When to schedule freebies? (kdp select) - Page 2

ebooklovers · 02-15-2013, 03:39 PM

Based on my research, it is better to cut the 5 day promo into 2 and starts on a Friday upto the weekends. I havent published my book yet (but plan to do so in the near future) as I want to fully plan every step that I will do, including the days when I will offer the promo..

Since I have no experience with it yet as well, thanks a lot for the heads up about the significant decrease of download on a Sunday.. Maybe it would be better if I start the promo on a Friday up to Saturday?

Marseille · 02-15-2013, 03:56 PM

FWIW, it was Saturday that got so little activity. Sunday was one of my best days. However, my own very small sampling of days isn't a very reliable predictor. If you report back on your experiences, you may help other folks figure out better patterns too.

Good luck.

Marseille · 11-10-2013, 11:33 PM

Crazy day. I'm experimenting with a longer giveaway duration this time, kind of wondering if it will snowball or just peter out. I actually have 5 days scheduled back to back, because... why not? This is the first day.

I've already given away more than 300 copies today. Twice my previous daily high (which was also on a Sunday), probably close to 4 times my average. Not what I was expecting.

kennyc · 11-11-2013, 07:42 AM

After playing around with it a bit over the last two years I've decided that 'free days' do nothing for sales. YMMV.

Lima Bean · 11-15-2013, 07:56 AM

I have had the same experience as KennyC. Freebies do nothing for sales.

Last December, I gave away over 4,000+ freebies for one book. When the giveaway ended it earned me zero paid sales. Zero. It got me one review - and a one star review at that. In the future, I will only do a freebie for the first book of a series and not until I have several books of the series out there for sale.

I'm been told that freebies should be reserved for the first book of a series because they can entice readers to buy the second and third. As a reader, I have been enticed to buy more books in a series this way. I plan to try it sometime, but I will never do a freebie on stand-alone book again.

Anna Drake · 11-15-2013, 09:55 AM

I've had luck giving books away using Smashwords' coupons. So far, most who have downloaded the first novel come back to buy the second one. I list the giveaway on various group sites at Facebook. Grant you this is hand selling one book at a time - not giving away copies in the 100s or more. But this method is working for me. The two books, though, are in a series.

VydorScope · 11-15-2013, 01:09 PM

IMO, Freebies work best when you have a strong back list, or as part of a series.

Marseille · 11-15-2013, 01:28 PM

I've probably picked up a review for every 150 books or so I've given away, not including this last run. I've always seen sales pick up in the week after a giveaway. Enough to give the store page some activity so it doesn't look like a ghost town (interlinked people who buy this book also buy...). But I also haven't done them very frequently.

Kittenhood: Orientation is the first in a series, but it'll be a while before I write the rest. I've been mostly experimenting the effectiveness of giveaways looking forward to the time when I have a stable of kittenhoods to point to each other.

In regards to this particular experiment, I did see a petering off effect. More than 300 given away on day one, less than a hundred on day two, I canceled during day three when I was on track to give away less than 50. Both of my highest yielding giveaways have been on Sundays, FWIW. That lesson alone is worth something to me.

kennyc · 11-15-2013, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VydorScope

IMO, Freebies work best when you have a strong back list, or as part of a series.

Agreed.

11-15-2013, 07:56 AM	#20
Lima Bean Groupie Posts: 170 Karma: 527094 Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: USA (near Lima, Ohio) Device: Kindle	I have had the same experience as KennyC. Freebies do nothing for sales. Last December, I gave away over 4,000+ freebies for one book. When the giveaway ended it earned me zero paid sales. Zero. It got me one review - and a one star review at that. In the future, I will only do a freebie for the first book of a series and not until I have several books of the series out there for sale. I'm been told that freebies should be reserved for the first book of a series because they can entice readers to buy the second and third. As a reader, I have been enticed to buy more books in a series this way. I plan to try it sometime, but I will never do a freebie on stand-alone book again. Last edited by Lima Bean; 11-15-2013 at 02:57 PM.

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02-15-2013, 03:39 PM	#16
ebooklovers Member Posts: 10 Karma: 481558 Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Texas Device: Android	Based on my research, it is better to cut the 5 day promo into 2 and starts on a Friday upto the weekends. I havent published my book yet (but plan to do so in the near future) as I want to fully plan every step that I will do, including the days when I will offer the promo.. Since I have no experience with it yet as well, thanks a lot for the heads up about the significant decrease of download on a Sunday.. Maybe it would be better if I start the promo on a Friday up to Saturday?

02-15-2013, 03:56 PM	#17
Marseille Guru Posts: 687 Karma: 5700000 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: kindle	FWIW, it was Saturday that got so little activity. Sunday was one of my best days. However, my own very small sampling of days isn't a very reliable predictor. If you report back on your experiences, you may help other folks figure out better patterns too. Good luck.

11-10-2013, 11:33 PM	#18
Marseille Guru Posts: 687 Karma: 5700000 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: kindle	Crazy day. I'm experimenting with a longer giveaway duration this time, kind of wondering if it will snowball or just peter out. I actually have 5 days scheduled back to back, because... why not? This is the first day. I've already given away more than 300 copies today. Twice my previous daily high (which was also on a Sunday), probably close to 4 times my average. Not what I was expecting.

11-11-2013, 07:42 AM	#19
kennyc The Dank Side of the Moon Posts: 35,872 Karma: 118716293 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Denver, CO Device: Kindle2; Kindle Fire	After playing around with it a bit over the last two years I've decided that 'free days' do nothing for sales. YMMV.

11-15-2013, 09:55 AM	#21
Anna Drake Zealot Posts: 104 Karma: 2175016 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: rural Illinois, USA Device: Kindle	I've had luck giving books away using Smashwords' coupons. So far, most who have downloaded the first novel come back to buy the second one. I list the giveaway on various group sites at Facebook. Grant you this is hand selling one book at a time - not giving away copies in the 100s or more. But this method is working for me. The two books, though, are in a series.

11-15-2013, 01:09 PM	#22
VydorScope Wizard Posts: 3,418 Karma: 35207650 Join Date: Jun 2011 Device: iPad	IMO, Freebies work best when you have a strong back list, or as part of a series.

11-15-2013, 01:28 PM	#23
Marseille Guru Posts: 687 Karma: 5700000 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: kindle	I've probably picked up a review for every 150 books or so I've given away, not including this last run. I've always seen sales pick up in the week after a giveaway. Enough to give the store page some activity so it doesn't look like a ghost town (interlinked people who buy this book also buy...). But I also haven't done them very frequently. Kittenhood: Orientation is the first in a series, but it'll be a while before I write the rest. I've been mostly experimenting the effectiveness of giveaways looking forward to the time when I have a stable of kittenhoods to point to each other. In regards to this particular experiment, I did see a petering off effect. More than 300 given away on day one, less than a hundred on day two, I canceled during day three when I was on track to give away less than 50. Both of my highest yielding giveaways have been on Sundays, FWIW. That lesson alone is worth something to me.