Media Bistro has put together a list of places where self-published authors can promote their eBook at no charge. The list was culled from Kindle Boards:
We’ve collected more information about the sites in a simple directory below, linking to the submission pages for these eBook sites. If you are an avid eBook reader, these sites are great for finding new books to read as well….
Note that there is a difference between free promotion (regardless of price) and promoting a free eBook, so read carefully. Also check the comments section under the Media Bistro post for possible additional links.
Here’s another one (via our own Henry Baum):
It costs nothing to submit your book to Free Kindle Dude. Simply fill out the form below, stating the format (Kindle, Nook, Both) and date(s) that your book will be FREE. Then send it over to Free Kindle Dude and you’re all done.
If you’re doing a giveaway on Twitter, this tool might come in handy.
Author Jeffrey A. Carver had some interesting feedback from his readers about eBook giveaways:
Sunborn was in a tough spot. It was book four in a series, The Chaos Chronicles, which had been interrupted by a gap of more than ten years. This, in publication terms, is close to a death spiral. The first three books were out of print, and to all but my most die-hard fans, mostly forgotten. If I didn’t do something drastic, Sunborn was going to have a mighty short run.
So I brought out the first three books as ebooks. And I gave them away, to get people interested in the series again. For about two years, they were free for the download from my website, and other sites as well. By the end of that time, tens and tens of thousands of copies were downloaded. People began to write to me—people who had never heard of my books before. And many of them asked when they could start buying my ebooks. Say what?
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Lela, I think Jeffrey A. Carver’s story is somewhat atypical, but I can see why offering his first three books for free was a smart decision. As for the other “free” promotional sites, I’ve previously visited most of them and have almost always found gimmicks I didn’t care for. Like the guy who’ll let his thousands of followers know about my book but only, I assume, if I buy his book. Here it is again, he’s pitching his book to other authors. If he has so many followers, why does he need me to buy his book?
I see what you mean, Ron.
The giveaways seem to work best for authors with a series of books where giving away one attracts (hopefully) the reader to the others in the series.