Untold riches await those who manage to get their book listed ‘perma-free’ on Amazon. But how does anyone find out?
The current way of thinking, when it comes to promoting your book, is free book > newsletter sign up > millions of dollars. But to get the book free involves a degree of blind faith. It’s been about two weeks now since I got an email from Amazon saying We Are Toten Herzen is free, but when I look at it on Amazon.com it isn’t free.
They’re fobbing you off, Harrison. I’d think so too, but the stats at my Kindle author’s page show a steady stream of free downloads. On the book’s page it’s at number 45 000 in the free book store. The free book store only lists the top one hundred free books so unless someone has an app that tells people about titles languishing at the bottom of the free pile who is downloading the book and how are they finding out about it?
I could adopt a glass half full attitude and say that if an invisible book is still being downloaded imagine what will happen if it becomes common knowledge! (free book > newsletter sign up > millions of dollars…)
It’s at times like this when I discover I have no staying power and the patience of a gnat.
The Opening Sentence 
Toten Herzen lists for $3.05 as an e-book. Didn’t find a free option.
(By the way, I don’t download free books. For their thousands of hours, and often dollars, authors deserve to be paid.)
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Still a mystery how people are finding it for free. I suppose I could just contact Amazon.
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Yes, maybe ask them.
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Reblogged this on O LADO ESCURO DA LUA.
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Thanks for reblogging.
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Reblogged this on Have We Had Help? and commented:
When is a permafree book not?
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Thanks for reblogging.
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My pleasure 😉
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I find it almost impossible to translate any promotional device to sales on Amazon. I got my physics/geek book to No. 1 in its category by making it free for a couple of days, but that isn’t saying much… The problem with newsletters is getting people to subscribe – I’ve been pushing mine for a while with very little result. It’s difficult when everybody is shouting with the same tools and the commodity everybody competes for is time.
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I think every promotional trick has its own unique problem. And then they all share the common dilemma of not being heard in a crowded marketplace.
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Reblogged this on Viv Drewa – The Owl Lady.
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Thanks for reblogging.
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I’ve had a few of mine free for 5 days and even managed to get to that elusive number 1 spot a couple of times, but would have to think long and hard regarding making a book permanently free though.
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It’s the first in the series, so it’s a ‘loss leader.’ The intention is to direct people to the newsletter subscription. I could do the 5 day thing, but it means enrolling in Kindle Unlimited and I don’t like that system.
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My perma-free book gets a steady stream of downloads on Amazon too, but the highest it’s ever climbed in the “free books” ranking is around 10,000. Very few reviews, and not many purchases of the next book in the series. Trouble is, I doubt that charging a price for the first book would change anything for the better. But you’re right — it doesn’t say “free” on the book’s page, so is its free-ness a pleasant surprise for the customer? One thing that might be worth trying is Instafreebie http://www.instafreebie.com. I haven’t tried it yet myself, but the $20US per month option is apparently effective in building an email list. Since you have a newsletter, it might be worth trying; there is a 30 day free period which might serve as a test.
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Part of me is more interested in finding out how people are know it’s at the free price. I have a love / hate relationship to unanswered questions!
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