The Amazon KDP Select Free Promotion of JCGOH is Live Now — and it’s Working

Michael Sellers John Carter and the Gods of Hollywood

The Amazon KDP Select Free Promotion of John Carter and the Gods of Hollywood went live at midnight and it’s been a pretty fascinating ride already.  The theory is that you offer the book for free for a two day period, and prime the pump by making sure that websites and Facebook groups who promote free Kindle books are alerted, then do your own social media thing — and the result is supposed to be that you get a surge in free downloads during the two day promotion period, and then a surge in sales afterwards.  All of that is theory, of course.

Our promotion went live at 12:30 AM and we did all the prep you’re supposed to do — getting it listed on the sites that promote free books, sending an email blast to our own list, etc.  I’ve been keeping a live blog with updates at www.MichaelDSellers.com, mostly to just document the experience so I can share later with other authors contemplating doing this.  I’ll paste the updates in here.  Bottom line is that it’s WORKING better than I could have expected.  I would have been happy with 1000 downloads over the course of the 48 hours but it’s currently running at a rate of 1000 per HOUR . . . . Don’t know if it will continue like that, but that’s where it is now.

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UPDATES

11:30 PM Feb 5 (30 minutes before launch):  We’ve laid as much groundwork as possible.  My son and biz partner Patrick Sellers is helping me.  We’ve signed up at all the major sites, set up Tweets with all the relevant hashtags to go out regularly; we have an email blast ready to go out to my list as soon as the promo goes live; and done pretty much all the things we have been able to figure out to do.

12:05 AM: Well, it’s supposed to be live now but it isn’t. Amazon says it can take up to half an hour or even longer.

12:30 AM: It finally kicked in.  We’re live now.   So we have just sent out the email blast and the tweets have started, etc.  We are also patrolling Facebook and putting posts up on all the free Kindle book pages, and other pages that are relevant to the book.  We’ve had 15 downloads in the first 10 minutes.  It’s a start.

1:45 AM: Okay, I’m gong to turn in.  Patrick will keep at it a while longer.  Downloads are at 119 now.

7:32 AM:  Back up.  Downloads are at 448

8:32 AM: Downloads are 552.  That’s 102 in the last hour.  It’s up on Digital Book Today, one of the big three Free eBook promoters.  Will check and see if we are up on all three, but I’ve got a bunch of other things I need to do first.

8:46 AM:  We are

  • #18 in Kindle Free Bestsellers in the category Nonfiction/Arts and Entertainment.
  •  #1 in Kindle Free Bestsellers in the category Nonfiction/Arts and Entertainment/Movies
8:52 AM: Downloads are 652.  So we did the most recent 100 downloads in 20 minutes, whereas prior to that it took an hour, so it seems to be accelerating at this point.
9:02 AM: Downloads are 750.  So that’s 100 downloads in 10 minutes.  This is kind of thrilling to see it gaining steam like this.
9:07 AM: Downloads are 852.  So that’s 100 downloads in 5 minutes.
This feels like it’s got a least a certain “viralness” going on and brings into question all the things I have left to do, and whether they are really going to make a difference at this point.  I sent out an email to my author list of 1000 people but I’m also sending out emails to all my friends and contacts and have only gotten through the “B’s” . . . .  There are a few hundred more to go but it seems like it would hardly make a difference. Similarly posting on Facebook, etc, doesn’t seem like it would really make that much of an impact now.  It seems that we primed the pump adequately, it got off to a good start, and the Amazon machine has taken over.  I think I will hold all the other “cards” in reserve in case it slows down.
9:10 AM: Downloads are 960.  Last 100 in three minutes.
9:20 AM:Downloads are  1179
9:33 AM: Downloads are 1440
10:00 AM: Downloads are 1962.  So that’s 1250 more or less from 9AM until 10am
11:ooAM: Downloads are 2831.  So that’s 950++ in the last hour.  It’s slowing down.
12:00 PM: Downloads are 3775. Holding steady for now. 
1:00 PM: Downloads are 4768.  Still running about 1k per hour
2:00 PM Downloads are 5445.  Dropping off a bit.
3:00 PM Downloads are 6,003. Definitely sagging a bit.
4:00 PM Downloads are 6,6610.  Improved a bit this hour.
5:00 PM Downloads are 7,260.
6:00 PM Downloads are 7,997
7:00 PM Downloads are 8,538
8:00 PM Downloads are 9,106
9:00 PM Downloads are 9,633
10:00 PM Downloads are 9,930
11:00 PM Downloads 10,207
12:00 PM Downloads 10,438
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And here is the link to download the book for free:  Free Kindle Download of John Carter and the Gods of Hollywood (Free until midnight Thursday)

4 comments

  • Thanks, Patrick. We’re at 16,000 US downloads and 1,500 or so overseas . . . at least we know we got the case for John Carter in front a good number of eyeballs and that’s really something. It will be icing on the cake if it sparks paid sales like it’s supposed to. We shall see.

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