#66 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Fantasy > Epic
That’s how we stand as we wind down on the last few hours of the free giveaway of Revenge of the Elf. I like giveaway days because I always hope it means someone new might find something good in my book. This is the fourth time I’ve done this, and even though each time it seems less effective, I still maintain it’s got a long way before I reach saturation point.
There’s a lot of debate among Independant Authors regarding the value of giving books away free on Amazon for any period of time, but for me it’s a great marketing tool. There comes a point when your sales will inevitably stagnate and begin to trail off. That’s natural. We can’t all be George RR Martin. For us Indies, we don’t have publishers who might tinker with the cover, but we can immitate their incentive offers. In many cases, publishers will have 2 for 1 deals or something going on books they’re trying to promote. Especially when an author has an open series they’d like to push.
Unfortunately, most Indie Authors don’t have the ability to do such promos through Amazon (we don’t have the tools available), so we pretty much have to either discount, or go free. And, considering half the time our books are under $4 anyway, there’s not really much incentive in discounting by a dollar or so. Better to have a free day here and there and find yourself a few hundred more readers. Readers who will, hopefully, be engaged enough to look at your other work.
For me, it’s been a positive thing. I’ve had some great feeback, and some interesting results. All of which help to keep you motivated. It’s a tough business, and one which is harder to break into than anything else, but the dream of making it persists despite any obstacle.
Source:
http://www.lucasthorn.com/?p=1967