Page 14 - Golden Box Books Publishing

pricey; it can easily cost $600 for one book promotion, which very
few authors can afford, but those who can afford it report success.

We tried on a smaller scale:

We had over 3,000 subscribers to our newsletter, but this promo
idea proved to be ineffective. After a few newsletters to readers
about free and bargain books, the authors reported lots of free
book downloads. But when we started promoting mostly regular
price books, the newsletter opening rate drastically dropped
because readers expected to see only free books. After the fifth
newsletter to over 3000 readers, only about 14% opened the mail,
most of the readers unsubscribed, and only 1-2% clicked on a few
links.

MARKETING SERVICES

Well established book marketing services are effective. Their team
of experts works tirelessly on promoting books to readers, book
stores, and they use effective methods. They help the authors to
write catchy blurbs and teasers, they create professional book
trailers; they promote the books in newsletters, newspapers and so
on.

The truth:

We did some research and the sad truth is that very few authors
can afford this kind of service. Some sites charge $2,000 a month,
others charge even more. The majority of the great, yet
undiscovered authors don't even make that much money a month
with their regular, full time jobs, and the money they make goes to
support their families. They write in their free time because they're
talented and passionate about writing. Therefore, this effective
book marketing option is open only to a few authors who can
afford it.

MORE AFFORDABLE PROMO SERVICES

Most promo services that charge less usually advertise their
services on flashy websites and promise great results. But, the
experience of many authors proves that these promo services only

13