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Ebooks and free Amazon offers

edited October 2012 in - Writing Problems
this is really a question for others with ebooks out there. My books are not in Amazon KDP so I can't find a way to off them free on Amazon. The reason for this not including them (apart from objecting to the whole monopoly thing) is that I get my best sales on Smashwords and the outlets it links to like Barnes and Noble and Apple. Has anyone else hit this problem and have you found any way round it to enable you to offer your book for free on Amazon? I want to move up the Amazon rankings but using an offer, but I'm stumped.

Comments

  • I've only done my free offers through KDP - I'm not on Smashwords (though I've thought about it). If you put your book free on Smashwords, does that 'translate' through to Amazon? If you do it through KDP, Amazon promotes your books through their Promotions Manager - I'm not sure it would do this if it's picking the free 'price' up from another publisher.

    Sorry I can't be more help, but good luck!
  • No, it doesn't affect Amazon - Amazon do not take from Smashwords and vice versa. If you are in KDP you CANNOT be on Smashwords or anywhere else. It is in theiry only if you are exclusive to Amazon.
  • I've asked on an epublishing group I belong to.

    It seems if it's offered free elsewhere then Amazon may price match eventually. If they do, you'll probably have a lot of trouble getting them to charge again afterwards. I've been advised that if the book will be gree all the time then it's worth giving it a go, but if you intend to do a temporary promotion and then charge afterwards it isn't.
  • No, but if Amazon finds your product cheaper elsewhere they'll reduce their price to match it.
  • Smashwords avoid that by giving you a voucher code - so at face value on the site it isn't free.
  • I've had a short story permanently free on Smashwords for the past 8 months, but Amazon have never moved to match it. I even had an Amazon bot on Twitter advertise it as 'free on Smashwords' but they haven't twigged yet. So it doesn't always work!
  • Interesting!
  • It seems to me an author has to be very careful in deciding which e-platform to host on, because all these marketing exclusions are so restricting.
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