So, you read my article on why Amazon ads are not great for debut, Indie authors and want to learn how to promote your book to a wider audience? I’ve got great news for you—use free promotions.
Free promotions, you say?
I’m not interested in giving my book away. I want to make money.
Patience grasshopper. So, do I. If you get lucky, you’re that Indie author who publishes an immediate best seller. For most of us, it’s a long grind that takes dedication and perseverance to build a fanbase so that eventually you’ll sell your books and make a profit.
If you’re looking for exposure to a wider audience, I recommend using Amazon’s five-day, free promotional opportunity. Before we proceed, there are important points to consider and apply specifically to this article:
- Your book must be for sale through Amazon
- You must enroll your book in KDP Select, which means your eBook can only be sold through Amazon
- You can only run this promotion for up to five days per 90-day KDP period. I recommend reading this for more information: Free Book Promotions
I posted a video of my experiences using this promotion and here are the results of my five-day giveaway:
- March 17, 2025 – 257 books
- March 19, 2025 – 89 books
- March 20, 2025 – 51 books
- March 21, 2025 – 30 books
- Total (4 days) – 427 books
But Russell, that’s only four days and I thought you said you gave away 975 books?
I’m showing the four days first because this effort cost me no money. The promotion for all these books was on me. My marketing consisted of postings to X, Facebook, and Instagram mostly. Thank you my fellow Indie authors for supporting me by reposting my ads. Without spending a dime, I gave away almost 430 copies of my book. Not too shabby.
Why You Should Consider Running a Paid Promotion
Now, let’s talk about Tuesday, March 18, 2025. I paid Fussy Librarian a one-time $55.00 fee:
Promote Your Free Ebook with The Fussy Librarian – Author Portal.
They promoted my book on their website and in their newsletter that day. They boast 570,000 subscribers but also break it down by genre. In my case, fantasy, they have 345,000 subscribers. Prices vary by genre, so if you have a horror book, it’s only $38.00. If you have a mystery, it’s $79.00. Check your genre for specific pricing.
During my one-day paid promotion, I gave away 547 copies!
That’s over 100 copies more than the other four days combined!
I’ve seen other Indie authors with more exposure than me, who used Fussy Librarian and gave away many more copies than I did. Between what I’ve seen and what I’ve personally experienced, I confidently recommend them. I’ve had authors tell me they had good luck with Book Barbarian, but since I have not personally used that service, I cannot give my recommendation—but you should check it out for yourself.
Why Free is Better Than $.99
Let’s face it—when you price your eBook at $.99 you’re basically giving it away free. The average royalties for a book at that price is $.35. When you sell at this price your objective is getting your books out to as many readers as possible, not making serious money.
I’ve tried selling my eBook for $.99 and while I’ve sold more copies than when it’s priced at $4.99, it’s nothing compared to the amount I gave away during this promotion.
I recommend instead, pricing your eBook competitively (whatever that means for you and your genre) and when you feel you want to blast it out there, use the 5-day free-promotion. I think in the long-run you’ll move more books that way and if anything, your royalties may increase over time based on selling at the higher price.
Everything I’ve said pertains to you running a promotion solo. If you choose to band together, such as with the Author Megasale, where authors group up and agree to sell their books at $.99, that’s a different matter, and one I support—but that’s because you’re leveraging a group to increase visibility, not trying to do it all on your own.
Hope you find this helpful. I’m always interested to hear what works for you. I’m still learning and would love some tips myself.