Like most other writers I had my reservations when Amazon first announced their KDP Select program. Then, like everyone else, I started hearing all the success stories of books coming off of their free promotions. I wasn't selling much of anything on Barnes & Noble and Smashwords, so I figured what the heck. It's only three months, after all, and e-books are forever.
I split my five free days into three sections: one in January, two in February, and the last two this weekend. I wish that I could tell you that I am one of those writers enjoying an enormous sales boon, but alas, I can't. My downloads were nice while the books were free, but nothing to write home about. The numbers quickly dropped off once the books were no longer free.
But don't let that discourage you. I made a lot of mistakes.
Kristen Lamb tackled the subject of FREE a while back in her post R-E-S-P-E-C-T isn't Free. I really wish I would have read this before I joined KDP Select. Would it have stopped me from trying it out? No, but I would have waited a bit longer. I don't agree with everything she writes, but there is a lot of good wisdom in this post. She's a smart chick and if you don't already, I recommend you start
David Gaughran is another intelligent writer that has been scrutinizing the Select program. He has had many guest bloggers post about their KDP successes. In his post Why Giving Away Thousands of Free Books is a Good Thing, author Tony James Slater lays out an amazing story: 22, 701 downloads! Don't think it was easy, though. He put a lot of thought and elbow grease into the venture, but it paid off. I've often heard it said that "Preparation always precedes a blessing".
If you go over to Digital Books Today and read their post Maximize Your KDP Select Free Days you will find a cornucopia of great advice from author Ruth Francisco. Once again, I wish I would have read all of these posts before I signed up. Oh well. There is always the next book.
So, while KDP has yet to lead me to large paying sales, it doesn't mean is has to be that way for you. You'll just have to prepare a little better than I did. I tried to implement as many tips as I could for this last free promotion, so hopefully this will be the one that brings me to #1 and starts bringing in the dead presidents.
If you haven't downloaded my books yet, then please stop by sometime this Friday or Saturday and take advantage of the free. And don't forget to spread the word. As always, I can use all the help I can get.
Have a great weekend.
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