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URL links in Kindle ebooks, do's and dont's

11K views 16 replies 10 participants last post by  Saul Tanpepper  
#1 ·
From what I have been reading putting affiliate links is not ok. I get that. But where and how many URL's can you put. For example if you listed all the resources for a project your book is describing and you need tools, can you put a link to your resource page on your site and on there have affiliate links (not in the book)?

I see some kindle ebooks with tons of links are they just not caught?

Any feedback from the pros is appreciated. Thanks.
 
#2 ·
PanGalacticBlog said:
From what I have been reading putting affiliate links is not ok. I get that. But where and how many URL's can you put. For example if you listed all the resources for a project your book is describing and you need tools, can you put a link to your resource page on your site and on there have affiliate links (not in the book)?

I see some kindle ebooks with tons of links are they just not caught?

Any feedback from the pros is appreciated. Thanks.
My back matter links go to my website where all the vendors are represented with affiliate links. Other links in the book include mailing list, twitter, FB fan page, and blog page. Those are all on an "about the author" page in the back. I prefer this method as I can use the same epub for all vendors.

Others will tell you to link direct to each sales page at each vendor to reduce the number of clicks by 1, but that means having a great many different epubs to manage each with different links. It gets a bit much when you publish your tenth book, let alone your twenty first etc.
 
#3 ·
I'd also recommend keeping it simple. Some vendors allow things others don't.

On the mobi's I have links to the other books at Amazon, no affiliate stuff. That's to make it as easy as possible for people to get to the other books.
For everything else, and for all other vendors, I link to my web site where external links are far easier to manage.
 
#4 ·
I do direct links. Its a real pain to keep them straight but I do it anyway. Since I've only released three it isn't a huge maintenance issue yet. I also use bitlinks to track clicks so I can see where traffic comes from. I try to only use links on the pages listing other works and the about the author page.

Sent from the back of a white CIA van using Tapatalk. Please help!
 
#5 ·
I use a link shortener that's hosted on my own site, as well as affiliate links. I make different files for each of the main retailers, each with shortened links to their own sites in the back. I monitor clicks on all of those links through my site.
 
#6 ·
I've got Amazon-specific links to each of my books and in non-Amazon editions, they've linked back to the book page on my website (where the MyBookTable plugin has buttons for all the available storefronts). Although those were just intended as a placeholder until those books went live on those other sites. Now that they're up there, I'll probably make specific editions for each retailer.
 
#8 ·
The Amazon Associates program does not allow affiliate links from anything other than websites without their approval. So you cannot use Amazon affiliate links in your books. This is not a Kindle policy, but an Amazon Associates policy and if they catch you they will shut down your associates account. Kindle does not forbid you from using affiliate links, and if they are not Amazon links you likely won't have any problems.
 
#9 ·
Koko said:
The Amazon Associates program does not allow affiliate links from anything other than websites without their approval. So you cannot use Amazon affiliate links in your books. This is not a Kindle policy, but an Amazon Associates policy and if they catch you they will shut down your associates account. Kindle does not forbid you from using affiliate links, and if they are not Amazon links you likely won't have any problems.
Hundreds of people use affiliate codes in Facebook and Twitter links
 
#10 ·
#11 ·
Thanks for all the replies I have a much better understanding now.

On: http://ultimatebookcoach.com/can-i-include-amazon-associates-affiliate-links-in-my-kindle-book/

it states: "and are Not permitted to be used in e-mails, e-books/Kindle Books, newsletters, or in any other off-line manner."

What I would like to ask is if at the end I put a link to my site's resource page since in my non fiction book I talk about tool I use, and those tools have affiliate programs, do you think if I just put a link to MyDomain.com/Recources and on there list them, and the links are affiliate? The links would technically not be in the kindle book. Would that be compliant to Amazon's TOS?

What do you guys/gals think? Thanks again.
 
#12 ·
If you have an astore widget on your website, why not just link to that page? You can modify the store anytime you want and the link to it inside your book is both within Amazon's ToS and should never need updating.
 
#13 ·
Quiss said:
On the mobi's I have links to the other books at Amazon, no affiliate stuff. That's to make it as easy as possible for people to get to the other books.
For everything else, and for all other vendors, I link to my web site where external links are far easier to manage.
But won't that make the back bloated with links, or do you only link to the US store?
 
#14 ·
Kia Zi Shiru said:
But won't that make the back bloated with links, or do you only link to the US store?
US store? I'm not clear on this. I have affiliate links to a few sites and their products I use it's not in a store they are just different software's from the manufacture itself. What I was hoping to do is have one page on that page list everything I use but the links have affiliate links so I get paid but they are not a store. Can I do this without violating Amazon TOS?

So to recap the link is to myDomain.com/Resource that's in the ebook. The affiliate links are on Mydomain.com not in the book. Am I complaint or not?
 
#15 ·
Perry Constantine said:
I've got Amazon-specific links to each of my books and in non-Amazon editions, they've linked back to the book page on my website (where the MyBookTable plugin has buttons for all the available storefronts).
I currently just link to my blog and the book web site. If I add links to individual book pages, I'll probably take ^^this^^ approach. I don't mind keeping track of a separate MOBI and EPUB edition. Having an edition for every vendor, including all the EPUB vendors would be overkill given my lack of sales outside Amazon.
 
#16 ·
PanGalacticBlog said:
US store? I'm not clear on this. I have affiliate links to a few sites and their products I use it's not in a store they are just different software's from the manufacture itself. What I was hoping to do is have one page on that page list everything I use but the links have affiliate links so I get paid but they are not a store. Can I do this without violating Amazon TOS?

So to recap the link is to myDomain.com/Resource that's in the ebook. The affiliate links are on Mydomain.com not in the book. Am I complaint or not?
Ehhh, my reply was not to you but to Quiss, who I also quoted. I have no clue about Amazon and affiliate codes.
 
#17 ·
PanGalacticBlog said:
US store? I'm not clear on this. I have affiliate links to a few sites and their products I use it's not in a store they are just different software's from the manufacture itself. What I was hoping to do is have one page on that page list everything I use but the links have affiliate links so I get paid but they are not a store. Can I do this without violating Amazon TOS?

So to recap the link is to myDomain.com/Resource that's in the ebook. The affiliate links are on Mydomain.com not in the book. Am I complaint or not?
This is in the spirit of Amazon's Associate's ToS and would be compliant if this the the site they approved. You might run afoul of them if they see you as a competitor, either because you're selling enough product directly or you're leading potential customers away from Amazon's site. Again, I think it depends on on how aggressively they think you're pulling business away from them.