Enhancing Amazon Book Ratings through Free Promotions

For writers aiming to boost their book’s visibility and improve its ratings on Amazon, a strategically planned free promotion can be a powerful tool. This article will explore the process of scheduling, executing, and managing a Free Book Promotion on Amazon, ensuring that your book can reach a wider audience and potentially rise in the bestseller lists.

Scheduling a Free Book Promotion

When can I schedule my Free Book Promotion?

Free Book Promotions on Amazon's KDP Select program allow you to offer your e-book for free for up to 5 days out of each 90-day enrollment period, with a few important conditions to keep in mind:

KDP Select enrollment: Your e-book must be enrolled in KDP Select and be available for sale on Amazon. Format: The promoted book must be a KDP eBook. Timing: Free promotions must be scheduled at least one day before the desired start date. The earliest possible date to begin your future free promotion would be the second day of your new enrollment period, with the promotion usually starting and ending at midnight Pacific time.

Steps to Schedule a Free Book Promotion

To schedule a Free Book Promotion, follow these steps:

Go to the Marketing tab in your KDP account. Select Run a Price Promotion and then Free Book Promotion. Click on Create a Free Book Promotion. Select your book and click Continue. Enter the desired start and end date, avoiding the final day of your KDP Select term. Click Save Changes.

From this point, you can schedule one or more promotions, edit or delete a scheduled promotion, or even stop an ongoing promotion mid-way through.

Managing Your Free Book Promotion

Canceling a Free Book Promotion

If you need to cancel an ongoing promotion, follow these steps:

Go to your Bookshelf. Click on the ellipsis button and select Promote and Advertise.

Note that it can take up to several hours for the cancellation to take effect. You can reschedule any fully unused promotional days after you cancel a promotion. However, a free promotion day canceled while in progress will not be credited back to your account. Unused free promotion days from one term cannot be rolled over to future terms.

Royalties During a Free Promotion

During a Free Book Promotion, you won't receive royalties for the e-book sales due to its availability for free. This can impact the revenue you earn during the promotional period, so it's important to plan your marketing and financial strategies accordingly.

Understanding the Sales Rank Impact

Free Book Promotions can significantly influence your book's visibility and ratings. Below are key points to understand:

Amazon Best Sellers lists are divided into Top 100 Paid and Top 100 Free in the Kindle Store. While your book is offered for free, it will be listed in the Free category. The transition between the Free and Paid lists can take several hours, depending on system latencies and time zones. Your book will drop in sales rank in the Paid list from the time your free promotion begins to the time it ends, but past sales will also influence your new rank once your book re-enters the Paid categories.

By scheduling and managing a Free Book Promotion effectively, you can boost your book's visibility, drive more sales, and ultimately increase its ratings on Amazon.