Do free ebooks pay off?

Mae Clair and I are doing a blog swap today. She recently did a very successful free promotion for Eclipse Lake. She's here to tell us how she pulled this off.

Strategy, Results and Wrap: Do Free eBooks Pay Off? byMae Clair

When Craig and I talked about doing a blog swap, I wasn’t sure what my topic was going to be. I thought maybe I’d reference several internet sites for writers that have been helpful to me, and then I realized the most useful information I could share was my experience offering a free book on Amazon.

Maybe you’ve already done this. If so, I’d love your take on it. For me, the whole thing was a new experience and I didn’t know what to expect. A lot of authors offer free books when they’re writing a series—offer the first book free and hope the reader will become ensnared enough to purchase the successive books in the series—but in my case, I didn’t have a series to work with. What I had was a brand new romantic suspense/mystery, MYTH AND MAGIC that I wanted to draw attention to.

To give MYTH a boost, I offered one of my previous releases, ECLIPSE LAKE, a stand-alone romantic mystery free for a period of three days. I admit it was exciting to see ECLIPSE soar in the Amazon rankings, eventually topping out at #64 in the Kindle store and #3 in the romantic suspense/mystery category. I was prepared to see it plummet when the freebie deal ended, but a strange thing happened.

No, ECLIPSE LAKE doesn’t rank in the top 100 now, but for nearly three weeks it held steady in the 5K to 10K range which was a big step up from where it had been languishing before. Even now, nearly a month later (as I write this blog) it’s still doing exceptionally well. Hopefully, I’m not jinxing myself by saying that. I did have to work, however, to get the word out.

THE STRATEGY

Blogging

I had approximately two dozen bloggers lined up during the free period to run my promo with both ECLIPSE LAKE and MYTH AND MAGIC. Of those, about five forgot and didn’t post, but all the remaining blogs gave me a strong push. I also had authors tweeting and posting on Facebook about the promo. For my part, this was just coordination and an investment of time, ensuring everyone got the material they needed when they needed it.

Paid Advertising

Not everyone wants to invest in paid promos, but they get the job done. I paid for two Facebook boosts (one for Eclipse and one for Myth). I also paid for two reader service ads. These were with The Fussy Librarian and The Choosy Bookworm, two large reader subscription services that send out daily emails with new releases and free books broken down by genre. I had spots ads on the Fussy and Choosy websites, too, as part of the promo package I paid for. In addition, Great Books, Great Deals, included me in their daily email when ECLIPSE LAKE was offered free. That inclusion didn’t cost me anything. All total, I invested close to $60.00 for everything. Was it worth it?

THE RESULTS

MYTH AND MAGIC did well, better than any of my previous releases, but I would have liked for it to climb higher initially.

ECLIPSE LAKE kicked butt and the freebie offering has breathed new life into it. Even better, I experienced a gooduptick in ALL of my previous releases (SOLSTICE ISLAND, TWELFTH SUN and WEATHERING ROCK) for a full week.

I picked up 25 new fans on my Facebook page. Hmm, maybe I should really think about using it more.

I had several new blog followers join me, and several sign up for my newsletter. Ditto with Twitter and Google+

ECLIPSE LAKE picked up 12 new reviews (eleven 5-star, and one 4-star) in a three week period. I was extremely pleased with those results, and hope there will be more reviews to come.

THE WRAP

I’m still not sure I can call the whole experience a success given what I invested. I will, however, chalk it up to another learning curve on my writer’s journey.

Thanks to Craig for allowing me to share my experience on his blog. If you’ve offered a free book, or are considering offering one, I’d love to hear your thoughts, good or bad. I’d also be interested in knowing how many of you have downloaded free books, actually read them and posted reviews. And finally, I invite you to check out ECLIPSE LAKE and MYTH AND MAGIC for yourself. I know I’m partial to them, but I think you’ll find them both an intriguing blend of mystery, suspense and romance.

You can find Mae Clair at the following haunts:

Website

Blog

Twitter (@MaeClair1)
Google+

Facebook Author Page

Amazon Author Page

Kensington Books Author Page
Goodreads

Pinterest

 

I can personally vouch for for Myth and Magic. I read it recently and gave it five stars.

If you want your Entertaining Stories fix today, you'll have to visit Mae's blog. I took Doubt, the raven, over there to talk about editing, but something went haywire.

 

Announcing: Myth and Magic

My friend, Mae Clair has a new book that came out yesterday. I pre-ordered this one and got the email telling me it loaded.

She's pretty cool, and after you get your copy you ought to consider following her blog. Here's Mae to tell us all about Myth and Magic, plus a free book for a limited number of days.

Free June 8 to June 10: ECLIPSE LAKE by Mae Clair#RomanticMystery

If you enjoy romance, mysteries, and suspense, I invite you to take advantage of my limited time offer for ECLIPSE LAKE. Grab your Kindle copy, June 8 to June 10 for FREE. This is a stand-alone full-length novel of old wounds, buried secrets, and sweet romance. It’s not part of a series, so you can enjoy the complete tale.

BLURB FOR ECLIPSE LAKE:

Small towns hold the darkest secrets.

Fifteen years after leaving his criminal past and estranged brother behind, widower Dane Carlisle returns to his hometown on the banks of sleepy Eclipse Lake. Now, a successful businessman, he has kept his troubled past a secret from most everyone, including his seventeen-year-old son.

But memories in small towns are bitter and long.

Ellie Sullivan, a nature photographer for a national magazine, has a habit of ping-ponging across the map. Her latest assignment leads her to Eclipse Lake where she becomes caught up in the enmity between Dane, his brother Jonah, and a vengeful town sheriff. When freshly-discovered skeletal remains are linked to an unsolved murder and Dane’s past, Ellie is left questioning her growing attraction for a man who harbors long-buried secrets.

Grab Your Free Copy from Amazon here

If you don’t have a Kindle, download a FREE Kindle Reading app for the device of your choice

I hope you enjoy ECLIPSE LAKE and ask only that when you’ve finished reading you’d leave an honest review on Amazon. Authors love hearing what readers enjoyed about our novels (even what didn’t work). It’s a favored reward J

I’d also like to ask for your support in the release of my brand new Halloween-themed romantic suspense novel, MYTH AND MAGIC. There’s nothing like a little October spookiness for weaving a touch of magic into your summer.

 

BLURB FOR MYTH AND MAGIC:

Love and danger intertwine

AS CHILDREN THEY PLAYED GAMES OF MYTH AND MAGIC…

Veronica Kent fell in love with Caith Breckwood when they were children. As a teenager, she was certain he was the man she was destined to marry. But a traumatic event from Caith'spast led him to fear a future together. He left Veronica, hoping to save her from a terrible fate. Twelve years later, Caith, now a P.I., is hired to investigate bizarre incidents at the secluded retreat Veronica manages. Returning to his hometown, Caith is forced to face his nightmares—and his feelings for the woman he’s always loved.

THEN ONE DAY THE MONSTERS BECAME REAL.

After the callous way Caith broke her heart, Veronica isn’t thrilled to see him again. But strange occurrences have taken a dangerous toll on business at Stone Willow Lodge. Forced to work together, Veronica discovers it isn’t ghostly apparitions that frighten her, but her passion for a man she has never forgotten. Or forgiven. Can two people with a tarnished past unearth a magical future?

Release day for MYTH AND MAGIC is June 9, but you can pre-order prior to that. It’s available from all of these bookstores:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Kobo

iTunes

Kensington Publishing

Purchase MYTH AND MAGIC and grab your copy of ECLIPSE LAKE for free. You get TWO full-length books of suspense, mystery and romance for under $4.00! Either way I hope you will enjoy the free book. Both stories plus their characters hold special places in my heart.

Thank you for your support and I’d love to hear from you! You can find me at any of the following haunts:

Website

Blog

Twitter (@MaeClair1)
Google+

Facebook Author Page

Amazon Author Page

Kensington Books Author Page
Goodreads

Pinterest

About Mae Clair:

Mae Clair opened a Pandora’s Box of characters when she was a child and never looked back. Her father, an artist who tinkered with writing, encouraged her to create make-believe worlds by spinning tales of far-off places on summer nights beneath the stars.

Mae loves creating character-driven fiction in settings that vary from contemporary to mythical. Wherever her pen takes her, she flavors her stories with mystery and romance. Married to her high school sweetheart, she lives in Pennsylvania and is passionate about cryptozoology, old photographs, a good Maine lobster tail and cats.