I have scrapped my Free Book Promotion section. There seemed to be very little interest in it and so I saw no point in carrying it on. I think these days, very few authors want to give out their books for free even under Amazon’s KDP program. I can’t say I blame them. A lot of time and effort goes into writing a book along with a lot of pride. I don’t do anywhere near as many giveaways as I used to. It simply feels wrong, somehow… And that’s coming from an author who doesn’t even care about writing to make money.
Anyway, not all is lost. I have re-introduced:
BOOK TALK
I used to do Book Talk on my old blog and it became very popular. So if you have a new book on the way, have just published a new work and want to talk about it on my blog. You are cordially invited to do so. Follow my page link to learn more about: BOOK TALK
🙂
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Sounds great, Debbie! 🙂
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Thanks so much Kev. And I’d love to reciprocate in the new year and have you over for my new author series too. 🙂
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I seem to get behind on everything these days, Debbie… I’m always catching up, especially on my own author promotions. You’re welcome here at any time, Debbie. It will be an absolute delight to have you. 🙂
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Great post Kev. I’m another who has abandoned ‘the free’ concept. I’m also terribly behind in doing any promos – an author’s least favorite part, lol. And thanks for the invite. If I ever finish my latest WIP I’ll take you up on it. 🙂
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Thank you, my friend. 🙂
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I had the same experience with free sales carrying over to paid sales with my first book of Miedo, but like yourself, could not duplicate it. I’ve recently signed up to Amazon Unlimited to save on spending. This way I can download lots of pay titles free and the authors still get royalties. 🙂
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I found out when some folks borrowed mine. 🙂
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good post…thanks for share
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I had good luck with a single giveaway I did years ago—the free sales carried over into paid sales, but I have never been able to duplicate the success. And as a reader, I only download free reads if I fully intend to read them. That said, I have found some real gems among the titles I’ve downloaded.
Book Talk sounds like fun, Kev!
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Yes, I have seen that, Kevin. I always buy the books because I didn’t know the author benefited anyway. That is good to know.
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I agree. It doesn’t guarantee any reviews either.
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I have a perma free book on Amazon. I’ve thought about redoing it and charging. Free doesn’t seem to cut it anymore and doesn’t lead to sales of other books.
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It’s a lesson learned for many, Teagan. Even in the past when I’ve had many people download my book for free, I haven’t even received a review. My first Miedo book had over a hundred free downloads and I received only two reviews from the deal. All the rest of my reviews were from people who bought my book.
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I think you’ve hit the nail on the head there, Bette. It’s better to offer a 99 cent or pence deal.
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Likewise, Robbie. I’ve changed strategy this past month though and signed up to kindle unlimited. If an author has their book available in the kindle library you can read it without buying it and the author still gets paid for it.
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Me too, but I’ve recently subscribed to kindle unlimited so I just borrow books that are available in the kindle library now… It’s a lot cheaper than buying lots of books.
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I never had any luck with give aways either Kev. As for free books, I’ve heard other authors complain that they didn’t get any results. Don’t lose heart. Hugs.
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I’ve tried giveaways and free KDP promotions in the past. These days I prefer to offer 99 Cent KDP promos a few times a year. They’re a good deal and a a reader I’m always looking for deals on great reads to add to my own kindle.
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I don’t participate in giveaways either, Kevin, and I usually prefer to pay the few dollars for a kindle book so that my reviews are verified purchases.
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Interesting that the free book column didn’t work well. And you’re right–I don’t see as many freebie deals. I actually pay attention to them because I spend way too much money on books!
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