Here’s my annual analysis of my marketing efforts. This is pretty much all that I do in the way of marketing: I run a promo every month in a different email/newsletter.
The bar graphs are screenshots from my Amazon KDP reports. Each blue bar shows the total number of books that were ordered that month. Since I have a six-book series, the full-series promo at Written Word Media always brings in the most orders. A full-series promo is pricey at $170, but cost-effective for promoting the six books all at one time. Once they start reading, people tend to buy every book in the Waterspell series. Thank you, dear readers!
In 2024, I again branched out from my regulars (Book Barbarian, Fussy Librarian, Written Word Media, Hello Books, and EReader News Today). I added Robin Reads to the rotation, and it did well. I discovered Robin Reads via this handy, helpful list of Recommended Book Promo Sites by Nicholas Erik. Thank you, Nicholas!
My Bargain Booksy experiment (February 2024) was a flop because I did not discount The Karenina Chronicles from its list price of $3.99. I thought that was a bargain price already, but Bargain Booksy subscribers disagreed. The next time I try it, I will drop the price to $1.99, which is as low as I go.
To see how my choices and experiences have evolved over time, you can look at my earlier posts on this subject — 2023’s Book Promo Sites: Ranked and Updated, 2022’s Book Promotion Sites: Ranked, and back to 2021 when I was Focusing the Plan.
I hate marketing and I’m really bad at it. Running paid promos in newsletters is the easiest and most effective approach I have found. Most of these promos cost $45 to $65. I budget to run one a month (rotating among these sites, and sometimes doubling up with less-expensive ads at BookDoggy and ManyBooks). When funds allow, I splurge on a $170 Written Word Media full-series promo.
What promo sites do you recommend? What have your experiences been with pay-per-click ads at Amazon, BookBub, and Facebook? I have tried those, but I’ve found them to be way overpriced and ineffective for my books.
This is really useful – many thanks for sharing. I’m coming to the same conclusion; the promos seem the best use of time/money. I like the idea of rotating the chosen partner each month. I notice your ebook is widely available, so you’re not constrained by the KDP select ‘5 free days per 3 month’ limit. How many promo days do you set each month?
Roger P. Heath
Thanks for your comment, Roger. For the last couple of years, I ran one promo each month, rotating amongst the sites that have produced acceptable results. Each of these are one-day promotions. One day per month has been enough to keep my Amazon sales ranking reasonably healthy and visible. But in 2025, I have hardly done any promotion at all. Real life has intruded. Over the holiday season this winter, I hope to get back on schedule with the one-a-month effort. Best of luck with your marketing. It’s not the fun part of writing!