Progress on the book continues. It has a title now. It is Justice in an Age of Metal and Men. My editor is tearing it apart, with promises of a nicely written book report at the end of the week. While I look forward to that I’m doing a little marketing research.
You see, people don’t just magically discover books as soon as they’re dropped into Amazon. People need to be told about new books. Usually.
So, the question is: How do people discover books?
In the process of my research I’ve discovered a new way to discover books, and I am quite happy with it.
BookBub does not solve the initial marketing problem. To get listed on BookBub a book must already have some reviews from non-sketchy reviewers. Also, it has to be reasonably clean of typos and have a professional appearance. The entry criteria for this is a little vague, but reading through the materials at least convinced me of the value of what they’re providing. I have heard of authors who have attempted to get listed many times before getting accepted, which means BookBub isn’t just sucking up money from any old hack author.
So I signed up for their emails.
They send me an email every day listing advertised ebook deals. Some are free deals, some are significantly reduced prices. Either way, when I’m in the market for a new book they’re really a great resource. I am really glad I signed up, even if it means one more email every day.
They make their money from the author, but authors tend to get a pretty good deal out of it. Since reviews make or break a book in the world of independent publishing, giving a book away to thousands of people is sometimes the best way to make any sort of money.
I’ve always been a pretty slow reader, but it seems like I’m always searching for new fiction to consume. If that’s you, too, then I recommend signing up for BookBub, too. The emails are free, at least. Just make sure you drop an Amazon review on any free books that you like. The author will not just get a warm, fuzzy feeling, but will also probably be more likely to produce more and better books.
Really, it becomes a good deal for everyone involved.