DIGITAL MEDIA GHOST
  • Publication
  • #GhostsWriteIt Spotlight
    • Writer Spotlight Submission
  • Services
    • Digital Strategy
      • Content Marketing
      • Law Firm Marketing
      • Social Media Management
    • Ghostwriting
    • Public Relations
      • Social Sabotage & Online Privacy
        • Social Media Policy Template
  • About
  • Publication
  • #GhostsWriteIt Spotlight
    • Writer Spotlight Submission
  • Services
    • Digital Strategy
      • Content Marketing
      • Law Firm Marketing
      • Social Media Management
    • Ghostwriting
    • Public Relations
      • Social Sabotage & Online Privacy
        • Social Media Policy Template
  • About
Search

“Free Samples”: Worth It?

2/16/2016

0 Comments

 
by Will Viharo

“The first one is free” is the oldest hook in the book when it comes to promoting any product, the idea being to get your customers “addicted” by offering a taste of what’s in store for them if they plunk down some cash for the privilege of a steady supply.
 
This adage can also apply to literature of any kind. But there are many ways to induce incentive for readers buy the whole cow after they’ve only sipped that milk. Just be careful not to sour their taste buds, alienate their palettes, or fill them up too soon in the process…
Amazon offers authors and readers a program called Kindle Select, wherein eBooks are provided free of charge to customers than sign up for this offer. Naturally that’s a good deal for book lovers. But what about writers?

Amazon explains the benefits are not just about exposure, which is essential for any author but especially independent ones responsible for all their own promotions (as even most traditionally published authors are these days anyway), but also profit.
Generally, writers earn 70% royalties on each eBook title purchased. In the Kindle Unlimited deal, which will include your book if you sign up for Kindle Direct, readers that subscribe to the service can read an unlimited amount of books per month, including yours, for a single flat fee. And authors also receive 70% royalties on books sold in several foreign countries.
 
Once you enroll your book in Kindle Select your book is also automatically made available in the Kindle Owners Lenders Library, wherein the author receives royalties the first time portion of the book is read (only one allowed per customer per month), but not thereafter.
 
Frankly, the way they discern this is a bit complicated, at least to my mathematically challenged brain, but it’s all explained here.
 
There is also something called the Kindle Select Global Fund, explained in more detail here. Basically, it’s like a massive “tip jar” and every author enrolled in the program will get his or her share, depending on the amount in the till divided by how many books are being “borrowed” by any number of Amazon Prime users there are at any given point in time. We’re talking millions, so your slice of this pie is going to taste more like a crumb.

This is basically capitalistic socialism in action.
 
Additionally, Amazon offers Kindle users free samples of most titles, which is sort of like those free food cups at Trader Joe’s, served right next to a refrigerator stocked with the daily special as a subtle "hint."

Some marketing methods are more useful, and obvious, than others.
 
Run That By Me Again? Actually, Walk It, Slowly…

Frankly, for me and many average authors just trying to stay afloat day to day in a turbulent, hostile sea of obscurity and competition, a lot of this stuff comes off as downright esoteric, if not completely incomprehensible. Or even flat out unfair.

But if you’re an indie author, you really need to treat it like a small business, at least if you want to generate any profit at all. So doing a little research on how to best present and promote your own book is always well worth the effort.
 
Again, there are many different ways to reach this common goal, and not all of them work for everyone. That is why you need to discover your own best pathway to your individual goal, and that can only be achieved by trying as many different methods at your disposal. Especially if they’re free, because face it, most of us have very tight investment budgets for this artistically noble if not particularly lucrative career choice.
For me, the best thing about people reading my books, even for free, is that hopefully they will like one enough to buy others, and ideally post positive reviews on the product page.
 
Word of mouth is literally priceless, and still the most effective marketing tool ever invented, because it’s authentic and organic, not calculated or fabricated.
Status Updates Actually Worth Sharing
 
Another way to go about introducing potential fans to your work is to post excerpts on your Facebook page, whether it’s your personal profile, a fan page for one of your books (or your own imprint), or all of them.
 
Keep in mind that, while you want to avoid “spamming” your friends list and alienating them with too much self-promotion, the fact is most posts, especially those that are essentially unpaid ads (a feature Amazon offers for additional fees most of us can't afford), will either go unread or unnoticed by the vast majority of anyone browsing their busy daily news feeds.
 
So I recommend multiple posts on all of your platforms, but pace them judiciously. Also, try to make them all unique, so it doesn’t sound like you’re simply reposting out of laziness, lack of imagination, or, worst of all, desperation.
 
I have also given away a lot of free print copies, to friends and strangers, including celebrities I admire that I happened to meet at a convention or something. Mostly, this is just a way of “giving back” to people whose own careers have either inspired or entertained me or both. And it makes for a nice photo op if they’re willing to pose with you while holding your book.

Just make sure not to take advantage of their generosity or exploit the opportunity in a way that comes off as a dishonest “endorsement.” That could seriously backfire, both legally and personally. You never want people you admire to wind up resenting you.
 
Gratis copies offered to fellow authors are often just acts of solidarity, especially if we’re swapping books. Freebies to potential fans are done in hopes of a positive product review on Amazon. That hardly ever happens, to be honest. But you never know.
 
Just keep rolling those dice.
 
Topping Off the Bottom Line
 
My advice? If Amazon or any publishing platform offers the option of providing free copies to readers when you’re in the process of uploading your book, just click “yes.” I can’t say it’s paid off for me in any substantial way, at least not yet. But if it’s not costing you anything, either, you might as well take the chance. You’ve got nothing to lose, especially if no one is buying your books, anyway.
 
At least not yet.

PHOTO: WILL VIHARO (with actress Sheryl Lee at Crypticon, Seattle, May 2015)
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Become a Ghostwriter!
    Picture
    Contribute to DMG
    Picture
    BECOME A GUEST CONTRIBUTOR
    Picture
    PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS BY GUEST POSTING
    Picture
    ARE YOU A GHOSTWRITER? WE WANT TO KNOW!
    Picture
    DO YOU HAVE A GHOSTWRITING BUSINESS?

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Agency Spotlight
    Business
    Digital Marketing
    Ghost In A Flash
    Ghostwriting
    Media Relations
    Privacy Concerns
    Social Sabotage
    Technology
    Writer Spotlight
    Writing

    Advertising Disclaimer

    Archives

    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    May 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012

Find your domain and create your site at Weebly.com!
Digital Media Strategy
Content Marketing
Law Firm Marketing
Search Engine Optimization
Social Media Marketing
eBooks
Writing
Becoming a Ghostwriter
Blogging
Content Marketing
Ghostwriting Services
Guest Post Guidelines
Media Relations
Online Crisis Management
Personal Brand
Public Relations
Reputation Management
About
Our Team
Our Results
Testimonials
Contact Us
Locations:
New Orleans, LA
Nashville, TN

DMG University
Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Cookie Policy
Digital Media Ghost  @2020
  • Publication
  • #GhostsWriteIt Spotlight
    • Writer Spotlight Submission
  • Services
    • Digital Strategy
      • Content Marketing
      • Law Firm Marketing
      • Social Media Management
    • Ghostwriting
    • Public Relations
      • Social Sabotage & Online Privacy
        • Social Media Policy Template
  • About