As many of you probably know, my poetry book was free on Amazon over the weekend. (Amazon finally sorted out the glitch!) Amazon didn't do this on their own. I did it. I did it because I registered my poetry book with KDP Select, the Kindle library service.
Initially, I was against this program because in order to be eligible, your e-book is not to be available via any other avenue. "What?" I screeched. "You've got to be kidding me. Bugger that."
But then I started reading more about it. You only have to commit to 90 days at a time. And with each 90 days, they offer you 5 days free promotion. "Hmm," I thought. "Maybe I should give this a go. My poetry isn't selling very well, because, you know, it's poetry, so what's it going to matter?"
So I did it. And I took advantage of a couple of my free days as an experiment.
By Sunday morning, Twisted Velvet Chains was downloaded 2080 times. It also hit the #1 spot in the Poetry Bestsellers list (ahead of Aristotle!), and #99 position among ALL free e-books (but only for one hour!). "Wow ... how? It's poetry! This is insane," I thought.
This morning, I have maintained my #1 "Poetry Bestseller" status, and also tallied up a total of 2900 downloads. Pretty amazing for poetry, innit?
Now, I know this is a quite an ego-booster, and of course this only happened because it was free, and I imagine I'd be lucky if even 50 of those purchasers read the thing. But still, it's damn good exposure. Those people now know my name, and, something even better happened ...
... String Bridge sales boosted, and the book made it to the #1 (paperback) and #2 (Kindle) positions in "Recently Popular Contemporary & Literary Fiction" list. I'm so excited! Because that means when people search for those specific genres, my book will be there! Again, excellent exposure.
So yeah, all in all, I have to say that YES, KDP Select is worth it. It's an excellent marketing tool, especially for the newbies like me who need to get their name circulating. 90 days commitment is not bad for those results, hey? I can give up 90 days. And when those 90 days are over, I'll put TVC on Smashwords. No skin off my nose! :o)
I don't think KDP Select is for everyone, and I do still have a few feelings about it being exploitative and degrading. Because what message does bringing down the price of books to zero give? That literature isn't worth the money anymore? I'm still kinda on the fence. But I do think it's a great tool for debut authors. That is a given.
What do you think?
Initially, I was against this program because in order to be eligible, your e-book is not to be available via any other avenue. "What?" I screeched. "You've got to be kidding me. Bugger that."
But then I started reading more about it. You only have to commit to 90 days at a time. And with each 90 days, they offer you 5 days free promotion. "Hmm," I thought. "Maybe I should give this a go. My poetry isn't selling very well, because, you know, it's poetry, so what's it going to matter?"
So I did it. And I took advantage of a couple of my free days as an experiment.
This morning, I have maintained my #1 "Poetry Bestseller" status, and also tallied up a total of 2900 downloads. Pretty amazing for poetry, innit?
Now, I know this is a quite an ego-booster, and of course this only happened because it was free, and I imagine I'd be lucky if even 50 of those purchasers read the thing. But still, it's damn good exposure. Those people now know my name, and, something even better happened ...
So yeah, all in all, I have to say that YES, KDP Select is worth it. It's an excellent marketing tool, especially for the newbies like me who need to get their name circulating. 90 days commitment is not bad for those results, hey? I can give up 90 days. And when those 90 days are over, I'll put TVC on Smashwords. No skin off my nose! :o)
I don't think KDP Select is for everyone, and I do still have a few feelings about it being exploitative and degrading. Because what message does bringing down the price of books to zero give? That literature isn't worth the money anymore? I'm still kinda on the fence. But I do think it's a great tool for debut authors. That is a given.
What do you think?
