The Results:
WRITE FROM THE HEART climbed the charts to the Top 20 Free list on Kindle and stayed there all weekend.
WHISPERS FROM THE HEART climbed to Top 35 on the Free list and stayed there all weekend as well.
The Plan of Action:
Tuesday before the 3 day free-download weekend began, I contacted many of the websites and blogs that promote free Kindle books and let them know about mine. Most of those sites have an automated form that you use, so it goes pretty quickly. Only in a few cases did I have to send an e-mail. I also posted links to the books on many of the Kindle, eBook related pages on Facebook letting people know that the books were going to be free.
Wednesday and Thursday I used HootSuite and uploaded in bulk 50 Tweets that were spread out throughout the day on both Friday and Saturday (you'll see what I did for Sunday in a minute) that let my Followers know about the 3 day free-download weekend. The Tweets varied in nature - some included reviews, some just got the free weekend notice out.
Saturday once I could see the fabulous results of my labor, I went back on HootSuite and uploaded another 50 Tweets to run on Sunday that emphasized the books' rankings and how many had been downloaded. Throughout the weekend, I jumped on Twitter and thanked all who Re-Tweeted my Tweets and threw in a few updated Tweets.
Thursday Night: I sent out an e-blast announcement to my entire e-list letting them know the books would be free all weekend (the post below this is that e-blast).
Friday, Saturday and Sunday, I was fortunate to have some great Facebook Friends "share" the links to my books with all their friends. I updated my Facebook status with the rankings and number of books downloaded.
Additional Actions:
One thing I did awhile ago was set up a TinyURL for both of my books that I could easily remember so that when it comes to Facebook posting, Tweeting and other times, I don't have to keep going to Amazon to get the URL. For WHISPERS, the TinyURL is http://tinyurl.com/WhispersHeart and WRITE's is http://tinyurl.com/WriteHeart
One thing I did awhile ago was set up a TinyURL for both of my books that I could easily remember so that when it comes to Facebook posting, Tweeting and other times, I don't have to keep going to Amazon to get the URL. For WHISPERS, the TinyURL is http://tinyurl.com/WhispersHeart and WRITE's is http://tinyurl.com/WriteHeart
The day before the books went free, I did an impromptu pop quiz on my Facebook page that gave away autographed copies of the paperback versions of my books. I did fun questions like: What was my favorite ice cream? Or What degree did I originally aim for in college? The winners loved winning the autographed copies and when the quizzes were over, I announced that everyone wins because they would be available for Free on Kindle all weekend!
Going Forward:
I went back on HootSuite today and uploaded Tweets to run tomorrow and the next day thanking everyone for downloading the books. They highlight the number of downloads and current book reviews.
Final Notes:
I first began using KDP Select in November when it launched and had success with some free weekends back then. I did a few other Free weekends, but this one, with my methodical planning and approached, has paid off the biggest with over 25,000 downloads in 3 days.
My final action is being GRATEFUL to all who downloaded them! ♥
