While I agree with Dean Wesley Smith’s view on not making a book an event, I do plan to have some sort of strategy in place when I release The Crossover Gene. I don’t plan to sit and dwell on it though because I have another book partially finished and yet another still to write in order for me to finish out the series. In other words, I’m gonna be busy.
That said, I do have some plans in mind. I’ve been toying with pricing on my backlist recently (admittedly backtracking on some of my best-laid plans) and also thinking about how to price The Crossover Gene upon release.
Ed Robertson has some great thoughts on frontlist and backlist pricing, namely pricing your frontlist like your backlist. Instead of charging full price when the book comes out, price it cheap and move the units. This is great because it makes the book attractive for purchase and rewards long-time fans with a lower price.
My plan is to release Crossover for a reduced price, say $1.00. Loyal fans get a price break and the reduced cost will hopefully spur initial sales, pushing my rank up and getting a nice collection of “also boughts”.
But it’ll only last for a limited time. Once the introductory period is over, the book will revert to its full price of $4.99.
KDP Select
This is where Select comes in. I’m not a big fan of exclusivity. I spent all of 2012 in Select, but opted out in 2013. I’ve been out ever since. One of my goals is to be as accessible as possible and being on all ereader platforms is the right way to do that (in my opinion).
But Select can work for writers. With the addition of Kindle Countdown Deals and now Kindle Unlimited, Select is looking viable again, albeit for a limited time. My plan is to put Crossover into Select for 90 days. During that time I’ll run every promotion I can: free days, Kindle Countdown, whatever. It’ll be available for borrow in KU. Then, when the 90 days are up, I opt out of Select and put the book up on Apple, B&N, Smashwords and Kobo.
I’m calling this approach “Kindle First”.
What do I expect to gain? Well, for starters, this book is slightly different than my other work. It’s a sci-fi thriller, not horror or post-apocalyptic. I’m hoping to get some new eyes on the book via Countdown Deals and Kindle Unlimited borrows.
Some of my existing readers will no doubt follow along with me for the ride. I don’t want my most loyal readers to pay more, so the sale price is meant as a reward for these readers.
One of the perks of being on my mailing list is finding out about new releases before anyone else. Providing a discount to these people makes signing up even more of a no-brainer.
Do I need Countdown deals to discount the book? No, I don’t. But I figure it’s worth testing the tool out to see if those deals drive more buys. I’m also excited about Kindle Unlimited as readers can very easily and cheaply take a chance on me. Most books peak and drop within 90 days anymore, so I figure I’ll strike while the iron’s hot.
Other Platforms
Unfortunately, this means that any of my readers on non-Amazon devices are going to have to wait for three months before they can buy the book. Sucky, I know. That said, Amazon says that I’m not allowed to sell the book on another digital platform for 90 days while in Select. But…if a reader should happen to contact me about wanting a “review copy” for free, then I think something could be arranged. 🙂
Other Titles
Does this mean I’m moving my other titles exclusively to Amazon? Hell no. And I’m doubly sure I’m not doing that with my Badlands series. Imagine how pissed off Kobo or Nook readers would be if they were waiting on a new book in a series, only to find out it’s exclusive to Amazon? My cardinal rule: if the other books in the series are available outside Amazon then any and all new books in that series must be as well. So that means Badlands #3 and #4 will not be exclusive and will be available immediately on all platforms. In the future, if my “Kindle First” approach works, then standalone novels might go Amazon exclusive for 90 days. We’ll see.
Mailing List
I’ve built a decent little mailing list over the last year and a half and I’ll be using it again with this release. I will tell folks about the exclusivity caveat, but assure them that the book will be on other platforms in 90 days. I’ll likely email the list again after the book goes live everywhere, reminding them it’s available for purchase. I might even discount the price again so that these readers can get it for a reduced rate.
So there you have it; my plans for releasing The Crossover Gene. I’m really excited, especially since it’s so close. Outside of editorial changes, my work is finished, so I’m just waiting on the editor and proofreader now. I’ll post again after the book launches and let everyone know how it all went.
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