# Bookbub How many attempts?



## martyns (May 8, 2014)

I've just had my latest Bookbub rejection. I thought I'd tried more times, but I've been back and looked and I've made four separate attempts to get my book 1 listed!

Is my kind of book out of vogue? Does it look too amateurish? Or am I just not being patient and persevering enough?

How many tries does it usually take to get a Bookbub accepted?


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## 75910 (Mar 16, 2014)

It took me 7 for the first and another 6 or so for the second.  Don't give up.


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## 69959 (May 14, 2013)

They reject at least 80% of all submissions.


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## S.A. Mulraney (May 20, 2011)

Took me over 15 times. I finally switched to requesting a "free" ad and got picked up right away. Keep plugging away. Don't take it personally.


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## Andrei Cherascu (Sep 17, 2014)

Olivia Jaymes said:


> It took me 7 for the first and another 6 or so for the second. Don't give up.


Olivia, did they ever hint at why they rejected you? I know you can technically submit as many times as you want after 30 days but did you do it on the basis of "better luck next time" or did you wait for something to change (i.e get more reviews or change the cover). I submitted my book yesterday and haven't gotten an answer yet, but if I get rejected I think it would be helpful to know why, so that I know if it's worth submitting another six times.  I think it's interesting that they rejected the books so often and then decide to feature them all of a sudden, that's why I'm wondering if they ever told you the reason.


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## martyns (May 8, 2014)

S.A. Mulraney said:


> Took me over 15 times. I finally switched to requesting a "free" ad and got picked up right away. Keep plugging away. Don't take it personally.


You mean promoting a free book? This is trying to promote my perma-free book 1. Is there something else I'm missing?


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## John Ellsworth (Jun 1, 2014)

martyns said:


> You mean promoting a free book? This is trying to promote my perma-free book 1. Is there something else I'm missing?


You only have 11 reviews. My first BB acceptance had 80 reviews. They turned it down when it "only" had 25 reviews.

Go for the reviews, then go back, is my suggestion. I had four BB's last year, BTW, and all had high numbers of reviews--we're talking sixty or more on each acceptance.


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## Christopher Bunn (Oct 26, 2010)

I've attempted so many times that the number seems like the Abrahamic grains of sand on all the seashores of the world. However, hope springs eternal.

I wish, though, that Bookbub would modify its submission process. I think they should create a Clash of Clans profile and, if you burn down their Town Hall, you automatically get a promo.


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## 75910 (Mar 16, 2014)

Andrei Cherascu said:


> Olivia, did they ever hint at why they rejected you? I know you can technically submit as many times as you want after 30 days but did you do it on the basis of "better luck next time" or did you wait for something to change (i.e get more reviews or change the cover). I submitted my book yesterday and haven't gotten an answer yet, but if I get rejected I think it would be helpful to know why, so that I know if it's worth submitting another six times.  I think it's interesting that they rejected the books so often and then decide to feature them all of a sudden, that's why I'm wondering if they ever told you the reason.


No indications but I always got the "try again in two weeks" response which I took as a good sign. I guess I'm an optimist.


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## Andrei Cherascu (Sep 17, 2014)

Olivia Jaymes said:


> No indications but I always got the "try again in two weeks" response which I took as a good sign. I guess I'm an optimist.


I admire your optimism and will try to learn from it.  My book is still relatively "fresh" and only has 9 reviews on Amazon.com and 11 in total. However, it has been chosen Book of the Year 2014 by SciFi365.net (which, of course, I mentioned in the comments) so I wonder if that will make any difference. I'm really curious what they will say.


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## Mark Dawson (Mar 24, 2012)

It's reviews. Everything else looks good. My benchmark is 100 before I'll apply, although less will work if the Gods are smiling on you.


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## KatrinaAbbott (Jan 28, 2014)

I've tried (I think) 6 times and still no dice. My first in series is permafree and have over 40 reviews (and have seen ones with fewer go up in my category). I've been flexible and done everything the tips say, but figure it must be a glutted category. I'll keep trying while I build reviews, especially since it doesn't cost anything. I do wish they would say why they keep rejecting, even if they were forms they copy and paste - anything to keep people from spinning their wheels every month.


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## Shiriluna Nott (Aug 26, 2014)

I recently got accepted with 39 reviews. Rejected once previously with far fewer reviews than that. Just keep trying and I'm sure you'll get accepted sooner or later!


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## Dean F. Wilson (Aug 15, 2014)

My epic fantasy The Call of Agon got accepted in 2013 with around 25 reviews (although it had a Publishers Weekly review also, which might have helped), but hasn't been accepted since. I haven't gotten a spot on BookBub at all since, on any of my books. It probably doesn't help that most of them are sequels, and so have fewer reviews and are harder to make appealing for an ad (since people need to read Book 1).


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## ruecole (Jun 13, 2012)

I think the type of reviews you have is more important than the number. I was accepted with 24 reviews, but a good chunk of them were from Net Galley reviewers and book bloggers and not just reader reviews.

Hope that helps! 

Rue


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## nonbreaking space (Dec 11, 2014)

I've had a book turned down with over 200 reviews (and was accepted after 2 more tries). I've also seen plenty of Bookbub placements with 30-50 reviews. Also, they won't run a book that is similar to something they just ran. 

Sometimes it's just about timing.


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## KatrinaAbbott (Jan 28, 2014)

ruecole said:


> I think the type of reviews you have is more important than the number. I was accepted with 24 reviews, but a good chunk of them were from Net Galley reviewers and book bloggers and not just reader reviews.
> 
> Hope that helps!
> 
> Rue


I'm not trying to be contrary, but why would that matter?


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## D-C (Jan 13, 2014)

Over 12 times (99c every time). I've stopped counting, tbh. I have over 40 reviews, 95% verified purchases, 4.3 stars.

I'm leaving it for a few weeks, while I go wide, and then may well try permafree.

I've seen books on Bookbub with just 5 reviews, and only two of those were verified purchases. So it's not always reviews; it's about what competition you're up against at the same time.


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## ruecole (Jun 13, 2012)

KatrinaAbbott said:


> I'm not trying to be contrary, but why would that matter?


Quality over quantity.

Rue


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## KatrinaAbbott (Jan 28, 2014)

ruecole said:


> Quality over quantity.
> 
> Rue


Perhaps. But I doubt they drill down that much with all the submissions they get. I'll be interested to see what they have to say when they're here later in the month.


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## ruecole (Jun 13, 2012)

I'll make point of asking them. A couple of my top reviews mention Netgalley, though. Plus I've quoted some in my editorial reviews. So I do think they carry some weight with BB. But I will ask. 

Rue


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## Patty Jansen (Apr 5, 2011)

There are no review number requirements. There are no star rating requirements.

They've accepted me twice. Once with 24 reviews and 3.5 stars. Once with 20 reviews and 4.2 stars. They've rejected me every time since. Like, 30 times or so, even though I now have more reviews.


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## B.A. Spangler (Jan 25, 2012)

Never give up submitting… I've had plenty of BB rejections mixed in with the few that were accepted.
Much of the time a rejection has to do with timing and nothing to do with your book. For example, selected dates full for your book's genre, etc.
Take a breath and resubmit for another set of dates.


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## KGGiarratano (Aug 14, 2013)

I wonder why some are told to resubmit in 2 weeks and other after 30 days.


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## Kenneth Rosenberg (Dec 3, 2010)

I stopped counting but I've been rejected somewhere between 20 and 30 times, and never accepted.  These were for all of my books, sometimes 99 cent promos and sometimes free.  My book with the most reviews has 41, and a 4.2 average.  For some reason, they just don't seem to like me much.  

They used to say to resubmit after two weeks, but then they changed it to 30 days some time ago.


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## RyanAndrewKinder (Dec 14, 2014)

I only tried once (for a promo during a free period) and got accepted... I had about 42 reviews at the time with an overall five star rating. I think the thing that worked in my favor was being in a smaller category (nonfiction) and that I selected the maximum amount of availability when applying. My question to those who got rejected: how popular is your genre and how many available dates did you choose?


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## JumpingShip (Jun 3, 2010)

I'm waiting for my first rejection. I just submitted a few days ago, so any time now, the rejection should hit my inbox.   My book is too short, and it's permafree, so I'm not holding my breath.


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## mctiller (Jan 20, 2013)

I had a book accepted with only 12 reviews.  And it was a 99 cent promotion.  I had another book, IN THE SAME SERIES, with 48 reviews get rejected.  It really is up to them. 

Keep trying, but I believe the lesson is to build your own mailing list so you're not dependent on them.


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## Carol (was Dara) (Feb 19, 2011)

I've submitted around a dozen times and been accepted four times. My latest rejection had over 700 reviews and a 4 star average, so reviews aren't the only hurdle. Good luck to all.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

My first application was accepted and the second rejected. Since then I've applied three times and accepted all three. I just applied yesterday and had to write a quick email to cancel it, because it hadn't been 6 months since it was last promoted. They would have caught it, but I think it would be more professional if they didn't have to. I'll reapply in the morning with one that is eligible, but it's not going to be eligible for a Countdown Deal to coincide. However, even at $.35 a BookBub deal will still be highly profitable on day one.


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## Andrei Cherascu (Sep 17, 2014)

Well, I got rejected   I'm thinking it's probably the number of reviews since I gave them a wide time frame (March to June) and I have the Book of the Year award going for me. I guess I'll try picking up more reviews and then re-submitting.


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## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

Martyns, is it okay if I make a guess about why Bookbub might not have accepted you? There are some grammatical problems in your blurb, which is an instant rejection for the 'Bub. They need to look as professional as possible for their readers, so they only link to books that wouldn't look out-of-place on a bookstore shelf. Your cover is great and I see you have 49 mostly-positive reviews in the .com store, so fixing the description might be enough to get an acceptance next time.

Saul Karza, wizard of the Empire, has been given a quest by the Empress herself: To(1) find and slay a mythical 'noble dragon' -(2) said to be near invulnerable.

Instead of leading a large band of soldiers, archers and spell-casters;(3) he sets out with two immigrant dock-workers and a homeless dwarf.

What Saul needs is the legendary 'Last Dragon Slayer' on his side, because(4) on this deadly quest, it's not only Saul's favour with the Empress that's at stake - but also his life.

(1) Should be lowercase t 
(2) This dash doesn't feel quite right. I had to go back and re-read the sentence to make sense of it. You could change it to: ...mythical 'noble dragon', which is said to be...
(3) Comma instead of semi-colon. 
(4) Needs a comma here to be grammatically correct - but that would bog the sentence down, so you might want to rephrase it.

As a bit of an aside, I'm not sure how I feel about quotation marks around phrases. They're not technically _wrong_, but I almost never see it done in blurbs. I think it would read just as well without them.

The second paragraph also tripped me up. Why wouldn't Saul take the soldiers with him? When he sets out with the dockworkers and dwarf, is he running away from his duty, or is he taking them with him to fight the dragon? (The last paragraph clears that up, but it confused me when I first read it.)

You're welcome to take or leave as much of it as you want, of course.


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## Adrian Howell (Feb 24, 2013)

nonbreaking space said:


> I've had a book turned down with over 200 reviews (and was accepted after 2 more tries). I've also seen plenty of Bookbub placements with 30-50 reviews. Also, they won't run a book that is similar to something they just ran.
> 
> Sometimes it's just about timing.


It's VERY OFTEN about timing, I think. Bookbub will turn down a title that they've already accepted in the past, even though the required 6 months have passed and the book in question has twice as many reviews and a higher star average than when they accepted it the first time. (And yes, I speak from direct experience.) With Bookbub, it's really just up to the gods.


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## Alexander Rodgers (Aug 17, 2014)

I've been rejected too many times to count, but it's easy enough to apply so I keep spinning the hamster wheel.


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## bethrevis (Jul 30, 2014)

Darcy said:


> Saul Karza, wizard of the Empire, has been given a quest by the Empress herself: To(1) find and slay a mythical 'noble dragon' -(2) said to be near invulnerable.
> 
> Instead of leading a large band of soldiers, archers and spell-casters;(3) he sets out with two immigrant dock-workers and a homeless dwarf.
> 
> ...


Not sure why you're saying add a comma after "because"?


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## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

bethrevis said:


> Not sure why you're saying add a comma after "because"?


_What Saul needs is the legendary 'Last Dragon Slayer' on his side, because on this deadly quest, it's not only Saul's favour with the Empress that's at stake - but also his life._

"on this deadly quest" is a thought outside of the rest of the sentence. The commas act a bit like parenthesis - they tug the reader out of the main message for a second to share some extra information. You need the comma after "because" as "because" is still necessary to the structure of the main sentence (you can get rid of "on this deadly quest" with the sentence still being intact, but you can't get rid of the "because").

It's confusing because we've just had a comma after "on his side". If we rephrase the sentence, it becomes clearer where the commas belong: "Saul needs a dragon slayer because, on this deadly quest, it's not only his favour with the Empress..."

I'm explaining this terribly, sorry. A proper example is in rule #7, interrupters, here: http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/commas/

EDIT: Sorry, it's not as clear-cut as I thought it was. Maybe it's okay to omit the comma after all (even if my brain does flip-flops when trying to read it that way). Here's what I'm looking at: http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/11248/coordinating-conjunction-immediately-followed-by-parenthetical-is-a-comma-need

EDIT again: Okay, 'because' isn't a coordinating conjunction, so the above example doesn't apply to it. My brain is turning to mush. Does anyone else have some insight here? I'm fairly sure the comma is needed but I could be wrong.


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## JumpingShip (Jun 3, 2010)

I know they say to give them seven days, but it'll be a week on Tuesday. I'm expecting certain rejection now.


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## Walter Spence (Nov 22, 2014)

Mine was accepted the first time I submitted it, but one reason for that may have been because I was as flexible as possible on when the campaign would run, selecting the option to allow for an alternate date if the one I chose wasn't available. Also factor into the equation that it wasn't the most popular genre, so...


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## bethrevis (Jul 30, 2014)

Darcy said:


> EDIT again: Okay, 'because' isn't a coordinating conjunction, so the above example doesn't apply to it. My brain is turning to mush. Does anyone else have some insight here? I'm fairly sure the comma is needed but I could be wrong.


No worries! It totally IS confusing, which is why I asked.  In some recent grammar articles I've read (because I'm that kind of girl), the prevailing argument I'm seeing is that while "because" isn't a coordinating conjunction, it's more and more commonly being used as one and follows the rules of one when used as such. Language is so frustratingly fluid sometimes.


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## ruecole (Jun 13, 2012)

MaryMcDonald said:


> I know they say to give them seven days, but it'll be a week on Tuesday. I'm expecting certain rejection now.


I bet you get a yes tomorrow. 

Rue


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## Usedtoposthere (Nov 19, 2013)

I've been accepted in as quickly as an hour or two, and as long as eight days. I don't think the length of time means much.


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## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

bethrevis said:


> No worries! It totally IS confusing, which is why I asked.  In some recent grammar articles I've read (because I'm that kind of girl), the prevailing argument I'm seeing is that while "because" isn't a coordinating conjunction, it's more and more commonly being used as one and follows the rules of one when used as such. Language is so frustratingly fluid sometimes.


It's all good!  English is a terrible language, really. Every time I think I've learnt a rule there turns out to be an exception (or two, or three) to do my head in.


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## SunshineOnMe (Jan 11, 2014)

ruecole said:


> I bet you get a yes tomorrow.
> 
> Rue


I agree!


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## deedawning (Aug 31, 2013)

John Ellsworth said:


> You only have 11 reviews. My first BB acceptance had 80 reviews. They turned it down when it "only" had 25 reviews.
> 
> Go for the reviews, then go back, is my suggestion. I had four BB's last year, BTW, and all had high numbers of reviews--we're talking sixty or more on each acceptance.


That sounds like the classic Catch Twenty-two. You need to sell more books to get more reviews and you need to get more reviews to sell more books.


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## Andrei Cherascu (Sep 17, 2014)

deedawning said:


> That sounds like the classic Catch Twenty-two. You need to sell more books to get more reviews and you need to get more reviews to sell more books.


I was just talking to my wife about this the other day. I think this is by far the most distressing and frustrating aspect of being a self-published writer. It's incredibly difficult to get anyone to even give your work a try.


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## PearlEarringLady (Feb 28, 2014)

Andrei Cherascu said:


> I was just talking to my wife about this the other day. I think this is by far the most distressing and frustrating aspect of being a self-published writer. It's incredibly difficult to get anyone to even give your work a try.


You just have to be patient. I'm working on the assumption that there's not much point in promoting a single book. The second book? A little, maybe. By the time there's a third or fourth, that's the time to go for promotion, because there's a chance of good sell-through. And by that time, the first book should have a good stack of reviews to offer BookBub.

All those people who say: work on the second book? Very wise.


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## Philip Gibson (Nov 18, 2013)

Darcy said:


> _What Saul needs is the legendary 'Last Dragon Slayer' on his side, because on this deadly quest, it's not only Saul's favour with the Empress that's at stake - but also his life._
> 
> "on this deadly quest" is a thought outside of the rest of the sentence. The commas act a bit like parenthesis - they tug the reader out of the main message for a second to share some extra information. You need the comma after "because" as "because" is still necessary to the structure of the main sentence (you can get rid of "on this deadly quest" with the sentence still being intact, but you can't get rid of the "because").
> 
> ...


You are right in that "on this deadly quest" is a thought outside the sentence. I'd call it an 'inserted phrase' in that the sentence holds up grammatically if it is not there. So the commas need to be on each side of the inserted phrase to act, as you said, somewhat like parentheses. Therefore:

_What Saul needs is the legendary 'Last Dragon Slayer' on his side because, on this deadly quest, it's not only Saul's favour with the Empress that's at stake - but also his life._

At least, that's how I see it.

Agree?

Philip


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## Andrei Cherascu (Sep 17, 2014)

PaulineMRoss said:


> You just have to be patient. I'm working on the assumption that there's not much point in promoting a single book. The second book? A little, maybe. By the time there's a third or fourth, that's the time to go for promotion, because there's a chance of good sell-through. And by that time, the first book should have a good stack of reviews to offer BookBub.
> 
> All those people who say: work on the second book? Very wise.


Pauline, you're right about working on the second book. Financially, of course, it makes sense to use the service the more books you have. But my major goal was to get my first book 'out there', sell a few thousand copies, get some reviews and create anticipation for the sequel, which should be out sometime in summer. So, even with just one book out, I could have really benefited from the promo.


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## JumpingShip (Jun 3, 2010)

SunshineOnMe said:


> I agree!


Nothing yet, and wouldn't you know, I got a one star review on the book last night. Only the second one, and doesn't affect the rating, but bummed me out that it might become a factor. Oh well, I guess no news is good news still.


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## anniejocoby (Aug 11, 2013)

I just received my gazillionth rejection for Broken. Can't understand why that book won't go through - it has over 110 reviews and a 3.9 average,  which for a permafree book with two massive cliffhangers isn't that bad. I've tried it in New Adult and women's fiction,  because contemporary romance is almost impossible to break into.  No dice.

They've taken Beautiful Illusions twice. I'm waiting to see if it will be picked up again.  Fingers crossed.


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## JumpingShip (Jun 3, 2010)

anniejocoby said:


> I just received my gazillionth rejection for Broken. Can't understand why that book won't go through - it has over reviews and a 3.9 average, which for a permafree book with two massive cliffhangers isn't that bad. I've tried it in New Adult and women's fiction, because contemporary romance is almost impossible to break into. No dice.
> 
> They've taken Beautiful Illusions twice. I'm waiting to see if it will be picked up again. Fingers crossed.


Sorry to hear it. All of your covers are gorgeous, but Broken is especially good. I love how he's looking out to the reader, almost beckoning them with his eyes. (but not like those stock photos where the guy is grinning right into the lens. lol)


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## Sever Bronny (May 13, 2013)

I'll be applying again tomorrow. Looking forward to checking the mirror and seeing a red hand print.


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## Bob Stewart (Mar 19, 2014)

Has anyone having trouble getting on Bookbub ever tried submitting a book sale priced everywhere BUT Amazon?

Here's my reasoning: About 30-40% of the deals offered are Amazon-exclusive, so readers who only checked B&N (or Apple, Kobo, etc) won't see it. Might BookBub be more willing to give a spot to someone who fills the hole for these other readers?

Personally, I wouldn't be able to make back the cost with that strategy, but it might work for people with higher sales on the other channels.


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## katrina46 (May 23, 2014)

I don't even try. It's about like trying to get a trad publisher to read your story.


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## PearlEarringLady (Feb 28, 2014)

Andrei Cherascu said:


> Well, I got rejected  I'm thinking it's probably the number of reviews since I gave them a wide time frame (March to June) and I have the Book of the Year award going for me. I guess I'll try picking up more reviews and then re-submitting.


Andrei, how did you give them such a wide time frame? I've had a look at the submission form, and the only dates that appear in the calendar are from one week away to a month away. How would you submit for March-June?


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## RBK (Nov 28, 2014)

I was accepted first time for a free ad way back in the heady days of early 2013 with less than 20 reviews. Got around 25,000 downloads and hit the top ten of the overall free charts. Just a pity I didn't have much else on sale way back then!

I was accepted again for the same book later that year (August I think) and got over 50,000 free downloads, topping the overall free charts.

Haven't been accepted since!


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## Andrei Cherascu (Sep 17, 2014)

PaulineMRoss said:


> Andrei, how did you give them such a wide time frame? I've had a look at the submission form, and the only dates that appear in the calendar are from one week away to a month away. How would you submit for March-June?


I was sort of confused about that too. When I submitted, they have a field where they ask if your promotion dates are flexible. If you click "no", you get the EARLIEST AND LATEST BOOKBUB DATE field where you can choose the interval dates. If you click "yes" that field dissapears, which I found really strange. So I just told them my availability in the comments section. I was actually wondering about this myself.


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## deedawning (Aug 31, 2013)

Wayne Stinnett said:


> My first application was accepted and the second rejected. Since then I've applied three times and accepted all three. I just applied yesterday and had to write a quick email to cancel it, because it hadn't been 6 months since it was last promoted. They would have caught it, but I think it would be more professional if they didn't have to. I'll reapply in the morning with one that is eligible, but it's not going to be eligible for a Countdown Deal to coincide. However, even at $.35 a BookBub deal will still be highly profitable on day one.


You might be able to get a price 99cent price match by then. I have about a dozen books price matched at 99cents and $1.99 and get 70% on them. Google Play seems to work the best for price match.


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## JumpingShip (Jun 3, 2010)

Woo-hoo! I got accepted! I had requested thrillers, but they thought supernatural suspense would be the way to go and I'm game. Never tried marketing it that way, but there is a magic camera, and it is suspense, so I'm excited to reach some new readers. Also, it's a lot cheaper.


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## ruecole (Jun 13, 2012)

Woo hoo!

Can I say I told you so?

I'm gonna anyway! 



Rue


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## JumpingShip (Jun 3, 2010)

ruecole said:


> Woo hoo!
> 
> Can I say I told you so?


You may. 


> I'm gonna anyway!
> 
> 
> 
> Rue


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## grheliz (Oct 29, 2013)

John Ellsworth said:


> You only have 11 reviews. My first BB acceptance had 80 reviews. They turned it down when it "only" had 25 reviews.
> 
> I only had about ten for a book that they picked up. I'm not sure reviews are the be-all for BB.


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## I&#039;m a Little Teapot (Apr 10, 2014)

MaryMcDonald said:


> Woo-hoo! I got accepted! I had requested thrillers, but they thought supernatural suspense would be the way to go and I'm game. Never tried marketing it that way, but there is a magic camera, and it is suspense, so I'm excited to reach some new readers. Also, it's a lot cheaper.


Excellent!


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## PearlEarringLady (Feb 28, 2014)

MaryMcDonald said:


> Woo-hoo! I got accepted! I had requested thrillers, but they thought supernatural suspense would be the way to go and I'm game. Never tried marketing it that way, but there is a magic camera, and it is suspense, so I'm excited to reach some new readers. Also, it's a lot cheaper.


Congrats! And interesting that they had done their homework, probably read at least some of the book and worked out that it would fit in a different category. They're smart people.


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## JumpingShip (Jun 3, 2010)

PaulineMRoss said:


> Congrats! And interesting that they had done their homework, probably read at least some of the book and worked out that it would fit in a different category. They're smart people.


Yep. Here's a quote from that portion of the email:



> We'd be happy to feature your title, but based on the information they've been able to find about your book, our editorial team feels that it would be a better fit for our Supernatural Suspense list.


So, it's obvious they did more than just a cursory glance at the cover and blurb.


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## anniejocoby (Aug 11, 2013)

MaryMcDonald said:


> Woo-hoo! I got accepted! I had requested thrillers, but they thought supernatural suspense would be the way to go and I'm game. Never tried marketing it that way, but there is a magic camera, and it is suspense, so I'm excited to reach some new readers. Also, it's a lot cheaper.


Congrats! I'm so excited for you! And thanks so much for your kind words about my covers.  Good luck! Bookbub day is literally like Christmas Day when you're a kid. It's so exciting!


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## Andrei Cherascu (Sep 17, 2014)

MaryMcDonald said:


> Yep. Here's a quote from that portion of the email:
> 
> So, it's obvious they did more than just a cursory glance at the cover and blurb.


Congratulations, Mary!  Happy selling! The quote is very interesting to see, it certainly gives the impression that they are actually taking a look at the book content.


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## Adrian Howell (Feb 24, 2013)

Congrats of the Bookbub acceptance!  

BTW, in my first acceptance, I also got switched to Supernatural Suspense after applying to their Young Adult category. Yes, Bookbub editors do their research, which is why they're so popular with readers first and foremost. I personally thought my book would have fit either category, but at the time, Young Adult had more subscribers than Supernatural Suspense, so naturally I applied for the larger list.    Supernatural Suspense is still one of the smaller Bookbub categories, but it'd be borderline criminal to be dissapointed with a Bookbub acceptance of any kind, I think. In Supernatual Suspense, I got about 20K downloads on my freebie's first run in March 2014, and more on my second run with them 6 months later.

Good luck with the promotion!


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

Andrei Cherascu said:


> Pauline, you're right about working on the second book. Financially, of course, it makes sense to use the service the more books you have. But my major goal was to get my first book 'out there', sell a few thousand copies, get some reviews and create anticipation for the sequel, which should be out sometime in summer. So, even with just one book out, I could have really benefited from the promo.


My advise to new authors with a single book is always the same. Pretend it doesn't exist. Put it completely out of your mind. Don't bother checking for a new review, or even checking daily sales. As detail and numbers oriented as I am, I didn't even create my first spreadsheet to track sales until after my second book came out. First one sold 23 copies between my first two books publication dates and sold over a hundred the first week after the second one came out.

Advertising a single book is an exercise in futility. Yeah, it'll get some very short term, moderate gains, but trust me, all the time and energy put into setting up ads, checking sales, monitoring reviews, and fussing over the budget, can cut a week or more off the writing time of the second book, if you just set the first aside and write. My second book is 107K words and was published 71 days after the first. I started writing it about ten minutes after clicking publish.

In January, 2014, the first full month after publishing the second book, I had a total of 638 sales of book one, up 600% from the previous month. Nothing sells a first book better than a second book. Not even BookBub.


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## PearlEarringLady (Feb 28, 2014)

Wayne Stinnett said:


> Nothing sells a first book better than a second book. Not even BookBub.


I think this is even more true with a trilogy (or other -ology). There are a lot of people who just won't buy part 1 of a series until the series is complete. But even with stand-alones, a single book is kind of suspect. A lot of readers like to know that, if they enjoy this book, there'll be more like it for them to read.

I'm having fun with the promotions, both for book 1 and book 2, but yes, it's a time-suck, that's for sure. For me, it's just experimenting, to find out what works and what doesn't, and as practice. But I'm keeping my (BookBub) powder dry until I have at least 3 books out. That will be the time to get on the BB rejections merry-go-round.


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## C. Gockel (Jan 28, 2014)

> So, even with just one book out, I could have really benefited from the promo.


I really would hold off until you have another book at least.

But when it does come out you could do a 99 cent sale, try for BookBub, and theMidlist's free option (though I don't see theMidlist doing a lot of sci-fi). FussyLibrarian actually has a pretty big list for sci-fi (80,000+ subscribers $14) ... and ReadCheaply's a good bet ($0). I like ManyBooks.net a lot. For Sci-Fi I would stick to their free option.

Something about BookBub -- they love new releases, especially on books that are free. They make a hefty chunk of change from affiliate income, so having a paid follow up is important. Every time I've had a new release my permafree has been accepted--without a new release it's always been a no-go.


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## Traci Borum (Mar 20, 2014)

Wayne Stinnett said:


> Advertising a single book is an exercise in futility. Yeah, it'll get some very short term, moderate gains, but trust me, all the time and energy put into setting up ads, checking sales, monitoring reviews, and fussing over the budget, can cut a week or more off the writing time of the second book, if you just set the first aside and write. My second book is 107K words and was published 71 days after the first. I started writing it about ten minutes after clicking publish.
> 
> In January, 2014, the first full month after publishing the second book, I had a total of 638 sales of book one, up 600% from the previous month. Nothing sells a first book better than a second book. Not even BookBub.


Wayne, I needed to hear all of this today (I'm in between getting Books 1 and 2 in a series published). Sage advice. Thank you!


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## KatrinaAbbott (Jan 28, 2014)

I submitted yesterday for my permafree. My 6th book in the series comes out next week, so here's hoping. 

Congrats, Mary! You must be so jazzed.


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## Duane Gundrum (Apr 5, 2011)

I've been rejected by Bookbub so many times that I just stopped trying. And to add to it, I no longer buy any books that come to me from their suggestions. I figure that if they were never going to support me, it wasn't worth me supporting them either.


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## anniejocoby (Aug 11, 2013)

They took Beautiful Illusions! I will have a new book out in that series next month, and I have three audiobooks in that series ready to go.

SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!


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## JumpingShip (Jun 3, 2010)

Adrian Howell said:


> Congrats of the Bookbub acceptance!
> 
> BTW, in my first acceptance, I also got switched to Supernatural Suspense after applying to their Young Adult category. Yes, Bookbub editors do their research, which is why they're so popular with readers first and foremost. I personally thought my book would have fit either category, but at the time, Young Adult had more subscribers than Supernatural Suspense, so naturally I applied for the larger list.  Supernatural Suspense is still one of the smaller Bookbub categories, but it'd be borderline criminal to be dissapointed with a Bookbub acceptance of any kind, I think. In Supernatual Suspense, I got about 20K downloads on my freebie's first run in March 2014, and more on my second run with them 6 months later.
> 
> Good luck with the promotion!


Those are great numbers and now I'm even more excited. I hope I can come close to what you did in that category. Thanks for sharing!


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## JumpingShip (Jun 3, 2010)

anniejocoby said:


> They took Beautiful Illusions! I will have a new book out in that series next month, and I have three audiobooks in that series ready to go.
> 
> SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!


Congrats!

I hadn't even thought about the audiobook aspect, but the one I had accepted by Bookbub also has a Whispersynced audiobook and the next one in the series also has Whispersync. Even if it's only fifty cents, it would add up nicely if some of the people getting the free download splurged a $1.99 for the audiobook to go along with the free ebook.

Are your books Whispersynced?


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## anniejocoby (Aug 11, 2013)

MaryMcDonald said:


> Congrats!
> 
> I hadn't even thought about the audiobook aspect, but the one I had accepted by Bookbub also has a Whispersynced audiobook and the next one in the series also has Whispersync. Even if it's only fifty cents, it would add up nicely if some of the people getting the free download splurged a $1.99 for the audiobook to go along with the free ebook.
> 
> Are your books Whispersynced?


Beautiful Illusions is Whispersynced! I know that promoting the ebooks have helped a ton - my Broken series on audio has sold much more than my Illusions series. That's because I promoted Broken heavily, but I haven't promoted the Illusions series, at all, since June. But, I haven't gotten a BB for Broken yet, so I'm really excited to see the effect that having a BB ad will have on my audiobooks.

Bouncing off the friggin walls!!!!!!!


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## JumpingShip (Jun 3, 2010)

anniejocoby said:


> Beautiful Illusions is Whispersynced! I know that promoting the ebooks have helped a ton - my Broken series on audio has sold much more than my Illusions series. That's because I promoted Broken heavily, but I haven't promoted the Illusions series, at all, since June. But, I haven't gotten a BB for Broken yet, so I'm really excited to see the effect that having a BB ad will have on my audiobooks.
> 
> Bouncing off the friggin walls!!!!!!!


Woo-hooo! 
 Double congrats.


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## anniejocoby (Aug 11, 2013)

MaryMcDonald said:


> Woo-hooo!
> Double congrats.


You too!!!!


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## Andrei Cherascu (Sep 17, 2014)

Wayne Stinnett said:


> My advise to new authors with a single book is always the same. Pretend it doesn't exist. Put it completely out of your mind. Don't bother checking for a new review, or even checking daily sales. As detail and numbers oriented as I am, I didn't even create my first spreadsheet to track sales until after my second book came out. First one sold 23 copies between my first two books publication dates and sold over a hundred the first week after the second one came out.
> 
> Advertising a single book is an exercise in futility. Yeah, it'll get some very short term, moderate gains, but trust me, all the time and energy put into setting up ads, checking sales, monitoring reviews, and fussing over the budget, can cut a week or more off the writing time of the second book, if you just set the first aside and write. My second book is 107K words and was published 71 days after the first. I started writing it about ten minutes after clicking publish.
> 
> In January, 2014, the first full month after publishing the second book, I had a total of 638 sales of book one, up 600% from the previous month. Nothing sells a first book better than a second book. Not even BookBub.


I know you're right, Wayne, and the "rational" part of me knows it's true. But there's that other part of me that just can't "let go" of Mindguard, you know? I worked on it for over a year, way before I had any idea that I wanted to self-publish and I got everything just the way I wanted it. And it turned out great, people love it, it got an award which is fantastic, but it was also an exhausting venture. After publishing it, I just felt burnt out. I felt like I had reached a finish line only to find a second finish line further on up the road.

I found it very difficult to pretend it doesn't exist and just work on the next and be patient, though I know that's the right thing to do. I know that the next one is not going to take nearly as long, now that I'm working on it exclusively and I actually have a career and know where I'm going. So it's coming along, but I still feel the "need" to just tell the world about Mindguard so I do spend a lot of time marketing it. And you're right, it's taking away from my writing time and it's putting a damper on my creativity.

I'm trying to discipline myself and do exactly what you said but it's not easy.  Hopefully I'll get wiser with time. What I' m doing right now is trying to finish the first draft of the sequel before the four BookBub weeks are up  This way, at least I can motivate myself to work hard and write a lot.


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## Andrei Cherascu (Sep 17, 2014)

anniejocoby said:


> They took Beautiful Illusions! I will have a new book out in that series next month, and I have three audiobooks in that series ready to go.
> 
> SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!


Congrats, Annie!  That's so cool. I think it's like a vacation, where looking forward to it is almost as exciting as actually being there.


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## Andrei Cherascu (Sep 17, 2014)

C. Gockel said:


> I really would hold off until you have another book at least.
> 
> But when it does come out you could do a 99 cent sale, try for BookBub, and theMidlist's free option (though I don't see theMidlist doing a lot of sci-fi). FussyLibrarian actually has a pretty big list for sci-fi (80,000+ subscribers $14) ... and ReadCheaply's a good bet ($0). I like ManyBooks.net a lot. For Sci-Fi I would stick to their free option.
> 
> Something about BookBub -- they love new releases, especially on books that are free. They make a hefty chunk of change from affiliate income, so having a paid follow up is important. Every time I've had a new release my permafree has been accepted--without a new release it's always been a no-go.


That is incredibly helpful information, thank you  I didn't even think about Fussy Librarian and had never heard of ReadCheaply.

Right now, I'm using my next KDP enrollment period (which starts March 2nd) as a "milestone" to get the second book out (hopefully closer to March than to June)


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## martyns (May 8, 2014)

So you're saying try again when my book 4 of the series that starts with a perma-free is out?


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## Raquel Lyon (Mar 3, 2012)

Well, I was waiting to see if there were any insights to submitting when BB visit us here, but seeing as it's been delayed and I have no fingernails left, I've just submitted Brush AGAIN! I'm sure I'll have my (15th or is it 16th? I don't know; I've lost count.) rejection by the time they arrive next week.


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## SunshineOnMe (Jan 11, 2014)

MaryMcDonald said:


> Woo-hoo! I got accepted! I had requested thrillers, but they thought supernatural suspense would be the way to go and I'm game. Never tried marketing it that way, but there is a magic camera, and it is suspense, so I'm excited to reach some new readers. Also, it's a lot cheaper.


Yaaay! Congratulations! I knew it! Congrats to all the other new Book Bub acceptees too!


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