Author's Success! Free Weekend Lands Book In Top Paid Categories

The results are in and it was an absolutely remarkable success. I’m talking about what I discussed in “” in last week’s blog. As I had explained, my novel, Everybody’s Daughter, was being offered to the public for free last weekend on Amazon.com and BN.com. Close to 25,000 readers took advantage of the offer and downloaded a copy.

How could this be considered a success when I -- the author -- didn’t make a dime? Well, it gave Everybody’s Daughter a chance to reach a bigger audience. If the story is as good as I feel it is and what the initial reviewers are saying, it will create a “buzz” for the book.

Everybody’s Daughter climbed to the number three slot in the free category on Amazon.com. When the free price was removed to the original of $3.47 on Kindle, Everybody’s Daughter moved from its previous position of 37,000 to the current slot of 1196 and in the top 100 in three different categories on Amazon.com.

We won’t know the real effect of the 25,000 readers who downloaded the free copy for months – not everyone will read the story in a few days. Some readers take months to take a look. But, if YOUR story is good enough and you impose this strategy, why can’t it work for YOU?

Some more thoughts – when you approach your free weekend, understand where your book fits in – the genre. In my case, Everybody’s Daughter can be categorized into suspense, thriller, mystery and spirituality. Find the websites that enjoy discussing and reviewing such a story. Give the webmaster a heads up that your book is going free on a particular day.

Remember, these strategies are free for the author. There are other methods you can employ but will cost some money – though it’s relatively inexpensive. I had my book featured on the Indie Authors News website. In addition, I took a promo placement with Amazon’s Kindle News Daily. Both worked extremely well in reaching more readers.

How about tweeting? Get to know the authors and readers who will re-tweet your links and return the favor. It’s so important to understand that all authors are competitive, yes, but we need to help one another on our journey. It’s a lonely one, sometimes, and we need all the friends we can get. But, this is a free vehicle that can help you reach and make some wonderful allies for our writing journey.

Keep writing. Never lose faith. Understand the trends in digital publishing. Good luck with your story!

Michael John Sullivan is the author of Everybody's Daughter and Necessary Heartbreak. He lives on Long Island with his family. He can also be reached at MichaelJohnSullivan.com