We talk a lot here about BookBub Featured Deals and how to use them as part of your book marketing and promotion plans. But you may be wondering: What’s in it for me, really?
More sales might be the first thing that comes to mind — and yes, a Featured Deal delivers on that front! But when we surveyed 200 authors who had recently run a Featured Deal and asked them to describe their results, we found that the immediate sales boost is just the beginning. Here’s what our partners told us.
Increased readthrough and sales of other books in the series
The increased readthrough on my series is tracking at 75% to 80% so far.
— S.B. Alexander, author of The Predator
If you run a Featured Deal on a series starter, you may see results that span the course of your entire series. Readers who read and love the first book are likely to go on to purchase the next few books. Partners who prepare for their Featured Deal by pricing subsequent books strategically often report strong readthrough and follow-up sales.
Improved retailer rankings
It ranked as high as #1 in Women’s Saga, Saga Fiction, and Contemporary Romance on Amazon. It stayed in the top 100 in Contemporary Romance for two weeks and is still ranked #10 and 11 in Women’s Saga and Saga Fiction.
— Anonymous author
The sales boost that many authors see as a result of their Featured Deals can also result in movement on retailer ranking charts, which helps books become more visible to even more shoppers browsing on retailers for new reads.
An uptick in ratings and reviews
I have seen 100+ ratings added over more than three months.
— Trevor Melanson, author of Trial of the Alchemist
I ended up with a lot of ratings and reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, Kobo, Apple, and other smaller retailers after that promotion.
— K. J. Gillenwater, author of The Genesis Machine Box Set
An influx of new readers from a Featured Deal means more people are finishing the book and sharing their thoughts, helping future readers decide the book is worth their time. If your goal is to accumulate more reviews to help your book stand out, a Featured Deal is a great way to go about it.
A bump in newsletter subscribers
I also had a number of subscribers through back matter bonus material, which helped grow my newsletter list from an audience I would not have reached without a BookBub Featured Deal.
— Lara Roth, author of Signed, Sealed, Seduced
If you update your back matter before the deal goes live, including a clear invitation to subscribe to your newsletter, your Featured Deal can double as a list-building strategy and send you more readers who will be excited to hear from you about new releases, preorders, giveaways, and more.
A long tail of results
The sales of the entire series never went back to pre-deal levels.
— Inger Wolf, author of Dark September
The best part about a BookBub Featured Deal is that the benefits aren’t limited to the discount period. Respondents to our survey saw increased sales, ratings, readthrough, and more over the course of months, not just days or weeks. Here’s how one author described what happened after the deal ended:
The most exciting results occurred after the deal window closed. I had been concerned that giving away a book for free would tank the rank when it reentered the paid store. When my book, Yonder, reentered the paid ranks, its position had improved from before the promotion. Then, it continued to improve. Several days after the promotion ended, it broke into the top 1,000 and stayed there for at least a few days. Now, 19 days after the promotion, it’s still ranked in the top 3,000 — better than it had been ranked prior to the promotion. Additionally, readthrough has been much stronger than expected, and nearly three weeks after the promotion, books two and three remain in the top 5,000.
— John Deacon, author of Yonder
As you can see, a Featured Deal opens you up to a host of tangible benefits beyond increased sales on one title. Take the leap and apply — new readers are waiting for you.
