BOOK PROMOTION SITES--THE ONES THAT ACTUALLY WORK! > Likes and Comments

I hope that's true. I set up quite a few ads. what I read makes sense though. The rank would improve in free books but since there were no paid sales for that time period the ranking wouldn't be as good as previous days when you had paid sales. According to the article, the numbers would adjust back a few days after the free promo ends. It's great that your past experience has had better paid rankings. I hope mine will too!

Effie wrote: "Marie Silk,

when I was researching the benefits and pitfalls of free promos, I read that generally your paid rank will go down and it will take a few days to recover and go back to where it norma..."

Omg Effie you are going free! lol

Theresa, I believe I saw how to move books over to Amazon on the CreateSpace site under customer support, then one of the common issues listed was moving the books over. Also, I think it might be listed in the KDP help section.

Just for three days, Jaci. Just the first book. I never thought I’d do it. Let’s call it a marketing experiment.

Pamela wrote: "Theresa, I believe I saw how to move books over to Amazon on the CreateSpace site under customer support, then one of the common issues listed was moving the books over. Also, I think it might be l..."

Thanks Pamela! I'll check there. I was told a link would magically appear in your dashboard. (Been waiting for it ever since...lol)

Edited to add: Customer Support no longer shows that page, Pamela, at least not for me. It says that page is unavailable so maybe the automatic move has begun already. It links to KDP and the announcment. Maybe I missed the link. Who knows?

Theresa, can you contact them so you won't have to wait so long?

This question is for Stephen when he checks in: How did your interview go? Did you notice a boost in book sales? Did you gain any new fans?

I hope everyone in the Carolinas are getting through the storm okay.

Groovy wrote: "Theresa, can you contact them so you won't have to wait so long?

This question is for Stephen when he checks in: How did your interview go? Did you notice a boost in book sales? Did you gain any n..."

I can try, Groovy. The worst thing I'll hear is a generic answer, lol.

Edited: Never mind! I just logged back in and got the message! It automatically pops up as you log in like a pop-up. Will be doing it now and will update you later.

Hi Groovy thanks for asking!

I was happy with the interview, the presenters were nice and it was a good opportunity to talk about the books, but unfortunately I didn't see a boost in any sales or followers particularly!

That aside Forest of Riddles hit number 1 in its category on Saturday and Spirits of the Dead is 5th today! It is certainly a boost to the confidence but I wish the sales figures were higher to match (currently still under 30 between the two).

Still I have the Bookbub promo happening a few days after the release so I am relying on that!

Three questions for you!
1) The New Release Feature in Bookbub does not require your book to be on sale. Right now it is priced at $4.99, do you think I should price it at $0.99 for the Bookbub promo to properly make use of it?

2) I am planning on booking some other promo sites some time not too long after the release, in which case it will need to be 99p/c. Do you think I should combine them? Or it will almost be a waste of money using the other promo sites at that same time?

3) I have made some Pinterest boards I am really happy with for my two books, and I think they could inspire interest... but how do I promote them or get them seen? Any ideas? Effie I think I remember you liked Pinterest...

Thanks as always for your support.

I hope all East coast people here are safe!

I am currently ignoring the Createspace swap as I have too much going on with the new books (which luckily I did with KP) to think about it. But I am curious to hear about your experiences as my other books are still on Createspace so I will have to face it soon.

Hi everyone!

Stephen, glad things are going pretty well for you. It might take a few days after the interview for sales or followers to show up. As for pricing and promos advice, I will defer to more experienced members to answer those questions.

Both of my books are now moved from CreateSpace to KDP. I logged in late this afternoon and got a pop-up like message saying "You can now transfer your titles to KDP!" I clicked on it and followed the directions. Both moved over without any difficulties. I looked them over with the previewer and they look fine. Book 1's paperback cover was changed so I'm still waiting for that to update otherwise everything went amazingly smooth.

I've heard of others having difficulty with the interior file or cover file not loading correctly but I had none of those difficulties. I hope everyone else's move goes as smooth.

Great info on the Createspace transfer, Theresa, thank you :). I have not received the option to transfer my books yet, but I tried to do it manually and it didn't work. KDP gave me an error message that said I wasn't allowed to use a CS ISBN for my book even though I typed in my own ISBN purchased from Bowker. So it seems there are some glitches that need to be ironed out. Now I'm waiting to see if my books will be moved automatically. I logged into CS tonight and didn't get the popup you're describing or see anything else that offered an option to transfer. I guess I'll be seeing it soon.

Stephen, I wouldn’t put your new release on sale just yet. Others might feel differently. I just released the third book in my saga in June. Readers were waiting for it and were happy to pay full price. Why lose out on that? The new release feature on bookbub doesn’t require it to be on sale for a reason. You can alway do a sale a few months from now to find a new audience.

Stephen wrote: "1) The New Release Feature in Bookbub does not require your book to be on sale. Right now it is priced at $4.99, do you think I should price it at $0.99 for the Bookbub promo to properly make use of it?

2) I am planning on booking some other promo sites some time not too long after the release, in which case it will need to be 99p/c. Do you think I should combine them? Or it will almost be a waste of money using the other promo sites at that same time?"

Hi Stephen, I'm glad your interview went well!

The Bookbub New Release email doesn't show prices like the Deals email, and I think most readers expect to see "new book" prices when they click on the listings. I had a look at yesterday's BB new release email and the lowest priced book I found was 3.99. The other books ranged from 4.99 to 12.99. Your book's current price seems appropriate for the feature. I'm not sure if lowering the price to 99 cents would make the most of your ad in this case. I'm going to try for one of these new release emails when my new book comes out and I plan to price it at 3.99 or 4.99.

I had a look at your Goodreads profile and noticed the book you are promoting is #2 in a series, but it doesn't say which of your books is #1 in the series. You can modify the Goodreads title to show which comes first.

Now that I can see you're promoting a sequel, I would advise against putting it on a 99 cent deal anytime soon. I think the best way to make the most of your BB ad is to discount book #1 in your series to free or 99 cents (with paid promo sites) when your new book releases, and keep the second book priced 2.99 or more for at least its first 90 days. Once Book #2 has been out for 90 days, you could experiment putting it on sale along with Book #1. Amazon gives a little extra visibility to new releases during the first 30-90 days (especially if the book is getting preorders) so you can take advantage of this and save your promo $ for when that extra Amazon visibility wears off.

Another thing worth mentioning is if your book has already received preorders at the 4.99 price, you run the risk of upsetting your readers by putting the book on sale so soon after it releases. Your preorder customers should always be offered the best deal on new releases.

Hope this helps :).

I agree with Marie Silk!

I, too, defer to the more experienced members here, and it looks like you got some good advice.

Theresa, I'm so glad it worked out:)

About the CreateSpace to KDP move. I got the message today that said CS is closing and I needed to move my books. I clicked the link, clicked a couple of other links regarding info for payment, taxes, etc but didn't have to change anything because I had all that in my current KDP account and within about 2 minutes all my books were transferred. However two of them did not link paperback and ebook but even that only took one click for each book. Now the question is, should I worry that the transfer didn't go as good as it appears and the print copies will be messed up? Should I order a single copy of each to be sure? What do you all think?

J. wrote: "About the CreateSpace to KDP move. I got the message today that said CS is closing and I needed to move my books. I clicked the link, clicked a couple of other links regarding info for payment, tax..."

Glad my info can help others. J, did you use the previewer to check how the layout looked? I clicked through both of my books using that to check formatting. Only then did I authorize them to go "live". If you didn't do that, I suggest doing that at least.

I will be ordering a few copies soon myself anyway because of my new release coming up in Oct. I always have a few of each book on hand.

Theresa wrote: "J. wrote: "About the CreateSpace to KDP move. I got the message today that said CS is closing and I needed to move my books. I clicked the link, clicked a couple of other links regarding info for p..."

Theresa, thanks for the suggestion. I will check the transfers out with the previewer.

I just did the transfer too and it was as easy as a few clicks just as J said. I did the previewer and everything transferred perfectly. Now I'm waiting to see how the reports pop up because I only can see the kindle e book sales and I'm not sure how to order yet like I did on create space.

Effie wrote: "I just did the transfer too and it was as easy as a few clicks just as J said. I did the previewer and everything transferred perfectly. Now I'm waiting to see how the reports pop up because I only..."

My one problem with the move from CS to KDP is that KDP does not print a proper ISBN on the cover of my books. They print the ASIN number. Which means I can't order any copies from them for resale at local bookstores.
I complained about it a few months ago, but don't think they were planning on changing it. It would be great if someone could confirm this at present time.

good to know. I'm going to call them before ordering any copies.

Welp, after I posted about Amazon giveaways (not KDP), they changed it again, haha. They aren't doing the sweepstakes version anymore at all (which is the one I preferred). So I guess disregard my other post on Amazon giveaways. I'll try their new "lucky number" version and see how it goes...

Thanks, Marie Silk. And, Stephen, congratulations on your excellent rankings!

When I recently applied to ENT, I included a short email to Bridget telling her that whenever she had availability was acceptable. Within a few days I received an acceptance notification. Perhaps that's the trick for ENT.

I enjoyed the sweepstakes' version of Amazon. I hope the lucky numbers is just as easy and fun.

Good for you, Michele. You found something that works, and now others can try it.

I did the same thing as Michele and didn't set up my promotional dates until I heard from them I also got accepted.

**Off-Topic subject**

Effie, just finished the US OPEN game with Serena. First of all, congratulations to Osaka:) Second, I apologize to you, Effie, but Serena deserved every point loss and warning she got. She may have not noticed her coach's hand gestures even though she did what he suggested, but she could have handled it more professionally. She threw tantrum after tantrum mixed in with her divatude and ego. If you don't want a warning for breaking your racket, don't break your racket. If you don't want a warning for coaching, tell your coach to stop indicating what you should do and just give a thumb's up.

And if you remember, she was nasty with the umpire at the beginning of the game because he called "let" at one time. Uncalled for. You cannot yell and throw abusive words at the umpire just because you're a top tennis player. Show them the same respect they show you. Remember when she threatened to kill an official for calling foot faults? She should have acted with more professionalism and game, and not like a self-entitled diva. I felt sorry for Osaka and her moment.

Don't get me wrong, I don't like her as a person, but Serena IS one of the greatest tennis players, but she's not above the rules of the game. And I don't think the crowd should have let her get away with it, either.

I hear you, and I'm getting the same opinions from my family. She deserved the one for the racquet. And yes, I remember when she told the Ump a few years back that she would stuff the ball down her throat. From that day on, my husband has rooted against her. I just don't think she was wrong on some of the other calls to try and defend herself. The ump seemed extra hard on her. She's had a tough year and she fought her way back. I think emotions were at their peak. I felt bad for her and for Osaka, who should have been able to have a win with more joy. I agree, she could have acted better. Her sportsmanship could use improvement. I think there was fault on both sides. She made the point in her interview that men curse all the time and act horribly sometimes and they don't always penalize them. she didn't curse, she just argued for her point. Anyway, I see both sides because I would be appalled if my daughters behaved like that on the court.

Back to promotion.LOL Sorry everyone!

Well said about Serena, Groovy. Great player, sore loser. I felt so sad for Osaka. Should have been the best moment of her life.

I agree with that. It was an awful way to win. Serena even said so in her interview. The announcers were awful. They said this wasn't the outcome we hoped for. Really? What a thing to say.

Thanks, D.J. I didn't know you were a tennis fan. Great:)

Effie, I agree. Why say that? I just hope that Osaka makes it to the finals next year (she's my new favorite. So cute and sweet) And maybe the moment will be a lot better for her.

And also, Effie, you don't have to apologize for going off-topic. I'm sure no one here minds. But if you, or anyone else, want to talk about something other than books, there's a thread here called, "Chatsies" you can go to and talk about anything if that will make you feel better. You can start a thread yourself, or just stay here and begin your post with "Off-Topic subject" and talk your heart out. I'm sure everyone will agree to whatever you choose.

I hope all of your promotions are going well:) I'm working on my website, and when I'm satisfied with it, I'm going to do an Amazon giveaway. About time, right?

How did yours go Effie? Will you do it again? Uh-oh, I can't wait to hear that answer:)

I haven't done the giveaway yet. I've done them in the past, and like I've said, the print ones are always a success. The kindle not so much for some reason. I'm doing my first free promo ever on the first book and it was suggest that I do a 99c promo on the second at the same time. I'm going to set that up now. I'm going to be very conservative on paid promotion this time. I've spent a lot in the past. I'll see how it goes with a little less paid and more of my own posts. I'll spell everything out as I go when it begins. I've got a lot going on personally at the same time. I think I must be a little loopy because the same day that my free promo begins is the day I'm throwing an engagement dinner from my daughter.

Good luck on your promotion(s), and Congratulations to your daughter. Hope you have a wonderful dinner.

Hi guys, thanks for your feedback as normal!

That makes total sense on the price Marie-Silk, I definitely don't want to upset those that pre-ordered.

Thanks for the heads up on Goodreads, I will go check it out and see why they aren't linked. I am actually releasing book 1 and 2 simultaneously and it is book 1 that Bookbub are featuring.

I think I will wait a couple of months and then do a sale with some smaller promo sites as a boost, and let the release and Bookbub hopefully sell a bunch of full priced copies.

Anyone had any luck with Pinterest?

I also got the Createspace pop-up and with a few clicks everything was transfered over so I am glad that was simple. I still need to confirm everything looks as it should, but I will wait until next week after all this stuff.

Congratulations Effie for you and your daughter.

Thank you Michele and Stephen.

I'm always getting notices to promote on Pinterest. I haven't tried it. A few articles said it was a new source to tap for book promotion. I'm not so sure and I think it might be a waste of money.

I just sent a message to Kdp because the paperback version of my first book still isn't showing the updated cover on Amazon. It said it could take up to 72 hrs to update and we're well past that now. I never got an error saying the formatting was an issue so I'm like what the heck?

Just started promoting my book using Facebook, Twitter, and tumblr. Honestly looking for advise on the best ways to help promote my story. Any suggestions to make the most of these or others I may not know about?

Congratulations on your daughter's engagement, Effie. A dinner is a lot to plan for, but it's also exciting. Have a wonderful time.

I have a question: Besides, Pinterest, what about Instagram? I have seen on the news how people would post their products there and get sales. Some have become very successful on that site.

Congratulations on your book, Robert. There is a lot of valuable information about promoting on this thread. Just go back to the older ones and you'll read about sites that work and those that you should stay away from. Also, how to best promote on Amazon. Hope this helps.

I use instagram all the time. I think it's the most popular and successful tool these days. facebook now owns instagram. when I boost a post on facebook it prompts the post on instagram. The results of engagement have been great. For as little as 10$ you can reach thousands of people.

Thanks, Effie. I'm going to try Instagram. Sometimes FB approves my blog for boosting, and sometimes not--says it's too political.

I have signed up for a booth next month at my town's fall fest. I have two inspirational novels so far, one military related. Any ideas for swag, giveaways, how to draw people in? I want people to sign up for my newsletter and/or buy my books.

Thanks for any ideas/suggestions!

I always have a signup sheet for my newsletter and raffle off one or two kindle copies if they sign up. But if you also ad a 10$ Amazon gift card as one of the prizes you’ll get more signups.

Michele I don’t boost blogs. I boost teaser posts. Something that will draw attention to the book.

Thanks for the clarification, Effie!

Thanks, Effie. Signing up now:)

Signing up for what? Groovy? Instagram?

Yeah. Don't you have to have an account?

Hi, Spoke with Barb Drozdowich (www.Bakerviewconsulting.com) and she said BookBub will reject books that have been running promotions; they want unique deals for their members. She suggested to wait a couple of months (without doing promotions) then apply. I have a promotion scheduled with ENT on 10/5--then I'm going to wait until early December and apply with BookBub.

KDP responded quickly to my inquiry and the paperback cover is now updated. That was the upside to my day so far!

Yes, Groovy, I have an account. I didn't know that you didn't already have one. When you make your account, make sure you create it as a business account so that you can promote posts. Also, someone recently tried to do that but they didn't have a Facebook account and they needed one before they could have a professional instagram account. What I usually do is boost a post on my Facebook author page and it will automatically boost the post on instagram.

That's interesting, Michele. I wonder if that's the reason I've been rejected.

Great Theresa! I found the transition to be an easy one.

About the Bookbub deals...what they specify is they don't want to feature a book at a higher price than what it has been recently promoted at. So if you ran free promotions in January and February, but want to have a Bookbub feature with your book at 99 cents in April, you are likely hurting your potential for approval. I think it's their requirement that a book can't have been priced higher within the last 90 days. It's true they want their readers to get the best deals. My book was approved even though I run promotions on it frequently (5 free KDP days every 90 days). Other authors I know whose books have been approved also run free promos and Countdowns regularly, so I'm not sure how important the promotion frequency is to Bookbub editors. I would not stop promotion in the hopes of a BB deal because that seems like a waste. But if you want your book to be on sale for less than what you want Bookbub to feature it for, you definitely should wait.

Thanks for the good advice, Effie. I certainly didn't know that. I'm not very social-media smart. Until I saw the feature on Nightline, I thought Instagram was all about showcasing your latest pictures. I still have a lot to learn...

Theresa, I'm so glad you contacted them and it's all straightened out:)

And thank you, Michele and Marie Silk.

Groovy, instagram is a great way to post pictures socially. It's not about chats, although viewers can make comments. It's a very visual site. Businesses have latched onto it, mores than facebook which is considered old news, especially to the younger generation. It's become an important business tool.