What can you expect when you put an ebook in promotion?

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Porch where eNovel authors gather to chat.

We hope to answer that question here. This is the second in a series of articles in which indie authors share their actual experiences in the  ehow of

ebook promotion. Exactly where and how do you sell your book? What must you do to get it in front of readers? Some of us have limited experience, some have none, and some indie authors are savvy. One of the most confusing aspects of indie authorship is e-promotion in our ever-changing market.  New indie authors often have unreasonable expectations. Some authors exaggerate their sales. So how do you figure out what is best for your book? It is not easy. It is work to promote and it costs.  A promotion budget and a well-designed campaign is crucial.  In this series indie authors tell exact figures of costs and downloads and if they see a  return on investment or not.

A FACT NO INDIE AUTHOR CAN AVOID…

Unless your book is visible to the digital reading public, it will languish on a cybershelf.

Let’s get on with it. Here is  Amy Vansant, the author of four fiction titles and three non-fiction. In her own words…

Follow Amy Vansant on Amazon

166 Five Star Reviews since promotion

“Honestly, the first time the idea of promoting a book free was suggested to me, I was offended.  I spent years writing my first book and now I was supposed to GIVE it away! Why would anyone EVER pay for it? Since my first free campaign though, I’m hooked. There’s no better way to get a new  audience for a book and sales and borrows followed.  My first free campaign I saw 26,000 downloads. After it returned to price, it gathered sales, reviews and crossover sales. Next, I was encouraged to submit to Bookbub and astonished that Pineapple Lies, the first book in my Pineapple Port series, was accepted. Downloads were an astronomical 72,000 units. Within three hours of Pineapple Lies returning to priced, I noticed 293 borrows and 46 sales.  I published the book on April 8, 2015. Promotion cost me $760. I’ve since earned it all back plus a lovely return on investment.”

Here’s are some stats…

During the promotion Pineapple Lies  hovered between #12 & #1  on TOP 100 FREE
Once back to priced:  Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #895 Paid in Kindle Store
#16 in Literature & Fiction > Women’s Fiction > Humor
#23 in Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery > Cozy
Another title, Slightly Stalky is selling at 10-13 units a day.
Pineapple Lies has since collected more than 280 reviews.

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As mentioned above, Amy’s  first free run was managed without a Bookbub, which is the premier promo site on which we indie authors strive to snag a slot.  Those slots are hard to snag, so we use other promo sites that deliver downloads on free runs and sales on KCD  or just straight discounted units. Amy Vansant‘s titles are exclusive to Amazon Select.  Which means if you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited, you can read them for FREE.  You can find out more about Amy and the authors in this series by visiting eNovel Authors at Work. To learn more about how to choose the best promotion sites read Here. Another member of eNovel, Effrosyni Moschoudi  has compiled a fabulous list of promoter sites, free and paid. Get the list Here. For more actual figures and reports on promotions visit Carol Bodensteiner.com

Please do sign up for my newsletter which is always chock full of free and discounted books, sometimes notice of Rafflecopters or other exciting events. Usually sent out once a month or less ~ all from the authors in eNovel Authors at Work.

I’m Jackie Weger. Thank you for visiting. We hope the information in this series of articles is helpful as you plan and design  ebook promotion. You are welcome to leave questions in Comments. We will answer them to the best of our ability.