The Queen of England: Coronation

Another look at KDP free days, The Queen of England: Coronation version.

~ Ann Benjamin ~ 1 Comment

So, at this point, I think I’m onto a winning combination.  While I might *never* get into Bookbub (thanks for nothing), I do seem to be able to consistently break into the Top 100 free books when I discount a novel.

Let’s back up a bit.

It’s been a hot second since I’ve had a book out for free.  Back when I was friends with Amazon, it’s something I tried on a fairly regular basis.  Then this happened, and really, reader, I never recovered.

So, when I finally published the third book of my YA steampunk trilogy, I thought it was well past time to get in gear with some marketing.  And what better place to start than my birthday?  The fact that a global pandemic has people inside and (potentially) reading more is a bit of a bonus.

So, I went to my trusty platforms and signed up for my free day.  I walked the same steps I’ve walked before, with a few added bonuses.  I was able to tap into a few select Facebook groups, and, because of a platform I’ve been paying for (Voracious Readers), I finally have been getting my newsletter in gear.  Sure, it’s only 500 people, but that’s a start.  So, I sent out my usual reminders and hoped for the best.

When I woke up the day of the big push (March 17th), the book was up at #101. Now, I didn’t have anything else scheduled, and I knew that at #101, I wasn’t on one of the main pages of Amazon (where most of the traffic is).  So, I dug a little deeper, and posted on a few additional places.  Boom!  #97!!  I finally topped the algorithm at #89 which to me is very respectable, considering most of the books in the top list are all romantic in nature, written by more established authors, or aren’t so specifically genre’d (for lack of a better word) like the Queen.

How do the numbers officially break down?

Downloads:

March 16th – 38 (literally NOTHING posted, except on this blog)

March 17th – 2,131 (where I spent all my time, money, and energy)

March 18th – 438 (momentum from the 17th, plus a few extra groups, free)

March 19th – 95 (no posts)

Overall, I’m happy with these numbers, and the investment I made for marketing.

My hope (of course) is that people will buy the other books in the series, and gulp (!) leave a review.  What is the effect for the rest of the month and going forward?  I can only guess, but I am optimistic.

How do you find out about free books?

It’s your lucky day (a day early)!

~ Ann Benjamin ~ Leave a comment

Hey there!  Guess what?  Tomorrow is my birthday!  (And it’s one of the big ones).  In honor of my big day, I decided I wanted to give something back to readers, friends, and family.  Therefore, please download The Queen of England: Coronation (Book #1 in the The Queen of England series) for free, now through March 19th.

Tell a friend.

Leave a review.

Enjoy the book!

(And don’t forget to wear something green tomorrow).

 

The Queen of England: Coronation, Marketing Attempt #55

~ Ann Benjamin ~ Leave a comment

With apologies to Billie Eilish…

While I originally pinned this image with another character in mind, I like the idea of Queen Juliette commissioning this painting after her return to London (and yes, finding period pieces for women with short hair is a challenge)!

A bit of an update from my side as well, The Queen of England: Ascension will be moving ahead to release next month.  I’ll go into some details of what took so long, but I’m ready to finish Juliette’s story.