THE Group for Authors! discussion
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Any authors in the KDP Select Program?
Cris wrote: "Hi all. Currently in day two of three free days on KDP and I've had well over 100 downloads so I think it's a success. I will let everyone know what happens"Here's the rule of thumb: (sales projection referring to the immediate aftermath of a free promotion.)
Books priced @0.99: 5% (5 sales for every 100 free downloads.)
Books priced between: $1.00 -- $3.00 4% (4 sales for every 100 free downloads.)
Books priced above $4: 2% (2 sales for every 100 free downloads.)
If your book does better than these yardsticks, pat yourself on the back and treat yourself to some Häagen-Dazs.
There are two things you can do to increase your sales after a free promo:
1)If you cannot be the head of a dragon, don't be the tail. Instead, try to be the head of a humble snake. So position your book in a category NOT TOO HOT for it.
2)Never end the promotion at the default time. It is the worst.
M. Eigh, author of
Ka-Ching! The 80% Royalty Formula for KDP
M. wrote: "Books priced @0.99: 5% (5 sales for every 100 free downloads.)"How are you coming up with this "rule of thumb?"
This doesn't even seem knowable, and it doesn't match my experience, or that of any author I know who has discussed their free downloads and subsequent sales, or lack thereof.
Edward wrote: "M. wrote: "Books priced @0.99: 5% (5 sales for every 100 free downloads.)"How are you coming up with this "rule of thumb?"
This doesn't even seem knowable, and it doesn't match my experience, or..."
Randomly collected genera stats from KDP authors who talk to me about free promo. What is your experience? Can you share?
M. wrote: "Randomly collected genera stats from KDP authors who talk to me about free promo. What is your experience? Can you share? "It varies, and appears unpredictable.
I did 4 free days recently which resulted in over 900 downloads the first day, then 69 downloads over the subsequent days. (That tells me Amazon did something for me on the first day that they didn't do on the following days.)
After the free days, there were no subsequent sales that went beyond my normal daily sales average.
Several weeks later, I saw a small spike in sales after having a book featured on ebooksoda. That was interesting, because my book was not free and was featured at full price.
One of the problems in trying to identify correlation is that my experience is different when I made the first book in a series free for a number of days. That has lead to sales of parts 2 and 3, which makes sense. Some of the downloaders have started reading it and like it enough to continue.
If your rule of thumb applies to series, that would make sense.
Free download promo works on the strength of two Amazon algorithms: 1)affiliation which explains the residual and delayed sales; 2) category positioning. That night when download mounted to 900, my guess is your book would have been between the # 250 and # 500 in all Kindle store free books. It would have been on the first page of the category it is in (top 20).The correct thing to do would have been to step on the brake hard. You would have landed about 40 sales that day.
Trust me, you did not get the 40 sales because you did not end the promo when it's on top.
Amazon did nothing on the first day, a combination of factors contributed to it. If you look closer, you would have found the contributors.
Have faith in science. My guess is over time, you have capture about 20 sales on strength of the affiliation algorithm. But you have lost the other 20 that would have been yours had you let the momentum algorithm work it's way out.
M. wrote: "Free download promo works on the strength of two Amazon algorithms: 1)affiliation which explains the residual and delayed sales; 2) category positioning. That night when download mounted to 900, my..."Oh, so there's technique involved. I didn't know you could stop a promotion in the middle of its scheduled days. I'll have to try this again and see if I get better results.
If I do, I'm buying your book. :)
Edward wrote: "M. wrote: "Free download promo works on the strength of two Amazon algorithms: 1)affiliation which explains the residual and delayed sales; 2) category positioning. That night when download mounted..."You may be a good writer. But you need to sell a lot of books to prove that. To sell Kindle e-books, you need some killer instincts.
For example, most author boast about the grand total of their free promo downloads, they never bother to time their "braking" to when their books are on top and the prime time of Kindle store.
Grand total is just for vanity and boasting right. Slamming on the brake when your book is having the best download velocity and market "rush hour" is when you actually make the kills.
Thanks "M". For all your insight on "braking." I had no idea either you could stop it early. I just had my first succesful free promo days. 1359 downloads! To be honest though only have one sale afterwards but its only a day so far. Is there a way to find the download velocity or are you just saying getting a feel for that peak moment? Sorry, im new to all this.
The algorithms involved are two here: browse nodes and similarities. You benefited from the similarities ( the one sale) but not the browse nodes (the velocity)There are a couple benchmarks you can use to gauge the best moment to step on the brake. But rather hard to explain in a forum ...
I think M just sold a few books here. I know I bought it . Thanks for the advice.
M. wrote: "There are a couple benchmarks you can use to gauge the best moment to step on the brake."Here's what I don't get about braking at your peak on a free day.
The rankings are separate, so if you're ranked 500k in Paid books, then rank #5k in Free books and halt the giveaway, doesn't that just eliminate your free rank and put you back where you were with only your paid rank?
What's the rank to you if you do not take advantage of it? Your book never switch right away. Amazon has its formula to let it hang there in order to convert.
So my new book Moonlight was released Monday evening in KDP Select and it's done about as well as my first book The Subtle Beauty (which is currently not enrolled) and sold a copy a day. No borrows. No magical little algorithm elves skyrocketing it to success. It sat around #60,000 last night for a little bit because it sold 3 copies instead of the usual 1. I wish it would show me what it classified it under so I could have taken a screen shot. I love watching what my books do in their first week. It's so fun.Will see what happens when I start playing with free days and countdowns.
M. wrote: "What's the rank to you if you do not take advantage of it? Your book never switch right away. Amazon has its formula to let it hang there in order to convert."
I did an experiment. I made a book free. The free rank went up from about 165k in paid to 5k in free. I stopped the giveaway. For several hours, the book then had no rank. When a rank appeared again, it was back to where it was before.
It went exactly how I had anticipated in my comments of Feb. 24 above. Two separate ranks unaffected by each other.
Dianne wrote: "Edward wrote: Two separate ranks unaffected by each other. Been my experience as well!"
You guys are correct in theory. But on two practical accounts, you miss out big if you do not take advantage of these two factors:
1)Search ranking is weighted by sales (which does not differentiate free downloads from real purchase.)
2)There is roughly a 2-4 hours period whereby a free book stays in the free category even after its price is no longer free. It roughly maintains its hours-ago ranking with an actual price tag and a special label that says "Why is this not free?"
Regarding #2, I have many anecdotal evidence that suggests Amazon deliberately lets a free book stay that way longer if it is in the top 100 in Kindle store.
Edward, you are brave enough to test with your book, right? Why don't you stop the free promo at exactly 6 pm Eastern, next time. Send me a pack of Tic Tac if you end up selling more.
BTW, did you guys see the breaking news about Amazon yesterday? If not, here's the scoop: https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Dianne wrote: "I heard about that. Any reason given?"It appears to be a *giant* technical glitch. As of this evening, many of the reviews, if not all, have been reinstated.
M. wrote: "BTW, did you guys see the breaking news about Amazon yesterday? If not, here's the scoop: https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog..."I had several reviews disappear from my books, and then reappear later. Very weird.
M. wrote: "Edward, you are brave enough to test with your book, right? Why don't you stop the free promo at exactly 6 pm Eastern, next time. Send me a pack of Tic Tac if you end up selling more."My novel had been selling too well to start giving it away, but sales have tapered off and if it stays this way through the week, I'll try this experiment at the end of the next week and let you know what happens.
My books do well on the Countdown programme in the UK, but badly in the US.
Joanna wrote: "My books do well on the Countdown programme in the UK, but badly in the US."That's odd. About the only time I get a sale in the U.K. is when I fly over and hold a gun to someone's head. And even then, it ain't easy.
I've used KDP Select for the first time this past weekend, after being rather timid to try. I'm still not sure if it was a success or not. I tried a few different things during the promotion, mostly because I didn't really understand what I was doing or what to expect. I don't even know if I was successful. But I have gained sales from my other books not being promoted, and to me, that spells success anyway. Do we make money on the 'Free Units Promotion' and/or 'Units Borrowed'? I can't figure that one out. Also, what is an average income per unit, whether its borrowed or free?
For example, I had 3993 Free Units Promo in the U.S. Since then, I've only had 11 units borrowed from any of my books, again in the U.S. What does that even mean? I'd like to be making money. But I am grateful for the exposure, as well. Generating the sales from the other books is a lifesaver!
Thanks for any help and input!
Ellise C. Weaver
The Governess
Ellise wrote: "I've used KDP Select for the first time this past weekend, after being rather timid to try. I'm still not sure if it was a success or not. I tried a few different things during the promotion, mos..."Ellise, It sounds like you had some success. You got a lot of exposure and it appears that the exposure resulted in sales of your other titles, which is exactly what you would hope for from using KDP Select free days.
The borrowed units are Amazon Prime users borrowing your book, for which you get paid as if it was a sale. 11 borrows is a lot to most indie authors.
You don't make any money on the Free Units Promotion - those are what you gave away.
So its the 'Units Borrowed' only that make money from the KDP Select? I thought that the 'Free Units Promo', even though they were given away for free were also what were counted towards the Jackpot at the end of the month giveaway. Not so? Dang! So much for that idea. I guess I'd say that this was worth the effort simply because this experiment did draw in sales from my other books. To that end, and the exposure to new readers, it was worth it, I guess. Would really have loved to receive something monetary from all those free books! :)
Also--I read on this forum (early on) that there is a FREE ADS TAB with a PROMOTIONS TAB worth 5 days of free advertising. Is that correct? And, if so, where is it and how is it used. Couldn't find it anywhere. Thanks!
All my books are on KDP and I put one free from time to time, they do okay but I am not bothered as I know someone in the world is reading which gives me a buzz, and you never know who is reading it
Ellise wrote: "Also--I read on this forum (early on) that there is a FREE ADS TAB with a PROMOTIONS TAB worth 5 days of free advertising. Is that correct? And, if so, where is it and how is it used. Couldn't f..."I'm not sure, but it sounds like you're referring to the ability to make your books free for five days out of every 90 via KDP Select.
But if you're talking about a Goodreads thing, I've never heard of it. They sell advertising here, but I wouldn't recommend it.
Edward wrote: "Ellise wrote: "Also--I read on this forum (early on) that there is a FREE ADS TAB with a PROMOTIONS TAB worth 5 days of free advertising. Is that correct? And, if so, where is it and how is it us..."Thanks, Edward. No, I read it at the beginning of this forum. They talked about a free ads tab on KDP Select. Can't seem to find it.
>They talked about a free ads tab on KDP Select. I have five Kindle ebooks and I'm fairly active on the KDP Community Forums. When you publish on KDP you have the option of signing up for Kindle Select, and if you do you can offer your book for free 5 days in a 90-day period. You earn no royalties. That's the only free program that I'm aware of. I don't know of anything available at KDP that would be considered an ad.
L.L. wrote: ">They talked about a free ads tab on KDP Select. I have five Kindle ebooks and I'm fairly active on the KDP Community Forums. When you publish on KDP you have the option of signing up for Kindle ..."
The countdown promotion is better than the free promotion, because you get royalties. Not as many books are downloaded, but at least you are getting paid.
I've had good luck with one countdown & poor luck with another - but that might be a function of the way I categorized the books in the first place. It's a good way to gather information about whether your book is garnering attention or not, and make adjustments if not. I don't know that the free days help as much that way since some folks snap up anything that's free regardless of categories, tags, etc.
K.A. wrote: "I've had good luck with one countdown & poor luck with another - but that might be a function of the way I categorized the books in the first place. It's a good way to gather information about whet..."I get good results with the UK, but zero with the US. Odd.
I haven't tried UK - I wonder if your book is pushed more to the country of origin? I'll have to experiment with that too. It was a little strange how one book on the countdown shot up in rankings and the other one got basically no hits. Might be some algorithms at work there behind the scenes...
Update on my KDP Select book, Moonlight.Sold 15 copies in week two. I'm pretty stoked. Not bad for only 2 books on the market :)
Running a free promo on my other book right now and it's going to new homes at the rate of a copy per minute. Awesome!
Wow! I’m in day three of free downloads on KDP Select. Right now my book, Playing the Hand We’re Dealt: Memoirs on Recovering from Suicide, is ranked #4 in women’s biographies and memoirs! And #27 in medical ebooks! Way to go!http://www.amazon.com/Playing-Hand-We...
I am beginning to wonder if I should have chosen KDP Select. I sold 2 books on Smashwords and 68 books on Amazon in two days. And I am still waiting for them to send them to the other venders and I have no idea how do they pay me. Does anyone know? I know how Amazon and Smashwords pay but the other venders, I wonder if Smashwords sends the information to them. No one asked me.
I have three e-books on Amazon-Kindle. I did not avoid KDP Select and wish I had. If you publish elsewhere, you cannot also be on KDP Select (as I understand). 68 books in two days. Amazing. I am envious.
It's an acronym for Amazon's "Kindle Direct Publishing."Charles wrote: "I have three e-books on Amazon-Kindle. I did not avoid KDP Select and wish I had. If you publish elsewhere, you cannot also be on KDP Select (as I understand). 68 books in two days. Amazing. I am e..."
KDP Select is an option that Amazon offers if you become a self-publisher of an e-book on their site. It has some advantages but limits you from publishing elsewhere -- such as on Smashwords. Amazon can explain explain the details better than I can. Check out Amazon-Kindle.
KDP allows authors to self-publish but if you choose KDP Select, you can only advertise your book on Amazon. So if a person does not have a Kindle they can't read it unless they purchase a Kindle app on their computer or device.
Charles wrote: "I have three e-books on Amazon-Kindle. I did not avoid KDP Select and wish I had. If you publish elsewhere, you cannot also be on KDP Select (as I understand). 68 books in two days. Amazing. I am e..."
I am praying they don't return them.
I am praying they don't return them.
Brina wrote: "Charles wrote: "I have three e-books on Amazon-Kindle. I did not avoid KDP Select and wish I had. If you publish elsewhere, you cannot also be on KDP Select (as I understand). 68 books in two days...."Bekka wrote: "Wow! I’m in day three of free downloads on KDP Select. Right now my book, Playing the Hand We’re Dealt: Memoirs on Recovering from Suicide, is ranked #4 in women’s biographies and memoirs! And..."
Congratulations, Charles! Way to go!
Mod
If you're a bestselling author, having all those outlets is a Good Thing; if you're a newbie, you need to get noticed. I don't know how many books Apple/B&N/Nook publishes each month, but if there's a way for you to get YOUR book noticed, I never found it.
Amazon provides that.
I'd like to market via one of the daily emailers too, but those outlets (even the ones you pay for) won't feature your book until you've got at least 10 reviews, and the average has to be at least 4 stars. That translates out to roughly 1000 downloads/book (I've seen estimates that 100 sales generates one review). If you've sold less than 1000, your book isn't welcome on the emailers.
How to get your book noticed? That is the question. Freebies are the ultimate way. Sad, but true. But I wouldn't do it unless you've got other books that those who read/like your work can buy!
Mod
Something else; I'm going to take a leaf from another author's playbook. He has several novels up, but I recently downloaded and read a free short nonfiction piece, 'Why I became a Military Writer'. It's by Mark Berent. This one is very well written, so I provided a review. His first book suffered from a lack of editing; pretty good story, but there were too many typos and examples of wrong-word usage.
Anyway, I went to his Amazon listings and he had a number of other freebies, short stories. The upshot of it was that he sold three novels because of that short piece I downloaded for free.
I have a short story which can be published with a bit of tweaking; I'll find a photo and do the title work, then publish it free. I plan to write a short story each month and publish them free, at least for now. Someday I may collect them into a book and publish that. I also have a large collection of nonfiction that might be book-worthy. The essays could also be published as nonfiction and offered free, but I'd have to take them off my blog before they could be part of Kindle Select.
It's about keeping your name out there, giving people a reason to visit your Amazon account, IMO.
We've found that the freebie days only work well if you have a means to inform readers that it is happening.You really need to do a lot of advertising on social media, and in those emails sent out to reader groups, to alert everyone to the dates before the freebie to get any real benefit from a freebie day.
anyone is welcomed to add me as friends :)
I have two books on KDP Select. As a launch tool it has worked well, both of my books found just over 1,000 readers in their launch week.I have done a few giveaways since. They get good download numbers, but the actual sales figures returned to their previous levels almost immediately.
Countdown promos have a much better impact for me as I retain 70% royalties even at the lower price.
I will use a giveaway to launch my third book, but them go back to countdowns every quarter for all three.
twitter has plenty of folks happy to advertise your freebie just twitter-search #free #kindle or free books and you should be able to reach thousands ...worked for me
I am. The first time around I did little media advertising and near 25,000 readers downloaded my first novel. Thereafter at selected times, less did (maybe everyone already read it. HA!) I do little media advertising for all three of my books and they are always downloaded quite a bit, although you will want to let as many know. My books ALWAYS sell much more after a free offer.
THE Group for Authors!
Books mentioned in this topic
The Governess 1 (other topics)Moonlight (other topics)
The Subtle Beauty (other topics)
Moonlight (other topics)
The Watchman's File (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Ellise C. Weaver (other topics)Michael E. Henderson (other topics)
Tracey Allen (other topics)
Tracey Allen (other topics)
Jaye Frances (other topics)
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Hope it results in sales for you. Have you tried CountDown?