As part of my
Author Advice section on this blog, I've put together an alphabetical list of websites where you can promote your sale books at a discount price. I've geared this list toward .99 to $2.99 sale days rather than free days. I recommend contacting the sites below at least two to three weeks prior to your book sale.
Where I can, I've included site stats (updated 4/15) so you know just how far your dollar is going. While browsing, if you notice a site I've left off the list, feel free to
EMAIL ME and I'll get it added.
One last thing, sites with the word BEST next to the site name are my preferred sites, meaning they're the ones I feel offer the biggest bang for your buck and what has worked out well for me in the mystery/thriller genre.
Updated Summer 2016
PAID PROMOTIONAL SITES
To list your books on this site, you have to purchase a "supporter pack" for $15. Once this is done, you fill out a form and submit your books. To be honest, I've haven't tried their services yet.
You can list your book as the book of the day for $50, and they offer a few other options as well. They have 18K members.
Betty's Book Freak -
NEW 2016
Most features are $12/$15
On this site, they only feature one author each day. The cost is $22 and you'll need to book at least a month in advance. I was just on their site and the next opening isn't for five weeks. A bit of advice here. They allow you to run up to five books for the same price, so take advantage of that. Running just one may not give you a big ROI. Books must be on sale for $2.99 or less.
BookBub is, of course, the crown jewel of all advertising sites. And it may be difficult to get accepted, but if you don't, keep trying. The cost is expensive, but I've always made much more than what I paid initially, even when paying $800 for a .99 mystery ad. They do have specific
requirements which must be met.
Pricing depends on genre.
You won't get the same results as you do from a BookBub ad, but the ad is a fraction of the cost, so take that into consideration. The last ad I ran in the mystery category was $50 and had 200 downloads, so it was still well worth it for me personally. I have heard other authors say they didn't do as well.
I absolutely love advertising on Booksends. They're fast, easy to work with, and accommodating. And the ROI has always been worth it for me. They even allow you to use your affiliate link if you have one (and you should have one). The number of subscribers in each genre is listed right on their page with mystery being the cream of the crop. Advertising is between $10 and $50.
Book Tweeters *NEW TO THE LIST*
This is a tweeting promo service. They have over 400K followers, and packages start at $19 for 1 day/36 tweets.
Books Butterfly
Several options here. A bit on the pricey side, but they do offer a guarantee and a refund if your sales aren't that great. You pay based on the subscriber list you choose.
Booktastik
They have about 3,000 subscribers in most genres, and it costs $5 or $10 to advertise.
Choosy Bookworm
$18 to be included in the newsletter and on their site for the day. They say they have thousands of email subscribers, but I am not sure about the exact number. 70 page minimum, 4.0+ or better on 8 reviews.
This site is a mere five bucks to advertise on. I've never used their services. The ad runs through
Fiverr. According to the page, the reach is 15K.
There are several advertising options on this site. Their email subscriber list is over 13K and they get about 22K visitors to the site each week.
Discount Books Daily
$10 to advertise most genres.
$10 to be the featured book of the day. 1K email subscribers, 6K Facebook fans, 500 Twitter followers. Requirements: 8 reviews, 3.5+ ranking, $4.99 or less.
eBook Booster BEST
IMHO an absolute must when you're running a sale. This site is $25 to advertise your book deal on 25 of the free book deal sites. Trust me when I say the time you save is well worth the money.
eBook Deals for Nook & Kindle
For five bucks they'll promote your book on their
Facebook page with almost 8k readers. Must have a minimum of 5 reviews, a 4* or higher rating, and more than 100 pages.
58K Facebook fans, 4K visits to their site daily, 2K email subscribers. $20 to advertise a bargain book. Books must be $2.99 or less, have at least 10 reviews, and a 4.0+ average ranking.
eBook Juice *NEW 2016*
This is for books running a sale with KDP Select/KU. Prices vary depending on genre size, and they list subscriber numbers when you sign up. Prices are between $40 and $200.
eBook Soda
$10 to promote.
eBooks Habit
Different pricing here, but the guaranteed placement is $10.
Their visibility is 80K and the cost is $35 to be the featured book of the day. Books needs to be at least 100 pages, have a minimum of 3 reviews, and a 4.0+ average ranking. Right now they are two months out, so you need to book way in advance.
9K Facebook followers, The Book of the Week feature is $49. I honestly don't know much more than this. Navigating their site was confusing.
Books must be 125 pages or more, and you cannot promote the same book within a three month period.
Pricing is based on the genre of the book and the price of the book, which seems to run between $15 and $100. They have started getting pickier about books they approve (2016).
This is a site I haven't used for a while, so I can't speak to its current effectiveness, but it is a good way to gain exposure. Prices run between $10 and $100. They feature your book and your bio, host a giveaway, etc. all depending on the package you choose.
For books priced .99 or less. For an $8 donation, your book will be promoted to 1K eBook subscribers and 31K Twitter users.
They start at $15 a day to promote your book, and $20 to add social media. Their social media outlets include Google+ (800), Facebook (3K), Pinterest (4.8K), and Twitter (16.8K), with the bulk of their reach coming from Twitter.
Free eBooks Daily
$25 to be the .99 book of the day. They have over 15K email subscribers.
One of my favorite places to advertise outside of BookBub. Up to now, I've always done their $25 ad for their regular book posting, but next month I have a featured book posting priced at $100. Each day's post goes out to approximately 750K people, and of that, he estimates 100K take a look at the the post that day (not purchase, just look at the post), but I am pleased with the ROI on this site and use them monthly. You need at least 8 reviews and a 4.0+ ranking to advertise.
Genre Pulse *NEW TO THE LIST*
A new site for 2015. Options are $15 and $40 to advertise at the moment.
Good Kindles
They have gold, silver, and bronze packages, starting at $8 and going to $20. With all three your listing is put into their daily newsletter. I'm not sure about their subscriber number. They also have banners for $50 and $100. They have 74K followers on Twitter, almost 3K on Facebook.
Great Books Great Deals *NEW TO THE LIST*
New site from what I can tell as of 5/15. I am not sure about the size of their newsletter list. I can't seem to find it anywhere. $5 gets you a front page post.
Hot Zippy encompasses three different sites in one: Bargain eBook Hunter, Pixelscroll, and Romance eBook Deals. Each site is $15 to advertise on, and you can run them at the same time, one the same day. I have seen a good ROI on both Bargain eBook Hunter and Pixelscroll each time I use them. Pixelscroll alone has 43K Facebook fans.
I Love Vampire Novels
If your book is not a vampire or paranormal novel, it won't be accepted. If it is, you're in luck. This is an excellent site to promote on with over 125K fans. You need at least five reviews. They have several different promo options.
Indie Book of the Day
There are seven different package options. Their Bargain Bookshelf option is the most popular at $50.00. Your book stays on their site for a month. They have 10K monthly visitors and a Google PageRank of 3.
Just Kindle Books
$18 to promote your kindle book on social media, including their Facebook page with 20k followers.
KDROI
Promotes to over 31 sites for $47.
Kindle Nation Daily
KND is actually linked to BookGorilla, and you can choose the free slide-over to get your book listed on both for an additional fee. They connect with about 170K readers each day. Prices range from $100 to $160.
Many Books
This site has over 60K on their email list. They offer both free and paid ads. I haven't placed an ad with them, but I am getting ready to. I shall return and report the results! Requirements 10+ reviews, and a 4.0+ average.
OHFB
All the site stats are listed on their
page. Their silver package is $75 and their gold package is $100.
PeopleReads
They have several inexpensive options ranging from $8 to $30. I'm not sure what the reach is.
Pixel of Ink
Yep, you read it right. POI is now back in business on a very limited basis via BookSends. 270K readers. $50.
Planet eBooks
Three different options here starting at a $20 price point. 125K US/UK followers.
Read Cheaply
Right now they're after cross promotion, I expect while they're building a fan base, and I believe you can advertise for free.
Reading Deals
$29 pays for tweets to 120k followers, and a mention in their email subscriber list. which has now reached 35k (10/15).
Robin Reads BEST
An up-and-coming site that's excellent to advertise on considering it only costs $10 to be included in an email that goes out to 30K subscribers.
Storyfinds
All of their sites stats are on their advertising page, including their email blast which goes out to over 5.6K subscribers. Several different advertising options including theme weeks, most under $50.
The Books Machine *NEW 2016*
Fairly new site. The cost is $20. 26k Facebook followers and 4,900 email list.
The Daily Bookworm
Different options here starting at $20 to be included in their email blast, on their website, and posted to Facebook, Twitter, etc. They have 3K on Facebook, Not sure about their email subscriber number.
The Fussy Librarian
Their email list is 115K and cost depends on the
genre you select. The price list also gives you the number of subscribers, which is nice. Requirements: 10 reviews, 4.0+ ranking, book priced at $5.99 or less.
The Kindle Book Review
The Kindle Book Review has a lot of different options for advertising which you can see
HERE. They have a newsletter, but I'm not sure of the size.
The Kindle Romance Review
Several different price options and price points starting at $25.00.
Wanton Reads
I don't know much about their site stats. The offer a few different options between $15 and $45.
World Literary Cafe
Partnered with Author Marketing Club, they will promote your book on .99 Fridays.
Written Word Media
Formerly known as
Freebooksy and
Bargain Booksy, they now offer several options to authors, including New in Books, A Year in Books, Red Feather Romance. On the individual pages they clearly post how many followers they have. Currently the subscriber counts are: Freebooksy 172K, Bargain Booksy 142K. Prices have increased a bit from what they were before.
FREE PROMOTIONAL SITES
Amazon Author Forum
Awesomegang
Best eBooks Free
Book Goodies
Book Pinning
Books on the Knob
eBookasaurus
eBook Lister
eMystery Bargains
eReader Utopia
Feed Your Reader
Galley Cat's Facebook Page
Kobo Book Hub
Korner Konnection
KUF (UK)
Pin Your Book
Reading Deals
