LIZZIE AND LOU SEAL is FREE as an
ebook
August 30, 2017 to September
5, 2017
It's the end of summer and Lizzie
has to go back to school, so I decided to give as many summer Lizzie ebooks
away as possible! Oh, snap.
Here's what's real. I've been
looking for new ways to market LIZZIE AND LOU SEAL since there are so few
independent bookstores promoting new books. I had heard about BookBub being a
marketing service, so when I attended Book Expo America I sat in on BookBub's workshop.
I was suspicious, as no business outside the publishing house markets your book
for free . . .
As an author/illustrator, this is
what (I think) I've learned. Readers of ebooks sign up with BookBub for free at BookBub.com. BookBub has a
group of authors. BookBub sends emails to their readers each week presenting selected ebooks from their authors which are free or really cheap.
How do you become a BookBub author?
First, you have to apply to be listed as one of BookBub authors. That's free.
It can be a self-published book. For picture books, I understand you need more than 20 good
reviews on Amazon or Goodreads to be accepted. I suspect they check to see how
many social media followers you have too, but I don't know that.
Here is the link: www.bookbub.com/launch
I applied and was accepted. Author/illustrators then want to apply for a Featured Deal. A Featured Deal costs $80.00. The tricky bit is that your publishing house must agree to make your ebook free or really cheap on the week that BookBub offers you.
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| ©pkeeler 2017 |
When I was at Book Expo America, I
talked to Sky Pony's marketing manager and a representative from BookBub about
getting a Featured Deal. Everybody
seemed fine with the idea. I applied for a Featured
Deal and was accepted. I paid my $80.00 to BookBub.
BookBub has millions of subscribers, but
the children's category is still getting going. I'm not sure how many
children's books readers or authors BookBub has. I know there are some great picture
books on BookBub like Lisa Falkenstern's gorgeous book STEAMPUNK ABC!
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| ©pkeeler 2017 |
From what I understand, BookBub Featured Deals increase hard cover
sales. That may be because ebooks featured through BookBub deals give readers more
exposure to an author/illustrator's work. It may be that readers like to see
the entire book before they buy it in hardcover, like in
bookstores. I've started downloading any free BookBub picture ebooks that look interesting
just to browse through them.
I don't know how BookBub makes
their money. Eighty dollars doesn't seem like much. Also, I don't know how to
determine a BookBub Featured Deals
impact on sales. I'm not even sure my Featured Deal will really happen. Here's hoping. . .
Here's a YouTube desktop interview by Orna Ross from the Alliance of Independent Authors with Katie Donelan from BookBub.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtyhCFMJhhQ
Here's a YouTube desktop interview by Orna Ross from the Alliance of Independent Authors with Katie Donelan from BookBub.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtyhCFMJhhQ
Facebook: PatriciaKeelerBooks
Good luck hope the FREE gambit helps your books sales!!!
ReplyDeleteI figured just jump in to trying new marketing methods. I feel like I'm running ahead of the evil bots, but sort of like those dream sequences.
DeleteI love your new illustrations of Lizzie!!! Makes me sad summer is almost over. It's interesting to offer the book for free, but I love my hardcover!!!
ReplyDeleteHardcover is precious to me. When I first got L&LS I knocked on it. Just couldn't get it in my mind it was real!
DeleteThis is VERY interesting, Patricia. I'm intending to tweet this for you during that week. I hope this works for you! :)
ReplyDeleteI know. It's definitely a challenge finding new ways to market. I'll post about how it works out. But I figured it would be good to try some new ways . . .
ReplyDeleteThey're most definitely precious to me too! :)
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