What Book Promotion Actually Covers

Promotion is a specific push at a specific time. It usually has:

• a clear start and end date
• a defined goal (sales spike, ranking lift, reviews, visibility, read-through)
• a set of actions you can track and improve

Promotion can be as simple as a short price drop supported by an email or as complex as a coordinated campaign involving ads, promo sites, and author collaboration.

A useful mental model:

• Marketing = passive selling (always-on discoverability)
• Promotion = active selling (campaign-led momentum)

Promotional Pricing

Why pricing is one of your strongest levers

Pricing is one of the few promotional tools indie authors can adjust quickly and test repeatedly, especially in ebook and audio.

A key mindset: treat pricing as a lever, not a statement of your book’s worth. Your “ideal” price may change depending on whether you’re:

• launching
• pushing a series starter
• running a short campaign
• aiming to maximise profit per sale

Ebook pricing: common promotional ranges

Common indie ebook prices often sit between $2.99 and $9.99, partly because some retailers (notably Amazon) offer stronger royalties in this band. But don’t treat it as a rule, test what your readers respond to.

Common promotional patterns include:

• Series starter lower (to increase read-through)
• Temporary discount pricing (often $0.99–$2.99 for a defined promo window)
• Permafree for book one (where it fits your strategy and distribution setup)

If you want a free or very low-priced book to act as a gateway, think like a publisher: the goal is usually read-through, email sign-ups, or long-term audience growth, not profit on the first sale.

Print pricing: cost, discounts, and realism

Print pricing has hard constraints:

• your list price must be above print cost
• many retail channels expect discounts
• POD unit costs mean you’re rarely competing with large publishers on price

Print can still be a powerful promotional format (gifts, events, credibility, libraries), but the pricing logic is different. Research your genre, then price in a way that protects margin without turning readers away.

Audiobook pricing: platform rules and flexibility

Audiobook pricing depends heavily on where you distribute:

• some major platforms set or heavily influence pricing
• wide distribution and direct sales usually offer more pricing control

A higher price can sometimes signal quality and increase perceived value, but again, the only reliable answer is testing. Look at top books in your genre for clues about what listeners are willing to pay.

“Pretty pricing”

If your platform converts currency automatically, you can end up with awkward amounts. Where possible, set clean “psychological” prices (e.g., 2.99 rather than 2.84) in major currencies, it tends to look more professional and can convert better.

Advertising

Powerful, measurable and easy to overspend on

Ads can be extremely effective, but they can also become a money sink if you treat them as “set and forget”.

Good advertising is iterative. You test:

• targeting
• creative (images and copy)
• the book’s sales page and conversion
• budget, bids, and pacing

A simple framework when choosing an ad platform:

1. Placement: where do the ads actually appear?
2. Targeting: how precisely can you reach the right readers?
3. Cost: what triggers a charge, click, impression, sale?
4. Analytics: can you see what’s working and improve it?

Amazon-Specific Promotions

Useful but tied to strategic trade-offs

Amazon offers promotions that can boost visibility and ranking, and may be particularly powerful for authors using Kindle Unlimited.

The important strategic question isn’t “are they good?” but:

• Do the benefits outweigh the trade-offs for your long-term plan?
• Are you choosing exclusivity on purpose or by default?

If you’re using KDP Select, your promotional tools may include:

• limited-time free or discounted periods
• countdown-style deals
• visibility boosts that can influence recommendation systems

These can be effective, especially when stacked with other promo activity, but they make the most sense when your overall distribution strategy is clear.

Promotion Sites

Paying to access curated reader lists

Promotion sites (sometimes called “deal sites” or “discovery services”) can create fast sales spikes because they deliver your offer to readers who are already looking for bargains.

Common examples include:

• BookBub (ebooks) and Chirp (audiobooks)
• Freebooksy / Bargain Booksy
• The Fussy Librarian
• BookGorilla
• many others depending on genre and region

General pattern:

• the biggest services can be pricey but can drive large volume
• smaller services cost less and often deliver smaller spikes
• series and strong read-through usually perform best

Treat these like ad buys: test small, track results, repeat what works.

Author Collaboration

Borrow reach, share audience, grow faster

Working with authors who share a readership can be one of the most cost-effective promotion routes.

Common collaboration formats:

• shared giveaways / reader magnet swaps
• multi-author promotions using tools like BookFunnel
• paid or free bundles / anthologies
• newsletter swaps (careful: keep it reader-relevant)

The key is alignment: collaborations work when the readers are a genuine match.

Promo Stacking

Coordinated campaigns that can create real momentum

Promo stacking is when you orchestrate multiple promotional actions in a tight window (often 4–7 days) to push a book or series.

A typical stack might include:

• a timed discount
• a dedicated email to your list
• one or more promo site placements
• ads running across Amazon/Meta/BookBub
• collaboration boosts or influencer support

The goal is momentum: visibility, ranking lift, read-through, and sometimes a lasting baseline increase in sales.

Audiobook Promotion

Treat audio as its own format, not an afterthought

Audiobook listeners are a distinct audience. Your ebook marketing won’t automatically sell your audio.

Practical audiobook promo actions:

• make sure the cover works in square format (legible title/author)
• talk about audio directly to your email list (not as a footnote)
• distribute review copies via safe delivery tools
• use audiograms (short clips with animated visual assets)
• explore anthologies/box sets where genres support them
• consider podcasts as a natural channel for audio-first audiences

Audiobook promotion also depends on your distribution path:

• exclusive vs wide changes your pricing control and promo options
• wide distributors may support promo pricing windows you can schedule
• deal services like Chirp and audio-focused promo sites may be relevant

One Thing a Day

Promotion that doesn’t drain your time

An effective approach is to structure promotion as small, consistent actions instead of occasional bursts.

Ask: what could I do in 15 minutes that helps sell more books?
Examples:

• apply for a promo slot on a deal site
• set up or refine one ad
• pitch one influencer or reviewer
• schedule one email
• improve one part of your book page (description, keywords, categories)
• check results and adjust one campaign variable

Small actions build skill, reduce overwhelm, and create momentum, especially when you plan your tasks in advance rather than improvising every day.

In Conclusion

Promotion is how you create sales momentum around a specific book or campaign window. The strongest promotions are planned, measurable, and aligned with your long-term marketing foundations.

• Use pricing strategically, especially for ebooks and series starters
• Approach ads as an iterative system, track ROI and refine constantly
• Test promo sites and repeat what performs
• Collaborate with aligned authors to borrow reach and share discovery
• Stack campaigns occasionally to push a book further, faster
• Treat audio as its own format with its own promotional needs
• Keep promotion sustainable by doing small, regular actions over time