Mark Dawson recommends it. Joanna Penn recommends it. A
But should you make your book
Well, let’s start off with defining
I know, I know, you don’t want to make your baby free.
You’ve spent years pouring your heart and soul into it, and by making it free, aren’t you devaluing your creative work?
Well..
On 10 May 2019, I made What Happens in New York
The rest of that month made more money than the rest of 2019 combined so far.
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Annoyingly I won’t see that money until the end of July as payments are two months behind, but it shows that making a book free can pay off.
But how?
How could I have possibly make more money when I’m giving something away for free?
Should you make your book permafree?
In Mark Dawson’s Self-Publishing 101 course (which I’m a part of), he recommends making the first book in a series free. Why? Because it lures people in. It’s the carrot, if you will.
People may not know who you are. If they don’t know who you are or anyone who can recommend your books, they’re less likely to take a chance on you.
If your book is free, they have nothing to lose by taking that chance.
Then, once they’ve read that first book and they’re invested in the characters, they’ll be more willing to pay for other books by you.
However,
Therefore, it makes sense to make the first book in a series free rather than a random book you’ve written.
That’s why you’ll sometimes find books that are part of the same universe but that focus on different characters listed as a series instead of as individual books.
What if I only have one book?
If you only have one book, get writing!
There’s no harm in making your one and only book free, but the sooner you can continue the series the more readers you’ll have, and the more engaged they’ll be.
And
You can make your first book free and direct them to your mailing list so
The best way to market a book is to write more books, because it gives you more exposure in algorithms.
After I made What Happens in New York free, it creeped up the rankings, and the rest of the series followed.
Apple Books now advertises the book for me on
How do I make my book permafree on Amazon?
Making your book
With Amazon, you must price match it to the other free platforms.
This isn’t a perfect system. It took me a week to get What Happens in New York free
The reason I got was that they run regular
I lost all my rankings
So, if you
Conclusion
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. It depends on you and your circumstances.
You really need to be in this for the long game for a
If you’re in it for quick wins, a
In fact, if you’re in it for a quick win,
Over to You
Are you more likely to take a chance on a new author if the book is free?
Does giving our work away for free devalue the work involved?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
Yes i can take on a new author depending on the title of the book. Sometimes an attractive heading can attract me.
No giving away a book does not devalue the work involved.The quality remains as it is. What is to be noted is that giving away a book is a marketing strategy.
What if I wrote a play instead of a novel? (“Adoration” – the story of George Sand and Chopin)
Out of all the free books I’ve checked out (and I’ve checked out a lot–including Ms. Penn’s, which was utter garbage), I’ve only come across one author whose next book I was willing to buy. So, I have to say, overall I think the authors are losing out. Most of my friends say the same. They may check out a freebie, but rarely go back to buy.
Hey there. Would love some thoughts on my upcoming publishing conundrum… I have a book almost ready to go. It’s a one-off, not the opener to a series. It’s money self-help / life philosophy. I have no huge desire to make money from it – and ethically I feel it would be nice to offer such a thing totally free – but I do want it spread as far and wide as possible. What would you do?