KDP Select and my thoughts
I, like many other authors, have opted to participate in the Kindle Direct Publishing Select or KDP program. Honestly, I am still on the fence about it. In hindsight, I should have waited until I had a second book to offer before I enrolled but since my Barnes & Nobles sales were so miniscule I figured why not?
I took advantage of the "free promotion" days and offered my book for free on 1/16 for one day only. KDP allows for five (5) free promotion days per title, during the 90 day enrollment period. I was leery about offering my book for free because I know that some people will download or get something just because it is free. There is no real interest in the item, the interest lies in the fact that you got something for nothing.
Results I ended up giving away 1200 copies. I have to admit, the number shocked me. I assumed that at the most I would end up giving away a couple hundred but each time my ranking increased I got nervous. I had all sorts of ridiculous thoughts: "Did my entire core audience just get my one and only book for free", "Who is left that will buy it?", "I just did the dumbest thing ever". However, the next day I did end up selling nine copies; more than I have ever sold in one day. I had been languishing in Amazon ebook obscurity for a while there. I went from a ranking nearing #300K in ebooks to a peak of #202 at one point during my "promo" day. I had 18 downloads in Amazon.UK and 3 downloads in Amazon Denmark. I even got a borrow! Each subsequent day I have gotten at least three sales per day.
So I have to do a "wait & see" to determine if it was in fact a prudent marketing maneuver. There is just not enough data to justify me believing it was a worthwhile venture. Again, I do not have a second book, series, or the like in my catalog so I cannot default to, "The promotion boosted sales in my other titles", like many others have claimed.
You may be wondering what would make me feel as if it was a worthwhile exploit? Because the books are gone, the deed is done and I can't get them back. Well, I feel that if of the 1200 downloads I can get 10-20 reviews THEN I feel it would have be worth it for me.
I doubt that I am going to take advantage of the other 4 days that Amazon offers though. It was too ulcer-inducing a moment for me.
I took advantage of the "free promotion" days and offered my book for free on 1/16 for one day only. KDP allows for five (5) free promotion days per title, during the 90 day enrollment period. I was leery about offering my book for free because I know that some people will download or get something just because it is free. There is no real interest in the item, the interest lies in the fact that you got something for nothing.
Results I ended up giving away 1200 copies. I have to admit, the number shocked me. I assumed that at the most I would end up giving away a couple hundred but each time my ranking increased I got nervous. I had all sorts of ridiculous thoughts: "Did my entire core audience just get my one and only book for free", "Who is left that will buy it?", "I just did the dumbest thing ever". However, the next day I did end up selling nine copies; more than I have ever sold in one day. I had been languishing in Amazon ebook obscurity for a while there. I went from a ranking nearing #300K in ebooks to a peak of #202 at one point during my "promo" day. I had 18 downloads in Amazon.UK and 3 downloads in Amazon Denmark. I even got a borrow! Each subsequent day I have gotten at least three sales per day.
So I have to do a "wait & see" to determine if it was in fact a prudent marketing maneuver. There is just not enough data to justify me believing it was a worthwhile venture. Again, I do not have a second book, series, or the like in my catalog so I cannot default to, "The promotion boosted sales in my other titles", like many others have claimed.
You may be wondering what would make me feel as if it was a worthwhile exploit? Because the books are gone, the deed is done and I can't get them back. Well, I feel that if of the 1200 downloads I can get 10-20 reviews THEN I feel it would have be worth it for me.
I doubt that I am going to take advantage of the other 4 days that Amazon offers though. It was too ulcer-inducing a moment for me.
date
newest »
newest »
message 1:
by
Loretta
(new)
Jan 21, 2012 12:39PM
This is interesting to learn, as I had been pondering if I should do this or not. But, as we discussed previously, you may receive more of a stronger following by the chance of this opportunity. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors.
reply
|
flag
Loretta wrote: "This is interesting to learn, as I had been pondering if I should do this or not. But, as we discussed previously, you may receive more of a stronger following by the chance of this opportunity. I ..."Thank you Loretta! You always offer such encouraging words.
You're welcome, L.D., let's learn and grow in this literary industry.
