Adding a description or blurb to an existing book listing
We are the published of a newly-published book which we want to sell on Seller Marketplace, and which was automatically listed on Amazon when we sent the book details to the Nielsen database. The listing shows the front cover, but without any description or blurb. How can we add a description or blurb in order to enhance sales?
36 replies
Seller_64jziShTiTjOq
Two methods, I think
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Log in to your seller account, find the book, scroll down to where it says If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through seller support ?
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Add the details to Nielsen’s database and wait for it to filter through to Amazon
Seller_taDBgt7LctucW
As well as the advice above you can also go to the listing in your inventory, click edit, go to the description tab (making sure you are in advanced view) and add a blurb there. Amazon may or may not accept the changes however they usually do and it shows up after a few minutes.
Seller_ji04n35bqeyMe
We have now tried repeatedly to add images and a blurb to our book, using the ‘edit’ function, and none of them have appeared on the listing, even after 24 hours. Clearly Amazon is not happy with the additional image (the back cover) nor the description (which is the same as the blurb on the back cover). I’m not sure what to do now. Any advice?
We can’t add the details to the Nielsen database without subscribing to the expensive ‘enhanced’ membership, and we’re not convinced that the ddetails would appear on Amazon anyway.
Seller_Hc70yGMPn8Jjl
I’m having the same problem - my description is showing in the edit tab but despite saving a few times over the last couple of days nothing is coming up on the listing. Very infuriating.
Seller_LKjg1QRrO36Yq
Possibly Amazon is getting more strict about allowing Product Descriptions to be updated?
The function has been widely abuse in the past - too many sellers place condition notes and/or adverts for themselves.
Among the worst examples were those Japanese sellers that added either:
I will ship by EMS or SAL items in stock in Japan. It is approximately 7-14days on delivery date. You wholeheartedly support customers as satisfactory. Thank you for you seeing it.
or
Our product to treat is a regular product. There is not the imitation. From Japan by the surface mail because is sent out, take it until arrival as 7-14 day. Thank you for you seeing it.
I opened a thread about it six years, but there are still loads in the catalogue, including one I highlighted in 2015:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dave-Brubeck-Christmas/dp/B000003D5P
that is how not to add a Product Description!
Seller_ji04n35bqeyMe
Well, I’m getting absolutely nowhere. Since Friday I have tried everything: uploading a description without additional images, and uploading with images; uploading with keywords and without them. I have raised two cases with seller support and have received replies which are irrelevant, in that they only apply to ‘non-media categories’. My latest case has gone unanswered. I’ve also tried reporting ‘incorrect information’ on the listing and that goes nowhere.
It seems that despite everything that Amazon says to the contrary, it is not possible to add any information or images to a book once it has already appeared on the Amazon catalogue. So unless customers will buy the book on the strength of the title alone, or any reviews which may be posted, trying to sell books using Seller Central is likely to be a waste of time.
Seller_LKjg1QRrO36Yq
I suppose there’s a possibility that by uploading numerous edits you’ve confused the algorithms that choose between conflicting seller updates.
I guess you’ll have to keep pestering seller support until you get through to someone who understands the problem.
Seller_9ImBEGqOxcZqR
Does anyone know if sending the book description as part of Nielsen’s Enhanced Service works to get the description up? Nielsen’s said they can’t guarantee it and Amazon never seems to know who Nielsen’s are when I ask them. I don’t want to pay for the Enhanced Service if it doesn’t work. Amazon has told me that ALL book descriptions are now automatically deleted and only Amazon themselves can put up a description, but this seems rather unlikely; I can’t imagine Penguin having to raise a case with seller support to get their descriptions up!
Seller_ji04n35bqeyMe
I managed it without paying for Nielsen’s Enhanced Service (which is pretty expensive, and quite likely not to work). It took several emails to Amazon Seller Support, mainy because their staff (or bots) didn’t initially bother to read my emails properly and provided completely irrelevant advice relating to products other than books! I had to raise three cases, two for adding a description and then a further one for adding images. At one point I had to supply documentation proving that I was indeed the publisher.
Seller_9ImBEGqOxcZqR
That’s what I told Jeff Bezos when I messaged him; they require us to provide a description, tell us how important it is, and yet seem to be employing someone to delete them! Utter madness.
