I've seen a lot of controversy lately between various writing groups about the benefit of free books and 99 cent sales as a promotional tool. There seem to be three camps:1) Giving away books devalues our work and should never be done. Many of these authors also frown on 99 cent sales.
2) Offering a book for free is a tool that can be used to introduce new readers to our writing and increase sales of our other books. These folks are usually divided into the perma-free and short term free categories.
3) Free no longer works because the market is glutted with free books. 99 cent sales are more effective.
So, here's my take on the subject. First of all, for me, writing is a business. My goal is to sell books, and noble ideals have nothing to do with it. Sure, I'm all about turning out the best product possible, but when it comes to promotion, I care about what actually works. So, camp #1, while I completely agree with the premise that our writing is valuable and should be rewarded as such, I'm not a big fan of putting conviction before sales. And since this is a free market society, and there are plenty of authors out there willing to give away their books, chances are moral conviction isn't going to lead to sales.
Now, the logic behind camp #2 is sound. I was all for giving away a book for free for a limited period to generate interest, but this was way back in the spring and summer of 2013. This strategy actually worked very well three years ago. But there were key elements to its success. First off, the free book had to be part of a series. The second and third books in the same series far outperformed my other back list books in residual sales. Also, interestingly enough, once the free week ended, the first book also sold very well for the same period of time as the others--usually about a month before they all started to fall off the radar. So, while I gave away over 20,000 downloads during the two week-long free periods, I sold around 900 books as a result. However, as 2013 drew to a close, these free weeks stopped performing. I had fewer free downloads and was lucky to net 100 sales as a result. It was all downhill after that. So, being a reasonably intelligent businesswoman, I quit offering my books for free since I've never been one to beat a dead horse! (Sorry about the cliche.)
Which leads to camp #3. This is the one I'm currently in, although I could change strategies if I see a benefit in the future. There are so many free books out there that people download them by the thousands and never read the vast majority. Having your book sit unread on someone's kindle isn't going to help you increase sales of your other books. Ergo, no benefit to you, the author! However, for thrifty people who troll the free and discounted books, I firmly believe if they even pay as little as 99 cents, they're far more likely to read the book simply because they paid for it. I know I would be... So, I think 99 cent sales for a book in a series will indeed net sales for your other books at full price if your sale book is strong enough to make the reader want to pick up the next one in the series. When it comes right down to it, no amount of promo will work if you don't have a great product.
However, there's a catch to this strategy. And it's a big one. Your 99 cent book has to get noticed, and that's damn hard in the current market glutted with free and discounted books. When left to my own devices, I see a little movement simply from posting about the sale on Facebook and Twitter, but we're talking a sale or two a day. The only thing that has actual worked for me to get big numbers (we're talking top #100 overall on Amazon numbers) is BookBub. I swear it's like magic, but it costs a LOT of money, and getting a deal with them is no easy task. I've been lucky in that my publisher has set up ads with them and paid for it. And why not, since when they do, I generate far more dollars in sales for them over the next month or two than the ad costs. Also, my overall sales have been on a steady rise as a result. Not spectacular, mind you, but better than they used to be. Part of that is due to having a pretty extensive back list at this point. Last month, my publisher got one of my books featured on Amazon's Kindle Daily Deals. For one day only, my book was 99 cents, and I topped out on their rankings at about #140 overall. Even though the book went right back to $3.99 the next day, residual sales for the whole series lasted a couple of weeks. So, Kindle Daily Deals is another promo option that actually works, but I have no idea how you get listed on your own or what it costs. It might be worth some research to find out, though.
So, let's hear your thoughts on Free vs. 99 cents? What camp are you in?
And as a side note, EVERY MOVE SHE MAKES, my first book in the Who's Watching Now series is currently 99 cents and will be all month. I have a BookBub deal scheduled for June 20th, so it will be interesting to see what transpires... Buy it HERE, or check out my other books on my WEBSITE.
15 comments:
In the vast and winding road otherwise known as promo, I'd say I'm right there with you on number 3. As for 1. Moral convictions certainly have their place, but not in the book market. And regarding 2. been there done that, and it was nice while it lasted, which wasn't for long. Even at the 99cent deal, where latest self pub currently resides, the competition is fierce. Bottom line, though, is a good product. Without that, you go nothing.
Margo, I'm afraid most of us are stuck in the can't get noticed zone with our 99 cent sales, but it's nice to know you agree with me!
Thanks for the very timely post, since I've been pondering this whole issue, trying to choose the best strategy for the launch of Boiling Point in the fall. I had the exact same experience as you with my free days for Unwritten Rules but, as you said, that was back in 2013. Trying it again in 2015 with my last book produced minimal results. I also had minimal sales when I put UW on a $.99 sale last September in hopes of drumming up sales for the Christmas book. Now I'll actually have a second book in a series coming out, and I'd like to be smarter with promo. From what I've heard, Book Bub is about the only thing still out there that works, but I'd have to pay for it myself, which would cut into any potential profits big time. I also have no idea if I could get accepted. What a quandry.
Can I say, I hate promo! :-) Just saying that makes me feel better. I totally agree with your assessment, Jannine, and remain in a quandary over this issue. I have a title on sale at $.99 at the moment, and another in July, which means I'm in promo hell, throwing the dice at the wall and hoping for that lucky combination. So far, I've only seen snake eyes. Yeah, I HATE promo.
Alison, if you can get accepted by BookBub, even though it costs about $600, you're almost sure to make your money back and then some. Good luck if you go for it!
Mac, hating promo is an epidemic. LOL I'm supposed to be promoting my current 99 cent sale, too. Maybe we could do something together? Misery loves company.
Writing is my business, so I have to make the best decisions I can with regard to spending money to make money. I'm glad BookBub works for you. Not sure I can afford that, but it might be worth exploring. Thanks for the great information.
Diane, with a pub taking 60% of what I make, I would hesitate to spend that kind of money on promo. Since you're self pubbed you don't have to share. I don't think I've ever heard a single author say they lost money on BookBub, but it is a risk.
I'm stuck on this one, as well. I know it makes sense to offer no/low-cost books to readers so they can sample an author's writing. That's perfectly logical and a well-used business practice. How many times have I tried a new grocery item (or a new author) because it was on sale.
I think the issue with books is that there is now an endless supply of those books. You have to pay Book Bub to get readers' attention, then you have to lose money on each discounted or free sale on the gamble that readers will love the book enough to start clamoring for more. Because if you didn't wow them to that point, they'll just turn to the rest of the thousands of no/low-cost books available. I think that, in general, does devalue the industry. At the same time, I know it's a moot point.
I'm not sure where all this will lead, but it kind of depresses me when I think how readers think it's too much money to spend more than 99 cents on something that took months of hard work and multiple skilled people to produce.
Interesting discussion though.
Your point is well taken, Leah. Your sale book has to make them want more badly enough to actually pay the price of a designer coffee to get the next book in the series. Which speaks to a quality product. Without a great book to entice them, no amount of promoting will produce results.
No one has mentioned the 'R' word. REVIEWS. When Lie Catchers went on the 5 day free sale in 2014 (and I worked all the free and low-cost sites, mind you). I got 15,000 downloads and 60 reviews. That's why Amazon Encore took on Lie Catchers. I tried to make FAINT and FEAR LAND dance to the same tunes in 2015 and failed ... not enough downloads and zip on reviews. So you are right, this is a tough market....mainly because we can't accumulate enough reader reviews to get us to the big show. And this is why some of us are thinking we need agents and a bigger publisher, with a marketing guru who knows where the wind is blowing. For writers, this is a multi-faceted puzzle. But I know we have to slog on and help each other figure out what to do next. We can't/won't give up!
You're right, Rolynn. Reviews are necessary to get on the big sites once the book has been out for a while. Usually at least 20, and Amazon has a nasty habit of pulling them lately.
Late reading this, but very interesting,Jannine. I'm not big on free or the $.99 sale. Neither did much for me. I would love to give BookBub a try.
Brenda, it's frustrating when even free and sale books don't get noticed. All we can do is keep trying.
Sorry I'm late commenting, Jannine. As you well know, this topic is a tad personal to me. :) I agree with everything you said. And, as far as devaluing our work, even though that is a phrase I've used repeatedly, if I thought that offering book 1 in a series was a magic door to success, I would be all for it. As you mentioned, it used to be, but no more. I think free books should be used as a marketing tool, but unfortunately, if you search on Amazon for 'free book' you will get endless pages of offerings. Readers are discouraged to EVER pay for a book.
I think my camp is, an occasional temporary freebie is fine, 99 cent books are great, and offering a freebie through a different avenue, such as downloading from your website, rather than all vendors, is a good move. At least it brings visitors to your site and if they download your book through that method, they are probably really interested.
Yes, book bub is pretty much guaranteed success, if you can get in. So glad your publisher has gotten you there. Great article!
Thanks for your comments, Ally. We have our first Christmas progressive novel and our first book of Christmas short stories free on our Rose of Prose website. We've actually had tons of downloads, so hopefully all those people read and enjoyed them! You're right, though. No one would bother to go to the trouble of clicking through to a website unless they were motivated to read the book!
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