Whether they’re traditionally published, self published, or somewhere in between, authors these days are almost always responsible for marketing their own books. My Clean Reads for You compatriot, Starla Huchton, just published this fantastic, data-filled guide to which book marketing services are worth your time, and more importantly, your money. I can personally verify a lot of what she’s said. BookBub is, without question, the Holy Grail of digital marketing platforms. The promo I ran back in August paid for itself at least four times over. My book hit the No. 1 spot in the Cozy Mystery category on Amazon, No. 10 in Mysteries, and rose to No. 70 overall in the paid store. As in, there were only 69 books in all of the USA that sold better than mine that week.
I’ve also had smashing success with EReader News Today. I recently did a free book promo with them and garnered over 5,000 free downloads. That translated into about 50 full-price Kindle sales, and 6-7 new Amazon reviews in the weeks since it ran. In fact, in some ways ERNT is a better value for money because the ads are so much cheaper than BookBub. Lastly, I’ve had small, but measurable success with The Fussy Librarian. The promos look very elegant and are only $6. I sold 28 books at $0.99 on the day of my promo, so I turned a profit of about $10. Although I can’t prove it, I’m fairly sure it also lead to some full-price sales of my other book in the days that followed. Obviously nothing like a BookBub or ERNT result, but still respectable. Tangentially related to this post, I need a few more Amazon reviews before A Death in Duck is eligible to get a coveted BookBub slot. I’ve heard off the record that a minimum 25 reviews is usually required and I’m stuck just below that. Your help would be much appreciated, especially if you bought the book via Amazon, thereby making yours a “verified” review. Please post your reviews here using the “Create your own review” button.
Mindy Quigley 