Hey authors! So, you’ve written a book? First, congratulations. That’s a huge accomplishment. Now it’s time to get your work out into the world. The best way to get your book in front of people is by featuring it with a book promotion company. Their job is to spread the word about what you’ve written!
- How do book promotion companies work?
- What is an email list?
- Are book promotion sites worth it?
- How do I get my book ready for promotion?
- Where can I promote my book?
How do book promotion companies work?
By using a book promotion company’s services, you are paying to reserve an advertising slot with them. This slot might be on their website, newsletter, or both. Some companies will even advertise your book in social media posts to their Facebook page and more. By advertising this way, you will tap into an entirely new reader audience simply by utilizing that company’s email list.
What is an email list?
Email lists are made up of subscribers. Subscribers are people who choose to receive certain emails. You’re likely on email lists for all your favorite restaurants, venues, and stores. By tapping into an email list, companies have the power to advertise specific material that their subscribers are very interested in and are likely to purchase or learn more about.
Readers, for example, may sign up for the Freebooksy newsletter because they want more free eBooks. This gives you the perfect opportunity to promote your free eBook to that freebie-hungry audience!
Are book promotion sites worth it?
Our short answer… YES! We have found that promoting your book with one of these services can be highly effective and launch your title to success.
How do I get my book ready for promotion?
As you’ll see below, there are many reputable book promotion sites that each have their own requirements authors. Some sites will require a limited number of Amazon reviews, while others may be more inclusive and will only need basic information like a live Amazon link for consideration. Our rule of thumb is to carefully read each site’s requirements prior to making your booking. Have questions about a particular site? Their customer service team should be able to give you specifics on how to get promoted by them.
Where can I promote my book?
Below, check out our collection of the most-recommended promotion sites for your eBooks and audiobooks:
Most interested in new readers? Making your book free is the right move. If your book is free and more than 50 pages in length, Freebooksy is the book promotion site for you. With over 539,000 registered readers in mystery, romance, fantasy, nonfiction, literary, and kids and teens genres, you’re guaranteed to find new readers. Each promotion includes a post on the Freebooksy homepage that includes your book cover and a short description, placement in our daily email, and promotion on social media outlets.
Looking for a boost in sales? You can make your book more appealing to readers by discounting it, and Bargain Booksy promotes eBooks priced between $0.99-$5.00. As long as your book is more than 50 pages long, Bargain Booksy is the book promotion site for you. With over 317,000 registered readers in mystery, romance, fantasy, nonfiction, literary, and kids and teens genres, you’re guaranteed to find a boost in sales. Each promotion includes a post on the Bargain Booksy homepage that includes your book cover and a short description, placement in our daily email, and promotion on social media outlets.
If you’ve written a romance book that would make your family blush, Red Feather Romance is right for you. Whether you’re looking for readers or sales, you’ll find the best way to promote your eBook since Red Feather Romance promotes both free and priced eBooks and audiobooks. Each promotion includes covers featured on the Red Feather Romance homepage, placement in one of their highly curated emails, and promotion on social media outlets.
Releasing a book soon? Or maybe you’ve released one in the past 90 days? NewInBooks is a book promotion site that exclusively promotes new releases. Book Launch Packages include placement in the weekly new release email, an SEO-optimized Book Recommendation List, social media promotion, an author interview, and an in-depth report outlining promotional activity and engagement. This is for you if you’re seeking sales, reviews, publicity, and buzz!
Have an audiobook that needs to be promoted? You’ve come to the right place. Audio Thicket, one of the child sites of Written Word Media, drives sales of audiobooks on Audible, Apple, Google Play, Audiobooks.com, Nook Audiobooks, and Kobo Audio through their newsletters and website. With several types of email options targeting specific listener audiences, you’ll be able to find the right audience for your content.
BookBub is a book promotion site that offers email placement, but at a higher price point and with a much higher editorial threshold than any of the previously mentioned options. With millions of subscribers, BookBub offers incredible exposure for authors. Plus, their books and a feature with them can catapult you into bestselling lists. Unfortunately, their editorial standards may result in rejection, so it is hard to rely on them to be a consistent part of your marketing plan.
Another highly-regarded book promotion site is Robin Reads. This service promotes free or $0.99 books that are full-length. They currently have around 190,000 subscribers signed up for their daily newsletter and also include daily deals on their website for reader consumption. It’s of note that Robin Reads cannot promote books listed within the last 90 days, so be sure to double-check your promotional calendar before scheduling this ad!
Want to promote a bargain or free eBook? Then The Fussy Librarian might be right for you. While they strongly suggest that books be priced at $0.99 or $2.99 for a bargain promotion, the only real limitation to one of these features is that it must be listed below $5.99. For both their bargain and free newsletters, promotions include a slot in their email. Freebies are listed on their website.
If you have a book listed on Amazon, Apple, Nook, Kobo, or Google Play, then it can be promoted on BookRaid as a freebie or deal book. One particularly interesting feature of BookRaid is that they charge you per click. Instead of a flat fee, you only pay for clicks that your book earns in its newsletter – plus, they’ve got a maximum spend of $60 so you won’t blow your budget. BookRaid has over 30,000 active subscribers.
And there you have it! Now you have nine great promotion sites to kickstart your book launch! Free or discounted, new or old, just pick the site that best fits your title and get your stories into the hands of new readers!
Thanks for the big list.
It really mean a lot for me as an author for promoting a book.
Glad you found it helpful Durgesh!
How in the world can an author make money by an e book been totally free? By the weekend I will have four books available as an e book and paperback on line. I have also printed my own books with linen hard covers and dust jackets and the three latest ones are very tough, attractive, large font, spiral with plastic covered exteriors. So how does one make any money by giving it away? OK so the author’s name becomes visible and then who will pay for any book if it given away? Explain please if it possible.
Hello, free promotions are most effective for authors with multiple books or books in a series. If a reader downloads the free book and likes it, they’ll be more likely to pay for the other books. Free promos can also generate reviews and boost the book up the charts even after it is no longer free.
It seems none of the sites are free.
Hey Alexander, I was referring to running a promotion where the book is priced as free.
You’re absolutely right Clayton. Free promotion works. I haven’t experienced it, but I still set up my books for free, according to advice given by most experts.
I also love Artisan Book Reviews and Chick Lit Cafe. They are both great book review and promotion websites that get great results for me and other authors.
Good information to help new ebook author
I have nine novels on a UK site called Feed-A-Read. They( the publisher) do nothing other than display the book and make it visible for sale. So, I am stuck unless I move to another Vanity (Self) Publisher. I can’t afford a website so it’s cobwebs all round. (I do get plenty of partnership publishing proposals but … once bitten. Sad story, ain’t it.
While these sites mentioned do work, I feel they should be used as part of an overall strategy when it comes to ebook marketing.
Using Amazons free or even countdown feature with these book sites could also work well.
Thanks Craig for listing these ones but there are many more book marketing sites out there that deserve a mention I believe.
I’ve been too busy writing for the last few years and now I’m going to concentrate on promotion. Thanks to everyone who mentioned different promo sites. I agree with the “freebee” arguments. Authors deserve to get paid for their work. We are not like some huge corporation who can afford to constantly be giving away our work. We need to get paid. When I was just an avid reader, I bought books from my favorite authors. Keyword being “bought,” I would rather pay for a good book than get a bad one for free. So, I wonder, are these freebee readers worth it?
Thanks for these amazing resources, the only problem was the way your linking work. you may consider the different way it is somehow annoying sorry
Useful resources, thanks.
Could I mention Profilecritics.com ? It’s completely free for indie authors and enables them to be seen alongside more established writers
I also suggest that Amazon Kindle is worthy of Mention here. It is free and you still get paid for pages read even if you’re struggling to make sale
Thank you! I needed some good sites to expand my audience, and its article was brilliant!