Should I Use Up The KDP Promotion Days Before They Expire?

Monday, August 20, 2012

... some decisions are easier to make than others because you don't have all the facts...

I have a decision to make. Two of my novels on Amazon are part of the KDP select program and the 90-day period expires in a week. I have some free promotion days left to use. Do I use them or let them expire? Do I re-enlist for another 90 days? How to decide?

Overview of the KDP Select Program:

Applies to e-books only.
90-day period.
Book becomes exclusive to Amazon.
No non-Amazon sales allowed.
5 free promotion days.
Unused promo days expire. No roll over.
No royalty for promo day downloads.
Lending program for Select members.
1 new lend per month per member.
Royalty for lending, around $2 per lend.

The Benefits.

People love free and will download.
Increased visibility from:

Amazon’s list of books currently in free promo.
Web sites and tweets of your free promo.
Hitting bestseller list on Amazon.

More clicks on the LIKE button for the book.
Reviews posted on Amazon and elsewhere.
Increased sales after the promotion period.
Increased rankings afterwards.

The Downside.

No sales from non-Amazon sites.
No royalties during free promo days.
Tonnes of free books offered everyday.
Downloads don’t turn into reads or readers.
Visibility lasts for a short time.
Income from lending less than regular royalty.

I think I have covered most of the key points on this issue.

I have one week left to use the free promo days. I suspect my lost royalties, if I use the days, will be less than royalties gained later. In other words, I think it will help to generate more future sales than would otherwise be the case. I can’t be certain but that’s my best guess and hence I should use them up.

I’m not sure if I should enrol for the next period. The calculus would include sales on Itunes, B&N, Kobo etc. It’s not insignificant. With greater visibility, there comes a tipping point where you can’t ignore sales outside Amazon.

NOTE: If you have a book enrolled, check your KDP bookshelf. Select a title, click Actions then See KDP Select Details. A window will pop up. There you will find a checkbox to automatically renew enrolment. You may want to uncheck it.

Posted 2012/08/20 at 16h17ET in Publishing.

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