Last week, I shared the facts and figures of my book launch, thus far, and so many people said they were grateful to have details, I thought I’d do a series of updates about those fact and figures through March and into early April when Silence at the Lock comes out.
Paid Promotions
Following the wisdom of Kirsten Oliphant of Create If Writing, I paid for a series of promotions to book-based mailing lists for the first book in this YA magical realism series, Steele Secrets. I set the promotional price at $.99 because it’s complicated – or impossible – to do free unless you’re in Kindle Unlimited, which I’m not.
Here’s the specifics:
- Book Doggy – $18
- Many Books – $25
- Bargain Booksy – $25
- FKBT (Free Kindle Books and Tips) – $30
- Book Cave – $20
- Modern Mrs. Darcy – Free
Total – $118
So far, the Book Doggy, FKBT, and Modern Mrs. Darcy promos have run. Tomorrow, Many Books, BookCave, and Bargain Booksy go out. The suggestion to stagger promotions is a frequent one given because it allows the book to have some staying power if it gets up on bestseller’s lists, especially on Amazon.
Email List Promos
Also, during this same time period, I am running a Magical Realism Promo through BookFunnel to build my new magical realism email list. Here, then, my ebook of Steele Secrets is free.
I like this route because it lets me combine supporting other authors – there are 12 other great magical realism books available free – while also helping to build a list of folks who would be most interested in my YA novels.
Other Stuff
I was also recently part of a very large virtual conference for Christian women writers, and I picked up a LOT of subscribers and book sales from those wonderful folks. I did the conference because I really like talking with writers, but the bonus was a boost in my business, too.
Finally, I have this WONDERFUL launch team for the book. The team is about 125 people, and they are reading the ARC, sharing links, giving me insight about materials, creating Spotify playlists to coincide with the book, and so much more.
The Results, Thus Far
As of Wednesday, the 6th, at 10am, I have sold 39 ebooks on since Monday, March 4th.
- 35 of those were Steele Secrets
- 2 were copies of the middle book in the trilogy, Charlotte and the Twelve
- 1 was a copy of my writing book, Discover Your Writing Self
- 1 was a copy of my writing book, Writing Day In and Day Out
I also sold, in that same time frame, I have sold 2 paperback books.
- 1 copy of Discover Your Writing Self
- 1 copy of Love Letters to Writers
Thus, I’ve made
- $21.27 in ebook sales
- $13.58 in paperback sales
Total – $34.40 – ~-70% return on investment.
In terms of the mailing list, I have gained 12 new subscribers.
Analysis – Eh, So Far
A -70% return on investment isn’t great by any standard, but I still have the three biggest promos going out tomorrow and most of today to keep sales climbing. So I’m still optimistic that I’ll at least break even.
But I also have to factor in that this is the first book in the series. If readers like it, they will hopefully buy the next two books in the series, which are $3.99 for ebook and $11.99 and $10.99 in print.
Additionally, of course, the long-term goal is to have several series of books – all in the magical realism genre because I adore it – that people can buy when they finish one series. So I set my hopes long-term.
ON a very positive note, though, I have seen a HUGE increase in my book sales in the end of February and into March.
- In January 2019, I made $29.80 in all book sales on Amazon.
- In the first six days of March 2019, I’ve made $96.66 on Amazon.
That’s more than a 300% increase. Not too shabby, if I do say so myself. 🙂
Next week, I’ll give you the full run-down on the results of the promos, but until then, hit me with questions in the comments below, and I’ll do my best to answer them.