Hello, lovelies!
I wanted to do an elaborate post about Writer’s Block (which will likely be my next topic here at the SMP blog), but it’s been a crazy few months and I’m a little short on time (deadlines abound in all aspects of my life). I figured I’d discuss paid promotions today instead as I’ve been researching them this morning. Have you ever tried them? Which companies have worked best for you?
Promotions I’ve tried:
Book Bub: The ultimate and very pricy. Hoping to get a spot when my next book releases! *fingers crossed*
Book Sends: Trying it out when RELEASING THE DEMONS goes on sale this month.
Bargain Booksy: Also trying this one out. We shall see.
EReader News Today: Been attempting this one, have yet to get a spot in time. Hopefully this month. Heard great things about it.
I Love Vampire Novels: Predominantly PNR. I received a discount for my initial run of RtD at full price, but they’re very expensive ($77 per spot). They’ve also started a spinoff called “Romance Devoured” for non-PNR romances, which is cheaper. Haven’t tried it (obviously) but it may work for others. Didn’t get enough return for my money, but I may try them again with my next release and with RtD on sale.
BKNights on Fiver: Not a bad return for a $10 gig. No strong feelings either way.
Fussy Librarian, Choosy Bookworm, Awesome Gang and Book Hearts: Didn’t receive a big return from these, however, my book wasn’t on sale at the time. Prices aren’t awful (although Choosy Bookworm and Awesome Gang prices have skyrocketed), so use at your own discretion.
Other good ones I’ve heard about but have yet to attempt: Robin Reads and Free Kindle Books and Tips.
What about you, fellow author? Please share your experiences and knowledge! And for you, fellow reader, do you join lists such as Book Bub and Book Sends? Or do you prefer word of mouth when choosing your next read? How often do you buy books through these companies?
BACK TO WORK! *vanishes into a vortex of fire and brimstone*
smpauthors.wordpress.com 
L.D. – Did you know Book Bub now has a new release newsletter? And you don’t have to pay to participate. It’s still relatively new, but it’s worth a shot. 🙂 For my March 16 release, I’ve partnered with Book Enthusiast Promotions for a larger “blitz.” So far I’ve been impressed by their participation, responsiveness, and flexibility (even on very short notice). I have friends who rave about Tasty Book Tours.
I picked a company because they already have connections for marketing and a large following across of multitude of channels. In the end, the convenience and experience outweighed the price for me.
Good luck!
Mia
I did know this, Mia! Thanks for bringing it up. 😀 I’ll be using it this summer/fall for my next release (hopefully). I’ve heard great things about Book Enthusiast and Tasty…glad you’ve had a great experience with them! I may use Bewitching Blog Tours for my next release but we’ll see. 😀
Thanks for the suggestions and input! And thanks for stopping by!
Robin Reads, I thought, was a good one. 🙂
Reasonable priced too.
I’ll have to try it, Melissa! Thanks for the input and for stopping by. 😀
Robin Reads, I thought, was pretty good. Reasonably priced too.
Great info! Thanks for sharing.
Glad to help! Thanks for stopping by, Debbie! 😀
I have not tried any of the paid promotions yet but I am very curious if they work or not. I have my fingers crossed that they shoot your sales and ratings into the stratosphere! 😃
Thanks, Amy! I hope so! I’m pretty new to it myself, so we’ll see how it goes. I figure it’s worth a shot. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
I have only tried The Fussy Librarian and had a decent spike in sales. I’ve also used paid advertising in BTS and InD’Tale magazines. Each time, I see a small unswing in sales for a week but nothing huge and it doesn’t last long. I’d like to try others, and of course Book Bub. How did it get to be so big and pricey?
Upswing… stupid autocorrect.
I’ve only tried one paid ad in BTS and didn’t get much from it. I hear such mixed things about paid ads. I remember my MIL told me about BookBub years ago, so they’ve been around for quite some time. Probably one of the first of its kind, hence its popularity.
Thanks for stopping by and for the input! 😀
Reblogged this on L.D. ROSE.
Thanks for the info. This is awesome.
You’re very welcome, hope it helps!
Not too much to add, but I’m reading this with great interest since I have my new release in April.
I have heard good things about Choosy Bookworm and Book Bub (need ten reviews first??). I used NetGalley for my last release and got some reviews but they weren’t posted anywhere and thus don’t seem to “count.” I did get a discount on Net Galley through Broad Universe. I am going to use a book promotion site this time instead of a social media publicist. It will cost much less and based on the number of bloggers and authors Books n Pearls got for my cover reveal next week, I thing the reach will be very good.
Book Bub is extremely competitive and I hear the magic number for them is 50 reviews. Books N Pearls is a great way to go, Nicole is awesome!
Thanks for the input and for stopping by, Carole. 😀
I tried Book Sends and I got a decent bump in sales. Book Bubs sounds interesting and I want to try Romance EBook Deals. I also want to do a book tour with Tasty, they have so many bloggers and reviewers.
Thanks, still feeling my way through all the marketing hullabaloo.
Tema Merback
Writing as Belle Ami
Thanks for stopping by, Tema! I haven’t heard much about Romance EBook Deals, but will check them out!
There are so many of these paid promo people that I get dizzy trying to figure it all out. They fill up my inbox, I wonder if most people do what I do and that is “delete”.
Great list Linda, but you don’t mention results. Did any promotion you tried justify itself or rather pay for itself in Sales?
Or, is the purpose of a promotion just to say my book is out there.
It’s the Scottish in me asking the question.
Most of my promos have either broken even or fallen short. I haven’t done many, obviously, but some authors swear by them. I’m giving them a shot and seeing what happens. A few at a time here and there during a sale. Then (hopefully) I’ll have a clear marketing plan for the next book.
Honestly, I can’t say any of the advertising I did made a big enough difference when the expense and time is factored in.
Good point Terri-Lynne. I guess I’m trying to get a base of readers and hoping not to spend too much on advertising in the future. I figure it’s worth a shot to try and if it fails, well, I’ve learned my lesson!
Thanks for the list! Keep us posted on your results. 👍
Will do, Maura! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Thanks for all the info!
You’re very welcome, Roni! 🙂