Authors are always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to market and promote their books. As the marketing area is continually changing, BookBub definitively stands out, with its reputation of linking readers with free or discounted books.
Since it has a large number of subscribers and generates a lot of sales, for many authors who are trying to build their profile, it has become the first place to look.
However showing too much dependence on BookBub can be problematic, especially for indie authors or those writing in a niche market. In this context, there is a need to investigate additional options.
Fortunately, several platforms are available that can supplement your other promotion methods, or even improve them.
All these alternatives are useful for various purposes, target audiences, and types of marketing strategies, and as such, each one of them has its specifics.
In this blog post, we will explore eleven noteworthy alternatives to BookBub that every author should consider.
Whether it’s about promotions around specific genres or reaching out to a large number of people as a whole, these platforms can expand the authors’ options when it comes to marketing their books.
3. Top Alternatives to BookBub
3.1 ManyBooks
Many authors continue to innovate the ManyBooks platform to use it as a marketing tool to sell their ebooks of different genres. Many readers also benefit from this as there is a wide array of cheap or even free e-books available, therefore gaining Their goal has always been to read widely in search of an excellent work. This also allows ManyBooks to advertise the authors as they can offer the book submission to their monthly newsletter sent out to free subscribers according to their specific genre.
More than a few of the functionalities of ManyBooks are its distinctly easy to use for all site visitors and authors alike. Authors can post extensive listings for their books, along with uploading the book cover, description, and the book sale on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and any other department store website. Also, ManyBooks includes a bunch of other publicity-enhancing means such as special features about certain deals and author interviews.
ManyBooks allows the authors to promote their literary works, and the authors have had success using this resource as it allowed them to have more downloads and reviews, which are the most essential attributes of credibility and authority on the author in the online space for the author. Many books are therefore to be of great use in the marketing of the author.
3.2 FreeBooksy
This alternative offers free eBooks in any category, which is a good way for authors to gain readership fast. If an author is offering a book that is free temporarily, it tends to intrigue the probable readership as well, who would in future want to purchase the work.
The scheme works by sending email newsletters to subscribers who have willingly registered for them along with their preferences in genres. This does ensure that it’s your book marketing, but it is targeted to readers who are most likely to read your book content because there is a good chance that they will not enjoy what you have created.
FreeBooksy has simple processes of submission and reasonable prices and fees, which are appreciated by the authors. There is a cost charged for posting the site, though, many authors say there is a notable increase in the number of downloads after the promotion. This increase usually improves the sales rank in sites such as Amazon facilitating visibility in the already saturated market.
In addition, FreeBooksy helps in gaining credibility for the authors through reviews and social media sharing by encouraging their readers to be more interactive. If you wish to grow your readership but on a thin budget, I believe FreeBooksy is a good option.
3.3 Fussy Librarian
Readers looking for book recommendations in specific genres can easily approach the Fussy Librarian as it directly acts as a connection between the readership and the titles, and recommends new ones to follow. Authors can submit books that will be sent through daily emails to subscribers with a genre or category they have been most interested in.
As previously mentioned, Fussy Librarian provides readers with a certain number of books in that specific email. The aim here is not to have a large selection but to have options that are handpicked to suit the needs of an individual. Because of this narrowed-down strategy, more chances are there that the readers would click the ad they have received.
Fussy Librarian is a cost-effective advertising platform for the authors as they can be charged a price, that is reasonable, for the genre they choose to promote. Further, they provide the authors with analytics, which roughly provide information about the book’s downloads and reader interaction after marketing the book.
With respect to more traditional marketing platforms, Fussy Librarian is a much more beggar platform for authors looking for market resources, with minimal costs and alongside the claim of ensuring they get the books they want to read.
3.4 eReaderIQ
This is an additional interesting alternative that focuses on monitoring price drops of eBooks across multiple stores some of which include Amazon Kindle and Barnes and Noble Nook. This tool enables the authors to include their books on sale or offered for free and It is ensured that books are visible the most during these promotional offers time.
Readers can create accounts with the platform and set up alerts for the genres they are interested in or for specific titles they want to track, which is quite intuitive. So, when you adjust the price of your book down or set it on temporary free promotion, an instant alert is sent to the bought people and this helps to get some views on the book page.
eReaderIQ encompasses graphs portraying the price history of an eBook and also its position on the bestsellers’ list among other information, asserting itself as a comprehensive source showcasing data about eBooks eMarketer. Authors can use this data in designing and revising their pricing policies in the future.
The site does not charge for listing books as some other sites do, however, a great deal depends on readers responding to the alerts, so, without them, it would be difficult for authors to promote their books and entice readers during specific periods.
3.5 Pixel of Ink
The alternative operates as a trusted place for readers and authors, as it is focused on advertising free and discounted eBooks and other user-engaging elements such as interviews and reviews. There are various genres supported, therefore, a suitable community is formed around each.
With regards to the process of authorship, Pixel of Ink offers a simple mechanism to submit their works which gets featured in newsletters. These newsletters are regularly emailed out according to the user’s genre preference encouraging them to read the interested books.
What’s more interesting is that only content of quality gets selected to be featured in Pixel, because of this, if you get featured then you can expect a large audience who knows what it is to appreciate a good story instead of a regular audience who gets lost in a plethora of books online.
However, submissions do need to be edited to comply with Pixel of Ink’s policies. Multiple independent writers have reported changes in their sales turnover after working with Pixel due to their policies being targeted at the readers, such an approach enabled them to sell more.
3.6 Book Gorilla
The driving force behind Book Gorilla is bestsellers, but lesser-known books are given the chance to stand out through the use of email targeting. So, helping aspiring authors who have a hard time keeping up with the more established competition.
Book Gorilla provides authors the tools necessary to reach their audiences, amassing buyers who are actively interested in personalized recommendations through their newsletters along with a multitude of other subscriptions. The outlines, albeit costly, provided by the service enable one to gain an estimate of the budget.
Most users of the service seem to demonstrate a noticeable bounce rate about romance, thriller, and mystery novels, and Book Gorilla customers suggest that one can observe a varying amount of downloads after employing the service’s mechanics.
In conclusion, if the goal is to advertise and sell the previously mentioned genres while catering to the established bestsellers, looking to transition into the newer space, the promoting and advertising service Book Gorilla may be useful.
3.7 Goodreads Giveaways
Over the years, Goodreads has risen in popularity, quickly becoming the biggest social media book database. Their Giveaway feature allows writers to gain sufficient traction for their books before they’re published due to the attention such features draw in.
To generate hype for the book and to help build an audience for it, readers can win free copies of the book from giveaway competitions run on the Goodreads page. Providing interested readers with free copies does garner attention though and due to that organic growth occurs. Plus, the word spreads about the book as a whole a lot more.
Writers can understand how painless it is to host giveaway contests on the Goodreads platform since they only need to set the number of copies they wish to give away for a specified time and all there is left to do is wait. In addition- often winners write reviews or give feedback helping create an image for books advertised at events. For writers these events run and organized by the site help pull more readers on board.
Whenever a new series is released, people want to know what will happen next, so this method works especially well. Additionally, this enables them to directly interact with the vibrant and passionate world of literature that already exists- promoting connections between writers and readers that will ultimately go beyond the period of the promotions. Alongside, these strategies a strong network across the vast universe is also created enabling general growth.
3.8 Smashwords
Smashwords has two functions, which are, one, allowing people to self-publish their eBooks while giving them the chance to market their works by giving them a direct link, and secondly, allowing independent authors to sell their works to major retailers. Through the help of Smashwords, writers can save time and effort as they do not need to manually upload their eBooks on multiple retailers’ websites.
On the other hand—this platform conducts time-limited promotional campaigns that permit writers to offer at no cost or at a reduced price any of their works. This in turn facilitates the readers’ search for new materials. Such promotional activities tend to boost the number of downloads which helps increase the position in the respective categories in the retail sites!
On the other hand—Smashwords provides analytical details that are of immense assistance to the authors by showing the efficiency of the different campaigns that have been conducted using this service! When the easy-to-use interfaces are complemented by the wide range of resources that are there, it becomes uncomplicated to self-publish and maneuver through all that needs to be done without this getting too much for someone to handle!
In summary, it can be seen that if you are going to want the best distribution channels and the most aggressive marketing look no further than Smashwords they won’t look bad against their competitors nowadays because they come with everything that an indie writer needs!
3.9 Kindle Nation Daily
This site aimed at selling eBooks through the Amazon marketplace specifically targeting users of the Kindle Nation Daily newsletter. Because of this, it makes sense to establish contact with a Kindle Nation Daily reader who is already in the market for eBook recommendations and is presumably active in that market.
Using Amazon eBook satellites like this one is an excellent strategy as they help you increase brand awareness. They also continue to be effective because of the full marketing spectrum that they cover, starting from pricing strategies to marketing competition on Kindle.
The service stands out from the competition thanks to its low pricing plans. However, keep in mind that the agency is only able to operate in e-markets that have a minimum number of domestic competitors.
Plenty of clients have reported positive results from using the Kindle Nation Daily service, especially those clients whose books belonged to well-established clusters such as thrillers, romances, or different types of mysteries.
They claim that they have witnessed a significant surge in download volumes after the campaigns were implemented through this service. If your main aim is to reach out to a diverse group of readers while promoting books, both new and best-selling, then do give Kindle Nation Daily a shot.
Read also: BookBub Author Login: How To Access Your Dashboard
3.10 Genre-Specific Sites (e.g., DiscoverSF)
If there are any readers that write strictly in one or two genres then niche platforms like Discover SF should suit them well! These types of sites narrow down the field by specializing in selected genres that enable authors who use them to interact with readers who are already reading books from these genres!
Creating work in a manner that fits particular communities leads to the uncovering of audiences who have a strong desire to obtain new content that aligns with their distinct preferences.
Moreover, the implementation of relationship building between authors and readers goes above and beyond what can be achieved with the classic focus on marketing, allowing connections to be formed that will last beyond the very first promotions. Lasting relationships can be built over time as such shared interests are further explored in the narratives that are jointly created.
Indie authors rationally market their literature through these platforms and it has proved beneficial in generating sales and downloads. Authors who operate within a specific niche would do well to explore sites that are specific to their genre; such strategies could significantly increase their visibility!
Read also: Author Website Design: 7 Services to Elevate Your Brand
3.11 Social Media Platforms (e.g., Facebook, Instagram)
As has previously been noted, Facebook and Instagram are some of the social media channels that authors and readers make use of. Social media has transformed the world into a global village and a never-ending pool of resources where people can find common interests with one another, literature being one of them, and build a community. Authors should embrace these technologies along with other less advanced ways of doing marketing, as there is plenty of room for improvement in achieving outreach.
For instance, marketing your novel on Facebook author pages helps you create and connect with an audience that can help you promote your novel through demos and later reviews. Instagram takes a different approach, but is equally engaging; it’s a visual platform that combines great visuals of books with interesting plots. Authors can promote their novels through their daily feeds, keeping their followers interested and engaged.
Instagram hashtags also boost engagement exponentially as they allow reach outside one’s community, resulting in higher overall engagement! If social media is fully embraced, authors can leverage tools that can change their careers or propel them to levels previously unreachable on their own!
Read also: How To Join the BookBub (Sign Up Guide)
Conclusion
Therefore, from the perspective of an author, marketing an unpublished book involves integrating different forms of advertising since it is unwise to depend only on BookBub. The mentioned platform offers clear advantages, but aiming your marketing to different strategies would ensure that you are seen and interacted with by more readers. The alternatives discussed in this post – genre-specific sites and social media, among others – have their distinct advantages and enable you to sharpen your message to the appropriate audience.
Through experimenting with the numerous platforms available, you are able to determine the sweet spot of engagement that exists for your audience while also improving your overall marketing strategy. Just bear in mind, that targeting a specific set of readers requires finesse, and doing book promotion comes down to properly using the available tools. Be the first to use these services even, and as your readers increase, sales and the strength of your author brand will reach new heights. The time is now, to start taking steps to determine which of these avenues best suits you.