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Paid Promotions - A Case Study of Experience
The question arises how best to use google to reach readers who use googleplay for books? This is an unanswered question for me.
It just popped up when I was perusing Goodreads! (And I touch type.) 😝
I know what you mean, and I have absolutely no idea what the answer is. I sell the odd book through Google Play, but the majority via Amazon, in a variety of countries.
One of the promo sites I have used above is http://bookbarbarian.com which I used for a paid "free" promo. I.e. I paid them to promote my book at a free $0.00 price.Got over 1400+ downloads, which means I hit about 5% of their subscriber base with ASA.
They have a double feature promo for the 1st and 2nd books in a series.
I'm proposing to hit this with a ASA at $0.99 and ATW at $2.99 to leverage my earlier promo which was in late March 2017.
The one catch. The 2nd book must have at least 10 reviews on Amazon, and ATW has 9.
Once ATW ticks over to 10. I'll see what I can do to hunt sales amongst the dedicated Sci-Fi & Fantasy fans of http://bookbarbarian.com .
Did I mention that BookBarbarian are Sci_fi/Fantasy dedicated? Well, they are.
Thanks, Graeme, I'll go and have a look at Book Barbarian. On first glimpse it looks sort of like a Spec Fic Bookbub. As I'm trad published (small press) I can't drop my own prices. But when my next book is published, I'm going to suggest to my publisher that it might be the time to try Bookbub or something similar with the first series as a promo for the upcoming one.
You have a lot more experience than I do Leonie. I've only been chasing marketing this year. I think for any author/publisher, the promo sites are worth looking at.The challenge is to find the most effective mean of becoming visible to committed readers. Not an easy task.
I have a bit of experience, but there's always so much more to learn. You've certainly been working very hard at it, which is great to see. You might find Patty Jansen's web page really helpful. You can also sign up to her newsletter, which I always enjoy.
And I just fixed my spelling of your name!
Hi Graeme. I'm not au fee with too much tech stuff. If you are putting the books on other outlets, does that mean that you are the publisher? I assume, if Amazon provided the ISBN they are the publisher and won't allow other outlets to be used online?
Hi P.K. I have a one man band publishing company "System Zero Productions" and I buy all my own ISBNs.That side is all sorted as Pronoun will either provide an ISBN or allow you to bring your own.
Thank you for sharing these numbers. It has helped convince me to try some of these services out when my next installment comes out in a month or so.Many thanks!!!
Cheers J.N.Just noting that BookBarbarian is a little complicated at the moment as they have a long lead time (approx 2 months) between booking an advert and running the advert as they are booked solid through July and August.
I'll have to think about how I handle them wrt the opening up of other channels through Pronoun.
Thanks, Graeme, I thought that was probably the case. It's worth buying your ISBN's if you have two or more books otherwise you are restricted doing what you're doing.
ISBNs are 10 for $40. It's a trivial cost. I will always use my own to keep the boundaries of control clear.
Submitted a double feature with Book Barbarian for the 16th September. I will see if I get accepted.
Good luck with your promos and with your latest try with Pronoun! I have also joined - and trying - the pronoun distribution, but the same question arise: no idea how to promote the google play book. But it is not related with google plus - in fact - I have just found a very small community in google+ dedicated to google books. The main communities are for amazon books - but I guess there is no problem to announce your googleplay link in those as well.
Hi Raul.The main value of pronoun will be Nook, Apple and Kobo.
Yes, sure. But the same question can also be extended to Apple books. If someone knows any promo site focused in apple books would be great to know it.
Hi Raul, you make an excellent point.
My double feature with Book Barbarian was accepted and will run on the 16th of September.ASA at $0.99 and ATW at $2.99.
Now the interesting thing here is that I ran a free promo with this site in March 2017, with 1400+ ASA downloads equal to approx 5% of their subscriber base.
If I can convert some of those subscribers into buying ATW at a discount. That could mean substantial sales from this feature.
Noting also that Book Barbarian are a dedicated Sci-Fi and Fantasy site.
Graeme wrote: "ISBNs are 10 for $40. It's a trivial cost. I will always use my own to keep the boundaries of control clear."Great deal, Graeme. I think I paid $300 for my first 10 ISBN's (in the USA). Ouch!
I must have misremembered.Packs of 10 are $88 $AUD. approx $60 USD for 10.
https://www.myidentifiers.com.au/get-...
That's about the same cost for Europe, Graeme. Good news about Book Barbarian, great number of downloads. It will be interesting to see if and how they convert to sales on a dedicated site.
Book Barbarian was the first and only free promotion I've done where I paid for advertising.Previous efforts with free sites netted anywhere from 50 to 150 downloads. So Book Barbarian was, by itself, easily 10x more effective.
I just wonder if any of those free downloads have translated into readers who will buy book #2 when it's advertised to them on the 16th of Sept.
Have you gendred any stats on how effective free promos are? As many book are peanuts cheap does saving $2 to $3 make a lot of difference? Are people buying without the freebees?
P.K. wrote: "Have you gendred any stats on how effective free promos are? As many book are peanuts cheap does saving $2 to $3 make a lot of difference? Are people buying without the freebees?"Short answer = IDK if Graeme has; yes;yes. ^_^
Medium answer: you seem to have a lot of questions on this topic. Maybe you could start up a specific thread on it, then it won't be buried in this one and more people would answer. ^_^
Hi P.K I don't have stats on on-sales driven by free promos.My strategy is built around finding an audience who will pay for books. Tempered by the view that if someone has a longish series than I think you can get real benefits from giving away book #1 to sell books #2 through to #n. (i.e. Marie's model).
Of course, given that I'm writing a longish series, Marie's model may well become my model down the track. We'll see.
Graeme wrote: "Hi P.K I don't have stats on on-sales driven by free promos.My strategy is built around finding an audience who will pay for books. Tempered by the view that if someone has a longish series than ..."
using permafree/discounted sales model for the first book can be effective in a "longish" series, but not for standalone or "short" series is exactly one of the many topics that Friedman's article (referenced in https://www.goodreads.com/comment/sho...) covers.
Slotted in a RobinReads sci-fi/fantasy promo for ASA at $0.99 for the 8th of September.
Nice one, Graeme :) Robin Reads has always done nicely for me
Next campaign is coming up.Back to back BargainBooksy...ies.
[1] (Cost $40) Bargainbooksy (Fantasy) for ASA at $0.99 on Monday 17th July.
[2] (Cost $40) Bargainbooksy (Fantasy) for ATW at $2.99 on Tuesday 18th July.
We'll see how it goes.
Got knocked back by eReaderNewsToday again?!?!. Can't seem to buy a trick there. Still trying directly after every knockback.
Amazon Reviews.ASA = 25 at 4.4 average.
ATW = 11 at 4.4 average.
A Traitor's War comes off Kindle Unlimited today. A Subtle Agency will come off on the 9th of August.Sorted payments and taxes with Pronoun today - so by mid August I'll have the other channels outside Amazon covered for both books.
I will wait until after August 9th and move both books over at the same time.
I will then update any pending promotions with the extra channels.
When you submit to ENT, do you say you are flexible on dates?
Alex wrote: "P.K. wrote: "Have you gendred any stats on how effective free promos are? As many book are peanuts cheap does saving $2 to $3 make a lot of difference? Are people buying without the freebees?"Sho..."
Alex, my questions were relevant to Graeme's posts. I would have thought it was the correct place to ask them. I was trying to be supportive.
Alex, P.K. all good here.
Well geez, I hope you get a spot with them soon so you can at least see how your book does with them.
I had one with them back on the 24th Feb '17 - did well.Waited 90 days - now I can't get back in.... (woe is me - dying swan routine....)
Yes (fist pumps...). The covers are now available.Kindle.
Paperback.
Still targeting release at the end of January 2018
Blurb:
IT'S A TRAP!
Anton Slayne knows it's a trap. One laid for him by his most powerful opponent - Chloe Armitage, rogue general of the Vampire Dominion.
The chase is on. Agents of the Red Empire and the Vampire Dominion have abducted Ramin Kain, the Head of the Order of Thoth. Anton and the Mirovar force team are the only ones in a position to act. They know Ramin is bait, but have to rescue him before he's forced to reveal the secrets of the Order.
Will Anton and his friends in the Mirovar force team rescue Ramin Kain, or will Chloe Armitage discover the secrets of the Order, destroy the Mirovar force team, and enslave Anton to her will?
Wow!! Cover and blurb are looking stellar, Graeme!
P.K. wrote: "Alex, my questions were relevant to Graeme's posts. I would have thought it was the correct place to ask them. I was trying to be supportive."it's cool. i just thought your questions might get better traction in its own thread.
Marie wrote: "Wow!! Cover and blurb are looking stellar, Graeme!"nice wraparound cover.
Hi Marie, Alex.Thanks. The designer is family. I pay him $350 AUD for each cover.
This covers labor, shutterstock images, and adjustments to the template if I don't hit my expected page count (currently on a 240 page template).
I know him well and trust his work. He's a perfectionist and quite a talent for graphic design.
World, Writing, Wealth
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