Friday, March 11, 2011

Sales Tactics in Promoting a New Amazon Kindle Title Release

I receive the news today from eBookArcheticts that my latest title to be converted to Kindle has been finished and the files are ready for review and uploading to the Kindle Direct Publishing platform. I plan to launch the title in its new Kindle format later next week. This self-imposed deadline has forced me to  make a final decision concerning my tactics for launching and promoting this title.

Despite my experiences with my first Kindle title, I am nervous about the impact this Kindle title will have on my POD sales. This book, Game Strategy and Tactics is by far my best seller and like a nervous parent, I don't want anything bad to happen to sales.

My first Kindle title not only sells well for a non-fiction Kindle title, the POD sales for the title have increased, I believe, as a result of the exposure to more buyers due to the release of the Kindle version. I sincerely hope it will have the same impact on Game Strategy and Tactics. It would be wonderful if the book generates good Kindle sales AND boosts my POD sales!

What approach have I decided on? With my first Kindle title, The Game of Basketball, I launched the Kindle version with a very low introductory price of $2.99.  The POD sales for this title were terrible so I felt I had nothing to lose. I promoted the release on my eNewsletter to just over 2,000 coaches promoting both the release of the Kindle version and how to obtain a FREE app to read Kindle books on devices other than a Kindle reader. I also stated after a month the price would go up.

Sales were great for the one month period before the price increase. I raised the price to $4.99 and while sales did drop some, it was by a total of only 10 Kindle versions sold in the second month the title was available. The plus side to this entire process was the increase in POD sales. The title went from not appearing in the first three pages of search results to being the first title on the second page of results and sales actually increasing to a respectable number. The Kindle version is shows up as the second title listed for the same search in the Kindle Store.

My approach this time will be similar but not identical. Game Strategy and Tactics is an established seller and fluctuates from the 6th to 8th position on the first page of the search results on Amazon. I plan to use my website and eNewsletter to announce its launch with an introductory price that will last for two weeks only before being raised to the final price. The price for this Kindle edition will be much higher than $2.99. I have yet to decide whether or not the final Kindle version price will be $8.99 or $9.99 and will base my final decision on how initial sales go.

With Amazon's 70% royalty option, I see no reason to make less money for a Kindle sale than I do for the sale of a POD copy. In fact, if Kindle sales rob me of POD sales, I want the issue to be a moot point. I will be making the same regardless of the version of the title is sold.

Once the dust has settled early this summer, I should be able to see which approach was more productive in launching a new Kindle title that already exists as a POD title. My next book will be a launch of a POD and Kindle title at the same time. My head already aches a bit thinking about planning for the release of the newest title. 

I will be sure to share what I learn with any interested readers of this blog.


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