In January, 2023, I gave away 60,301 books on Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble and Kobo mixed. And that’s only for one title.
I almost died of pleasure. Not solely did it imply 60,000 folks have been prepared to take an opportunity on my ebook, nevertheless it meant publicity, gross sales and a number of other different massive wins for a tiny little writer like me.
How’d I do it? It took blood, sweat, tears and somewhat luck.
A glance into my ebook advertising and marketing technique
To know my advertising and marketing technique, we now have to rewind a few yr.
Round March 2022, I made a decision to make the primary ebook in my sequence, Hearth in Frost, permafree.
Permafree is a time period that merely means the ebook is all the time free or “completely free.”
Although I don’t make any cash on downloads of this ebook, the thought is to seize readers’ consideration so that they’ll hopefully purchase the following books in my sequence. Once I made this resolution, I had already self-published the primary and second books, and the third was virtually prepared.
Quick-forward to December 2022. I submitted my free ebook to BookBub for consideration — for the tenth time. You may solely apply as soon as per thirty days, and I used to be decided to maintain attempting.
I couldn’t consider it once I obtained the e-mail saying they’d accepted my ebook for a function and have been planning to run my advert on January 4, 2023.
What’s BookBub? And the way does BookBub work?
Should you’re not aware of BookBub, it’s the holy grail of ebook advertising and marketing for fiction authors.
BookBub is what made all of the distinction on this promotion. Should you hang around with different writers lengthy sufficient, you’ll uncover that BookBub is THE place to promote your books in case you can.
However you may learn tons of BookBub critiques on the net, and I’d somewhat go a step additional and assist you use the software.
So right here’s how BookBub works. The corporate sends out newsletters to hundreds of readers every day. You pay to get your ebook featured of their newsletters. The value varies relying on the worth level of your ebook and which publication you need to be featured in.
They’re prepared to think about completely free books, however on the whole, they’re on the lookout for ebook offers which are deeply discounted.
BookBub for authors: Find out how to get a BookBub function
Whereas BookBub is extremely efficient for authors, it’s extraordinarily onerous to get your ebook accepted.
I attempted 10 instances with my free ebook earlier than lastly getting accepted. I not too long ago had one other writer pal say she tried 18 instances earlier than getting accepted.
With that in thoughts, there are a few issues you are able to do to extend your odds that BookBub will function your ebook.
Listed below are my strategies for getting your ebook featured in BookBub:
1. Make it the most effective deal you may.
BookBub desires to present their readers the most effective offers, so attempt to supply your ebook free (if it’s the primary within the sequence) or for $0.99. They often gained’t function something above $2.99, and so they’re unlikely to function your ebook at that worth level if it’s all the time priced there.
2. Attempt with the primary ebook in a sequence.
BookBub appears to love first within the sequence as a result of (as I perceive it) they may make cash off affiliate gross sales of your different books if their readers purchase the remainder of the sequence.
3. Make your ebook out there on all platforms and in all territories.
BookBub desires offers that enchantment to all their readers. Though they generally function books which are unique to Amazon, you sometimes have a greater likelihood in case your ebook is on the market on all platforms (Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Google Play) and if the deal is on the market in all territories (US, UK, Australia, India, and Canada).
4. Have an incredible cowl.
Consider it or not, readers actually do decide books by their covers, and so do the folks over at BookBub. When you have a canopy that’s not eye-catching, it’s value contemplating a redesign, not only for BookBub however as a result of it’s going to assist in all your ebook promotions.
5. End your sequence.
BookBub lastly accepted my deal as soon as your complete sequence was out there on the market on all platforms. This isn’t a assure that they’ll settle for your ebook, nevertheless it helps as a result of readers don’t need to wait round for the following one. Providing an entire sequence makes your deal extra interesting.
6. Collect critiques.
BookBub doesn’t require a minimal quantity of critiques, however extra critiques give the impression that your ebook is extra in style. It additionally provides BookBub’s editors an thought of how readers will reply to your ebook. You may collect critiques by together with a name to motion on the finish of your ebook, gifting away free copies, or encouraging critiques from individuals who’ve already learn the ebook.
7. Speak up your ebook.
BookBub contains a remark part if you submit your deal. Use it to speak up your ebook. Point out if it’s gained any awards or what editorial reviewers or big-name authors have stated about it. I discussed that my sequence had over 200 5-star critiques on Goodreads (on the time), and I feel that helped me land a function on BookBub.
8. Be versatile.
BookBub is in such excessive demand that in case you want a sure date, it would already be full.
As an alternative, think about planning your promotion round them. They’ll ask you in case your date is versatile or not. Be open to something, and it’ll improve your probabilities of getting a function.
9. Hold submitting.
Submit as usually as you may (as soon as a month), and don’t surrender!
Find out how to leverage a BookBub advert
After paying for the advert (see price particulars under), I knew I wanted to plan a recreation plan.
I wished to take advantage of out of this function. I utilized to a number of different advert websites and publication providers and obtained accepted to most of them. I deliberate to run adverts that entire week to spice up my Amazon rankings.
A lot of the adverts ended up operating on Monday or Tuesday, and the BookBub function ran on Wednesday. Right here’s how my funding broke down:
- BookBub: $115*
- EBook Soda: $15
- E-book Goodies: $17.50
- The Fussy Librarian: $5
- Studying Offers: Free
- ReadFree.ly: Free
- EReader Information At this time: $35
- Many Books: $25
*BookBub advert costs fluctuate relying in your class and worth level. I ran my advert for a free ebook within the Teen & Younger Grownup class.
I additionally elevated my Amazon advert spending to $10 per day and ended up spending $39.68 in the course of the week of the promo. Plus, I ran Fb adverts for $10 per day and spent $43.69 in the course of the week of the promo. For different free promos, some pals agreed to share the ebook of their newsletters, and I additionally shared the freebie with mine.
My aim was to achieve as many individuals as potential with my ebook promotion. When all was stated and completed, I spent $295.87 to advertise my freebie.
The end result? These promos catapulted my free ebook from round #2,000 within the free Amazon Kindle retailer to #7 in your complete retailer. I hit #1 of all free teen books on Kindle.
Right here’s what that appeared like (see #7):
That prime Amazon rating additional elevated my publicity and stored the sequence promoting nicely your complete month, and for months afterward.
Total in January, I had 33,485 downloads on the Amazon U.S. web site, 8,491 downloads on Amazon’s worldwide websites, and 18,325 downloads between Apple, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo.
What did I get out of my BookBub promotion?
Right here’s how I benefited from this ebook promotion:
I made a revenue off my books
You may be questioning why I might do all this only for a free ebook. In any case, I’m not making any cash off it, proper?
Nicely, that’d be the case if I solely had the one ebook. By reaching readers with the primary ebook, gross sales of the second, third, and fourth books additionally spiked.
By the tip of the promo week, I’d already made my a refund and extra from gross sales of my different books.
I obtained a lot of optimistic critiques
After operating the promo, my critiques spiked. I’ve obtained nicely over 50 extra critiques on ebook one on Amazon, and I’ve now exceeded over 1,000 critiques of the sequence on Goodreads. All this interprets into much more publicity.
I achieved bestseller standing on Amazon
Towards the tip of the month, I made a decision to run a fast $0.99 sale on books two, three, and 4.
For the reason that gross sales enhance from this promo had already elevated my rating, this further sale helped push my books to #1 of their Amazon classes. I additionally made the highest 100 writer listing for teenagers.
Granted, it’s no New York Occasions bestseller, and I gained’t be bragging about being an Amazon bestseller on my ebook covers or something, nevertheless it was a private aim of mine that I used to be completely happy to hit.