Need Free or Cheap Book Promo Sites?

** Updated 4/23/2015 with new information

As indie authors, we all know how hard it is to find places besides Facebook and Google+ to market our books.  You can only post to social media so much before you start losing friends (and family sometimes, too).

The leaders in the book marketing arena (Book Bub and ENT) are expensive and have very strict rules on acceptance.  So what is an indie author to do?

Have no fear, there are other marketing outlets that have good returns for either a small payment or for free.


Below are five websites that I have used with notes on the results:


1. Buck Books - Free (but must join as an affiliate)




I ran a promotion with them back in February 2015 and was blown away by the results. I had over 80 purchases of my book, "Chickens, Hawks and Grumpy Goats" on the day of their ad and had residual sales up to three days later.

They are free (at this time) and slots are filling up fast for their upcoming promotions.  I highly recommend them.



2.  Fussy Librarian - $5 to $17

I ran a promotion with them for $5.00 on my perma-free title, "Fade to Gray"  and received over 200 downloads.  The interesting thing was that my non-free book sales increased on this day as well. Definitely worth the small amount of money.



3. Genre Pulse - starting at $10

For $10, I ran a promotion on "Chickens, Hawks and Grumpy Goats" and received 30 sales.  This was not great, but some other genres do better.  It is worth a try and will not break the bank.



4. Book of the Day - Free

For a free site, this one keeps your listing on-line indefinitely.  I submitted "Fade to Gray" to them several months ago and the listing is still searchable.  The downloads of the book picked up several hundred during the week that the book was featured.  I highly recommend them.


5. Read Cheaply - Free for a Limited Time

I just recently submitted a listing and have not heard back from them yet. However, their $15 and $25 package is free for a limited time, so they are worth a try.

Updated 4/23/2015 - Read Cheaply featured my latest e-book, a memoirette - "I.T. Geek to Farm Girl Freak on April 19th.  For a free promo, I received 20 purchases and 5 Kindle Unlimited units.  All in all, a good bump in sales for a free ad.  I recommend that you give them a try.

Hope these have been helpful and happy marketing to you!

New Release Today - I.T. Geek to Farm Girl Freak

Well, the wait is over.  Today my latest book has been released for purchase on Amazon.

I.T. Geek to Farm Girl Freak: Leaving High Tech for Greener Pastures is a collection of personal essays from the view of an I.T. Geek who leaves Corporate America and decides to live on a 15-acre "fixer-upper" farmstead. 

These non-fiction tales are from actual events on the farm. Some will make you laugh, some will make you cry.  But, all of them will leave you entertained.

 
Description:

S.A. Molteni has spent over thirty years in the Information Technology field working for various Fortune 500 companies.

During those years, she and her husband had always dreamed of living on a farm once they became retired from the rat race. Once the author's father unexpectedly passes away and her husband moves over three thousand miles to live in another state, her life becomes subject to a complete overhaul to weed out what is working and what is not in her day to day existence.

In the midst of dealing with an elderly, newly widowed mother and in-laws who also have health challenges, she leaves Corporate America to find greener pastures on a "fixer upper" fifteen acre farm located on a long dirt road in a rural part of northern Florida.

This collection of essays follows the author in her sometimes humorous transition from "I.T. Geek to Farm Girl Freak" and depicts the lessons that are learned along the way once farm animals become a large part of her life.

Book Review Spotlight - Unelmoija:Paradox by Elle Boca

Unelmoija: Paradox by Elle Boca is the last book in the Weeia Series and in my opinion, the very best one in the Weeia collection.

In this latest novel, new characters are introduced and several characters from the previous books are expunged - some more nicely than others.  Amy and Kat are back in Miami, but this time with their grandparents from Maine helping them through the premature death of their mother. Duncan and Amy are still a couple in love and work well together in life and in all things Weeia.  Vlad and his father, Klaus come back on the scene to cause major troubles for Kat and Amy along with the possibility of further human casualties if Amy cannot convince Klaus to change his devious plans. After many dead ends, Kat and Amy finally enlist the help of their father (the Enforcer for the Weeia) and a suspenseful, thrilling ride ensues that takes everyone on a wild and dangerous journey.

From the previous four books, topics and events are brought back to the surface and questions are answered about Amy's ever-growing super-human powers. Amy has many abilities and all become honed to help fellow Weeia and humans alike. Aside from her other abilities, time travel becomes a very real option for Amy and her family when all else seems lost.  Most all of the loose ends from the past installments of the series are tied up quite nicely and come together in a surprising ending that gives the reader a tremendous amount of closure to the series as a whole.

If you have read the entire series up to this point, you will not want to miss Unelmoija: Paradox!


The First Four Books in the Weeia Series:





About the Author: 

Elle is the author of the Miami Weeia urban fantasy series about super-humans. Elle makes her home with her king cat husband in South Florida. When not writing and creating fantastical beings she likes photographing nature and wildlife, eating baked goods, watching movies, and dreaming of going on safari. Growing up the only child of a monkey mother and a rabbit father she learned to keep herself entertained and spend time reading.

Visit Elle Boca on Amazon and Goodreads or on Twitter.
For the latest, also visit Elle at her website.

Fade to Gray is FREE!

Fade to Gray is permanently free on Amazon (US only).

Description:

Fade to Gray is a hilarious account of one woman's attempt to transition to gray as easily and as quickly as possible. From the decision to let Mother Nature be her hair colorist to the final "colorful" outcome, follow the author as she spends many funny and agonizing hours in the hair salon to get a "natural look". This is one coming of (old) age story that will have you crying tears of laughter to the very last page.

Book Review Spotlight - Christopher Meets Buddy by Debra Shiveley Welch

 

Christopher Meets Buddy by Debra Shiveley Welch is a beautifully illustrated story about a young boy (Christopher) and his desire to have a bird for a pet.

The story is delightfully told from the search for the perfect bird to caring for and feeding of it once it becomes a member of the family. The enthusiasm of young Christopher was comical at times throughout the story and moved the story along at a good pace for younger readers. I especially liked the chapters with the gorgeous (watercolor) illustrations of the birds. It is breathtakingly beautiful artwork.

As a hobby farmer, I have ducks, chickens and turkeys - I love all animals whether furry or feathered and thoroughly enjoyed reading this wonderful children's book. I learned quite a bit about pet birds from the contents and would definitely recommend it to those who are considering bringing a pet bird into their home. It should also be recommended reading for children who want to have a pet bird, so that they can understand the time and responsibility that is involved.

Flash Fiction Challenge - Indies Unlimited

 

I decided to enter the Indies Unlimited Flash Fiction Challenge this week - after a little prodding from a fellow author.

For those who do not know what the challenge is about, I will give  you a little summary.

You are given a starting point to the story and must finish it within 250 words. Yes, it is that easy ... or that difficult.



The prompt this week:

George walked the halls of his old high school with the lavishly-wrapped package in hand. He’d seen it in the airport and immediately knew it would be the perfect gift for Mrs. Davies – his English teacher during his senior year. George grinned as he smoothed the lapel of his Armani suit. She’d told him he’d never amount to anything. He’d already proved her wrong, and then some. Now, he couldn’t wait to see the look on her face when she saw him…and opened the gift. He knew the twenty-six dollar sign was going to be worth every penny…


My entry:

George reached the office that he was certain still belonged to Mrs. Davis. Turning the doorknob as he knocked and slowly peeked in, he couldn’t wait to see her reaction.

“Can I help you?” an elderly man asked from behind a filing cabinet.

“Is Mrs. Davies in today?” George disappointedly questioned as he fumbled with the sign and the airport gift in his hands.

“Mrs. Davies no longer works here. What brings you here, son?”

“Well, I thought I would pay Mrs. Davies a visit since she was one of my favorite teachers in high school …” George stammered as he tried to make up a good lie.

“Wait, I remember you,” the old man exclaimed, “you’re George Smithfield from my English class a few years ago.”

The old man began to tremble – like Mrs. Davies had on the last day of school when George had told her what a witch she was for failing him in English.

Not graduating on time still angered George. But, in a stomach-churning change-of-heart, George realized that he had made a monumental mistake in coming back.

Regaining his composure, Mr. Davies calmly said, “I guess no one told you about my gender reassignment surgery.”

“Well, um, no,” George murmured as he desperately tried to hide the sign and the box containing the coffee mug engraved with “if the broom fits, ride it”.

Flush with embarrassment, he left the office. As the door closed, George could hear the wicked laughter.

He had failed again.


**Updated on 3/6/2015 - I won. :-)

A Special Bull - FREE 2/28 & 3/1

A Special Bull is free on Amazon on 2/28 and 3/1.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IK4U8SC




Synopsis:

All Alyssa wanted was to move to the country and help Jeff with raising farm animals on his small plot of land. Little did she know that this one desire would lead to an entirely "different" kind of life for her and for one special bull.

 



What others are saying:

No Bull, Good Short Story
 

By 

Caglevision

Flash writing and singles have become an important piece of the literary industry. There are many short stories that are difficult to digest or enjoy. I found this short story to be a cut above the rest. I mean no bull, it is a well written easy flowing story that will keep you entertained and involved from the first page to the last. It is wonderful how the author has a grasp on everyday life and occurrences. The author expresses herself in a comfortable and wholesome way. The story is light, airy and meaningful. What else could you expect in a short story. The author has a unique style that makes you trust that her material is something you can cuddle up with. I give it 5 stars.

 

A Special Story

By Jada Ryker (Kentucky, USA) 

I love reading S. A. Molteni's work. Her latest offering, A Special Bull, is an excellent short story. I am from a remote, rural area in Kentucky. Ms. Molteni always takes me back there with her accurate descriptions:

"It was hard to sleep in the quietness of the country, or rather the loudness of it. The frogs and crickets serenaded one another during the entire night, only to quiet down when the hunting dogs started to howl near the light of dawn."

Ms. Molteni offers humor:

They were discussing different kinds of fertilizer and how cow crap gave tomatoes a different flavor than chicken crap. Alyssa wondered if it was all just horse crap, but kept that thought to herself.

The short story has lessons for the reader, whether a "city dweller" or a "country person." It's wonderful story, with laughs and tears and everything in between.

Truly Remarkable

By 

D. John Watson

 

Writing short stories is difficult because everything has to fit so neatly into a small number of pages but S. A. Molteni pulls it off with ease. This simple story, with it’s easy writing style makes it a great read. It tells the story of a remarkable transformation that saves the life of one Special Bull and helps mend the broken heart of a man left behind following the unexpected death of the woman he loved.

I heartily recommend this book.