# Share and browse author services experiences on Indielisters



## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

Update: There's a new list on Indielisters! We've started a database for Author Services Reviews.

-Do you use an amazing cover designer?

-Have you paid for a marketing or promotion service that just wasn't worth it?

-Discovered an online summit with awesome discounts and content?

Share all of your author services experiences with the author community so they can find the best products and value!

"It's like Angie's List for authors"

*************

Hello Kboarders,
_Indielisters_ is helping authors develop a method for their book promotion and author services-picking madness. Browse the lists to find out what works. Then share your results and experiences to help out your fellow authors.

Let's get our experiences out of the trenches and into the light, and all in one spot!

Gain access here

And when you add your results, let authors know by posting a "reply" in this thread!

-Jason


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## joshuareynolds (Dec 20, 2015)

Matt Manochio has released a blog article giving numbers for several ad purchases he did as an experiment:

https://mattmanochio.wordpress.com/2015/04/09/lessons-in-advertising-my-ebook-what-worked-what-didnt/


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

thanks for that!


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Welcome to Kboards! [br][br]You're welcome to promote your business and website here in the Writers' Café![br][br]Now that you have an official thread, you'll want to add your listing to our Yellow Pages Listing, found here:[br]http://www.kboards.com/yp/[br][br]The listing is free to KB members and is completely self-service; you can add and edit your listing from the page. More information on our Yellow Pages listing can be found here.[br][br]In your thread here, we ask that the same basic rules be followed as we have for authors in the Book Bazaar: you may have this one thread about your service and must post to it rather than start a new thread each time. New threads about the service wil be removed. Please bookmark this thread so that you can find it again to post to. And, you may not make back-to-back posts to the thread within seven days. If someone responds (such as this post), you may reply but otherwise must wait seven days, thanks![br][br]Betsy[br]KBoards Moderator [br][br]Note that this welcome does not constitute an endorsement or vetting of a service by KBoards. Members should do due diligence when considering using a service, for example, by asking KB members for feedback and doing an Internet search such as "service provider name" complaints.


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## Joseph J Bailey (Jun 28, 2013)

Interesting idea, Jason, and great link, Joshua!


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

Thanks, Joseph! I hope you'll participate!


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## Joseph J Bailey (Jun 28, 2013)

I have added numbers from my three most recent promotions for $0.99 books.

I think helping others get an idea of which promotions work in various genres is very important, so thanks for this.

For those interested here, the results I shared were as follows:

1. Robin Reads - $0.99 reduced price promotion for _Soul Stealer - Legacy of the Blade_. 23 sales. I have given away between 500 and 700 on free promotions with Robin Reads. This was my first promotion for a paid book. _Soul Stealer_ fell in line with predicted results for a fantasy book.

2. Book Barbarian - $0.99 reduced price promotion also for _Soul Stealer_. 38 sales. I have always been happy with Book Barbarian.

3. BKnights - $0.99 reduced price promotion (basic package mentioning the Kboards discount) for _Shadow's Rise - Return of the Cabal_. 5 sales. From what I understand, BKnights does better with free promotions. Also, with all the packages offered, there can be a challenge finding what works. Obviously, my paid promotion was not one of the more successful options.

Good luck to everyone on their promotions!


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

Joseph, 
  Thanks for this awesome data, and thanks for sharing it on IndieListers!  I've already worked on functionality to give you the power of the sort!


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Sounds like this will be a useful tool for our membership, Jason!

Welcome again to KBoards!

Betsy


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

Thank you, Betsy. I hope it saves authors time, money, and heartache!


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## BlinkFarm (Oct 25, 2015)

Looks promising. Could be a useful resource if enough people enter data. I added my one paltry promo.


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## Adrian Howell (Feb 24, 2013)

I think this is an absolutely great idea. 

Just one concern, though:
How do you prevent false information from being entered, perhaps by a dishonest promo site, in order to skew the data?
Hopefully it wouldn't happen, but Hope is a poor watchdog.


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## PhoenixS (Apr 5, 2011)

************


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

Asher: thank you! Paltry promo results are exactly what we need!

Adrian: of course, that is a concern. There are a few different methods to combat this if it becomes a problem. I've toyed with the idea of requiring a screen capture of the promo submission or confirmation email. Definitely something to think about. 

Phoenix: thank you! Hopefully we can implement some controls to prevent the same kind of thing from happening! I already have some in place! 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## PhoenixS (Apr 5, 2011)

************


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

Phoenix, I checked out the threads you sent and they had some great things to offer. As far as useful goes, the list will evolve as the author community provides feedback as to what the most useful information is. 

The IndieListers is spreadsheet is not manipulated directly. IndieListers add their information by using a password-protected Submission Form. 

As far as inaccurate data goes, the biggest threat would be from someone with malicious intent. For this reason, IndieListers uses an Author Verification process to verify the registration email before granting the access to the password-protected Submission Forms. 

I've also added a mandatory "Disclosure and Statement of Good Faith."

If IndieList grows big enough, we might be able to detect anomalies in the data that are inconsistent with a particular service's norm.

Every venture requires a little bit of faith and honesty. But I realize we live in a fallen world where virtue is not always the aim.

I'm always open to suggestions to make it the best resource possible! 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

Authors,  
  The IndieListers community continues to grow, and I'm starting to get some great feedback! So far, people are liking this tool.

I also continue to see gratitude for authors who post their book promotion results in places like these forums.

The point of IndieListers is to make it easier to find this valuable data, and to try to get it all in one place!

So if you've just wrapped up a book promotion, or have one coming up, we'd love to see your results posted on IndieListers! 

You can find out more in the link on my signature line 

P.S. My next FREE promotion is going on January 25th, and so far I have lined up ENT, BookSends, ChoosyBookworm, Digital Books Today, plus more, all strategically chosen by analyzing the data on IndieListers.


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

I've seen a lot of activity with book promotions.  I hope you'll consider sharing your results on IndieListers (link in my signature line).

Promo results shouldn't have to be buried in forums. Let's get them all in once place so we all can benefit!


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

Hello Kboarders!

  I just wanted to give you an update on IndieListers. We've already hit over 100 subscribers which is totally encouraging!  So far we have Indie authors, hybrid authors, and USA Today bestselling authors browsing the list and sharing results from their book promotions.

We've also had authors with agents and publishers assistants asking to help and share their numbers. 

Very cool!

I'm waiting for our first New York Times bestselling author to join. 

Is it you?

Anyway, I continue to see good threads about promos here. I'd love for you to help us get them all in one place for everyone to see!

Also, I'm continuing to make improvements and am always open to suggestions. 

Hope to see you on board! Check it out in my signature line (IndieListers).


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

The waiting is over. We now have New York Times Bestselling authors on IndieListers!

I just ran my second free promo for One of the Few on 25-26 Jan.

I used IndieListers data to optimize and plan my promos.

The result was 5,475 downloads, #1 in four Amazon categories, Top 3 in two others, and #41 of all free Kindle ebooks.

This is the highest number of downloads on IndieListers for a promo without a BookBub


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

The number of authors on IndieListers has been growing every single day!

Come check us out. 

We want to make sure your next promo is a carefully aimed bullseye--not a shot in the dark!  

(See the IndieListers link in my signature)


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## Aderyn Wood (Feb 2, 2013)

This sounds good and when I get more time a bit later I'm going to join. I have a question in the meantime, is it possible to get a view of which promotion sites work better for specific genres?


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

Aderyn Wood said:


> This sounds good and when I get more time a bit later I'm going to join. I have a question in the meantime, is it possible to get a view of which promotion sites work better for specific genres?


Aderyn,
That's the kind of question that I hope IndieListers can answer in the future, when we have more data to analyze.


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## SidK (Jul 7, 2015)

If we join and enter our numbers do we get to download an Excel spreadsheet to do analysis upon?


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

SidK said:


> If we join and enter our numbers do we get to download an Excel spreadsheet to do analysis upon?


SidK,
I definitely plan on having this as an upgrade option in the future.


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## amdonehere (May 1, 2015)

Hi Jason,

I don't quite understand how your list is different from what Sharon Karaa is doing. She compiled a spreadsheet of many promo sites and included their results. Granted, it's not an average of many different authors, but I found her spreadsheet extremely helpful.

As far as USA Today and NYT best sellers, I think for me it makes me less interested in participating. I'm not in the same league as those authors. What works for them won't help me. In fact, even the results of long time successful indie authors who shared their info here won't necessarily help a newbie. I guess I don't understand how results could be quantified in such a way that they help different segments of authors.


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

AlexaKang said:


> Hi Jason,
> 
> I don't quite understand how your list is different from what Sharon Karaa is doing. She compiled a spreadsheet of many promo sites and included their results. Granted, it's not an average of many different authors, but I found her spreadsheet extremely helpful.
> 
> As far as USA Today and NYT best sellers, I think for me it makes me less interested in participating. I'm not in the same league as those authors. What works for them won't help me. In fact, even the results of long time successful indie authors who shared their info here won't necessarily help a newbie. I guess I don't understand how results could be quantified in such a way that they help different segments of authors.


Alexa,
The spreadsheet that Sharon created is a wonderful resource with a wealth of information, including how her own books have performed with the services. What her spreadsheet (and what every other compilation of data I have found) lacks, and what IndieListers provides is actual performance data from many authors.

There are dozens of stats that can be tracked in order to estimate how books will perform, but there is really only one stat that matters--how many downloads/sales actually happened. And in most cases only the author (or publisher) can provide that information. By sharing this with other authors on IndieListers, we will be able to notice trends with different sites.

As far as quantifying results, a simple glance at the Cost/DL column can give you a quick glance as to whether or not a promo was cost effective. For instance, if the cost/DL is more than about 30 cents for a 99 cent promo on Amazon, you can guess that the author with broke even or lost money (based on knowing Amazon's 30% royalty for books below $2.99). If the Cost/DL was less than about 2 dollars for a $2.99 promo on Amaon, you know that the author probably made some money.

As IndieListers grows, we should also be able to break out which promo sites work best for different genres as well.

Hope this helps!


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## GwynnEWhite (May 23, 2012)

Joined. Thank you. I think it is a brilliant idea, especially if we can list genres. that would give invaluable info because one site might work for fantasy but not for romance etc.


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

GwynnEWhite said:


> Joined. Thank you. I think it is a brilliant idea, especially if we can list genres. that would give invaluable info because one site might work for fantasy but not for romance etc.


That's the idea. Thanks for joining, Gwynn!


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

Anyone wrap up any good promos lately?

How about promos that didn't perform as well as you expected?

We're looking for both kinds of results on IndieListers.

Join our growing community of authors helping authors. Browse and share book promotion results on IndieListers.com.  Check out the link in my signature line!

We're hoping we can save you time, pain, and money!


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## suzieq (Mar 19, 2011)

I think it's important to keep the information current. How well or poorly a site worked a year ago may not be relevant to how well it works today because sites may change the way they handle things or they may grow their subscriber list. Do you have a way to scrub old data from your list as time passes?


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

Yes. That would be very easy 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

New entries are continuing to arrive on IndieListers.  Authors know that the self-publishing world is not winner-take-all. We can all win. Hope you'll join us!


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

I'd love to get your feedback on IndieListers.com.

What information would be useful to have included in the database?

Has it helped you plan your next promo?

What is it missing?

I'm all ears! Hope you'll browse and share on www.IndieListers.com during your next book promotion!


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

Who's about to run a promo? Who's just finished one?

I hope you can use IndieListers.com to help select the best one, and I hope you'll share your results.

Our community is approaching 300 strong. The list is building, and the data will help bring everything into focus.

IndieListers is the FIRST PLACE TO GO before your plan your promo, and the FIRST PLACE TO GO when your promo is over.

Come join us!  It's free!


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## mmandolin (Oct 16, 2014)

Jason - just sent you some numbers for a recent promo of "Relax More, Try Less." Let me know if you have questions, and good luck with the site


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

mmandolin said:


> Jason - just sent you some numbers for a recent promo of "Relax More, Try Less." Let me know if you have questions, and good luck with the site


Awesome. I see it! Thanks for helping us!

Looks like it was 184 Downloads at a cost of $0.69 per download. You had your book on Amazon only for $0.99, correct?

So it looks like you probably didn't break even, but got some good exposure.

What is your goal: impact, reach, or revenue?


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## mmandolin (Oct 16, 2014)

jasonbladd said:


> Awesome. I see it! Thanks for helping us!
> 
> Looks like it was 184 Downloads at a cost of $0.69 per download. You had your book on Amazon only for $0.99, correct?
> 
> ...


It was a semi-underwhelming promo. I actually broke even because it was 70% KCD + about 1,000 KENP read. Main point was some added exposure. Highest rank was 2,832 and it was #1 in a couple of categories. Now it's sitting in the 15K range.


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

mmandolin said:


> It was a semi-underwhelming promo. I actually broke even because it was 70% KCD + about 1,000 KENP read. Main point was some added exposure. Highest rank was 2,832 and it was #1 in a couple of categories. Now it's sitting in the 15K range.


Thanks for that. And good luck with your next batch of promos!


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## GwynnEWhite (May 23, 2012)

I have tried twice now to sign up but I never get the second verification email. :-(


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

GwynnEWhite said:


> I have tried twice now to sign up but I never get the second verification email. :-(


I'm sorry about that, Gwynn. I just sent you an email


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

We have almost 300 authors on IndieListers now, and the promotions results are starting to come in!

I'm also loving all the feedback. Thank you!

I'll continue trying to make it better, and more useful for us all!

If you haven't seen the website yet, it's the place to go before--and more important, after--your next book promotion!

Link is in my signature line.


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

Authors, I'd love to get your feedback on IndieListers. I'm encouraged by the signups and authors sharing results.  Thank you!

What questions would you add for the submission form?

I'm brainstorming a product called IndieListers Insights. What kind of insights would you like to have extracted from the data? 

What is a problem you faced when planning and running your promos that you wish could be solved?

Would love to hear all your inputs!


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

I want to help you find and pick effective book promos!

Check out IndieListers (in my signature line)

By the way, I just discovered Indie Author Retweet Group (#IARTG).  

Have you checked them out? Looks like a good service.


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

The great folks at Indies Unlimited published a guest post on IndieListers today.

Check it out to learn more about the free service that helps you develop a method to your promotion selecting madness!

Link is here: http://wp.me/p1WnN1-hPD


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

Our community of IndieListers continues to swell!

Come check us out if you want helping finding and picking GOOD book promotion services!

We don't promote books. We help you find the people who do it well 

And yes, it's free.

Want to hear more? Check out this guest post on IndiesUnlimited.com

http://www.indiesunlimited.com/2016/05/15/indielisters-the-promotion-results-database-youve-been-looking-for/

or see the "IndieListers" link in my signature line.


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

There's a new Book Barbarian entry on IndieListers.

By the way, I'm planning on building out the website. Looking to build a team who would be interested in lending their skills and becoming part of the project. Got skillz? Give me a shout!


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

I now have a BookBub scheduled for Nov 24 for One of the Few. I'm going with a $.99 promo.

This was my 4th attempt, and my first submission with the book WIDE. I also had over 80 Amazon reviews (versus less than 30 in the beginning).

You know I'll be sharing the results on IndieListers!


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

Looking forward to a new year of promos and book sales.

Don't forget to share your results!


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

Getting back into the swing of things with the New Year. I hope Indielisters can help you pick some fruitful promo stacks!


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## CrazyHorze (Jan 28, 2017)

I don't want to be a jerk, but I understand why you ask indies to subscribe to add their promo results (anti-manipulation), but why are you asking me, who only wants to see the results to subscribe? 

Updated to remove the sentence: Are you trying to help writers or harvest emails? as it seems to touched a raw nerve with OP which was not my design. Agree to disagree. Good luck!


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

CrazyHorze said:


> I don't want to be a jerk, but I understand why you ask indies to subscribe to add their promo results (anti-manipulation), but why are you asking me, who only wants to see the results to subscribe? Are you trying to help writers or harvest emails?


The purpose of this community is to help authors. As you question my motives, are you trying to help writers or harvest discord? You seem to think helping authors with a valuable service and building an email list are mutually exclusive. Not the case.


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## Jon Stuen-Parker (Jun 26, 2014)

Dear Jason, Although I've never done any promos (except "comments section" of the Boston Herald) - I plan doing so after my next book.

_Edited. Promotion is not permitted in the Writers' Cafe. - Becca_


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

Jon Stuen-Parker said:


> Dear Jason, Although I've never done any promos (except "comments section" of the Boston Herald) - I plan doing so after my next book.
> 
> _Edited. Promotion is not permitted in the Writers' Cafe. - Becca_


Thanks Jon! Looks like a very interesting book!


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

Indielisters has a new logo 

And don't forget to sign up for Monthly Reminders so you can remember to share your latest results.

See the Indielisters link in my signature.

-J


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

New results in for AskDavid, Buck Books, and The eReader Cafe!


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## Norman Steele Taylor (Nov 26, 2015)

Any ad numbers for Facebook ad results?


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

Norman Steele Taylor said:


> Any ad numbers for Facebook ad results?


I've added "Facebook Ads" as an options on the Submission Form.

Great suggestions! Keep 'em comin'!


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## WildYonderPress (Jan 14, 2017)

I was juuusssst about to finish my bout of Kboards procrastination and get back to writing when I spotted this thread. I'm new here so I hadn't spotted it before. I just did a 99 cent promo and posted a hefty breakdown of my experiences. Rather than clutter this thread, you can find it here: https://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,248041.0.html

I'll definitely check out your site. Two questions: Do you make note of whether an ad is on "Day One" of a promo ad campaign? Since many subscribers belong to multiple lists there must be diminishing returns for promo sites scheduled later... and yet if THEY had been the day one choice, they might have outperformed the one an author chose. I'd LOVE to see some data of how different sites performed on Day One only.

Question two: do you take genres into effect? Forgive me for not dashing over there right now and answering these myself but I've GOT to get back to work. Thanks!

Nick Sullivan
www.zombiebigfoot.com


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## DGS (Sep 25, 2013)

Need a sorting feature.. also people listing 5 sites doesen't help much unless they specifically state which worked best -  its a good start and I suggest working on the input fields descriptions to get the best/most helpful data possible.


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

WildYonderPress said:


> I was juuusssst about to finish my bout of Kboards procrastination and get back to writing when I spotted this thread. I'm new here so I hadn't spotted it before. I just did a 99 cent promo and posted a hefty breakdown of my experiences. Rather than clutter this thread, you can find it here: https://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,248041.0.html
> 
> I'll definitely check out your site. Two questions: Do you make note of whether an ad is on "Day One" of a promo ad campaign? Since many subscribers belong to multiple lists there must be diminishing returns for promo sites scheduled later... and yet if THEY had been the day one choice, they might have outperformed the one an author chose. I'd LOVE to see some data of how different sites performed on Day One only.
> 
> ...


Nick,

There is a place for leaving comments. This is where you could add some explanation (e.g. "ServiceX on day one, 250 downloads from that day alone").

And yes, there is place to list the genre of your book as well as a lot of other data to help get a feel for the overall situation.

Great questions!


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

DGS said:


> Need a sorting feature.. also people listing 5 sites doesen't help much unless they specifically state which worked best - its a good start and I suggest working on the input fields descriptions to get the best/most helpful data possible.


Great feedback! Taken on board. Regarding which sites worked the best, for now, that's something authors can make a note of in the comments field.


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

Mega-list updated with several new promotion sites added


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

I'd love to add a sorting feature to Indielisters.

The challenge is making it sortable for everyone in real time, without changing/deleting the data.

Calling all techies! If you want to help me with a solution, hit me up!


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

Still looking for help to figure out how to make the list sortable for everyone


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## Guest (Mar 22, 2017)

jasonbladd said:


> Still looking for help to figure out how to make the list sortable for everyone


I'm not a subscriber, but from the screen shots, it looks like its powered by Google Sheets, not any kind of database, and the sheet is embedded in a web page?

If I have that correct, Google Sheets can't be sortable natively when embedded (some weirdo idea Google came up with), but you might be able to do it using the Awesome Table gadget: https://sites.google.com/site/scriptsexamples/available-web-apps/awesome-tables

Hope that helps some


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

Anma Natsu said:


> I'm not a subscriber, but from the screen shots, it looks like its powered by Google Sheets, not any kind of database, and the sheet is embedded in a web page?
> 
> If I have that correct, Google Sheets can't be sortable natively when embedded (some weirdo idea Google came up with), but you might be able to do it using the Awesome Table gadget: https://sites.google.com/site/scriptsexamples/available-web-apps/awesome-tables
> 
> Hope that helps some


thank you for this. I'll be checking it out! Do you have experience with this program?


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## Guest (Mar 24, 2017)

No, but since its recommended by Google, figured it was a good one


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

Anma Natsu said:


> No, but since its recommended by Google, figured it was a good one


I've checked it out. It has potential. I'd have to do some restructuring.


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

New listing for AMS and Bargain Booksy. Check it out!


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

New entry for AwesomeGang. Doing audiobook promotions? You can list them here, too. I have AudiobookBoom.com on there as an option.

I don't know all the audiobook promotions sites, so if you know of any, please reply and then I can add them to the list!


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

New BookBub results posted today. Thanks for the entry!


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

more and more authors are using Indielisters to help schedule their promotions. So glad they're finally finding it!


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## EmmaS (Jul 15, 2014)

DGS said:


> Need a sorting feature.. also people listing 5 sites doesen't help much unless they specifically state which worked best - its a good start and I suggest working on the input fields descriptions to get the best/most helpful data possible.


Totally agree with this. Trying to figure out the value of one site is almost impossible when it's grouped with fifteen others. I also agree with others here that a sorting feature would be helpful.

Having said that, this is an awesome resource. Not only does it help me when figuring out where to promote, it also makes me more willing to take risks on unfamiliar sites, because I can easily share the info I collect with other authors. The value of spending $30 on an unknown site to find out whether it's any good is low; the value of spending that $30 so LOTS of people can know whether there's good ROI is pretty high to me.

I'll add my recent promos to this list when I get the password.


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

EmmaS said:


> Totally agree with this. Trying to figure out the value of one site is almost impossible when it's grouped with fifteen others. I also agree with others here that a sorting feature would be helpful.
> 
> Having said that, this is an awesome resource. Not only does it help me when figuring out where to promote, it also makes me more willing to take risks on unfamiliar sites, because I can easily share the info I collect with other authors. The value of spending $30 on an unknown site to find out whether it's any good is low; the value of spending that $30 so LOTS of people can know whether there's good ROI is pretty high to me.
> 
> I'll add my recent promos to this list when I get the password.


thanks Emma! The sort feature is something I've wanted for a while. For now, authors can use the "Comments" portion of the entry to describe which site had the best results. For example, they can do this if they're tracking clicks with separate Bitly links per promotion.

Kboarders, what are some other ways to trac your promotion stats when you have a stack on a single day?


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

WildYonderPress said:


> I was juuusssst about to finish my bout of Kboards procrastination and get back to writing when I spotted this thread. I'm new here so I hadn't spotted it before. I just did a 99 cent promo and posted a hefty breakdown of my experiences. Rather than clutter this thread, you can find it here: https://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,248041.0.html
> 
> I'll definitely check out your site. Two questions: Do you make note of whether an ad is on "Day One" of a promo ad campaign? Since many subscribers belong to multiple lists there must be diminishing returns for promo sites scheduled later... and yet if THEY had been the day one choice, they might have outperformed the one an author chose. I'd LOVE to see some data of how different sites performed on Day One only.
> 
> ...


How did your promo turn out?


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

You asked for it, and you're going to get it.

Many of you have asked to be able to sort the database on Indielisters. This is something I've wanted to add for a long time, but just haven't had the time and skills to make it happen.

But that's changing in July. I'm updating the website to a traditional membership site. No more weird Indielisters password. You'll have your own profile page with your own unique username and password.

And I'm making the entire database downloadable for members. Then you can geek out to your heart's content.

In the meantime, you can help us all make it more valuable by sharing your promo results so we can fill the database with even more numbers for you to crunch!

Keep the great suggestions coming!


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

Indielisters has received some pretty sweet upgrades.

The new website is now a traditional membership site. No more weird one-off passwords for the submission form.

And now you can download data and sort to your heart's content.

Want to help me out? Help me build the list with your entries. The more you provide, the more I'll be able to provide for download and analysis.

Thanks and see you on the list!


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

thank you for all the new signup! I guess you're liking the new website and downloadable data!

Don't forget to add your data in an entry!


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## gregjgordon (Feb 27, 2017)

jasonbladd said:


> The waiting is over. We now have New York Times Bestselling authors on IndieListers!
> 
> I just ran my second free promo for One of the Few on 25-26 Jan.
> 
> ...


Great service and idea Jason, it is such a hard field to understand where to exactly market or share your books online, you are doing a good service to help some.


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## NeilMosspark (Sep 30, 2016)

joshuareynolds said:


> Matt Manochio has released a blog article giving numbers for several ad purchases he did as an experiment:
> 
> https://mattmanochio.wordpress.com/2015/04/09/lessons-in-advertising-my-ebook-what-worked-what-didnt/


This was very informative. Thanks.


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

gregjgordon said:


> Great service and idea Jason, it is such a hard field to understand where to exactly market or share your books online, you are doing a good service to help some.


thanks Greg. Glad you found it!


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

NeilMosspark said:


> This was very informative. Thanks.


You bet Neil. Have you checked it out?


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## Vinny OHare (May 3, 2013)

NeilMosspark said:


> This was very informative. Thanks.


This was from 2015?


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

Vinny OHare said:


> This was from 2015?


yes, the link he found was at the beginning of this thread, a ways back.


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

So how cool is this?! One of our Indielisters is a data analyst who has crunched some numbers from the database.  She's going to be giving everyone something I've wanted to provide for a while: insights from the list!

So be on the lookout for a guest-post in the next few weeks


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

Guest writer and data analyst breaks down Indielisters by the numbers.

Is running a book promotion worth it? How does it compare to running Facebook ads?

She answers all that and way more in a guest post here http://www.jasonbladd.com/run-book-promotion-numbers-say-yes/


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

We continue to have steady stream of authors joining Indielisters and browsing the database.I would love to see more authors sharing their results. The more authors share, the easier it will be for you to make decisions on where to spend your time and money on promos. And as of several months ago, you can now download the entire database in Excel format and sort data until your brain hurts. See you on the list


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

New results have posted from a promo stack in October featuring Book Gorilla, ManyBooks.net, ReadFree.ly, and more!. Cost per download was $1.87. See who she used. Thanks, p.d.r. Lindsay! 

Indielisters link in my sig


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

now you can download all the data. Check it out!


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

Indielisters is on a new platform that's WAY more user friendly. Better signup, login, navigation, and a wider window for the list! I think you guys will like it. It's still reachable from the same link address (in my sig). Check it out!


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## CloudStrife (Oct 21, 2015)

Is there a process underway to summarize results? 

I think this is a fantastic initiative... but I'd like to see some summaries at some point. I guess that will take time anyway, to get more data. 

Good job! It's just a bit overwhelming to scroll through and see so much information. Part of the task is to narrow it down as a user and only focus on the important parts...


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

CloudStrife said:


> Is there a process underway to summarize results?
> 
> I think this is a fantastic initiative... but I'd like to see some summaries at some point. I guess that will take time anyway, to get more data.
> 
> Good job! It's just a bit overwhelming to scroll through and see so much information. Part of the task is to narrow it down as a user and only focus on the important parts...


That's a great question, and one that I've wanted to answer since the beginning! Yes, the vision if to eventually have a process where the data is synthesized into a product with recommendations and insights.

In the meantime, the data accrued so far has been looked over by a data analyst with summaries and recommendations on a guest blog post here: http://www.jasonbladd.com/2017/12/23/should-you-run-a-book-promotion-the-numbers-say-yes/

You're right, we really need more entries. What do you say, authors?!


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## Sarah Shaw (Feb 14, 2015)

jasonbladd said:


> That's a great question, and one that I've wanted to answer since the beginning! Yes, the vision if to eventually have a process where the data is synthesized into a product with recommendations and insights.
> 
> In the meantime, the data accrued so far has been looked over by a data analyst with summaries and recommendations on a guest blog post here: http://www.jasonbladd.com/run-book-promotion-numbers-say-yes/
> 
> You're right, we really need more entries. What do you say, authors?!


I get "You cannot be serious! I have bad news for you, that URL doesn't exist."


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

Sarah Shaw said:


> I get "You cannot be serious! I have bad news for you, that URL doesn't exist."


Sarah, please try again. I think you caught me right in the middle of a domain change! Should be working now.


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

thanks for the submissions, authors. The list is growing!


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## Alvina (Oct 19, 2015)

The EbookMountain that I used to submit my books for free doesn't exist anymore!


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

Alvina said:


> The EbookMountain that I used to submit my books for free doesn't exist anymore!


Thank you for that. I will be sure to update the site.


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

New results on Indielisters for TheKindleBookReview. Author paid $1.67 per download on a $0.99 promotion. Not the best...check it out! (link in my sig)


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## ejdean (Nov 29, 2017)

jasonbladd said:


> Sarah, please try again. I think you caught me right in the middle of a domain change! Should be working now.


I'm getting the same error message.


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

ejdean said:


> I'm getting the same error message.


E.J., can you tell me which link you are clicking? Most links should be updated now and www.indielisters.com is up and running.


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## ejdean (Nov 29, 2017)

The link that says run book promotion numbers say yes


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

ejdean said:


> The link that says run book promotion numbers say yes


Thank you for letting me now about this. I've updated the link and you can now find the article here: http://www.jasonbladd.com/2017/12/23/should-you-run-a-book-promotion-the-numbers-say-yes/


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

New promo results for Bargain Booksy and BookBub. Check them out! (Link in my sig)


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

One of our Indielisters recommended a new promo this week: N. N. Light Author Promotions (https://princessofthelight.wordpress.com/author-promotional-services/


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

thank you to the Indielister who shared a new book promotion service to add to the list:  www.magicbookdeals.com


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

new result posted! Check out the results for this author's promo stack that includes BargainBooksy.com, BookBub.com, BookChoice4U.com, Free99Books.com, FreeBookFriday.com, FreeBooks.com

link in my sig


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

two more services added to the MEGALIST. Thanks to the authors for their suggestions!


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

What promotion sites have been working for you lately?


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

who has a promotion stack coming up?


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

Just a received a new entry with results for Book Gorilla, Book Tweeters, and Kindle Nation Daily. Thanks to that Indielister for submitting results!


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

An author just spent $650 on a promo stack that yielded results of $11.02 per download! See more stats like this on Indielisters


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

new results for BookSends and BookRunes on Indielisters. This author paid $1.14 per free download.


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

an author recently paid $1.97 per download for a $.99 promotion for a YA/Fantasy book with BookGorilla. Thanks for sharing the results on Indielisters!


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

There's a new list on Indielisters! We've started a database for Author Services Reviews.


-Do you use an amazing cover designer?

-Have you paid for a marketing or promotion service that just wasn't worth it?

-Discovered an online summit with awesome discounts and content?


Share all of your author services experiences with the author community so they can find the best products and value!

"It's like Angie's List for authors"


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

New review for 99Designs on Indielisters! (We now host reviews for ALL author service providers!!!). Check it!


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## BonafideDreamer (Jul 22, 2018)

Wow! This site might have saved me months of research and hair pulling if I had come across it sooner. But I have to admit that I enjoyed my research process. Getting my hands dirty and pouring my heart into researching information for myself is definitely a valuable experience that brings a sense of satisfaction. But at the same time, a site like IndieListers really is a God send! I've spent months making my own list, sorting them into pre-release review sites and post-release promo sites, so I truly appreciate your site and the work you've done.


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

BonafideDreamer said:


> Wow! This site might have saved me months of research and hair pulling if I had come across it sooner. But I have to admit that I enjoyed my research process. Getting my hands dirty and pouring my heart into researching information for myself is definitely a valuable experience that brings a sense of satisfaction. But at the same time, a site like IndieListers really is a God send! I've spent months making my own list, sorting them into pre-release review sites and post-release promo sites, so I truly appreciate your site and the work you've done.


Awesome! Glad you found it useful


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

Encouraging feedback from a new user! 

"Your idea of writers helping writers is a killer, and if it works, wow. You've got a brilliant idea going, and I'll be an eager contributor."

Come to browse. Stay to share!


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

Has anyone used Mark Dawson's Facebook ads program? Would love to get your feedback in a review on Indielisters.


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## jasonbladd (Dec 22, 2015)

Have you used BookGorilla lately? How's it doing? Hook up your fellow authors by leaving a review on Indielisters.


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