This weekend wasn’t the best time to try an ebook giveaway. I really should have known though, because if I’d checked on what happened this time last year, I wouldn’t have bothered.
So what happened? I hear you ask. Especially after the (northern hemisphere) summer giveaway of The Silver Locket did so well: 292 copies downloaded and up to #7 in the genre hit parade (albeit briefly).
Oh, but how quickly I’d forgotten the November 2018 debacle. A five day giveaway of the same book had resulted in just 20 copies downloaded. Now this year, buoyed up after the happy surprise of last August, disappointment reigned supreme again.
I was all over LinkedIn and more than a little bit on Twitter. I pitched in on Instagram and posted all over my personal Facebook page. Loyal friends locally liked and shared: one more download!
Of course it didn’t help that the Facebook Elves took 6 hours to approve my US ad. Maybe they were busy approving the million other ads (or were they busy giggling naughtily over the slightly racy start to chapter ten?). Or, when I tweaked the UK audience demographic yesterday morning, the edit was still under review 10 hours later, well past the Great British tea-time.
Two days of ‘bigging it up’ and busily checking the KDP reports. All for just 17 bites. Couldn’t I even give these away???
No! No, because everyone’s in a Massmart store filling their shopping carts with improbably-sized flat screen TVs, so huge that they totter precariously over the edge of the super-sized luminous pink trolleys they wheel, dodging and weaving through the slippery-floored over-peopled mall. (Or so my friend Jonathan told me. You don’t think I ventured out that day? Are you mad?).
Still, after a tiny flurry of downloads in Canada, You’ll Never Walk Alone peaked at a heady #47 in Romance Action and Adventure.
All wasn’t lost anyway. I have three free books from other indie authors to read on my Kindle.
Just remind me next year to concentrate on the last few days of NaNoWriMo and give the Black Friday thing a miss.
After all, wouldn’t we all rather be writing?
luna's on line 
Awwh, that sucks Chris given all the efforts you took, but, but at least you got the word out there. 👏 👏 🕊🕊🕊 For I, I usually do post or pre sales and at times they workout. I am currently planning of a Post Cyber Week – Pre Festive Season Sale. Hang in there dear friend 🤗🤗🤗
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Joseph 🙂 I think you have a better approach there. Good luck with it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I understand that frustration. We are living in a demi-decade of sensory overload. Streaming movie Apps, thousands of e-books, 200 + cable channels. That shiny new book cover is replaced by another shiny new cover before I can read the blurb about the first one. I think Joseph is right – have a post cyber week sale, as everyone is returning things maybe they will pick up something from you.
LikeLiked by 3 people
That’s it, isn’t it? There’s just too much. Now everyone’s too busy to think about books. Their loss, eh? I shall try again when it’s a bit quieter. 🙂
LikeLike
That’s a plan.😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m sorry, Chris. I’ve heard enough stories like yours that I’m inclined to think it might be better for indie authors to focus more effort on releases before Thanksgiving and after New Years than putting our feet in the holiday swamp in between.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Jason. I’m sure you’re right. I’m a bit cross with myself with not looking more closely at what happened last year. This bubble must surely burst!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Aww, I’m sorry about your Black Friday efforts not going as planned! 😕 I agree with what Darnell said about our world being on sensory overload. I think it’s hard to be an Indie-anything. There are son many other things competing for people’s attention. I know my Zazzle store and Foster and Panda digital downloads are experiencing the same issues.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Live and learn. I guess we’re all in the same boat here 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
This seems frustrating, but it doesn’t sound like you’ve let it get you down.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was a bit down initially, but I think I got the frustration out in this post! It’s all part of the learning curve 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hard luck😥 time to look forward i guess 🙏🏾
LikeLiked by 1 person
Indeed. Onwards and upwards 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
This Black Friday thing is just crazy. And it’s not even a day only! Rather a week to ten days. Of craziness.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ll be leaving it well alone in future both physically and virtually. It’s completely out of hand now.
LikeLike
I left it all alone, don’t like being in crowds. Except for… I was visiting IKEA Sunday forenoon. But it went well. Not that much people there at that time. Lucky me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I too might make an exception for a visit to IKEA 😉 Sadly none here.
LikeLike
It’s fun! And easy for me living this close. I bought new legs for my bed. 10 centimeter high instead of 18. Much better. Black wood instead of metal. Much nicer.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That sucks. Sorry you didn’t get the sales you were hoping for, folks should be snatching up your books! Black Friday is wild. I went shopping the day before (having not clicked on that it could be madness) and it was soooo busy… the discounts were already running and were advertised for the whole weekend. When did it even become a thing in the UK? I’m all for a bargain but not in exchange for my sanity!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s the same here in South Africa: from something no-one’s ever heard of to utter madness! I suppose it’s like ‘trick or treat’. Mind you, SA happily adopts anything. Celebrating November 5th… although they have no clue what it represents… educational opportunity for the English woman.
LikeLike
Ugh, I hear you. I didn’t market for beans in November, and now I’m trying to find my footing with a short giveaway this week. I think I’ve sold a couple so far, and that’s something. Dismal sales is just going to be a side effect of working full time, I guess? Ah well. We just need to keep on writing on, right? Hugs from Wisconsin! xxxxxxxxxx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, I guess we know there’s no marketing holy grail… maybe we’re playing in the wrong puddle? But, as you say, keep on writing!!
Hugs and stuff back at you, from sunny South Africa! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I wonder about the puddle, too, but at least we’re here, and we’re writing, and we love what we do. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person