How I Made More Money with a Free First-in-Series Book
“Give away a year’s worth of work for FREE? Are you crazy?” This is a common reaction when authors first consider making their book one free. The thought of offering your hard work for nothing can feel counterintuitive, especially when you’re aiming to make money as an author. However, the surprising truth is that strategically using a free first book in a series can be one of the most powerful tools in your marketing arsenal, potentially leading to significant revenue growth. It might sound like a paradox, but giving away something for free can actually pave the way to “Free Free Money” – increased earnings you wouldn’t have seen otherwise. For years, I resisted this strategy, clinging to the belief that free books devalued my work. But my perspective shifted dramatically when I decided to test the waters myself.
Like many authors starting out, I initially relied on strategies like enrolling my books in Kindle Unlimited and sporadic social media promotions. Sales were decent, but far from my aspirations. I needed a breakthrough to expand my reach, build my author brand, and ultimately, increase my income. Facing a self-imposed deadline to make my author career viable, I knew I had to explore bolder approaches. So, on September 18, 2016, I took a significant step: I removed my books from Kindle Unlimited, making them available on a wider range of platforms including Apple Books, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, and Google Play. Then, taking a leap of faith, I made the first book in my series permanently free.
Choosing the Right Book to Make Free for Maximum Impact
Before you rush to make your book free, it’s crucial to understand that this strategy is most effective when you have a series of books available. In the early stages, especially with fewer than four books in a series, investing heavily in promotions can lead to fleeting sales spikes followed by rapid declines. I learned this the hard way, pouring time and resources into marketing when I only had one or two books published. The most valuable advice I can offer to new authors is to prioritize writing your next book. Building your series is the strongest foundation for long-term success. Social media presence is helpful, but consistently writing and publishing new content is paramount.
By mid-2016, with four books in my series, I shifted my focus to gaining broader visibility for my work. To my surprise, the persistent advice from fellow authors to make the first book in my series free proved to be incredibly effective. It genuinely worked to attract new readers. And this success was achieved with minimal additional marketing beyond occasional, budget-friendly Facebook ads.
Looking at my KDP dashboard data, I experimented with free promotions for books 1 and 2 after their releases, resulting in noticeable download increases. However, because there weren’t subsequent books readily available for readers to purchase, the momentum quickly faded, and reader engagement likely waned. I also tested various price points for book 1 before committing to making it free, still hesitant about the idea that a free book could ultimately boost my earnings. I tried pricing it at $2.99 and even $0.99, but neither approach delivered the desired results.
It was only when I made book 1 permafree that I witnessed a substantial surge in downloads and, more importantly, a significant uplift in sales of the subsequent books in the series. In the graphs below, the blue sections represent book 1 downloads, while other colors indicate sales of the following books. The impact of making book 1 free is clearly visible.
And as illustrated in the following graph, which specifically tracks sales of subsequent books, the series sell-through rate dramatically increased and sustained itself after I had four books published and, crucially, after making book 1 permafree.
Sales of subsequent books
Post-2016, I accelerated my publishing pace, releasing four to five new books annually across this series and a spin-off series. This consistent output further fueled the growth of my follow-on sales. By the end of this year, my total published book count will reach 17.
Leveraging BookBub Featured Deals to Amplify Your Free Book’s Reach
Once my first book was free, I aimed to maximize its visibility by submitting it for a Featured Deal on BookBub. BookBub Featured Deals are renowned for their ability to drive massive exposure and downloads. Over the years, I submitted my free first-in-series for a Featured Deal eight times, and also tried with my other books. While I secured a few deals for other promotions, including a discounted box set and an international deal for the first book in a duology, getting that free first-in-series book accepted remained elusive.
This led me to rethink my strategy.
In January of this year, I undertook a complete overhaul of my covers and titles to create a more genre-specific and visually compelling brand. This was a significant investment, and the fiscally conservative side of me initially balked at the expense. However, the results proved to be worth every penny. Not only did the series organically attract more attention, but I finally landed that coveted Featured Deal! The acceptance was a moment of pure excitement and validation.
Here’s a comparison of my original first book cover (left) with the redesigned cover and new title (right):
Cover redesign
I also refined the book description slightly. While I can’t definitively say if this contributed to the Featured Deal acceptance, the overall positive outcomes were undeniable.
Preparing Your Free Book for Promotion Success
Since my book was already permafree, I didn’t need to adjust the price for the Featured Deal. However, I still recommend verifying the price across all vendors in advance, as pricing glitches can occasionally occur. If you do need to change your book’s price for a promotion, it’s wise to do so at least a week beforehand to allow ample time to resolve any potential issues. I also double-checked my BookBub book page to ensure all buy links were accurate and functional.
Optimizing the back matter of your free book is another crucial step. This is prime real estate to promote the next book in your series and encourage readers to continue their journey. I made sure every book in my series had updated back matter with clear calls to action and links. Notably, the final book in my series includes a teaser for the first book in my spin-off series, creating a seamless transition for readers. Here’s an example of the back matter in my free book:
Back matter of the free book
After the last chapter, readers are directed to a page with the text:
The Series Continues With A Vampire’s Vengeance.
Keep reading for a sneak peek!
Clicking to the next page reveals the first chapter of the next book, immediately followed by my “Also by” page, listing links to all of my books. This strategic placement maximizes discoverability and encourages readers to explore more of my work.
Stacking Promotions to Maximize Your Free Book’s Impact
Here’s a glimpse of my BookBub Featured Deal promotion:
BookBub Featured Deal for a first-in-series book
To further amplify the BookBub Featured Deal, I implemented a strategy of stacking promotions in the days leading up to it. For my paranormal romance, I utilized the following promotional sites:
- Freebooksy – promotion ran on February 6, 2020
- The eReader Cafe – promotion ran on February 7, 2020
- I Love Vampire Novels (ILVN) – promotion ran on February 10, 2020
- Facebook Ads – I ran two ads at $5.00 per day throughout the week prior to the Featured Deal, and continued them afterward, increasing the daily budget to around $10.00.
Remarkable Results: Free Downloads Translating into Real Revenue
Among the stacked promotions, Freebooksy yielded the best results, driving 1.4K downloads. The eReader Cafe generated 448 downloads, and ILVN contributed 214.
The BookBub Featured Deal delivered truly exceptional results! Launched on February 11, 2020, it generated over 11,000 free downloads on Amazon alone on the first day. Apple Books saw over 1,700 downloads, Kobo over 1,200, and both Google Play and Barnes & Noble exceeded 900 downloads. And these numbers were just for the initial day!
The most significant outcome of this free book strategy is the substantial increase in sales. Readers who downloaded the first book for free have been enthusiastically progressing through the rest of the series, and even exploring my subsequent series. In the week preceding the Featured Deal, my average daily sales across all vendors were around 35. In the week following the deal, this average soared to hundreds of sales per day across all platforms. While the initial surge has naturally tapered off, the sustained increase in sales continues to be significant.
This graph illustrates the downloads of the permafree book on Amazon, with a prominent spike on the day of the BookBub Featured Deal:
This graph demonstrates the corresponding surge in sales of my other books on Amazon, directly attributable to the free book promotion:
Increase in book sales
Overall, I am incredibly pleased with these results! And it all stemmed from making that first book in the series – the one I invested so much effort into – available for free. I no longer view offering a permafree or temporarily free first-in-series book as “giving away” my hard work. Instead, it’s a strategic investment in discoverability and long-term revenue growth.
If you’ve encountered rejections when submitting for Featured Deals, know that you’re not alone. It can be discouraging to receive those emails. However, trust in the expertise of the BookBub team. They are discerning in their selections because they aim for promotions to be successful for both authors and readers. Persist in resubmitting, and don’t lose heart! The potential rewards are well worth the effort. Making your first book free can indeed unlock “free free money” by significantly boosting your overall author income.
The views and opinions expressed in this guest post are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of BookBub.
Read another case study of an author who boosted follow-on sales by promoting his first-in-series book for free!
