What I Wish I Would Have Known About eBook Promos

First and foremost, eBook Promos are a fantastic way to spread the news about your new book. They are an outstanding tool and can get you sales, reviews, and exposure IF done correctly. Let me clarify.

My first eBook Promo was done a few weeks after my first book, A Magic Evermore, was self-published on Amazon. I hired a gentleman on Fiverr who guaranteed results; boy, did he deliver!

He only did work if you were using FREE eBook Promos for Amazon, meaning you have to be on Kindle Unlimited. So I said, “Sure, why not?” I signed up for Kindle Unlimited in a jiffy and set up the dates on which to start my promo, as suggested by the gentleman I hired on Fiverr.

The result? I "sold" (through the FREE Download) 731 copies of my book, made the bestseller list in 3 different categories, and was thrilled beyond belief! Even though I didn't make a dime!

Now to a newbie author who has just published, it sounded like I was on my way to being a national bestselling author.

But! Here are a couple of things I did not consider.

1. Just because people downloaded my book did not mean they were going to read it.

I found out rather quickly that people will jump at a new book, then store it in their Kindle for whenever they feel like reading it. Out of those 731 downloads, I think two people read it, and a few others started it.

I did get one 4-star and one 5-star rating out of all those downloads, but that was it. No reviews. I was crushed. Was My book horrible? Did only two people out of the 731 even like it? Nope, not necessarily.

Which brings me to the next thing I wish I had known. (And probably the most important.)

2. Know your Audience!

There are several social media sites out there. Did you know teenagers don’t even really use Facebook? Well, I didn’t. The gentleman who did my promo used big sites like Facebook, and his followers consisted mainly of adults over the age of 30.

I wrote my book for teens and teens. #Facepalm. Why didn’t I just ask before the promo??? They probably didn’t even see all that advertising and posts for the promo!

Know your audience. If your book is for teens and young adult, consider advertising on TikTok or Snapchat. Or Twitter. If your book is for adults, Facebook would be a great way to go. Do your homework!

3. Do you want a Free Ebook Promo, or a Kindle Countdown Deal?

A Kindle Countdown Deal allows authors to run their books at a discounted rate for a limited amount of time. I automatically went for a Free Promo, because that’s what the Freelancer doing my promo required. I had no idea what a Kindle Countdown Deal even was!

The rules for Kindle Countdown Deals are a bit more stringent than a Free Ebook Promo. But looking back, I wish I would have gone with the countdown. Another author’s post pointed out that if people have to pay for a book, even .99 cents, they are much more likely to read it. A bit of investment on their part.

4. Just because no one reads it right away doesn’t mean they won’t later!

Being fiercely determined to get my book seen, I did some research and found another freelancer on Fiverr (my go-to site for anything needing a freelancer!). She was a young woman who had a following on Tik-Tok. Sounded a bit more up a teenager’s alley.

This time, I got 22 downloads. (Also on my FREE promotion.) Nowhere near 730, right? But I didn’t care. I was thrilled. Because this time around, I hoped I reached the right audience. Maybe, just maybe, I reached a teenager who wanted to read a fantasy novel!

It took a few weeks, but slowly, people began reading my book! (Since I’m on Kindle Unlimited, I can check the pages read!) They got the book for free, so they weren’t super concerned with reading it that second. But they did start reading it, on their own time. Give it time! Results will start to seep in on their own time!

So, yes, eBook Promos are awesome and I recommend them 100%! Though I wish I had read my own blog post on all the things I could have done differently. :) If you want a big reach, Freelancers or influencers are the way to go! Check them out today!

Happy writing!

Michelle

Related Articles:

How Freelancers Help Self-Published Writers

Five Mistakes I Learned Self-Publishing

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