I'm an author. A great one if you ask me.
9 of my titles are conventionally published.
5 (maybe 6 now - I can't remember) are not.
For the titles that I own the rights to and self published, I took a whirl (or 3) with the Amazon KDP Select program. You know how it goes . . . put it in the program exclusively for 90 days, get 5 "free" days in return, get a million zillion downloads and then thousands of sales after that along with new readers.
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah.
I've tried it a few times. Didn't quite work like that for me. Here's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Upload my properly formatted book with links to my other works - check
Great cover - uh . . . beauty is in the eye of the beholder right? Check.
Schedule some promotional dates - check.
Link up with E-reader News Today, Pixel of Ink and 40 other "we'll help you" sites - check.
Beg people to download a free copy via social networks sites with automated posts - check.
Now here's where it gets "fun" . . .
Wait and watch the zillion downloads roll in . . . Well I've got the waiting part down to a science. Still working on watching the zillion downloads roll in. I can't seem to get that part right.
Make the top 100 free downloads list, or just improve your overall rankings to set yourself up for future sales once your campaign ends. Mmm-hmm. I can't even PAY people to help me get there.
See increase sales for a few days/weeks/months after your promos. Ummm . . . did I miss a step or two? I keep clicking on the refresh button, but I'm not seeing that happen. Is something wrong with my computer?
Anyway - I'm definitely team Amazon, and have nothing against the KDP Select program, but have my results catapulted me to earning my mortgage payment every month? Nope. Close to it? Not even.
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So, here is my final test. I'm having a free promo day today - for my short story release - Lisa's Dress. Plain and simple, I'd like you to "like" it, then download it. Then I'd like you to:
Tweet it
Share it
Stumble it
Linked In it
Pinterest it
Pinterest it
Blog it
Delicious it
Google Plus it
"All-the-ones-I-can't think of" it
And oh yeah - and finally write a review for it when you're done to show your appreciation that it was free. Okay if you would just do the first two, I'd appreciate it. Honestly.
If you don't want to do that - can you leave a comment?
Please??? Pretty please with sugar on top? :-)
Hope you enjoyed this post! I'll be back later with results!
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18 comments:
Some did have results like you referred to but most didn't. Like anything else, the first few who did it had amazing results. Once enough people got in on the game, results were watered down.
It's a tool. If it works, do it. If it doesn't, try something else. Or, at least change up how you're doing it.
Same here. At first, (Jan-Feb 2012)thousands of downloads. Now down to hundreds over a two-three day promo. Once you break the surface of the water on Kindle, everyone sees you- before then, you are drowning in mediocrity.
I've had both good and bad results with KDP select. The first time I did it, my YA got around 4000 dowmloads and a few good reviews. The sales were not astounding. The second time I did a free day, it was for romantic women's fiction novel and I got close to 22000 downloads and a lot of sales afterward. But I also got to taste the bitter side of going free. A few 1 star reviews from people who were obviously outside my target audience. But it's been a month or so and sales have slowed down a bit but they haven't stopped. I don't know if I'd do it again (given the negative consequences) but I probably will when I'm brave enough to face the sting that might follow.
Kimberly, i'll look for your book, let people know, read it, and review it. I hope it works for u this time.
Thanks everyone! As it stands right now - I'm at a whopping 52 downloads. Oh well. I'm not complaining - it is what it is.
In the words of Kirk Franklin "If at first you don't succeed, give up and try som'n else!"
Seriously, I'm grateful for the results I HAVE had with the program. Just would be nice to pay my mortgage at least once with my Amazon money. Either that or buy shoes!
Thank you for offering your book for free. I am downloading right now onto my Kindle Fire. Thank you for the insights as well regarding KDP Select. Best wishes to you and may your book sales soar! :)
Kimerly, I grabbed Lisa's dress (don't know if it'll fit me, though).
Tweeting it out through the Tribe, best of luck!
Thank you Anonymous person and Ruby! I truly appreciate your support. Ruby, it's not all chick-lit-ish. Hopefully you can enjoy the story!
Personally, we, and I, found it to be an Epic Fail.
Tweeting about your book for you though. ;)
Thanks so much for your additional support Gina! Lol @ it being an epic fail! I can't quite call my un-success with it epic, just not stellar results. Or results that pays the bills.
Kimberly,
Your description says it's a short story, but the categories listed on the Amazon page are non-fiction. Maybe the confusion is causing some problems?
FWIW, I love the cover!!!
I noticed that too and changed the categories. Let's see what difference it makes.
FIFW??? I'm not familiar with that one, but I'm glad you like the cover. Thanks!
Just downloaded your book, Kimberley and look forward to it - I certainly enjoyed reading your post! Hope that by now your book has shot up to within the 100th position on the free best seller list...and preferably below!
This said, I'm convinced that going free is useless unless you've got other books (at least 5 or 6) to sell. That's important because if people like your free book they'll come back and buy your other books. Since you do, it should work for you!
Thanks Claude! I really appreciate your supporting download! We will see what happens on the back end as far as other sales. :-)
PS - haven't hit that top 100 yet. 481 slots to go!
My last experience with the KDP Free Days was an emotional roller coaster.
I had almost 8000 downloads, I was #1 in action adventure and #2 in ghost story. I thought I had "arrived".
The minute the free days ended, my book got kicked back down into oblivion and I sold 8 books in the following 2 weeks!
It did work for me with my book The Aunt Sally Team, but i've no idea why. The first promo made me a very good month's earnings in the few days after it went back to paid and got me into the Amazon UK top 100 paid,but the results gradually trickled away.
i've just done a second promo but with less success, though still sold quite a few books. My experience has been that you get a big sales boost but it doesn't last. It's quite disheartening to see your book sinking gradually down the rankings again. But I was still selling around 10 books a day when i did the second promo. Before the first promo the book was too far down the rankings to be visible.
Doing the promos has got me a lot of new readers and several very nice 5 star reviews. All of that was in the UK - the book didn't make a dent in Amazon US sales.
I have no idea why it works for some people and not for others. I would surmise that, like everything else in the publishing filed, it depends on how well others are doing at the time, how people are feeling that day and a host of other unpredictable factors.
Flick.
Emotional roller coaster indeed Kathleen! I've not even gotten 1,000 downloads this go round but *shrug* oh well. I guess I've come to not expect a whole lot.
Flick, glad to hear that it worked for you! That is awesome. Wish I could say the same, but I'm happy you and those like you who've been able to line their pockets, even if it's short lived.
And I thought it was just me that felt that way about KDP select. I couldn't really see any difference between that and trying to sell it normally, you still have to do all the promotional bits on your own.
Good luck with the free promo, I am doing mine on its first free promo also today, so will see if it leads to huge sales... or even just a couple would be nice, or a review, or a thank you.
Sorry I missed this yesterday, Kimberly. I would've posted it everywhere. I was away from the house writing ALL day. Finally...
Let me know how it turned out.
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