Author Topic: Now I know why I will never get a BookBub (Read 76839 times)

Doglover · « **Reply #50 on:** February 28, 2021, 12:50:47 AM »

Quote from: notthatamanda on February 28, 2021, 12:36:51 AM

If I remember correctly, ENT might not notify you if you don't get accepted. Not 100% sure. Good luck and thanks for offering to share the results.

Well, I'm not holding my breath. They'll want paying if they do run it!

Eric Thomson · « **Reply #51 on:** February 28, 2021, 01:24:28 AM »

Quote from: notthatamanda on February 28, 2021, 12:36:51 AM

If I remember correctly, ENT might not notify you if you don't get accepted. Not 100% sure. Good luck and thanks for offering to share the results.

True dat. The last time I inquired after hearing nothing about my submission for two weeks, I got a snippy, unprofessional reply. I crossed ENT off my list for good that day.

Doglover · « **Reply #52 on:** February 28, 2021, 01:49:48 AM »

Quote from: Eric Thomson on February 28, 2021, 01:24:28 AM

Quote from: notthatamanda on February 28, 2021, 12:36:51 AM
If I remember correctly, ENT might not notify you if you don't get accepted. Not 100% sure. Good luck and thanks for offering to share the results.
True dat. The last time I inquired after hearing nothing about my submission for two weeks, I got a snippy, unprofessional reply. I crossed ENT off my list for good that day.

Well, I've never tried them before so I'll wait and see. I still have the other two.

Doglover · « **Reply #53 on:** March 05, 2021, 05:32:08 PM »

Quote from: notthatamanda on February 28, 2021, 12:36:51 AM

If I remember correctly, ENT might not notify you if you don't get accepted. Not 100% sure. Good luck and thanks for offering to share the results.

As promised, I ran the first of my six book time slip series yesterday. I used Freebooksy, Booksends and EReader News Today.

I had 2,500 free downloads, 8,300 page reads and 76 sales, most of which were the rest of the series. Of the page reads, over 2,000 were for a historical six book series that I had advertised before. Also, those page reads are the amount I usually get in a day, but they might pick up later on. So, I am very pleased with those results. I am thinking there are probably people who haven't yet read their newsletters from the providers, so fingers crossed today will be good as well.

Just as an aside, I haven't tried any promotion sites before, except an obscure one who picked up my book when they got started. I don't think they caught on because they don't seem to appear anywhere anymore.

notthatamanda · « **Reply #54 on:** March 05, 2021, 09:42:13 PM »

Congratulations on the results and thanks for sharing them.

Doglover · « **Reply #55 on:** March 05, 2021, 09:51:43 PM »

Quote from: notthatamanda on March 05, 2021, 09:42:13 PM

Congratulations on the results and thanks for sharing them.

No problem. Now let's see how it keeps up!

notthatamanda · « **Reply #56 on:** March 05, 2021, 11:02:55 PM »

What did you get for ranks, if you don't mind sharing. Hopefully the sales on books 2 and on will get you some nice ranks there, so even if the first book reverts back to paid that will help keep the visibility.

Doglover · « **Reply #57 on:** March 05, 2021, 11:20:12 PM »

Quote from: notthatamanda on March 05, 2021, 11:02:55 PM

What did you get for ranks, if you don't mind sharing. Hopefully the sales on books 2 and on will get you some nice ranks there, so even if the first book reverts back to paid that will help keep the visibility.

I never look at ranks, but I'll have a peek.

Book 2 is 16,500 in the whole US store, 69 in time Travel Fiction. Book 3 is 20,000 or so in the whole store and 148 in Occult Horror for some unknown reason.

Book one, which was the promotion, is number 52 in the whole store free No.1 in Historical mystery and thriller and No. 1 in occult horror.

I didn't put the book in those categories at all. They were all in sci-fi time travel fiction.

notthatamanda · « **Reply #58 on:** March 06, 2021, 12:49:34 AM »

Side note - you can email author central and give them the book categories you want to be in, if that interests you.

The ranks are interesting. I can't remember exactly the data from when the free lists were clogged with botted books but I think that now even though paid, email newsletter promos are down, you still get the same ranks you would have with 5-10 times more downloads back then.

Thanks for sharing the data.

alhawke · « **Reply #59 on:** March 06, 2021, 02:31:32 AM »

Congrats and thanks for sharing your results!

Doglover · « **Reply #60 on:** March 06, 2021, 09:52:52 PM »

I forgot to say, I had 2,500 downloads on day one and another 1,500 or so the following day.

LilyBLily · « **Reply #61 on:** March 16, 2021, 07:28:15 AM »

I just submitted another title to BookBub for a featured deal and as I was making a note of it and the date, I automatically filled in "Rejected."

I really should wait a few hours.

notthatamanda · « **Reply #62 on:** March 16, 2021, 11:44:17 PM »

I just submitted again. Added some extra insurance to ensure my rejection by saying US only. I haven't heard back from KDP why my perma free books in the non US stores aren't permafree.

Lily - virtual flowers to whoever gets their rejection first?

Simon Haynes · « **Reply #63 on:** March 17, 2021, 11:15:23 PM »

I've set a reminder to apply towards the end of this month (fantasy category, worldwide). I've never submitting this one before.

notthatamanda · « **Reply #64 on:** March 17, 2021, 11:35:12 PM »

Good luck.

Lorri Moulton · « **Reply #65 on:** March 18, 2021, 08:40:28 AM »

It took them two and a half days....REJECTED.

I hadn't applied for a while but wide wasn't the difference. Maybe it's being permafree? I have no idea.

notthatamanda · « **Reply #66 on:** March 18, 2021, 09:35:27 AM »

I don't know how to get the picture in here but here is a bouquet to cheer you up.
https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=ouOh23Jp&id=29CDAB2BF5BDE581D43CD97A1E3B653AB1BECCDF&thid=OIP.ouOh23JpLULG-whjs_6XNQHaHa&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2fth.bing.com%2fth%2fid%2fRa2e3a1db72692d42c6fb0863b3fe9735%3frik%3d38y%252bsTplOx562Q%26riu%3dhttp%253a%252f%252fua-flowers.com%252fgoods_pics%252f6294_b.jpg%26ehk%3dRsUuNFUuk26FkJT3A7wSSyAyU%252f6aiVkUldDZ7BRX84A%253d%26risl%3d%26pid%3dImgRaw&exph=450&expw=450&q=big+bouquet+of+roses&simid=608003220559890974&ck=58FBACE6EA5FC1D6EE3C2E299AA185D7&selectedIndex=21&FORM=IRPRST&ajaxhist=0

Lorri Moulton · « **Reply #67 on:** March 18, 2021, 09:46:13 AM »

Thank you, Amanda!

LilyBLily · « **Reply #68 on:** March 18, 2021, 02:44:48 PM »

I got an international BookBub!

I totally did not expect this. Just this week, a review vanished from the book's Amazon page, and I was sure that would be the coup de grace and remove all hope.

It's for April 15, always a lucky day for me.

Now I'll have to scurry around and stack some additional promos.

Still can't believe it.

Doglover · « **Reply #69 on:** March 18, 2021, 05:30:56 PM »

Quote from: LilyBLily on March 18, 2021, 02:44:48 PM

I got an international BookBub!

I totally did not expect this. Just this week, a review vanished from the book's Amazon page, and I was sure that would be the coup de grace and remove all hope.

It's for April 15, always a lucky day for me.

Now I'll have to scurry around and stack some additional promos.

Still can't believe it.

Can you answer a question, please, Lily?

Why do people always seem to stack a lot of other promotions to go with a Bookbub? If Bookbub is so great, why do you need any others? And if you've got all those others, how do you know that Bookbub is so great?

And congratulations

Gerri Attrick · « **Reply #70 on:** March 18, 2021, 06:16:01 PM »

Yay, congrats, Lily. Here's hoping it's a good one. Let us know how it goes.

alhawke · « **Reply #71 on:** March 18, 2021, 08:42:54 PM »

Quote from: LilyBLily on March 18, 2021, 02:44:48 PM

I got an international BookBub!

Awesomeness!

Good luck!

notthatamanda · « **Reply #72 on:** March 18, 2021, 08:49:11 PM »

Quote from: LilyBLily on March 18, 2021, 02:44:48 PM

I got an international BookBub!

I totally did not expect this. Just this week, a review vanished from the book's Amazon page, and I was sure that would be the coup de grace and remove all hope.

It's for April 15, always a lucky day for me.

Now I'll have to scurry around and stack some additional promos.

Still can't believe it.

LilyBLily · « **Reply #73 on:** March 18, 2021, 10:59:39 PM »

Promo stacks really got going a few years ago when Wayne Stinnett showed how his rankings and thus his sales improved if in essence he made a big splash. He even took notice of the time of day each discount newsletter went out, so he stacked his ads to capitalize on the timing.

However, since then, Amazon has done some unpleasant things to books whose sales spike dramatically. Amazon has squashed those spikes in various ways. So now the wisdom (for domestic BookBubs or for any launch plan) is to improve ranking more gradually, leading up to the BookBub spike and possibly trailing after it, too.

That said, I don't know how a domestic ad will help an international BookBub, so any advice others have to offer is welcome.

notthatamanda · « **Reply #74 on:** March 18, 2021, 11:32:16 PM »

Not sure this counts as advice.

Intl bookbub #1 - I also reduced the price in the US. 99 cents. I got a lot of downloads. A week later I started raising the price gradually and turned on more ads/added more ads (AMS) when the price got high enough to justify them. The higher rank when I started the ads back up got me instant relevance and great placement with low CPC. Kept the ads running and the book selling well at full price for 9-10 months.

Enter Intl bookbub #2 - turned off ads and reduced price in the US. Did not get a lot of downloads. Was never able to get the AMS momentum going again.

The first Intl bookbub was extremely profitable because of the US sales, even though the bookbub was *not* in the US. The second one I didn't even make back the $200ish bucks it cost me.

So like I said, not advice, other than if US sales are going well, don't mess with it.

Simon Haynes · « **Reply #75 on:** March 19, 2021, 01:46:47 AM »

I do the same for intl bookbubs - reduce the price in the US, and then book promos leading up to the BB (most of these are US focused anyway.)

I think I read somewhere that Amazon won't let you price a book at 99c in one country and 4 times as much in another, but I might be mis-remembering.

Doglover · « **Reply #76 on:** March 19, 2021, 02:47:44 AM »

Quote from: Simon Haynes on March 19, 2021, 01:46:47 AM

I do the same for intl bookbubs - reduce the price in the US, and then book promos leading up to the BB (most of these are US focused anyway.)

I think I read somewhere that Amazon won't let you price a book at 99c in one country and 4 times as much in another, but I might be mis-remembering.

That's only if you're doing a countdown deal. It has to stay the same price everywhere for a certain amount of time before and after. Other than that, you can price it all different prices wherever you like.

alhawke · « **Reply #77 on:** March 19, 2021, 03:13:15 AM »

Last time I ran an intl BB I stacked US promos at the same time too. I think it helped. The other time to stack is for bestseller status, so I've heard. Otherwise, you'll get plenty of sales just doing a Bookbub alone.

notthatamanda · « **Reply #78 on:** March 19, 2021, 05:09:10 AM »

Rejected. 2 days 3 hours.

alhawke · « **Reply #79 on:** March 19, 2021, 05:37:43 AM »

This week, me too

notthatamanda · « **Reply #80 on:** March 19, 2021, 07:45:46 AM »

Quote from: alhawke on March 19, 2021, 05:37:43 AM

This week, me too

Why isn't it Friday yet?

Eric Thomson · « **Reply #81 on:** March 19, 2021, 08:00:25 AM »

I'm waiting for rejection #60 since my last acceptance...

Jeff Tanyard · « **Reply #82 on:** March 19, 2021, 10:31:59 AM »

Congrats, Lily.

LilyBLily · « **Reply #83 on:** March 19, 2021, 12:17:01 PM »

Thanks, all.

Now I have to figure out how I'm supposed to lower the price internationally without lowering the price in the U.S. Or do most of you lower the price across the board in every country and in the U.S.? Of course I understand doing it on Amazon, but what about B&N et al.? Is there a thread discussing how long it takes them to respond and which venues allow one to arrange the sale price in advance?

Simon Haynes · « **Reply #84 on:** March 19, 2021, 01:24:01 PM »

I lower it across the board, because otherwise I'd have to send out a '99 sale but not for you' email to my ML subscribers. Hate doing those (e.g. countdown deals for US and UK only.)

Doglover · « **Reply #85 on:** March 19, 2021, 05:07:57 PM »

Quote from: notthatamanda on March 19, 2021, 07:45:46 AM

Quote from: alhawke on March 19, 2021, 05:37:43 AM
This week, me too
Why isn't it Friday yet?

It is in England!

LilyBLily · « **Reply #86 on:** April 13, 2021, 10:03:57 PM »

In anticipation of my international BookBub, I decided to update the frontmatter and backmatter of some other books. Not the one being featured.

Amazon accepted the files and okayed them. D2D said the epubs had errors and issued me dire warnings, so I spent some hours in the weeds with the html tags and got them all pretty for D2D. The issues were some closing tags only. To my eye, the pages still looked fine. Should I replace the files on Amazon with these even newer files?

What about any other stores? Are they so slow to update that it would be a mistake? This is very last minute and I'm not sure that updated frontmatter and backmatter are crucial for sell through of other titles.

(And yes, I should have thought about this weeks ago.)

notthatamanda · « **Reply #87 on:** April 13, 2021, 10:30:12 PM »

What did you have to change? Are your links working?

VanessaC · « **Reply #88 on:** April 13, 2021, 10:52:42 PM »

LilyBLily, congrats on the international Bookbub - do let us know how it goes for you.

In the spirit of this thread, I hope it's ok to share that I've also got an international Bookbub coming up on Sunday, 18 April. This was a bit of a shock, as all my books are in KU. The International Bookbub is for a box set of the complete (five book) first series which is normally 8.99 USD / GBP, but which I've reduced to 0.99 USD / GBP for April.

I've applied the reduction worldwide as it was an experiment - I've applied for a Bookbub on this box set before now, but always been rejected, so it was a nice surprise to get the international deal.

Side note: I've also run promos with Fussy Librarian, Bargainbooksy and ENT for the 0.99 box set this month and the results, well, dismal just about covers it - I don't think I've covered my costs even for Fussy Librarian. So I don't have high hopes for Bookbub, but I was delighted to get the slot anyway.

LilyBLily · « **Reply #89 on:** April 13, 2021, 11:41:29 PM »

No links involved in the tag issue. Got my fingers crossed.

notthatamanda · « **Reply #90 on:** April 13, 2021, 11:47:06 PM »

Personally I wouldn't mess with files at this point then. Good luck to both of you Lily and Vanessa. <fingers crossed emoji>

LilyBLily · « **Reply #91 on:** April 14, 2021, 03:06:44 AM »

My newsletter and the first paid ad have hit this morning with 22 sales so far. Nine clicks from my newsletter--and one unsubscribe and one spam complaint! It takes all kinds, right?

Good luck, VanessaC. Your box set should do well. Mine is stand-alone women's fiction and 99 cents for something that's usually $6.99. If that's not enough of a bargain, they can kiss my patootie.

Including the BookBub ad at $204, I've paid $60 for additional ads spaced out this week. Not a lot, but enough of a risk when I really don't know if the BookBub ad itself will do much. I might do a Facebook ad for the book this weekend, too, although FB ads make me queasy.

LilyBLily · « **Reply #92 on:** April 14, 2021, 09:32:28 AM »

Now up to 46 sales, and 30 clicks from my newsletter. A few more unsubscribes, too.

Edited to add: Ended the day with 52 sales and 32 clicks from my newsletter.

alhawke · « **Reply #93 on:** April 14, 2021, 01:17:12 PM »

Quote from: LilyBLily on April 14, 2021, 09:32:28 AM

Now up to 46 sales, and 30 clicks from my newsletter. A few more unsubscribes, too.

Keep the sales coming. Good luck Lily & Vanessa!

Simon Haynes · « **Reply #94 on:** April 14, 2021, 07:12:36 PM »

I have an international-only bookbub on the 16th April (A Riddle in Bronze, which is a gaslamp fantasy in the Paranormal Suspense BB category).

I've never run a promotion for this or reduced the price before so I'm interested to see how it goes.

I've also reduced the US price to 99c and booked nine promos of various kinds for that market. I think the first of those kicks off tonight.

LilyBLily · « **Reply #95 on:** April 14, 2021, 11:31:02 PM »

Good luck on yours!

I have another promo today, and then I pause for BookBub tomorrow and have one more the day after. I had planned to do more, but then decided to wait and see. I can always tack on a Facebook ad without significant prior arrangements. I've already created the visual for one following David Gaughran's advice, so it wouldn't be hugely time-consuming to put it in place. I hope. FB is so labyrinthine.

Anyway, watching the numbers is entertainment. I just have to remind myself that I am paying for this entertainment.

notthatamanda · « **Reply #96 on:** April 14, 2021, 11:32:55 PM »

Good luck to both of you!

LilyBLily · « **Reply #97 on:** April 15, 2021, 10:05:10 PM »

At 8 AM EDT: I'm surprised that my BookBub ad has not hit in the UK yet. Either that or there are zero sales in the UK. Those of you who know BookBub's timing are free to snicker at my excitement.

Day 1 54 sales. Assuming all 32 clicks from my newsletter resulted in sales leaves a respectable 22 sales from FKBT.
Day 2 10 sales from Book Doggy. I don't call that a success.
Day 3 ? sales BookBub

Updates to come!

notthatamanda · « **Reply #98 on:** April 15, 2021, 11:53:36 PM »

Fingers crossed for you.

VanessaC · « **Reply #99 on:** April 16, 2021, 12:23:41 AM »

Quote from: LilyBLily on April 15, 2021, 10:05:10 PM

At 8 AM EDT: I'm surprised that my BookBub ad has not hit in the UK yet. Either that or there are zero sales in the UK. Those of you who know BookBub's timing are free to snicker at my excitement.

Day 1 54 sales. Assuming all 32 clicks from my newsletter resulted in sales leaves a respectable 22 sales from FKBT.
Day 2 10 sales from Book Doggy. I don't call that a success.
Day 3 ? sales BookBub

Updates to come!

I'm in the UK and signed up to Bookbub as a reader. My Bookbub emails usually come in between 2pm and 3pm UK-time, and your post was showing at 1pm UK-time, so I'd say that the Bookbub email hadn't been sent out in the UK at that point.

Am sure those sales will start rolling in soon - good luck!

Edited to add: as I post this it's about 3.20pm in the UK, and my Bookbub email came through just before 3pm.

News:

Author Topic: Now I know why I will never get a BookBub (Read 76839 times)