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Free Kindle eBooks - whats the point?

by In the know
10 replies
Hi all,

What's the point of having free Kindle eBooks on Amazon?

Does it increase the rankings for the paid hard/softbacks?

Regards

Dan
#ebooks #free #kindle #point
  • Profile picture of the author SunilTanna
    Amazon has a massive audience.

    Anything you mention, any website or product, or just you the author, gets more exposure as a result.
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    • Profile picture of the author In the know
      Originally Posted by SunilTanna View Post

      Amazon has a massive audience.

      Anything you mention, any website or product, or just you the author, gets more exposure as a result.
      Ah OK, thank you.

      Specifically I meant the free ebooks that are alongside the paid hardback version, I just didn't see why anyone would pay $15.99 if they can have it for free
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      • Profile picture of the author KenJ
        Originally Posted by In the know View Post

        Ah OK, thank you.

        Specifically I meant the free ebooks that are alongside the paid hardback version, I just didn't see why anyone would pay $15.99 if they can have it for free
        There are two main reason people will pay the $15.99.

        Firstly many Amazon customers/ book readers still prefer the experience of reading a book in their hands, not on a screen.
        Secondly, It is far easier to buy a real book as a gift. You wrap it up and send/give it to them. You can 'gift' Kindle books but it's not much of a party celebration is it?

        From a marketing point of view there is value in having an expensive hard copy book listed alongside the Kindle version. A Kindle user will see that they are saving money by buying the digital version. It is a strong motivator for many buyers.

        KenJ
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  • Profile picture of the author dnovacek
    If you've submitted your eBook to Kindle Prime, you can list your book for free for 5 days a month (at least, it was 5 days last time I checked).

    You can promote that free eBook during that time, hoping to get as many downloads as possible. The more people who download and read your book, the better your chance of obtaining reviews.

    When your book goes off Free status, those reviews (assuming they're good) can help you sell more books at full price.
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    • Profile picture of the author In the know
      Good point, thank you
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      • Profile picture of the author TinkBD
        When the Kindle Gold Rush hit the WF about 18 months ago, Free using Select was a very effective promotional vehicle.

        Now thanks to many changes in the program, in Amazon's algos, and along with changes to Amazon's affiliate program, the KDP/Kindle landscape is very different.

        Niches and genres react in very different ways, and it can be very difficult to compare results.

        Many authors have discovered that giving books away for free does not necessarily result in reviews, and can lead to poor reviews.

        At this point -- in fiction genres -- a well-written book, particularly part of a recognized series, can do very well with no reviews whatsoever.

        One free strategy that works well, at the moment, is offering the first book in a fiction series as permafree.

        For others, in a variety of genres, $.99 has become the new free.

        As in all things Kindle, the only constant is change. The e-book landscape changes often. I tend to watch the changes and then make my final decisions when I'm ready to publish.
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  • Profile picture of the author futureoffantasy
    When you make a Kindle Book free, you will get a lot of book downloads. This increases your chances of showing up on Amazon under the "Customers who bought this also bought..." Section. Then when they make take the book off free promotion the book will still show up on these lists, increasing the chances of real sales.

    The free promo on Kindle isn't as great as it use to be, but it still has its benefits.
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  • Profile picture of the author Relic32
    It helps boost your books rankings
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    • Profile picture of the author TinkBD
      Originally Posted by Relic32 View Post

      It helps boost your books rankings
      Not necessarily, and, there is a strong possibility that it will do the opposite -- it can tank your ranking... This is because the free days are now counted as days without sales.

      At this point in time, if you have any kind of steady sales, you run the risk of losing that momentum, by putting your books up for FREE...

      Things in Kindleland change rapidly... I try to re-evaluate my plans very three or so weeks...
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      • Profile picture of the author edlewis
        The fact is free promo's are just that - promo's.

        Some bad advice has seemingly become "gospel" and lots of people think they can just publish one Kindle ebook, give it away for free for a few days, and then sell hundreds of copies.

        It doesn't work that way.

        You need to have a plan of attack and a system in place before running a free promo.

        For example, promo's are great for fiction authors who already have a catalog of titles published or have a series of books like a trilogy.

        This way you are giving away an ebook with a purpose - that purpose being that someone will read the free ebook, like it, and then BUY another book, the next book in the series, or (best case) your entire catalog.
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