Similar Posts

22 Comments

  1. BB is so powerful, great share.

    On a side not, it’s crazy that many authors still question email list building and don’t build their own lists.. BB just proves that you need it.

    And the new Follow feature from BB is amazing. Such great free marketing.. this will make quite some money and best seller tags for many authors!

  2. Thank you for reading! I agree that having your own email list is extremely important. And yes, I was thrilled when BB launched their author profiles and “notifications” feature. When it comes to getting the word out, every little bit helps!

  3. I had two novels, both aimed at the middle aged and above woman.
    I had a small advertisement, cost AU$375 in a woman’s magazine with a readership of 500,000.
    Number of sales. Zero
    Number of hits on the website. Zero
    Two weeks ago I had a press release in my local newspaper on my third book about to be released.
    Result was the same.
    I have a hit counter on the website so I can tell how many visitors I have.
    What am I doing wrong.

    1. Harry, we don’t know enough to comment on your experience. I *can* say, though, that advertising in a magazine is different from advertising in a daily deal newsletter for booklovers like BookBub — you can’t compare the 2.

      Sandy

    2. A long time ago, I tried magazine advertising for a vegetarian cookbook in a high-circulation vegetarian magazine and the perfect target demographic. It resulted in no sales that I could discern. I was upset until I realized I had never purchased a book from a magazine ad myself. These email newsletters like BookBub are targeted to people who want to buy with one click. You can’t do that with a magazine. I think BookBub ads work so well partly because they are so selective and readers have learned to trust the recommendations.

      As for press releases, they work better if they are promoting something “newsy” like an event. For example, if I wanted to write one for my vegetarian cookbook, a release about a free cooking class would probably get more interest than one about a new book. Thousands of new books are released every day, so it’s not big news.

  4. I have been using BookBub ads since January of 2013, and every one has much more than paid for itself. I advertise a permafree Book I of a trilogy, so any revenue comes from sales of the next two books.

    I first approached BookBub after getting a great review from the Historical Novel Society, a traditional reviewer that had just opened up to indies. I mentioned that review when I applied to BookBub, and I think they accepted my book on the strength of it, so be sure to mention any traditional reviews you may have, especially if you don’t yet have many customer reviews.

    And keep trying. Some seasons of the year (Christmas) are more difficult than others in terms of securing a spot.

  5. What timing to see your post tonight as I am doing a BookBub on Friday (1/29) for TERRANCE TALKS TRAVEL: A POCKET GUIDE TO SOUTH AFRICA. I submitted it to them and received the news four days later that I had been accepted. I’m told that’s very unusual and then I read your post so I feel better about spending the $265 they charged for giving the book away! Thanks for sharing your experience and that great BookBub infographic. Here’s hoping for the best!

  6. Thanks for the insight into BookBub. I’ve considered using them and haven’t yet taken the plunge. This article offers great food for thought and the tips about make the cost zero somewhere else so Amazon will pick it up and doing a pre-release campaign were an added bonus. Thanks!

  7. This article was very helpful. Author have so many avenues to market their books, and not enough testimonial on what works, and where one should focus. It was interesting to learn that Bookbub creates exclusivity by now accepting every book, which then increases the trust for those books accepted. Quite clever.

    1. It’s definitely interesting, Isabelle. I suspect that book readers aren’t as aware of the exclusivity as we are. All they know is that they sign up for the emails, select the genres they read, and get deals every day. What they care about is that they’re getting a discounted price, and that they like the books when they read them. They don’t know much more than that — that authors pay for those newsletter slots, that they’re competitive, etc. So…the exclusivity increases the trust among those of us in “the business,” but the average consumer is unaware of it.

      Sandy

  8. When I look up costs for a Bookbub ad, they are over $1200 and over. Yet, you say you paid no more than a couple hundred. Am I looking at the wrong cost list?

    Elaine

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *