Welcome to 2021! This year, my hope is to share more “Behind the Scenes” stories in a writer’s life. Not the part where I sit at my keyboard and create fictional worlds, but the nitty gritty business stuff that few ever talk about.
For the first post in this series, I’m going to talk about my Dec. 2, 2020 BookBub promotion for Skeletons in the Attic, book 1 in my Marketville Mystery series.
For those of you unfamiliar with BookBub, here’s a direct quote from their website:
BookBub is a free service that helps millions of readers discover books they’ll love while providing publishers and authors with a way to drive sales and find new fans. Upon joining, members receive unbeatable deals selected by our expert editorial team, handpicked recommendations from people they trust, and real-time updates from their favorite authors. BookBub works with all major ebook retailers and devices, and partners with thousands of the industry’s leading publishers and authors to promote their books. BookBub was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
The demand for BookBub spots far exceeds those that are available. As a result, the majority of applications the editorial team receives are rejected. Despite the long odds, and the considerable expense [View Price List Here], authors and publishers continue to apply. Why? Simply put, a successful BookBub promotion will generate enough sales of the discounted book to break even.
But breaking even isn’t the goal. Rather, the hope is that readers will enjoy the discounted book enough to pay full price for subsequent books in the series (and possibly, other series by the author). As a BookBub member, I know firsthand that I’ve paid .99 for a book to test drive an author, only to pay full price for their next book(s).
Last fall, I finally summoned up the courage to submit Skeletons in the Attic. Expecting a rejection, I was delighted (and a wee bit terrified) to receive a “Yes” for a US and International (Canada, UK, Australia, India) deal. The cost: $1,028 US. The date: Thursday, November 25th. American Thanksgiving. Even considering the isolated existence we’ve been living with since Covid-19, I couldn’t imagine a worse date. And so, I wrote back, expressing my concern and requested another date. It was a risk—they could have turned me down—but fortunately they gave me a new date of December 2, 2020. I discounted the price from $4.99 ($5.99CAD) to .99 for the month of December and took a deep breath.
The results went far beyond my wildest expectation. On Dec. 2, Skeletons in the Attic reached #1 on Kindle in four categories, and top 10 overall, #1 on Kobo, and #4 on Nook. Not bad for a book that’s been out for four years! Even better, sales of Past & Present (book 2), A Fool’s Journey (book 3) and the Marketville Mysteries Box Set (books 1-3) have dramatically increased. So too, have sales of my audiobooks, likely because if you own the Kindle version of a book, you can purchase the audio version at a reduced price. Last, but not least, reviews, ratings and recommendations on BookBub, Amazon, and Goodreads have been growing at a steady pace. And yes, reviews matter. A lot.
Will I try BookBub again? Almost certainly, though this time I’ll try for The Hanged Man’s Noose, book 1 in my Glass Dolphin Mystery series. But I’ll wait a few months, give it some time. Who knows? Maybe readers who enjoyed Marketville will check out the adventures of Arabella, Emily, and Levon. After all, Arabella makes an appearance in all three Marketville books, and Levon plays a significant role in A Fool’s Journey. Fingers crossed!
And that’s my first Behind the Scenes post. I hope you enjoyed it, and that you think it’s a series worth continuing.
Interesting post, Judy! Congratulations on your successful promo.
I have a BB Featured Deal for my I WISH YOU HAPPINESS children’s picture book coming out tomorrow. I decided to set the price to free (usually $4.99) to get as many downloads as possible, in the hope of driving hardcover and paperback sales. I did consider but decided against setting the price at $0.99 because parents prefer real children’s books. I didn’t want to them give people an excuse ($0.99) not to download it.
Hi Michael and congrats on your book coming out tomorrow. I hope the BB deal works for you. Please check back in a month or so and let us know if it was successful. I’ve never known anyone who tried it for a children’s book so…fingers and toes crossed for you.
LOL Thanks, Judy! Other children’s books authors have told me the free BB deal got them 8-10,000 downloads. It got them lots of reviews, which is the main benefit really for a free deal. But harder to judge how many sales came of it.
I will be interested to learn. Maybe in a few months you can write a Behind the Scenes! Use Contact Me form and we’ll talk.
If you’d like to know more about how Book Bub works, check out Mark Dawson’s Ads for Authors course at SelfPublishingFormula. He has a whole course on BB taught by Adam Croft, a very successful UK thriller writer. Croft takes you behind the scenes and shows why BB is probably the best site for advertising because it reaches readers, and not a lot of people on FaceBook Ads and Amazon’s ads who aren’t your prime target market.
Thanks for the tip, Jack.
mailing list for marketing comments
Not sure what you mean, Steve?
Wow. I did not understand how BookBub worked. As a reader, I just enjoyed having someone else keeping me in the know for deals for favorite or new-to-me authors and allowing me to venture outside my “cozy” comfort zone. Congrats it worked out.
I don’t think most readers understand it, Kathleen, or the financial risk involved.
Thanks, Judy. Very interesting. Look forward to more posts in this series.
Thanks James!
This what an informative post. Congratulations on your number placings. That’s great news
Thanks Joanna, I got lucky!
Wow, and congratulations. I’ve heard many good things about BookBub ads and many groans from people who can’t get them.
I’m a long way from getting one though I’ve never tried. I just can’t afford the ad price. I have used their other ad service, the one I had to pay a set amount for each click and set a limit on those clicks. Clicks were low, so I didn’t pay a lot.
Thank you for sharing.
Thanks Diane. I’ll admit I was very nervous about the cost, but I thought, if I just break even…A few sleepless nights for sure as I am NOT a gambler. I did try a BB ad before and was not successful at all.
I’m glad this one worked for you.
Thanks, Judy. I find these kinds of behind the scenes articles very helpful and appreciate your taking on the task of starting something on a more regular basis.
Thanks Claire. I hope they will be helpful.
Very interesting. Learned a lot from your blog. Thank you.
Thanks Carolanne, that is my hope, to help others as I learn. Glad it helped you!
Hi Judy, Excellent success with BookBub!
As a reader, I will try a new author out for .99 and that often leads me to purchase more of their books at full price.
Thanks for the look at “behind the scenes”.
I enjoy both of your series and look forward to reading more from you in the future.
Thank you Rose, and good to know that you do the same thing (buy .99, pay full for next). Happy New Year!