OLD POST ALERT! This is an older post and although you might find some useful tips, any technical or publishing information is likely to be out of date. Please click on Start Here on the menu bar above to find links to my most useful articles, videos and podcast. Thanks and happy writing! – Joanna Penn
If you want to sell books, you need to find readers. Although there are a lot of ebook vendors out there, Amazon is currently the dominant player and there are a lot of readers who own Amazon Kindles/Fires and who shop on the Amazon store. I am one of them.
There are a few things you can do to market direct to these people, and you don't need an existing platform to do it. You don't need a blog or a twitter presence and you can still get thousands of sales or downloads of your book.
Direct Advertising
I believe you need a budget for your business as an independent author.
You need to use some of this budget for professional editing and cover design, and some of it can be used for promotional activity. There are a number of sites that specialize in promoting books to avid Kindle readers. These sites have lists with tens of thousands of readers on them so they can be a powerful way to boost sales and get your book moving on the Amazon charts.
In 2010, I used Kindle Nation Daily to promote Pentecost and it shot me up the charts. Pentecost reached #1 on Movers & Shakers, #4 in Religious Fiction and #93 in Thrillers. This year I decided to use PixelofInk.com as KND had increased in price and also had little availability for the time period I wanted.
Direct Advertising Results
The promo is a 1 day event with lots of other books also promoted that day. I paid US$250 for the promo of Pentecost, again counting on the first in the series dragging Prophecy up with it.
Copies of Pentecost sold: 800 @35c = US$280
Copies of Prophecy sold: 57 @$2 = US$114
Total income: US$394.
Given the cost was US$250, financially, this was worth the promotion.
But the impact on the Rankings was also fantastic. Pentecost reached #5 in the Action Adventure charts and Prophecy reached #88, so both books were ranking together, and Prophecy debuted in the charts above Lee Child. Awesome! Pentecost also reached #82 in the entire Amazon.com Kindle store. We still don't know how the Amazon algorithm works but rankings, sales and reviews definitely play a part.
Will I do it again? Absolutely. (But remember, every book is different so don't assume that what works for me will also work for your book. It's all experimentation!)
My tips for getting the most out of the experience:
- Have a great cover and back blurb
- Have 10+ reviews of 4 stars or more on the sales page already – this social proof will help people to buy
- Use great pricing. 99c will get you into the bargain area which will elicit more sales, although clearly higher pricing will result in more revenue for less sales.
- You can find out more in the Author's Corner on PixelofInk
KDP Select
If you're not aware yet, KDP Select is an Amazon Kindle opportunity that allows you to put your book into the Amazon Prime lending program and receive a percentage of lending income from a fixed monthly pot. It also allows authors 5 days in a 3 month period where they can price the book for free. Previously, the only way to do this was to ‘game' Amazon by setting the price to zero on Smashwords and waiting for their algorithm to pick it up. But now there is control over the period of time so you can coordinate your promotional period.
Free is basically a marketing activity. The aim is to get eyeballs on your book and to pick up data from the Amazon algorithm that may help your book when it goes back to paid. Most authors have experimented with some form of free but it works best when you have multiple books. Here's NY Times bestselling author CJ Lyons on how free worked for her, and this was before KDP Select.
In order to be in the program, you have to put your book exclusively with Amazon for that 3 month period. You can then choose to renew or opt out again.
There have been some prominent indies in both the For and Against camps for KDP Select but I wanted to try it for myself in order to give a more informed opinion. Obviously the results will be different for every book so this is hardly the last word on the subject, but it is my experience.
How I used KDP Select
As part of the launch for Prophecy which is $2.99, I included Pentecost in KDP Select, hoping that people would get the first in the series for free and then buy the 2nd since the price is also pretty good for that. Given that Pentecost had already sold over 17,000 copies prior to this promotion, I figured I would get new readers.
I initially set the promo for 3 days but increased it to 5 once I got to the top of the Action Adventure charts in order to maximize the impact and downloads. I shared the fact it was free on Twitter and Facebook but that was about it. I know there are a number of sites that promote books as being free and also people who watch the lists, so no extra promo was really needed.
I did have to remove Pentecost from Smashwords in order to do this which meant the book wasn't available on the other ebook stores.
Results from KDP Select
I started the promo on Sat 5 Feb and very quickly I was on the top free listing for Action Adventure. On Mon 6th Feb Pentecost reached #1 on Free for Action Adventure on Amazon.com and #2 in the UK. It stayed there until the promo finished.
Total downloads of Pentecost over the 5 days: 10,836
Total sales of Prophecy over the 5 days: 294
Was it worth it?
For me, I don't think so. The uptick in Prophecy sales was quite small and I think a lot of people who get free books just get a lot of free books. They don't necessarily need to buy books anymore as so many are free. How many of those 10,000 new readers will convert to fans of my fiction? It will certainly be a small percentage but perhaps the same number who would have bought the book over that period anyway, as I have quite consistent sales every month.
On the lending aspect, only 20 copies of my books have been lent in the last month. That's not significant data at all but it does show that lending doesn't work for all books as an income or promotional activity.
I also had to remove my books from the other platforms. I now have to republish them so I may have missed out on sales during that period as well. As much as I personally love Amazon as a reader and an author, I actually don't like being exclusive to their store. Even though I buy there exclusively, it doesn't mean other people do and I want to be available everywhere.
Will I do it again? Probably not, for fiction anyway. I might experiment with non-fiction. That doesn't mean it's not good for your book/s, but it's my own experience. I have a guest post coming soon from an author who totally loves KDP Select, so we all have different experiences.
Have you tried direct advertising or KDP Select? How has it worked for you?
Want more tips on how to sell more fiction?
I have now been selling my fiction for over a year and I've experimented with a lot of different strategies and tactics. I have also changed my mind on a lot of things and believe that selling fiction is quite different to selling non-fiction.
I share my findings in this recent webinar recording: How to promote your novel: 21 ways to sell more books online. It's just US$21 and has some rave reviews. Click here to read more about it.
LKWatts says
Thanks for being so honest, Joanna. I am undecided whether to put my next book in KPD so I am trying to read as much data on the subject as I can manage. There’s quite a few people who say they wouldn’t use KDP again so you’re not on your own.
Marie says
Try Freebooksy in addition to PoI and KND! They’re a newer site, and they feature fewer books per day, so the ones they DO feature get a lot of attention. I like them a lot. Here’s the site — http://www.freebooksy.com/
Liz Broomfield says
I’ve been working out what to do with my new e-book and came straight back here as I knew you’d posted on it. Now delaying my first Free Day until I have those 10 reviews (I have 3 5-star ones so far, so not doing too badly). Thanks for treading the path first and writing about it for us!
Su Thomas says
I am so glad that I have found this site. It is jam-packed full of information that I have been searching for. I published Mist on the Window – a youth mystery – with Authorhouse in 2010 (available as paperback on Amazon already but at a ridiculous price) and since they are non-exclusive publishers I am now beginning the task of uploading it as an ebook with Kindle. But I have a question for you. I have just completed the sequel; Beyond the Mist and am due to send it to Authorhouse in the next month and will then be converting it into an ebook myself. Having never been good at the marketing side of things it looks like I need to be investing some time in developing my own website (you will all laugh when you hear I do not have one yet!) and then investigating the marketing possibilities of facebook etc. I cannot afford to go with the Kindle Select programme. Would you suggest I upload both ‘Mist’ and ‘Beyond’ at the same time – or stagger their presence on Kindle… saying that the next one is coming soon? I will be following this site carefully in the coming weeks!
Joanna Penn says
Hi Su, I would load them both up if they are ready and then you can do things like use KDP Select for the first one, leaving the other on at paid and the free book will market both for you. I don’t understand why you say you can’t afford KDP Select as it is free – and results in free downloads – but doesn’t cost you anything – if you have two books, you are very likely to sell more of the second book because the first is on free.
Su Thomas says
Thank you so much for getting back to me so quickly. You have given me an idea I would not have thought about. By ‘afford’ I really mean risk. Since the first book is still with Authorhouse I would not want to get entangled in removing it from their shelves which would involve a huge cost if I were to reinstate it…. and I am happy with the paper back version they have created for me. But – I do have another smaller children’s picture book completed as well, with the second in the series also virtually done – so I may do what you suggest…. upload all 4 at once – keeping the last two available for the KDP select – before turning to someone like Authorhouse to do the paper back for me later (unless I find someone else to run with it more competitively). I really need both versions available since I go in to talk to kids in Primary schools – with books in my bag! From your comment; would I be right in thinking that the KDP Select programme would allow me to highlight ALL the books during that period?
Joanna Penn says
Hi Su, you have to opt in per book for KDP Select – but if one is on free, the others may also receive a sales boost as people discover your books. I also recommend http://www.Createspace.com , Amazon’s own service over Authorhouse – or at least compare packages.
Wayne Smallman says
“Have 10+ reviews of 4 stars or more on the sales page already…” Sadly, for the vast majority of authors, that number is almost an impossibility, and it’s akin to putting the cart before the horse — how does any author amass so many high quality reviews if no-one is buying their book? Therein lies the problem.
Soledad Steele says
Another website to promote your book, http://www.bookwormempire.com
My book is this week’s feature book and I’ve had more sales on Amazon.
Katiera Pfeister says
Thank you for sharing what you have learned. I have been selling my 9-12 year old Christian mystery, Secrets in the Land of Cheese, for one month and I can already relate to much of what your saying. I am now looking for the best advertising companies for indie authors and your advice is so helpful!
Joyce Yarrow says
I have had good luck so far with KDP and my mystery/suspense novel, RUSSIAN RECKONING, has been favorably reviewed by a Hall of Fame #1 Amazon reviewer.
I’m wondering how to make the most of this review and would appreciate any suggestions you might have.
Thanks for all the good information you have shared!
Joyce
Jim Liston says
You can also submit your free eBook to http://newfreekindlebooks.com
Tracy says
I’m new to Indie publishing and am about to use KDP Select for the first time. My question is simple or more for clarification. If I put my book in KDP Select, I know I can’t sell it on my website, but can I buy advertising on other sites to promote it? Or is my only option the promotion outlets with KDP Select?
Thank you
Joanna Penn says
Hi Tracy, yes, you can buy other advertising – most people do – and direct that traffic to your Amazon page to push sales of the KDP book. Hope that helps!
David says
I love reading all your info about publishing and self-publishing. I am finally going to dive in an write my first novel. I have two or three ideas and am focusing on writing the first one now. I totally agree with paying for good editing, book covers, etc. and not cutting corners at all.
Excuse my ignorance here, but have you published with a traditional publishing house ever or are all your books self-published?
Thanks.
Thomas Herold says
Hello Joannna,
One of the most frustrating things with amazon ads is the marketing stats you get. I started to make screenshots to compare two days and get my daily stats.
After that, I decided to brush up my programming skills and created some nice charts. This helped me to improve my ads, finally turn a profit, and I am happy to announce that this tool is now available for other authors as well.
https://www.bookadreport.com
kind regards
Thomas Herold
Joanna Penn says
Thanks for sharing your tool, Thomas. We use Prestozon at the moment – how does your tool compare to that?