I searched and found FIVE downloads you can get for Free as of the writing of the article, yesterday, on JensPenDen, ranging from how to write a query letter to marketing your book. Go check out my Guest Post and download away by clicking here. They are FREE after all.

Much Respect

Ronovan

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© Copyright-All rights reserved by litworldinterviews.wordpress.com 2014

Free Holiday Promotional Opportunity for Authors (Read Tuesday Sale)

From  LitWorldInterviews’ friend Chris McMullen via The Story Reading Ape. A great Author opportunity.