[raminar_dixon]

Excited to hear of a one-stop promo source! Strongly considering for my new release next month...but first I could use some advice. In your experience, which book is better to do the promotion on for Book 2 in a series?

Discount and promote only the 1st book? Only the new book? Give away book 1 instead?

Having trouble deciding which might work better. Hoping you have heard some feedback from others over the years...

Most authors seem to go with promoting the first book and sometimes using it as a temporary loss-leader (free) to drive sales to the series and help push the second (or third, or fourth) book's launch. IME, that's been the most successful way to do it.

If things are going well you can always do a small promotion campaign for book 2 right on the heels of the previous advertising.

 

[chai tea]

I'm new here on the Kboards forum, and I'm looking to promote/market a few books that I recently published.  I've been reading through this thread, and I'm intrigued by your promotional services.  I have a question, for some of the venues that promote through newsletters or other "closed" venues, how does the author verify that the promotion was done and done during the time period required?

And by the way, congrats to your surge in business.  I understand that there's a lead time due to the surge in business.

 

[raminar_dixon]

I have a question, for some of the venues that promote through newsletters or other "closed" venues, how does the author verify that the promotion was done and done during the time period required?

It's pretty easy to verify - the author just needs to sign up at the venues with their email and they should also get the newsletter, just like the readers do. Then on the day of the promotion, they'll see the ad when it lands in their inbox.

Also, most (but not all) venues have a website, so the author should also be able to visit those sites on their promotion day to see the advertisement running there, too.

 

[chai tea]

It's pretty easy to verify - the author just needs to sign up at the venues with their email and they should also get the newsletter, just like the readers do. Then on the day of the promotion, they'll see the ad when it lands in their inbox.

Also, most (but not all) venues have a website, so the author should also be able to visit those sites on their promotion day to see the advertisement running there, too.

Okay. Thank you so much for answering my question. Enjoy your evening!

 

[raminar_dixon]

Absolutely! You (or anyone else) can always hit me up here in the thread or just send an email to [email protected] and I'll do everything I can to help. 

 

[Knox]

Most authors seem to go with promoting the first book and sometimes using it as a temporary loss-leader (free) to drive sales to the series and help push the second (or third, or fourth) book's launch. IME, that's been the most successful way to do it.

If things are going well you can always do a small promotion campaign for book 2 right on the heels of the previous advertising.

Thanks so much for your response! That's exactly what I've been thinking. Appreciate it and good luck! I'll keep you in mind.

 

[raminar_dixon]

Been way too long since I bumped this thread.

 

[raminar_dixon]

UPDATE:

It's been months since I updated this thread! Holy smokes!

Anyway, I've added a few new venues (with discounted pricing, of course):

Reader Army

BookSpry

...both cater to romance authors only at this time but plan to eventually spread out into other genres.

The biggest update is probably Book Rank's new service/option: Exclusive Private Newsletter Buys (Romance only -- for now!).

AFAIK, no one else is offering anything like this and it is only available to Book Rank clients.

These Newsletter Buys allow clients to get a newsletter swap-like experience without having to actually swap with another author. Basically, it allows Book Rank clients to purchase ad placements in similar author's newsletters. Right now I've got about 20 romance authors on board (Steamy Contemporary Romance, New Adult Romance, Paranormal Romance, and Science Fiction Romance) and participating as providers. I have a feeling that number may grow and I'll probably need more eventually to meet the demand. The participating authors all have newsletters with at least 1,000 subscribers though many have lists over 10k or even 25k. Many of them are well-known bestselling authors as well.

I've also kept differing budgets in mind as not everyone can or wants to spend the same amount. There are four tiers, ranging in price from $100 - $600.

If you are interested in taking advantage of the Exclusive Private Newsletter Buy service, selectable options are available in both the regular Book Rank "We Build It" service and the "You Build It" (aka Promo Stacker) service.

 

[Tasha Black]

Thank you so much for stacking a promo for my upcoming BBFD and KDD! I can't imagine how much time and trouble you saved me! I get to go into my sale knowing that I did all I could to get eyes on the book WITHOUT sacrificing writing time on my WIP!

 

[raminar_dixon]

Thank you so much for stacking a promo for my upcoming BBFD and KDD! I can't imagine how much time and trouble you saved me! I get to go into my sale knowing that I did all I could to get eyes on the book WITHOUT sacrificing writing time on my WIP!

Thanks - and you are welcome, Tasha! Good luck with everything. Hope your book does great!

 

[tkfdi]

I've used Ram's service for 8 book releases, and one non-release promo. I can not sing the praises high enough. She is on time on task and the service saves so, so much time. Five stars!

 

[raminar_dixon]

Just an update on the service since it's been forever since I gave one!

Pricing/Billing Changes to the Promo Stacker "You Build It" platform (beginning October 1st, 2022):

I'm ditching the $75 retainer/setup fee that clients pay upfront on all orders. That fee will be getting reduced to $5. I have to charge something or else I'll get tons of invalid orders from people playing around with the form.

The Handling Fee which is added to invoices will be changing from 6.9% to 15%. What does this mean for clients?

In short, clients placing smaller orders ($600 or less) should pay LESS overall. Clients with medium-sized orders ($600 - $1000) should pay about the same. Clients with large orders ($1000+) will pay slightly more than previously.

A kind of sliding scale seemed to make more sense rather than doing an across the board price increase on my retainer fee. Everything is already too expensive these days with inflation and I don't want to make the barrier to entry too high for new clients or hurt those with smaller budgets, and I certainly didn't want to raise prices more than was absolutely necessary.

The billing/ordering process for Book Rank "We Build It" orders will remain the same as always.

I've used Ram's service for 8 book releases, and one non-release promo. I can not sing the praises high enough. She is on time on task and the service saves so, so much time. Five stars!

Thanks tkfdi! I appreciate you sharing your feedback on the service. Saving time for authors is definitely a big benefit to using Book Rank. With everyone trying to produce more content so they can earn more $$$, many authors like it because it gives them more time to write!

 

[CM Raymond]

Ram, considering the service. I am wondering if you could give us an update for what you're seeing in trends for newsletter promos in non-romance. There's plenty of talk about promo newsletters losing their juice. You seeing this? Can you share some data? Also, how are your FB ads performing if I pick the Gold package?

 

[raminar_dixon]

Ram, considering the service. I am wondering if you could give us an update for what you're seeing in trends for newsletter promos in non-romance. There's plenty of talk about promo newsletters losing their juice. You seeing this? Can you share some data? Also, how are your FB ads performing if I pick the Gold package?

If you compare NL ads now to NL ads back in 2016, yeah, they've lost some juice. Compared to a few years ago though? I'd say they are about the same. IMO they should be a part of every author's advertising push because sometimes all you need is that extra little bump to get your book onto a Top 100 list and in front of thousands more readers.

I very very rarely run FB ads anymore for Book Rank clients. Typically they request that I leave those off and focus the entire budget on NL venues instead. If FB ads are really something you want I can help you out, but I'd say to keep in mind they will be very simple ads if I run them and you don't provide me with any special artwork and/or ad copy.

 

[sulanso]

UPDATE: It's been months since I updated this thread! Holy smokes! Anyway, I've added a few new venues (with discounted pricing, of course): Reader Army BookSpry ...both cater to romance authors only at this time but plan to eventually spread out into other genres. The biggest update is probably Book Rank's new service/option: Exclusive Private Newsletter Buys (Romance only -- for now!). AFAIK, no one else is offering anything like this and it is only available to Book Rank clients. These Newsletter Buys allow clients to get a newsletter swap-like experience without having to actually swap with another author. Basically, it allows Book Rank clients to purchase ad placements in similar author's newsletters. Right now I've got about 20 romance authors on board (Steamy Contemporary Romance, New Adult Romance, Paranormal Romance, and Science Fiction Romance) and participating as providers. I have a feeling that number may grow and I'll probably need more eventually to meet the demand. The participating authors all have newsletters with at least 1,000 subscribers though many have lists over 10k or even 25k. Many of them are well-known bestselling authors as well. I've also kept differing budgets in mind as not everyone can or wants to spend the same amount. There are four tiers, ranging in price from $100 - $600. If you are interested in taking advantage of the Exclusive Private Newsletter Buy service, selectable options are available in both the regular Book Rank "We Build It" service and the "You Build It" (aka Promo Stacker) service.

Is something like this available for scifi aswell ?

 

[raminar_dixon]

Is something like this available for scifi aswell ?

Book Rank handles promotional campaigns for ALL genres except for erotica.

 

[sulanso]

Book Rank handles promotional campaigns for ALL genres except for erotica.

Thank you for the quick reply in this case I meant with my question if this specifically is available for scifi now aswell: " Exclusive Private Newsletter Buys "

 

[raminar_dixon]

Thank you for the quick reply in this case I meant with my question if this specifically is available for scifi now aswell: " Exclusive Private Newsletter Buys "

Oh, sorry! Right now I'm only doing the Private NL buys for Contemporary Romance, PNR, and SFR titles. Maybe in the future!