Most know that BookBub is very expensive, as well as very difficult to get into. SPR’s own BookBub alternative (starting at $199) has no barrier to entry, but it’s also expensive if your budget is…zero. There are a number of BookBub-style newsletter services that allow for free submissions. These submissions aren’t guaranteed, and many offer a paid option to guarantee inclusion, but it’s still helpful if you really have no budget for book marketing, or you want to pad out your paid efforts with some other services.
As with pay sites, it’s best to spread out these listings over 3 days or more to ensure that your ranking keeps improving, and doesn’t fall off the map after one day. There is an argument that you add one date for all promotions, so your ranking can shoot to the top, but Amazon’s algorithm likes books that show consistent sales over time, rather than a brief surge.
So best practice would be to:
- Plan promotion 4-6 weeks in advance.
- Lower the book to 99 cents or free for 3 or more days. Submissions are more likely to be accepted if the book is heavily discounted.
- Frontload the promotion on the first day with the best newsletter sites (based on newsletter subscribers and social media – the first 5 on the list).
- Make sure the above are accepted before scheduling other sites, in case submissions are not accepted.
- Submit to other sites for subsequent days.
Note: having a good book cover/blurb/reviews is just as important for approval as a pay site, as these sites take a small percentage of submissions.
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Great information! Thank you.
I have a question… You mentioned: “Note: having a good book cover/blurb/reviews is just as important for approval as a pay site, as these sites take a small percentage of submissions.”
If you’re a debut author releasing your first book, is there a way to book these sites without yet having reviews (for release week)?
It’s not possible to get reviews for a book that is on pre-order on Amazon – unless you release the paperback version first and then merge the two editions. Additionally, it will probably be difficult to get a book approved that is currently for pre-sale, as these sites are wary of people not lowering their price as scheduled, and may be doubly wary of a book that is not yet published.
So the surest bet would be to schedule the campaign after your book is released. That is, for these free sites – pay sites may be more amenable. Keep in mind that not all of these free sites require reviews, but the better ones do.
SPR has a service to get reviews for a new release, but again these promotions require the book to be published – https://www.selfpublishingreview.com/spr-bestseller-book-packages/.
Very informative reply! Thank you. 🙂