Promotion strategy

[JRTomlin]

My strategy (with only a one-time exception) has always been to only have reduced price or free promotions of the first novel in my several series. The logic, of course, being that my profit comes from sell-through so I should not reduce the price on those. And I fear that people will not buy the others counting on them soon also being free or reduced price.

However, this obviously limits the number of novels I can run a promotion on. So what do the rest of you do and what is your strategy? Do you do reduced price promotions on 2nd, 3rd, 4th novels in your series? Does it seem to work well for you? Or do you not? Or have some other strategy I'm not thinking of?

Edit: In the Bookbub thread Jeff brought up Wayne Stinnett. I was thinking of him when I made this post. He had a system by which he applied for BB promotion one after another for his entire catalog. I just did a little checking and just going by observation, he is still very active and had at least three BB promotions in 2021. I suppose he is still using the same strategy although I didn't look at which novels in a series he was promoting.

[idontknowyet]

i've always read only to offer first in series until just recently. I have a friend that will offer books in the middle of her series for free. People immediately go back and buy book one since they don't want to start in the middle.

According to her this has had better results than her first free.

I might end up trying it soon.

[Writer]

People theorize that you shouldn't make sequels free, but I haven't found that to be the case. There are naturally some who hold back on buying, and collect the books only as they go on sale. But there are also readers who want what they want now,, and will pay for it. Rolling freebies, one after the next, works for me. 

[Marti Talbott]

My strategy (with only a one-time exception) has always been to only have reduced price or free promotions of the first novel in my several series. The logic, of course, being that my profit comes from sell-through so I should not reduce the price on those. And I fear that people will not buy the others counting on them soon also being free or reduced price.

However, this obviously limits the number of novels I can run a promotion on. So what do the rest of you do and what is your strategy? Do you do reduced price promotions on 2nd, 3rd, 4th novels in your series? Does it seem to work well for you? Or do you not? Or have some other strategy I'm not thinking of?

Edit: In the Bookbub thread Jeff brought up Wayne Stinnett. I was thinking of him when I made this post. He had a system by which he applied for BB promotion one after another for his entire catalog. I just did a little checking and just going by observation, he is still very active and had at least three BB promotions in 2021. I suppose he is still using the same strategy although I didn't look at which novels in a series he was promoting.

One advantage to giving other books in a series away free is to get more reviews/ratings. I haven't tried that, as it is too expensive for me right now, but I'll be watching this thread to see what others are doing.

[Maggie Ann]

i've always read only to offer first in series until just recently. I have a friend that will offer books in the middle of her series for free. People immediately go back and buy book one since they don't want to start in the middle.

According to her this has had better results than her first free.

I might end up trying it soon.

As a reader, I do this. I'll download the freebie and if I like it, buy the first book.

[LilyBLily]

Definitely. The only time I'm reluctant is if all the reviews talk about characters from prior books in the series as if one has to have read those books first. Depending on the series hook, though, even that doesn't matter. If it's four handsome brothers or three beautiful sisters, does the order really matter? Not usually.

[JRTomlin]

If my novels are in a series, then they have the same main character who is of course referred to in reviews. So are important secondary characters. I don't know that you *have* to have read the first for it to make sense, but it would certainly help, especially since I never do some sort of recap at the start.

[idontknowyet]

My trilogies have to be read in order. My series are better if they're read in order. I build characters and develop storylines throughout the series, give hints of whats to come yada yada yada

[Marti Talbott]

My trilogies have to be read in order. My series are better if they're read in order. I build characters and develop storylines throughout the series, give hints of whats to come yada yada yada

Mine are the same family but the story centers around a different member or generation. I do carry some characters forward and make them minor characters. So the idea of promoting middle books might work for me.

[Eric Thomson]

All my books, spread across five series, are in the same universe but in different time periods or eras. But the later series make occasional references to the earlier ones. One series is purely scifi naval fiction; one is scifi espionage; one is pure military scifi; one is scifi police procedural; and the last is epic galactic empire scifi. I rotate between them to keep my ideas fresh, and have too many ideas of other types in the same universe for one lifetime (including an homage to George McDonald Fraser's Flashman series).

[littleauthor]

Something I've noticed with my own buying habits is with COVID and libraries and used bookstores being either closed or on limited hours, I'm doing more impulse buying in the 2.99 range. I see a book in the BookBub email that looks interesting and instead of being my usual cheap self, I'll buy it at 2.99 just to have it in my library.

My books are priced higher than 2.99 so for a promotion, I'd set the first free and do a Countdown on 2 and 3 at .99 and 2.99 during a launch and then point the consumer to the Series Page so they can impulse buy the set. (This is David Gaughran's suggestion. Haven't tried it out yet but will for book 4 when it comes out in March.)

[CambaBooks]

i've always read only to offer first in series until just recently. I have a friend that will offer books in the middle of her series for free. People immediately go back and buy book one since they don't want to start in the middle.

According to her this has had better results than her first free.

I might end up trying it soon.

You are so right. It has never crossed my mind that one can offer book two in a trilogy for free. I will try this and see how effective it is for me.

[Doglover]

i've always read only to offer first in series until just recently. I have a friend that will offer books in the middle of her series for free. People immediately go back and buy book one since they don't want to start in the middle.

According to her this has had better results than her first free.

I might end up trying it soon.

As a reader, I do this. I'll download the freebie and if I like it, buy the first book.

I would too but I have read on various forums and facebook groups, people who proudly announce that they loved the first book but would wait until the others become free as well. Obviously, they will have a long wait.

I would only ever do a promotion on the first book in the series.