Who doesn’t like free stuff? I know I do. I also like to catch things on sale. For most people, money’s tight. So, I try to keep my prices reasonable, have sales, and give stuff away. If you want to find out where and how to get my stuff for free or cheap, then read on.
KDP Select
Kindle 2.0 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I typically enroll a book in KDP Select for 90 days after release.* While my books are enrolled in KDP Select, I can give them away in two ways:
- Prime members can borrow a book for free each month through the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library. When in KDP Select, my books are included in the KOLL.
- I can give them away for five days out of every 90.
I don’t blog about when I’m running the KDP Select giveaways because I think it would just clutter up the blog. I announce them on Facebook, Twitter, and the newsletter(s). So, if you want to know about these, follow me or signup.
Intro Pricing
Since non-Kindle users have to wait to get my books on their platform due to the KDP exclusivity, I plan to offer low intro pricing when they make it to the other ebook stores. Unless its normal price is $0.99. I don’t think anybody lets you price lower than that.
Giveaways
Besides KDP Select, I can also give away books for free in a couple of other places.
Goodreads
Goodreads allows authors to give away physical copies of books, autographed even, for up to 6 months after release. I haven’t kicked this off yet, but probably will give away one or three when it gets closer to the holidays. I’ll plan to announce that here on the blog in addition to Facebook, Twitter, and the newsletter(s).
Smashwords
Smashwords allows authors to mark their books as free as well as give out coupons. I may offer some perma-free ones and/or offer them for free as part of a sale. Newsletter subscribers will probably find some coupons showing up in their inboxes here and there.
My blogs
Besides excerpts, you may find the occasional short story or flash fiction show up on one of my blogs.
Sales
I plan to run sales when the mood strikes me. These could include freebies and/or price-reduced books. If it’s big enough, I’ll announce it on the blog. Otherwise look for it on Facebook, Twitter, and the newsletter(s).
Beta Readers/Reviewers
Yep, beta readers and reviewers can get free copies. All the details are on the Misc page.
Google+
Sorry Google+ peeps, but until Google opens up the api so I can schedule posts through RSS, Buffer, or HootSuite, you’re probably not going to get much love. You should sign up for the newsletter(s) or follow me on Facebook or Twitter.
Why?
Why am I giving away so much stuff? There are a few reasons.
- Poor people and those down on their luck deserve some entertainment, too. I’ve been there. I know your pain. Take it and don’t feel bad about it.
- It helps get my name out there (see below). In theory, this should translate into more sales. More sales means I can do more good (see the next point). So, I can entertain and help people.
- As a general rule of thumb, I give away 10% of what I make on sales to charitable causes. If something really tugs at my heartstrings, I may run a special sale where I give half or more to a cause.
- Patient people can wait for sales and giveaways. For everybody else, I try to keep my prices reasonable at all times, so they don’t feel like they have to wait.
Just because I’m giving it away, doesn’t mean I don’t want something in return. I would just ask that people:
- Read it. It’s not doing anybody any good if it just hangs out on your device.
- Spread the word. Write a review, retweet or share my postings, comment on the blog, forward a newsletter, whatever sounds good to you.
- Share the love. Lend the book, give it away when you’re done with it. Better still, take the money that you saved by getting it for free or cheap and do some good with it.
- Help me improve. Drop me a comment, tweet, email, etc. to let me know how I could do a better job or to point out mistakes I’ve made so I can correct them.
Thank you for reading and for caring.
*Yeah, I know it’s kind of a bummer if you don’t have a Kindle because KDP Select demands exclusivity. I have to balance the inconvenience for the non-Kindle owners against the benefit to the Kindle owners, which is why I only do the first 90 days. If Amazon ever gives up on the exclusivity, I will leave it in KDP Select all the time AND release it everywhere up front.
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