With my Valentine’s Day/ Lupercalia Kindle countdown sale finished, I thought I’d take an opportunity to do a wrap-up. Marketing for an Indie author is an ongoing learning experience and I always tweak discounts, or marketplaces, or even the times of year I run promotions, depending on the outcome of sales. For any authors out there getting started on Kindle countdown deals, or free book promotions, it can be overwhelming to know what is the best marketing plan for your books. I thought I’d discuss the pros and cons as I see them, and my thoughts on what is best, depending on your genre.
Kindle countdown deals – pros
1. You can potentially reach new readers who may not otherwise buy your ebook at full price.
2. Any sales will boost your sales rank, giving more visibility to your books. This will stay higher even after the promo ends.
3. A jump in sales could potentially propel your ebook onto a bestseller list, if you reach top 100 in your category (see my photo above – The Fairy Lights reached #97 in bestsellers for folklore on 15 Feb during my sale, hurray!)
4. There is a chance you may get reviews or ratings from your new readers.
Kindle countdown deals – cons
1. Your royalties will be lower than when your ebook sells at full price.
Free ebook promos – pros
1. You may reach hundreds, or even thousands, of potential new readers. Some (if you’re lucky) may even leave reviews.
2. You may even make it onto a ‘top 100 free’ ebooks list.
3. Your sales rank will be higher, boosting visibility while the promotion lasts.
Free ebook promos – cons
1. Free sales rankings only last for the duration of your free promotion. They’ll go back to whatever your pre-freebie sales ranking was once it ends.
2. No proof that readers are even reading your ebook – some people habitually trawl for freebies to download.
3. No payments at all for you!
Which genres do well with discount deals or free promos?
From what I have read on writing community sites across social media, it seems that romance, paranormal romance and crime do well with both Kindle countdown deals and free promos.
When would be best to run a free promo?
Imho, I think offering the first book in a series would work best for a 5 day free promo. If readers like it, chances are they might buy the rest in the series.
When is best to run a Kindle countdown sale?
Through trial and error, I have found that running a sale before seasonal shopping times of year works (Black Friday and Christmas being the biggies) or to boost sales at times when you are having slower sales, or KU reads, if your ebooks are enrolled, as mine are. If your books have a seasonal theme, this may be another time to run a promo.
Which do I think is best/worth it?
For me, Kindle countdown deals are hands down better. Although my customer numbers of sale-buys is far lower than my customer numbers of free-downloads, I have seen other benefits after running countdown deals, making this worthwhile. I have received ratings for books bought during the discount period, compared to no ratings or reviews for free promos. Having a handful of sales and smaller royalties beats getting zero royalties while giving out countless free copies of my ebook – in my experience, for nothing.
Essentially it comes down to this: I prefer readers, rather than freeloaders, any day!
Leilanie Stewart 
Thank you! This answered my question so well. Cheers~
Hi Cara, I’m glad my post could help! ☺️