Reddit AMAs and corresponding promos - free vs discounted?

Maskoz

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I'm considering doing a reddit AMA and offering copies of my novel for free for the duration of the AMA. My publisher suggested doing a flash sale instead. I'm of two minds about free. On one hand, it gets eyes on the page, but on the other hand I feel people don't value something they get for free.

Just wondering if anyone else has weighed this out or experienced results in their own sales. Free vs discounted... what has worked best?
 

WriterBN

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No idea about Reddit, but my experience has been that freebie downloaders, in general, are not book buyers. There are exceptions: I've had some success with a permafree first book in series driving sales of the rest. However, people are more likely to actually read something they've paid for, even at $0.99.
 
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Old Hack

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A promotion is meant to sell more copies of your book. So handing it out for free probably isn't going to achieve what you want it to achieve. A sale would be better, I feel. Assuming, of course, that the people who take part in the AMA are likely to read your book.
 

Maskoz

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Thanks. That's what I was thinking.
Interesting idea that book downloaders and book buyers are probably separate and distinct groups of people. I was hoping that even if they weren't book buyers, they might be book reviewers.
 

Old Hack

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Reviewers wouldn't expect to have to take part in an AMA to get a review copy, though. They'd usually get them direct from the publisher, prior to publication.
 

Maskoz

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Yes, but readers leave reviews, too.
We're past the pre-publication reviewers now and looking at reaching readers.
 

Polenth

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Yes, but readers leave reviews, too.
We're past the pre-publication reviewers now and looking at reaching readers.

If a reviewer reaches out to you for a review copy, you can send them one. You don't need your book to be free to everyone to do that.