When book lovers are looking for a great deal on ebook downloads, Bargain Booksy is a one-stop shop for book deals below $5. This is a fantastic deal for the consumer, but what about the author? Do authors benefit from having their book listed on Bargain Booksy?
Below we’ll take a closer look at Bargain Booksy as a company, review their services, and see if listing your book with them is a good investment.
Let's consider the following:
What is a book promotion website?
Book promotion websites are companies that build up large email lists of book readers and offer them great deals on books. These books are usually listed as free for a limited time or at a reduced price. The service is free on the customer side. Book promotion sites make their money by charging authors to list their book promotions on their website or newsletter or to place an ad.
Book promotion sites are a promising addition to author marketing campaigns and can help take some of the burden off of promoting your book. Book promotion companies either specialize in specific book genres or segment their readers so that they only get emails for the types of books they’re interested in.
Along with Bargain Booksy, some of the more popular book promotion websites include:
- LitNuts
- BookDealio
- BookDoggy
- Hellobooks
- MyBookCave
- The Fussy Librarian
- BookBub
- FreeBooksy
- BuckBooks
- BookSends
- BookRunes
Who or what is Bargain Booksy?
Bargain Booksy is an eBook promotion company that offers steeply discounted ebooks in over 20 genres on their website, social media platform, and “a free, curated, personalized list” via email. They fall under the parent company Written Word Media and are a part of a family of discount book promotion sites including, Freebooksy, Red Feather Romance, NewInBooks, Audio Thicket, and Reader Reach Ads
Features
Devices: Amazon Kindle, Nook, Kobo and Apple
Genres: Romance/Chick Lit, Mystery/Thriller, Fantasy/Paranormal, NonFiction, Young Adult, Science Fiction, Literary Fiction, Religion/Spirituality, Children’s, Horror
Audience: 352,000 combined subscribers (multiple genres
How can an author get their book set up with Bargain Booksy?
The company works with both authors and publishers through the use of Bargain Booksy Promotions or Bargain Booksy Feature.
To participate in any of the Bargain Booksy programs, authors and publishers must create an account with Written Word Media.
They offer three packages: Free, Gold, and Platinum.
Free includes:
- Central Book List with Promo Reminders
- Saved Promo History with Easy Rescheduling
- Author Community on Facebook
- Email Support
Gold $125/annually (10% off all products up to $200 max) includes:
- Central Book List with Promo Reminders
- Saved Promo History with Easy Rescheduling
- Author Community on Facebook
- Email + Live Chat Support
- 10% off all Written Word Media services (Max discount $200)
- Early Access to Inventory (14 days)
- Discounts on 3rd party partner products and services
- Access to Limelight (dedicated email where you are the only featured author)
- Access to Speaker Series Recordings
Platinum $250/yearly (10% off all products up to $500 max) includes:
- Central Book List with Promo Reminders
- Saved Promo History with Easy Rescheduling
- Author Community on Facebook
- Email + Live Chat Support
- 10% off all Written Word Media services (Max discount $500)
- Early Access to Inventory (14 days)
- Discounts on 3rd party partner products and services
- Access to Limelight (dedicated email where you are the only featured author)
- Access to Speaker Series Recordings
- Priority Access to Beta Products
- Priority Editorial Placement (free bonus promos when we need to fill a slot!)
The standard promotion includes:
- Newsletter Placement: Includes book cover, purchase links, and description
- Web Placement: Book feature on Bargain Booksy website categorized by your book’s genre. Includes book cover, purchase links, and description.
- Social Media exposure: Possible placement on their Facebook page with over 21,000 users..
Eligibility
- Author ebooks must be priced between $.99-$5.00.
- The book must be available for purchase on the US Amazon store. Apple, Nook, Kobo, and Google Play links can also be added as long as they fall within the required price range.
Other promotions
Deal of the Day– a premium placement that requires a minimum page length, price range, genre, promotion limitations, and is subject to review. Deal of the Day books are placed in both the Bargain Booksy and Freebooksy newsletters. This promotion is available for Romance, Mystery, Fantasy, and Sci-fi genres. Authors can expect to pay anywhere from $95 to $240 depending on the genre and subgenre of the book.
Depending on the genre, Deal of the Day placements can reach 310,000 – 504,000 readers per day.
Reader’s List – a cross-promotion opportunity based on a theme rather than a book’s specific genre. For example, the focus of April is new beginnings, any book that contains a plot that fits that theme, whether romance or fantasy could be a good fit for the Reader’s list.
The Readers’ List is set up as a themed listicle that’s promoted on Bargain Booksy’s social media and its email lists. The Bargain Booksy is currently listed as $75.
Requirements: Books must be $4.99 or less and at least 50 pages.
Limelight Feature – an exclusive weekly email blast that puts your book front and center. Authors can select a book to feature as well as up to 3 additional books in your catalog. They can also link to their social media profiles to help build their community.
It is a one-time fee of $500 for eligible authors of non-romance books. To participate, authors must be a Written Word member on the Gold ($125/year) or Premium ($250/year) plans. The primary book that you highlight must be free.
Freebie of the Day is also listed as a featured option on their website, but at the writing of this article, it is not currently available for purchase.
Is Bargain Booksy a good fit for you?
Before you can know if Bargain Booksy is a good fit for you, a better question to ask is if book promotion sites are a good fit for your needs. If your goal is to expose your book(s) to a broader audience, going with a book promotion site is one of the most cost-effective approaches when compared to running ads on say Amazon or Facebook where unpredictable algorithms can have you flipping around like a circus acrobat.
Book promotion sites like Bargain Booksy allow you to test the market for a reasonable price, the benefit being a segmented market looking for the type of content you’re offering.
On the flip side, book promotion subscribers are known for being highly bargain-driven, so while it’s great to get exposure and have new subscribers added to your author list, some subscribers may only want to hear from you when your book is free or steeply discounted.
Is the trade-off worth it? Sure if you believe in the power of nurturing your email list and turning cold readers into warm readers that look forward to getting hold of your newest release, even if it’s not free.
In other words, working with a book promotion site is not a passive strategy—pay the fee and hope that those who download your book will be loyal subscribers. If you’re willing to put in the time, a book promotion site like Bargain Booksy can be a great way to jump-start or build up a profitable author career.
As book promotion sites go, it’s one of the better ones. Under Written Word Media, Bargain Booksy has become more streamlined over the years. Their focus seems to be to put authors in the best light possible by offering them avenues to reach their ideal readers.
Their website looks great. The programs they offer are clear and easy to understand, and overall, authors who’ve used the site seem to be pleased with the results.
Of the book promotion sites I listed at the top of this article, Bargain Booksy is at the top of the list.
I rate it 4 out of 5 stars for support, ease of use, quality, and pricing. Take the time to peruse their website, subscribe as a reader, and judge for yourself.
Conclusion:
Overall, Bargain Booksy is one of the better book promotion sites available. The website offers a user-friendly interface, getting set up is straightforward, and the barrier to entry is fairly low. The company caters to a wide audience and depending on where your genre, you could potentially get a lot of eyes on your book. Thriller books have the largest list size at 316,000 while LitRPG has the smallest size at 27.000 subscribers. Despite the wide distance between the two, high subscriber numbers aren’t always an indication of engagement.
Bargain Booksy and Written Word Media make it clear that while their requirements for book placement are flexible, they reserve the right to decline a book if they feel it will not serve their audience. This includes highly niched books or books with low overall reviews. Read their editorial guidelines before purchasing their packages to make sure your book is a good fit.
If you are looking for a way to reach more readers for a reasonable, price book promotion sites are a good way to go, and Bargain Booksy is one of the better ones in the bunch.
Are you looking for more ways to get your self-published book in front of your readers? Book promotion sites are just the tip of the iceberg. Book a no-obligation call with one of our book professionals to learn more ways to get your book in front of your ideal readers. We also have informative articles on our website to get you moving in the right direction.
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