Navigating the Perils Of Book Giveaway Campaigns: Helping Authors Win

Book giveaways: a fantastic tool that can help you, as an author, build your readership and attract notice for your books, or a waste of effort and money? According to Jane Friedman, there's a comfortable middle ground that can allow you to make the most of your book giveaway without expending unnecessary funds in the process. As Friedman notes, most industries find ways to use "free" to their advantage. As a writer, you simply have to find the strategy that works most effectively for you. 

Tip #1: Market the Series as a Whole

You don't want to simply give away all of your books, but you do want to generate interest and build Amazon reviews. Consider giving away the first book in the series for free. People will check out the first one, fall in love with it, and then go hunting for the next book in the series. While not all of your free readers will become paid fans of your work, many of them will go on to buy future books in the series--and chances are, happy readers will recommend your books to their friends, too. Look at your book, not as an individual volume, but as part of a series. Sometimes, offering freebies for the series as a whole will help increase readership for that series, making it well worth the cost of the individual book. 

Tip #2: Start with a Goal

What are you hoping to gain by giving away free books? Of course, your primary goal is to increase exposure and the number of people reading your books, but you may also want to generate interest in an upcoming new release or try to increase interest in an ongoing series. By starting with your goal first, you can decide what you want to give away and what you want to accomplish with it. Without a goal, you're just throwing free books and materials out there--and often, while that will excite your existing readers, it will fail to give you the long-term benefits you were probably hoping for. 

Tip #3: Create a Giveaway Plan

Get to know your readers. Shape a plan based on their needs and desires, not just on what you want to give away. In some cases, a preview chapter of an upcoming release is more tempting than the entire book--and can generate more sales. In others, you may find that offering supplemental material--a gift with purchase, for example--is just the incentive your customers need. You also need a plan for how to market your giveaway and spread interest, not to mention how many books you actually want to give away. A digital campaign might not have immediate financial cost to you, but if you're giving away physical books, your budget is a significant limitation. Decide how you want to proceed with your campaign and how it will help you reach your goals.

Tip #4: Stay in Contact with Readers

Once readers check out your free book, what comes next? Do you have other titles available? Will they receive notice when the next book in the series comes out? Don't fall into the trap of offering a great free deal, then seeing your readers fall away without staying in contact. Let them sign up for your newsletter or follow you on social media. Make sure to provide regular updates, including added value (discount codes or notice about future sales, for example) that will keep them engaged. Try some of these strategies:

• Build an online community for your fans. While this might not work as well when you have only a handful of fans, as your readership grows, having an online community is a great way to connect with your readers. They can ask questions and get answers directly from you and even, at times, provide input into your next book. You can create a community on Facebook or through your website, depending on your needs. 
• Actively engage on social media. Answer questions when your readers have them, whether they have a question about a character or want to know more about your next release. Readers love connecting personally with you as an author. When you engage with them, they'll feel a more personal connection that will keep them engaging with your books, too. 
• Create a newsletter based on your books and your genre. For example, if you write religious fiction, you might want to send out a religious-based newsletter. Write science fiction and fantasy? Keep an eye on the biggest conventions in your area, even if you aren't planning to attend. 

Tip #5: Provide Consistent Value

As Friedman points out, free is great--but in order for it to have genuine benefit, your free offerings must have the high quality that your fan base expects. If they don't enjoy what they're reading, they're going to turn to the wide range of other authors available. Intrigue your readers, capture their attention, and provide them with something that encourages them to check out whatever comes next, and they'll become more loyal and more likely to pay for what you're offering. On the other hand, if you offer a weak first book or other poor material, they may never come check out your next one. Each time you write a book, focus on providing quality. You don't want to be known as a writer who provides a great story in every other book or one who has one viral series, but whose other books aren't worth reading. This is especially true if you're hoping to break into your industry as a new writer. Take the time to carefully consider your content before you publish it, whether you're putting out another paid book or a freebie intended to attract new readers. If it's not quality, you may need to do some polishing before you make it available to the public. 

Do you need more help building up your readers and learning more about how to run a great free offer? Contact me today to learn more about how I can help.