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Quote of the Day
The greatest part of a writer’s time is spent in reading. In order to write, a man will turn over half a library to make one book.
– Samuel Johnson
What Is BookBub?
When it comes to promoting your book, www.bookbub.com is the Holy Grail. It is the number one book promotion site, where people can sign up to get specific deals on their books of choice. The site is highly targeted, has been around for a number of years now, and does a comprehensive vetting process. Bookbub for authors is the tool you want to use when you start to promote your book.
How Does BookBub For Authors Work?
A lot of authors have seen great success with a BookBub promotion. For instance, the book 10-Minute Declutter sold 7,000 copies in the UK and US. It was #10 in the paid charts, saw a 20% increase in print and audio sales, and most importantly, sales stayed consistent after the promo ended.
Stephen Guise’s book Mini Habits & How to Be an Imperfectionist also had great success with BookBub. In fact, it ended up with four BookBub deals.
BookBub could be a valuable entry point for your funnels, especially if you are marketing a series of books. But you will need to demonstrate why your books are valuable. The first step is to sign up for BookBub and check out what books they promote. Once you know what they are looking for, explain in detail how your book could be something that their audience might want.
It is important to note that they only have four or five non-fiction categories, including a free ebook category. The fee that they charge depends on the category of your book.
Finally, you get to decide if you want to run your promo AFTER they accept you, rather than having to commit ahead of time.
How to apply for a BookBub deal:
- Go to BookBub.com and scroll down to the bottom of the homepage.
- Click on “Submit New Deal” under the Publishers and Authors column on the footer.
- You can also create a BookBub author page. (This option pulls your info from Amazon.)
- Fill out the form, including the price drop, dates, and Amazon links.
- Add your comments (highly recommended).
- They should email you back within two to three days to let you know if your book got accepted or not.
- Confirm the date and schedule your promo right then and there.
- It is important that you make sure that whatever book you’re pitching is available for a promo on Amazon.
- They will remind you two days and one day before your BookBub promo runs.
BookBub Requirements:
- 100–150 pages
- Professional covers
- A lot of good reviews (50–100)
- Add editorial reviews to your Amazon book page (as testimony)
*It is important to note that Amazon is currently suing people who are selling/buying reviews.
How to maximize your BookBub promotion:
There are a few steps you can take to maximize your exposure on BookBub. First of all, make sure you have an email offer inside your book. Remember to include a presell in your book, and feature your other books at the beginning and at the end.
Finally, take advantage of social media, and don’t be afraid to demonstrate proof of the promo’s success.
How often can you pitch a book for a BookBub review?
The main rule is that you have to wait 30 days to re-pitch a rejected book. The best strategy is probably to pitch a new book every week (assuming you have a big catalog).
Other services like BookBub:
www.ereadernewstoday.com – (Two months in advance)
It is difficult to evaluate what does and doesn’t work, so this is still somewhat a new science.
In general, keep track of your sales and take note your different marketing efforts. Try to find common patterns and strategies that sell your books, then leverage these going forward.
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