Ryan Zee Author Marketing

AW Admin · Oct 15, 2016

This company is contacting genre authors and inviting them to participate in a multi-author giveaway in order to receive subscribers to an author's email newsletter.

The fee is $60.00 per author.
Copies of your book
You and other authors who write your genre participate together.
One winner receives a Kindle and copies of each participating author's book(s)
A runner up receives a copy of each author's participating book(s)

In return authors receive 200-800 emails addresses/ subscribers to their email newsletter.

http://www.ryanzee.com/multi-author-giveaways/
https://form.jotform.com/62555868163163

How it Works:

Contest will run from Monday, October 24th to Monday, October 31st.
The Grand Prize will be a Kindle Fire, along with an ebook from each participating author
One runner up will receive all participating books
Readers will be invited to join participating authors’ email newsletters on our website during the contest
After the contest ends, authors receive a spreadsheet of their signups, and a list of winners with contact information for sending book prizes
You Get:

A list of readers who opt-in to YOUR author email list
Facebook Ads to encourage new readers to sign up for the sweepstakes
A contest graphic featuring all participating books, as well as social media and newsletter promo templates
Reminder and tip emails to guarantee you're fully prepared
A great opportunity to familiarize new readers with you and your work
You Provide:

Participation fee to cover the set up
One book (new/old, novel/novella) to be provided to the two winners (physical copies acceptable if eBooks not available)
A blurb in your newsletter and social media outlets to encourage your readers to join in the fun!

I'm not sure this is really an effective method.

A lot seems to depend on the authors in question marketing for each other, and that's always a little iffy.

How many authors have newsletters?
How many newsletter readers buy books?

How does this compare to, say, giveaways on LibraryThing or GoodReads?

Marissa D · Oct 16, 2016

It's actually quite effective if you're trying to grow your newsletter list...and honestly, with the way social media outlets and Amazon fiddle around with their visibility algorithms, having a list of subscribers to your newsletter is golden--they're people who are interested in knowing when you've got books coming out, and yeah, they'll buy them.

I've done two of Ryan Zee's promos that have been organized by acquaintances--they've been fairly specific (one for historical fantasy books, one for books with strong heroines) and gained 1100 subscribers to my newsletter list. There have been very few unsubscribes (maybe a dozen for each campaign) because the subscribers opt in to the authors' newsletters they want to receive. And it's not a lot of work--he creates individualized graphics for each participating author to use on Facebook and Twitter, even.

Gillhoughly · Oct 17, 2016

I don't know how it compares, but paying for a mailing list? Not after I heard from one of the people on such a list. She got sick of the constant spamming from all the writers and unsubscribed.

I'm the worst person for this sort of thing. Not only do I dislike my money flowing away from me for a questionable return, I really dislike getting on such lists. But then I'm a natural grouch.

Um, no I'm not. I trained for years to get this grouchy.

It will have to be up to the writer whether it's worth it to shell out cash for addies or not. I would be more comfortable if this "sweepstakes" thing was up front about the $60.00 fee to participate. You only see that on the website, not the invitation. Of course, that would tend to put off most writers.

Marissa D · Oct 17, 2016

Well, I only send out newsletters when I have a new release, so just a couple time a year. I know some authors send out monthly or even weekly newsletters, which would drive me insane and looking for the unsubscribe button too--but that's up to individual authors and has nothing to do with Ryan's program. But with the vagaries of Facebook and other social media, having a method of reaching out to readers that is under MY control seems like a good idea.

I've joined these by invitation from the authors working with Ryan to set them up, and they've always been up front about what the costs/requirements are. It's up to individual authors whether or not this sort of thing is something they want to do; I've been very pleased with the results.

ETA: To answer Lisa's question, it differs from a GR or LT giveaway in that you're guaranteed a concrete return--people who choose to subscribe to your mailing list. There's no guaranteed return--no promise of reviews or anything, really, for a GR or LT giveaway.

Ryan Zee Author Marketing

AW Admin

Marissa D

Scribe of the girls in the basement

Gillhoughly

Grumpy writer and editor

Marissa D

Scribe of the girls in the basement