# Book Rank (formerly Ram's Promo Stacker) - One Stop Promo Shop!



## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

UPDATE: Ram's Promo Stacker is now an optional "build your own" service within Book Rank (still managed and operated by yours truly).










www.book-rank.com

*** Need to promote your book but don't want any of the hassle involved with doing it yourself?

*** Not sure which promo sites will give you the most bang for your buck?

*** Short on time and need a hand so you can meet your deadlines?

*** Having trouble getting all your promotions scheduled when you want them?

*** ...or maybe you just need a gosh-darn BREAK and want someone else to handle the marketing for your book?

Book Rank's got you covered!

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*About the tiered (Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Diamond) "We Build It" pre-priced packages:*

-Paid promotional ad space in multiple newsletters. I submit to the venues I believe will be most beneficial to your campaign based on your budget, dates & availability, genre, and other factors.

-Submission to dozens of unpaid newsletters, websites and Facebook Groups which promote authors and ebooks.

-Promotion of your title within a few of my own private resources, some of which are only accessible to Book Rank clients.

-Paid advertising on Facebook (Gold+ only). [This part of the ad budget can be left off upon request and I'll spend that part of the budget on more paid newsletter venues instead.]

-Before your promotions begin, you'll receive a list of the paid venues where your book will be advertised and when. Clients also receive links to the social media ads I'm running for them so they can like/share/etc. I do not share the scheduling or data from my own private resources or any of the unpaid venues.

-Promotion Packages are designed to meet most budgets and range from $200 - $2500.

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*About the "You Build It" service (aka The Promo Stacker):*

Want to choose all the venues where your book will promoted yourself instead?

-Fill out the form with your book's information (title, blurb, links, etc.) and pay $50 to retain my services.

-You'll receive an itemized invoice from me sometime soon afterwards listing the total charges for all the venues you've selected to have promote your book. A small 6.9% fee will be added to your total order to cover handling and administrative fees so I don't go broke.

-After your payment is complete, I'll go and schedule all your promotions for you on the dates you want. When everything is confirmed, I'll send you an email listing the venues and the dates your promotion is scheduled to run.

-Sit back, relax, and enjoy your day. 

I'll contact you immediately if I have any questions or run into any difficulties scheduling your promotions. If any venues reject your promotion, you'll be promptly refunded that amount when I send out your finalized scheduling sheet at the end.

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*F.A.Q*

*I love Venue Y and I really want you to use them!*

Great! Just be sure to communicate that to me via the additional comments section at the bottom of the order form.

*I really hate Venue X! Don't use them to promote my book!*

No problem. Just let me know via the additional comments section at the bottom of the form and I'll avoid that venue like the plague.

*Do you guarantee my book will be accepted for promotion at X or Y venue?*

Nope. No one else can, either. I can try to influence these venues to the best of my ability, but ultimately your book must stand on its own. Great covers and blurbs are super important.

*Do you guarantee positive ROI/great results/etc. at the venues I selected?*

Nope. Most of these venues won't even guarantee you'll have success with them, so how could I? If you need guidance, ask me and I'll try to help direct you towards the venues I think will work best. However, you will see the greatest benefit by doing your own research and learning which venues offer the best service.

*What about refunds for failed/underwhelming promotions?*

If you had an failed or underwhelming promotion somewhere, I will gladly represent you and do everything possible to secure a refund for you.

*Do you track if my ad ran or not? Do you track how successful my promotion at each venue was?*

No. You'll want to check this yourself. You'll be provided with a list from me of the venues and the dates your promotion is slated to run at each of them. If you find that any venue screwed up and didn't send out your promotion (or sent it out incorrectly), contact me immediately. I will officially kick people in the butt for you, as needed.

*Why should I use this service? I mean, all you do is save me time!  I could book these promotions myself if I wanted!*

Well, I can also save you money! _In some cases, clients save enough to essentially hire me for free._

I'm able to pass along part of the discounted pricing I enjoy at all of the follow venues:

(UPDATED 02/10/2020)

-My Romance Reads
-BookSends
-Book Cave
-Just Kindle Books
-Brazen Bookshelf
-Shifted Sheets & Uncarved Book Promotions
-Hot Stuff Romance
-Hidden Gems
-eBookHounds
-ExciteSteam
-Ebook Betty (Betty Book Freak)
-ShareBear Newsletter
-Full Hearts Romance
-eBookSoda
-Awesomegang (Multi-site Promo Option Only)
-Romance Devoured
-The Wolf Pack Newsletter
-Ebook Itch
-New In Books
-Crave Romance
-Love Kissed Books
-Ebook Stage
-Bad Boy Update Newsletter
-Red Roses Romance
-Shameless Book Deals
-Author's XP
-Ebook Itch
-Masque of the Red Pen
-Pillow Talk Books
-Book Runes
-Book Doggy
-Fussy Librarian
-Smexy Librarian
-Book Gorilla 
-Kindle Nation Daily 
-KU Addicts Express 
-Geektastic

Most of the above discounts are completely exclusive and *only available to Book Rank clients.*

These aren't the only venues we book promotions at, but they are the ones that we can pass along some of the discount on to our clients. For our full, current venue list just check out one of the order forms here:

Romance: https://form.jotform.com/70127434561956
Non-romance: https://form.jotform.com/70714445732960


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## unkownwriter (Jun 22, 2011)

Hey, Ram! (From a former super secret DD member -- who needs to subscribe again). This service sounds pretty good. One day, I'm going to be able to afford it, I swear. Of course, I don't write romance right now, so it wouldn't work for me, but you know. Hopeful.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

she-la-ti-da said:


> Hey, Ram! (From a former super secret DD member -- who needs to subscribe again). This service sounds pretty good. One day, I'm going to be able to afford it, I swear. Of course, I don't write romance right now, so it wouldn't work for me, but you know. Hopeful.


Glad to hear it! Right now I'm waiting to see how busy I stay just handling romance promotions. So far, I average 1-3 orders per day. I feel like I can handle 5-6 without compromising my effectiveness (or going absolutely mad).

So, if I have the time and space in my day, I'll definitely expand to include all genres. Or maybe I'll just wind up hiring someone to help out.

Thanks for the words of confidence. Back to work for me now!


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## TaraCrescent (Mar 21, 2015)

I've used Ram's promo stacker for my last two releases. I can't even explain how amazing it is to be able to order all the promo services I want on one form, and let someone else deal with filling a bazillion blurbs, uploading a bazillion covers, and so on and so forth. I give Ram a range of dates and a list of venues I'd like to use, and he does magic and makes it so. 

Everyone has a different idea of what their time is worth. The service costs $50 (and a little extra $ for PayPal fees) and saves me hours of fiddling around. I'm a happy convert.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

TaraCrescent said:


> I've used Ram's promo stacker for my last two releases. I can't even explain how amazing it is to be able to order all the promo services I want on one form, and let someone else deal with filling a bazillion blurbs, uploading a bazillion covers, and so on and so forth. I give Ram a range of dates and a list of venues I'd like to use, and he does magic and makes it so.
> 
> Everyone has a different idea of what their time is worth. The service costs $50 (and a little extra $ for PayPal fees) and saves me hours of fiddling around. I'm a happy convert.


Glad you enjoyed the experience, Tara! It was great working with you and I look forward to booking many more promotions fro you in the future.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Quick reminder - 

If you want to increase your chances of getting dates close to your actual release date, and you're interested in maximizing your chances at getting multiple venues, consider setting up a preorder first. Most venues stay booked up at least a few weeks in advance.

You will have more venues to choose from if you already have an ASIN. Plus, it's much easier for me to manage your promotions with an ASIN, too.


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## Vinny OHare (May 3, 2013)

Hey Ram 

Sounds like a great service you have there. Good luck with this. I see you already have Awesomegang on your list and thats great. Would like to work closer with you. The free site submission at the end of your page shows 15 free sites. Sometimes when we get the same user sending in books we blacklist them. Don't want to see that happening to you.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Vinny OHare said:


> Hey Ram
> 
> Sounds like a great service you have there. Good luck with this. I see you already have Awesomegang on your list and thats great. Would like to work closer with you. The free site submission at the end of your page shows 15 free sites. Sometimes when we get the same user sending in books we blacklist them. Don't want to see that happening to you.


Thanks, Vinny! The service is definitely keeping me busy lately.

I started the Freebie site submission service extra just a week or so ago and I knew I'd have to include Awesomegang. 

Based on some author feedback, I also just recently added Awesomegang's $10 paid featured promotion option to my list. So, I'll have some orders for that coming your way soon enough, too.

You can reach me anytime with a PM here, or you can get up with me via email at [email protected]il.com. I'm always down to work out anything that helps authors and results in a win-win for everyone involved.


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## Desmond X. Torres (Mar 16, 2013)

Just commenting to give this a bump. I've worked w/ Ram on his TNL list a couple of times a month for the last 8 months without a hitch. He does what he says he's going to do. The TNL list is robust and engaged by his subscribers; IOW I don't spend a penny with him, I invest it for a great ROI (2-3:1 dollar for dollar minimum on a .99 countdown deal) Him taking the time and establishing relationships with the other vendors is a great idea. Other than the Exicte lists I've never used those vendors, but they all seem to have a great rep here on Kboards. Having a go to guy for this for a 7% preemie on cost of ads is a steal. 

I'll be in touch Ram when I got something you can work with. Right now my genres are Erom and a second pen name for Paranormal.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Desmond X. Torres said:


> Just commenting to give this a bump. I've worked w/ Ram on his TNL list a couple of times a month for the last 8 months without a hitch. He does what he says he's going to do. The TNL list is robust and engaged by his subscribers; IOW I don't spend a penny with him, I invest it for a great ROI (2-3:1 dollar for dollar minimum on a .99 countdown deal) Him taking the time and establishing relationships with the other vendors is a great idea. Other than the Exicte lists I've never used those vendors, but they all seem to have a great rep here on Kboards. Having a go to guy for this for a 7% preemie on cost of ads is a steal.
> 
> I'll be in touch Ram when I got something you can work with. Right now my genres are Erom and a second pen name for Paranormal.


Thanks, D! Glad to hear you're satisfied with the results. I try! 

Working _with_ the competition has always been something I've tried to maintain, and this newer service affords me every opportunity to do just that. The results have been terrific - and best of all, everyone comes out a winner.

The Promo Stacker is accepting all categories of Romance currently (Paranormal and Erom are included in that). Looking forward to working with you on that in the future! Best of luck with all your releases.


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## Sonya Bateman (Feb 3, 2013)

This sounds like an awesome service, actually.  Are you able to work with M/M paranormal romance?


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Sonya Bateman said:


> This sounds like an awesome service, actually.  Are you able to work with M/M paranormal romance?


Absolutely. I've set up several rather large promotional pushes for various MM and MM Paranormal titles just recently.

There's icons on the form to denote which venues accept LGBT-themed titles, so it should be pretty easy to just pick and choose what you want. If you have any questions, just let me know - glad to help.


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## Sonya Bateman (Feb 3, 2013)

raminar_dixon said:


> Absolutely. I've set up several rather large promotional pushes for various MM and MM Paranormal titles just recently.
> 
> There's icons on the form to denote which venues accept LGBT-themed titles, so it should be pretty easy to just pick and choose what you want. If you have any questions, just let me know - glad to help.


Sweet, thank you!


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## Susanne O (Feb 8, 2010)

How about romantic comedy? Or is it only about straight forward romance? My books fall mostly in the rom-com/chick-lit genre. I have a new release coming up in May.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Susanne. said:


> How about romantic comedy? Or is it only about straight forward romance? My books fall mostly in the rom-com/chick-lit genre. I have a new release coming up in May.


I can do it. Most, if not all of the venues I have listed accept rom-com & chick-lit. Either they have a distinct category devoted to it or they'll fit it in with their other romance titles on promotion. I've had a few titles that could be considered rom-com go through the Promo Stacker since it got started, and none of those posed any problem whatsoever and got plenty of bookings. Genres like chick-lit are also usually pretty easy to find earlier open dates for, as there isn't quite as much competition there as you'd find in, say, contemporary romance.

edit: a word


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Quick updates:

-Added http://awesomebookpromotion.com to the discounted venues list. Thanks Vinny!

-I've got quite a few titles to work on tomorrow + some RL business going on so I may have to push any orders I get today/tomorrow to Sunday. You guys and gals are keepin' me busy - thanks!

-More discounts are coming! I'll have some more updates on that soon enough.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

UPDATE: Now accepting all genres (except erotica)!

Promo Stacker (Fiction & Nonfiction)

Promo Stacker (Romance Only)


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## lincolnjcole (Mar 15, 2016)

raminar_dixon said:


> UPDATE: Now accepting all genres (except erotica)!
> 
> Promo Stacker (Fiction & Nonfiction)
> 
> ...


Very interesting! I'll check it out!


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

UPDATE: We've secured an exclusive discount for all promotions ordered at the venue, *Romance Devoured*.  The whole crew over there is great, btw. Big thanks to all of them for their generosity and cooperation!

P.S. More discounts coming soon!


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## Davis Ashura (Aug 23, 2016)

TaraCrescent said:


> I've used Ram's promo stacker for my last two releases. I can't even explain how amazing it is to be able to order all the promo services I want on one form, and let someone else deal with filling a bazillion blurbs, uploading a bazillion covers, and so on and so forth. I give Ram a range of dates and a list of venues I'd like to use, and he does magic and makes it so.
> 
> Everyone has a different idea of what their time is worth. The service costs $50 (and a little extra $ for PayPal fees) and saves me hours of fiddling around. I'm a happy convert.


After spending an annoying few hours filling out all the various forms, blurbs, and uploading cover art, I'd say $50 and 6.9% is definitely worth it for me. Looking forward to trying this out.


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## lincolnjcole (Mar 15, 2016)

raminar_dixon said:


> Glad to hear it! Right now I'm waiting to see how busy I stay just handling romance promotions. So far, I average 1-3 orders per day. I feel like I can handle 5-6 without compromising my effectiveness (or going absolutely mad).
> 
> So, if I have the time and space in my day, I'll definitely expand to include all genres. Or maybe I'll just wind up hiring someone to help out.
> 
> Thanks for the words of confidence. Back to work for me now!


I'm hoping to try this out soon!


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Quick reminder - please be sure to be on the lookout for an invoice from me sometime after you place your order and pay your retainer! 

In most cases, I'm able to get the invoice out within 12 hours, usually less. I can't get started fulfilling your order until this invoice is paid, so you'll want to take care of it as soon as possible to avoid missing out on the dates you want. 

Thanks!


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## mach 5 (Dec 5, 2015)

Ram

It looks like you've built a great romance list. Now that you've opened to all non-erotica genres, can you address which among your list of advertisers are not romance focused and/or good for specific genres (my interest is SF and thriller/suspense).

 Thanks


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

mach 5 said:


> Ram
> 
> It looks like you've built a great romance list. Now that you've opened to all non-erotica genres, can you address which among your list of advertisers are not romance focused and/or good for specific genres (my interest is SF and thriller/suspense).
> 
> Thanks


On the non-romance list there are several good stand-bys for all genres: Bargain Booksy, EReaderNewsToday, BookSends, and ManyBooks, to name just a few.

Venues like Fussy Librarian, EReader IQ, and Book Adrenaline are also good if you're going for thriller/suspense. Any of the venues which have separate categories and newsletters/audiences for each genre can reach your target pretty effectively.

There are plenty more than just the ones I listed above in this post- all the venues in the Promo Stacker list are good, really. Both the regular and romance lists were built using my own personal experience along with input from my fellow authors. Although, I do understand everyone has different thoughts about which venues have worked better or worse for them, so that's why everyone is free to choose whichever ones they want and leave off the ones they don't.

I've tried to make sure that my clients can't go wrong choosing any of them when building their order. It must be working pretty well so far, I've had nothing but totally satisfied customers (and several top 500 books placed while using this service)!


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

Can you give a ball park of what the overall cost is?

I realise it is dependant on what sites are booked, but as you've been doing this a while do you have an average of what people are spending in total?

I just organised a stacked promo of ten sites and the cost came to almost $600 (and that didn't even include Bookbub). I'm assuming your fee + commission is on top of the cost of all the promo sites, and so if you booked them for me I would be paying closer to $700?

Not that I don't think this is a fantastic idea!! I have been trying to train my VA to do it, but she doesn't have access to any discounts and that would surely off-set the extra cost of using you instead.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Evenstar said:


> Can you give a ball park of what the overall cost is?
> 
> I realise it is dependant on what sites are booked, but as you've been doing this a while do you have an average of what people are spending in total?


Currently, the average spend on non-romance titles is right around $550, total, no BookBub included. On romance, it's around $650.

But like you said, it's easy to customize your order and come up with your own price. What you want to spend might be more or less than someone else. At the end of the day, I'd recommend spending at least a minimum of $400 on your promotions, and not because more spending = more money for me (cause it does ), but because above that amount is where I see authors getting the most benefit per dollar out of their newsletter marketing.

Also, if we take an example of $600 worth of promotions:

_Actual cost_ of promotions through the Promo Stacker: $540 (I estimated 10% savings from the various discounts I offer, which range between 5-25%)

+$50 for my retainer
+$37.26 (6.9% of $540 -- my service charge which covers all transaction fees (around 2.9%) and my standard rate (4%) )
-------------
=$87.26 -> covers my complete service for this order

*So, your total spend on this hypothetical $600 worth of promotions would be around $627.26.* That's me handling everything. All the ordering and scheduling. In my example, you're essentially paying me $27.26 to handle it all. Not bad considering it would take a considerable chunk of your day away to do it yourself. Obviously, it is important to note that the above example is not exactly what everyone would pay or save, as prices and discounts available at the venues vary. It's pretty close though, in my experience.

I also don't recommend requesting a BookBub order through me unless you just don't think you can do it or you don't want to handle it yourself or something. You'll be paying a small premium just to have me do it and I can't really increase your chances of getting a booking there nor can I offer you any discount there (and I doubt I'll ever be able to unless Josh is feeling super generous). The only reason it is on there is because a few people asked for it to be added, and they have their own reasons for wanting me to do it. If you can, save yourself a few bucks and submit your titles to BookBub on your own. Besides, their submissions process is pretty darn quick and easy.


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

raminar_dixon said:


> Currently, the average spend on non-romance titles is right around $550, total, no BookBub included. On romance, it's around $650.
> 
> But like you said, it's easy to customize your order and come up with your own price. What you want to spend might be more or less than someone else. At the end of the day, I'd recommend spending at least a minimum of $400 on your promotions, and not because more spending = more money for me (cause it does ), but because above that amount is where I see authors getting the most benefit per dollar out of their newsletter marketing.
> 
> ...


Brilliant. That's almost exactly as I calculated it. I greatly appreciate the transparency and honesty, no BS response. It makes me feel very confident about using you.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Evenstar said:


> Brilliant. That's almost exactly as I calculated it. I greatly appreciate the transparency and honesty, no BS response. It makes me feel very confident about using you.


I appreciate you saying that. Business ethics is a big deal for me, and I've seen too many good authors get ripped off over the years. One of my absolute favorite things to do is try to work out solutions which benefit everyone involved and run with them. Those solutions don't always make me a ton of money, but the main goals are to help as many people as possible and keep myself busy in the process. Money is a lesser consideration. I made plenty of that when I was still publishing romance, anyway.

Hopefully there will be some more reviews as KBoards authors continue to get on board and use my service. Thanks, everyone!


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## Sonya Bateman (Feb 3, 2013)

I can testify that this is an awesome service so far.  I booked a promo stacker for mid-April, total cost around $550 -- so a little lower than average for romance, but the book I'm promoting is M/M (first in a trilogy) so a few options weren't available. Ram was super fast in responding, acknowledging receipt of my booking and getting the invoice to me the same day, and I had a preliminary schedule the next day. Prompt refunding from a site where the submission guidelines had changed so they couldn't take my book, and I received a finalized promo schedule in less than a week. 

All for maybe twenty minutes of filling out a form (and it only took me that long because I hadn't written a short blurb for the book beforehand, which I should've done anyway -- my bad!). I'm very, very pleased with the service and super excited about the promo coming up.  Will definitely do this again!


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

One more question, sorry.

Can you also advise an author on which sites would most suit their genre? Is there an option to request this information or is it just an automated blanket service?


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Evenstar said:


> One more question, sorry.
> 
> Can you also advise an author on which sites would most suit their genre? Is there an option to request this information or is it just an automated blanket service?


You can ask and I'll give you the best advice I can. Feel free to PM me here or shoot an email over to [email protected]

Really though, if your plan is to stack promotions, you can't go wrong choosing pretty much any of the venues on the list for any genre. And ones that won't accept genre X or Y have this information listed so you know not to pick those.

It's important to remember that the benefit to stacking is to boost your rank as high as possible for a single day or 2-3 day period, _kind of like_ what you get with a single BookBub promotion. Even if, say, you book a promotion at a venue that costs $20 but only delivers 20 sales @ 99c (a net loss), if you stack 10 of these promotions on top of each other, you'd have 200 sales all on the same day, and that's enough to give your rank a nice boost, even in the most competitive category.

Obviously, if you push hard enough to get your book to a good rank it will be seen by many more readers. So, even if your promotions were a net loss, they got you were you wanted to go - in front of a lot of readers - and from there your book will need to stand on its own. If those readers like what they see, maybe they'll snatch it up and you book will stay at that ranking or do even better. If they don't like what they see, then the book will fall back off the charts. The circle of life and all that.

You will want to avoid any venue which doesn't provide a good overall value, however. This amount is different for everyone. For me, I was satisfied if I got what I called "over 1/3rd" on paid promotions. Basically, that means I got back 1/3rd or more of my purchase price in direct sales/borrows/pagereads/etc. The venues on my lists have all consistently given this level of service or better when I've used them.

So, and this is advice for everyone, don't get too caught up in trying to only seek out venues which give an ROI, because it probably won't happen. Bookbub was the only place that always gave me a ROI from their promotion alone. The rest were a net loss most of the time, but together with some other important marketing things every author should pursue (like FB ads and a dedicated fan base & ARC team) they helped get my books where I wanted them to go and resulted in plenty of bestsellers over the years.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

I've added two new venues to the romance service recently  :

*The Wolf Pack* - awesome for PNRs and soft Scifi Roms. Offers discounted pricing on all promotions booked through my service.

*Ebook Itch* - been around a few years, small but dedicated Romance reader base. Promo Stacker clients get a 10% discount.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Another update: 

Added more exclusive Promo Stacker *DISCOUNTS*:

*Bargain Booksy* (non-romance genres only!) -- 5% off all orders

*Freebooksy* (non-romance genres only!) -- 5% off all orders

*New In Books* (Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Literary Fiction) - 10% discount off all orders. (order includes Bargain Booksky promo, Red Feather Promo (romance titles only), New In Books promo, professional Bookbub and social media (facebook, twitter, insta) advertising, and more, all in one package.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

More discounts added!! 

I've added EReader IQ to my list as yet another venue offering exclusive, discounted pricing for all orders received through my Promo Stacker service.

Also, it looks like I currently have plenty of availability next week. So, *get your orders in now and beat the crowd*-- I tend to get lots of orders on Mondays for some reason...


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Bumpin' cause I've got a lighter schedule than usual for the rest of the week. So, bring on the orders you lovely people, you.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

*Another Discount Added!*

All promotions placed through the Promo Stacker now get discounted pricing at ManyBooks! Big thanks to Lisa and everyone at ManyBooks for their generosity. 

So that's *20* venues now where my clients get discounted pricing. 20! And I pass along most, if not all, of the savings to my clients because...why not? You'd be hard pressed to find any VA or marketing service which could offer you anything like this.

Here's the complete, updated list of all the venues where Promo Stacker now gets a discount (in no particular order):

-My Romance Reads
-BookSends
-Just Kindle Books
-Brazen Bookshelf
-Shifted Sheets
-Hot Stuff Romance
-eBookHounds
-ExciteSteam
-Ebook Betty (Betty Book Freak)
-ShareBear Newsletter
-Full Hearts Romance
-eBookSoda
-Awesomegang (Multi-site Promo Option Only)
-Romance Devoured
-The Wolf Pack
-Ebook Itch
-Bargain Booksy (non-romance genres only!)
-Freebooksy (non-romance genres only!)
-New In Books
-ManyBooks

...and I'm always looking to add great venues to my list and work out discounted pricing with them.

No B.S. people, just me ordering promotions for you, which I get a discounted price on, and passing some of those savings on to you. No unrealistic promises or impossible dreams. No Amazon TOS violations. No promotional venue guideline violations. It's just me saving you some time and hopefully a few bucks.


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## 69959 (May 14, 2013)

This sounds really interesting! I'm bookmarking for later.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Bumpin' cause I've gotten caught up for the moment and have availability this afternoon and into the weekend.

Thanks!


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

I got kind of flooded with orders after my last post, but I'm nearly caught up now. If I didn't send anyone their preliminary scheduling sheet yet, just hit me with an email and I'll send it over ASAP.

Thanks!!


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Added Crave Romance to the list of discounted venues.


Added Crave Romance's Premium Feature option to the Promo Stacker options list.

The Premium listing @ Crave includes the following additional benefits:

- Add additional store links, including B&N, iBooks, Kobo, Smashwords, Google Play, and Instafreebie
- Appear above Standard Listings for the day's deals with a styled border
- Inclusion of a direct Amazon or Instafreebie link to your book in your promo day's email blast

----Coming Soon----

-An actual website (and not just a submission form) for the Promo Stacker will be arriving eventually.

-I want to be able to start offering flat-rate promotion packages. Non-newsletter/CPC ads/other advertising would be integrated into these packages, and offering in tiered pricing. This should be extra good for both the newbies and the more experienced authors who just want a more rounded marketing approach along with an even more hands-off experience than is currently offered with the PS.

-I'm also in the process of doing more tracking of my clients' books before, during, and after their promotional period so I can have lots of data on which venues offer the best value vs. genre. Whenever I get this all figured out, I'll try to come up with some kind of way to easily communicate this on the form to clients.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Bumpin' cause I've got some availability for tomorrow and Friday. Try to get your orders in before the weekend if you can!


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Quick thing:

I've now added the functionality for authors to order promotions without requesting a specific "stack" date.

Now, you can order promotions for a spread out period over days or weeks, on multiple varying stack dates, or really however the heck you want.

This has been something people have been asking for or just doing anyway since the beginning. Now, I've made it easier to customize your promotion schedule how you like it. Let me know if you run into any problems or have any questions at all!


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## sali19 (Dec 23, 2014)

Just throwing in my two cents that I've used Ram for my last 3 releases and was ecstatic not to have all those damn emails in my inbox, but just one neat spreadsheet. It also takes away some of the deer in a headlight because I basically just click everything my book quals for and then pay the piper. And walk away, and eat ice cream. I can't for see NOT using Ram for each new release forever. There is literally no reason not to. I'm still waiting on the one click package option.  where you just click one bubble that says: Book Everything


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

sali19 said:


> Just throwing in my two cents that I've used Ram for my last 3 releases and was ecstatic not to have all those damn emails in my inbox, but just one neat spreadsheet. It also takes away some of the deer in a headlight because I basically just click everything my book quals for and then pay the piper. And walk away, and eat ice cream. I can't for see NOT using Ram for each new release forever. There is literally no reason not to. I'm still waiting on the one click package option.  where you just click one bubble that says: Book Everything


Thanks, sali19!

I am planning on creating a "one click" option - well, several of them, really. The plan is to have tiered promotion packages. Probably something like:

T1 - $300
T2 - $600
T3 - $1200
T4 - $2500

Social media advertising would be included.

...but the existing Promo Stacker format will not be going away either, for those who would rather pick n' choose the venues they want. My goal is to offer something for everyone at a fair price.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Bumpin' cause I've got time again this week for more orders (for now, that is).


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## Learning by lurking (Jan 17, 2016)

Any chance you will incorporate Facebook ads into this at some point?


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Learning by lurking said:


> Any chance you will incorporate Facebook ads into this at some point?


It's planned as a part of the tiered "one click" promotion packages I'll be rolling out soon.


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## Learning by lurking (Jan 17, 2016)

raminar_dixon said:


> It's planned as a part of the tiered "one click" promotion packages I'll be rolling out soon.


Awesome. Will keep my eyes open as the course everyone swears by is to expensive for my blood. Thanks for the quick reply.


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## Maria G. Melton (Apr 16, 2014)

Looks cool. . .thanks. . .


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

A few quick updates:

-I've added *Love Kissed Books* to the discounted romance venues list.

-*CraveReads* has been added to the non-romance Promo Stacker. They are also part of the discounted venues list.

-I have a big update (hopefully) tomorrow for all those who are waiting for the new tiered-pricing "one click" promotion packages. If you're looking for a simple, fixed-price solution for newsletter and social media promotions and marketing, you'll definitely want to check it out.

-Also, I'm staying extremely busy lately, but I still have room in my schedule this week for more clients. My turnaround time is anywhere between 24-48 hours from payment to orders being filled.

Thanks!


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## Used To Be BH (Sep 29, 2016)

I somehow missed the fact that you're now accepted all genres. I'll definitely be using you in the future.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Since I started the Promo Stacker, I've been privileged enough to help several dozen authors get their books into the top 10-1000 over the last few months (one of the latest books was ranked within the top 20 in the Kindle Store a few days ago). Many of those same authors have been asking me for a more hands-off, "one click" kind of solution that would make promoting their books even easier, include social media advertising and a wider range of promotions to meet a larger audience, and give them more time to do other stuff like writing their next book, working on other projects, or just taking a much-deserved break or vacation.

So, to meet the demand for such a service, I've created *Book Rank*.

The aim was a simple design and a simple, no-nonsense ordering process.

*All tiered (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Diamond) packages include:*

-Paid promotional ad space in multiple newsletters (the same ones in my Promo Stacker list). Your book is submitted to the venues I believe will be most beneficial to your campaign based on your budget, dates & availability, genre, and other factors. You don't have to pick and choose where to send it, that's all done for you.

-Submission to dozens of unpaid newsletters and websites which promote authors and ebooks.

-Submission to dozens of both private & public FB groups that concentrate on ebooks, deals, and author publicity.

-Promotion of your title within a few of my own private resources, which have not been made available to other authors before.

-Paid advertising on Facebook (Silver+ packages)

-Much like the Promo Stacker service, before your promotions begin, you'll receive a list of the paid, public venues where your book will be advertised and when. Clients also receive links to the social media ads I'm running for them so they can like/share/etc. I do not share the scheduling or data from my own private resources or any of the unpaid venues.

-Promotion Packages are designed to meet most budgets and range from $200 - $2500.

(Note: The original Promo Stacker services are now being offered under the "build you own" options on the Book Rank website, but you can still access the order forms just like before directly through the old Jotform links in the OP. Also note that orders placed for the Promo Stacker service do not include social media ads or advertisement within my private resources.)


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Over $43,000 in promotions scheduled for April so far. That's crazy!

Thanks to everyone for helping to make this thing a rousing success. Romance is still 90% of my business, but non-romance genres are picking up steam super fast. Don't be skeered to send me your Science Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Thriller, or whatever. I can handle any genre ('cept erotica).

Also, I'm caught up again for now and have availability for new clients.


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## Issy (Aug 25, 2013)




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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Issy said:


> I've just used this for promoting my first in series ... that book was published January 2016 so it's been around a while at $3.99. I'm doing the 99c promo. It's very nice to see it's jumped up from its usual ranking of #20,000-#30,000 in the Amazon store to its current rank of #2,200 or so.  Hopefully I'll pick up some new fans and get a bit of series sell-through!
> 
> Also ... so so so SO grateful not to have to do all the tedious form filling and everything. Thanks Ram!


Glad to help! Best of luck with the sell-through!


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

UPDATE:

I've added the ability to add-on small Facebook and Twitter ad packages to Promo Stacker orders. It's $60 for either package, $120 if you choose both. 

Ads will run at either the start of your promotional period or they will be concentrated tightly around your stack date if you chose to stack your venue promotions. I create the ads for you and share the links so you can like/share/etc (just like with Book Rank's tiered packages).

Thanks!


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Bumping 'cause I'm all caught up and I don't have any new orders up for next week yet.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

UPDATE:

Clients who use the Promo Stacker service can now select "Give me the MAX" and completely skip the venue choosing process.

This is great for those who don't have the time or inclination to figure out which venues are available to them given their date range/genre/price/etc. but DO know that they want the biggest, bestest order possible.

When you choose "Give me the MAX", I'll include the maximum number of venues at the highest possible level (Featured, Spotlight, etc.) in your order. (note: MAX does not include ARC review services or Bookbub unless you tell me to)

And if you have any venues you definitely don't want me to include for whatever reason, you can say so in the additional comments at the bottom of the form.

As always, you're invoiced first before I place any orders, so you will have a chance to look over everything and make sure the venues chosen are to your satisfaction. If you want any of the extras, like the Freebie site submission or FB/Twitter marketing add-ons, you can choose those and pay for them when you pay my retainer, as usual.

Oh yeah, and this new feature doesn't cost anything extra. I'm just trying to give everyone more options, and this kind of quality of life improvement has come up a lot.

Let me know if you have any questions! Thanks and enjoy!


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Bumping because I have plenty of availability for client orders.


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## truc (Apr 2, 2015)

Add me to Ram's list of satisfied customers. My sci-fi book is hovering on the edge of crossing the 1k rank thanks to the ads that Ram stacked a while back for this week. Would definitely book again!


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

truc said:


> Add me to Ram's list of satisfied customers. My sci-fi book is hovering on the edge of crossing the 1k rank thanks to the ads that Ram stacked a while back for this week. Would definitely book again!


I hope it continues to gain lots of momentum and do great for you, truc!


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## Used To Be BH (Sep 29, 2016)

Quick question: can you handle books that are "permacheap"? ( I have a $0.99 first-in-series book that would be ripe for promotion at this time, as I haven't done much with it lately beyond AMS ads, so there isn't the problem of having used any promoter too recently.)

I know many promoters will take that kind of submission, but some won't, which probably makes extra nuisance for you. That's why I'm asking the question. (On the plus side, it does make scheduling easier, since I'm not confined to a short promotional range.)


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Bill Hiatt said:


> Quick question: can you handle books that are "permacheap"? ( I have a $0.99 first-in-series book that would be ripe for promotion at this time, as I haven't done much with it lately beyond AMS ads, so there isn't the problem of having used any promoter too recently.)
> 
> I know many promoters will take that kind of submission, but some won't, which probably makes extra nuisance for you. That's why I'm asking the question. (On the plus side, it does make scheduling easier, since I'm not confined to a short promotional range.)


"Perma cheap" is no problem for me at all.

As long as the always-important stuff is there: cover/blurb/decent reviews... I can make it happen, capt'n. There are plenty of venues that will be interested.

I would suggest going for free _if possible_ since it sounds like your goal is sell-through to the rest of your series. 99c can still work well, however.


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## Used To Be BH (Sep 29, 2016)

raminar_dixon said:


> "Perma cheap" is no problem for me at all.
> 
> As long as the always-important stuff is there: cover/blurb/decent reviews... I can make it happen, capt'n. There are plenty of venues that will be interested.
> 
> I would suggest going for free _if possible_ since it sounds like your goal is sell-through to the rest of your series. 99c can still work well, however.


Thanks for the quick response. I'll give free some consideration, though I have philosophical issues with it. In any case, thanks also for being so flexible. From past experience, I knew there were promoters who would take permacheap, but I wasn't sure you'd be interested.

It won't be long I have three series going, so I'll finally be able to rotate promotions effectively--so it looks as if we'll be doing business a lot.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Bumpin' cause it feels good.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

GUIDELINE UPDATE:

*FINISHED COVER ART* (with a title that is NOT going to change) is now a strict requirement before I'll start work on any order.

It's _way_ too confusing for everyone involved, otherwise. I've had far too many clients change their book's title or even change to an entirely different book on me halfway through the process. This kind of thing can create a scheduling nightmare. So, since I like peaceful dreaming, there's this new guideline.

-"TBA" or something similar does not count as a title, unless your book is ACTUALLY going to be called "TBA" (which is probably not a good title for anything, really) or whatever.

-If your title changes after I've ordered your promotions, you'll be charged a $200, non-refundable rescheduling fee.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

UPDATE:

*Mark My Words (MMW) Bad Boy Promotions* has been added to my romance Promo Stacker. They serve promotions for Erotic Romance and Contemporary Romance titles only at this time.

Promo Stacker clients get a healthy discount and, bonus, only have to pay a flat rate as opposed to the "pay per click" that MMW normally charges for their services.

P.S. I also plan to incorporate MMW's services into applicable Book Rank package orders.

Have a nice weekend, all!


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

I have another question. Can I book for a book launch without using a long pre-order?

E.G. Can I book without an ASIN until say 3 weeks before it goes live?

I've always found it very hard to organise a strong launch week because most decent places need reviews and plenty of notice


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Evenstar said:


> I have another question. Can I book for a book launch without using a long pre-order?
> 
> E.G. Can I book without an ASIN until say 3 weeks before it goes live?
> 
> I've always found it very hard to organise a strong launch week because most decent places need reviews and plenty of notice


As long as you have completed cover art and a book title that isn't going to change, you can place an order. And as long as everything passes muster (I kind of operate as a pre-filter for many of these venues) I'm often able to get bookings early, and without an ASIN or reviews.

Be aware that even though I can offer some help "getting in" that not all venues give me the same amount of flexibility. Some of them simply won't accept a promotion request unless you have an ASIN. Those are listed directly on the form for your convenience.


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## JaclynDolamore (Nov 5, 2015)

I don't see the answer to this on the thread, so forgive me if I missed it, but how far out do you recommend scheduling a promotion to not miss any advertisers before their cut off dates? If I want to do an August promo, should I book now, for instance?

Like I know when I do it myself usually Book Barbarian is two months out or something. One of the most annoying things about promo scheduling is remembering who is booked into infinity, and who won't even take a submission until 30 days before...


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

JaclynDolamore said:


> I don't see the answer to this on the thread, so forgive me if I missed it, but how far out do you recommend scheduling a promotion to not miss any advertisers before their cut off dates? If I want to do an August promo, should I book now, for instance?
> 
> Like I know when I do it myself usually Book Barbarian is two months out or something. One of the most annoying things about promo scheduling is remembering who is booked into infinity, and who won't even take a submission until 30 days before...


It kind of depends on what you want to spend and your genre, mostly.

This is what I recommend:

(Note: "promotion ending date" refers to the _last day_ you are willing to run your book promotion.)

*ROMANCE:*

Bronze: No date requirement.

Silver: order at least 3 weeks before your promotion ending date

Gold: order at least 3 weeks before your promotion ending date

Diamond: order 6-8 weeks before your promotion ending date

*NONROMANCE:*

Bronze: No date requirement.

Silver: No date requirement.

Gold: order at least 3 weeks before your promotion ending date

Diamond: order at least 6 weeks before your promotion ending date

*PROMO STACKER ORDERS (any genre):*

You give the dates, I check out the venues before I bill you and exclude any that don't fall within your given promotion window. Dates of _usual_ availability for each venue are listed right there on the order form.

-

Obviously, the farther out you are willing to run promotions, the more and better venues I can get for you. To not miss ANY advertisers at all, you'll have to order probably 10 weeks out...but most people don't want to wait that long and I don't blame them! I keep hoping that Book Barbarian and a few others that are definitely effective (like Robin Reads, Fussy Librarian, and more) will add some new promotions or something since they stay booked up so far ahead. I'd love these venues to offer a higher-cost special/feature/whatever that would have closer openings.


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## JaclynDolamore (Nov 5, 2015)

Okay! Excellent. I'm actually planning a promotion in 10 weeks soooo I might as well go ahead and book you. =D


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

UPDATE:

I've added *readper* to my venue lists for both romance and non-romance.

Promo Stacker clients get discounted pricing on their deluxe newsletter promotion (NL promo + blog post on their site). 

You can check out readper:

On their website: http://readper.com/

In their thread here at KBoards: http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,245348.0.html


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## Used To Be BH (Sep 29, 2016)

Evenstar said:


> I have another question. Can I book for a book launch without using a long pre-order?
> 
> E.G. Can I book without an ASIN until say 3 weeks before it goes live?
> 
> I've always found it very hard to organise a strong launch week because most decent places need reviews and plenty of notice


I think that's changing. My last new release I picked up practically every promo site I've ever heard of. The exceptions were a couple ones that I would have to have booked two months ahead--so normally they wouldn't be good venues for new releases. Many did require links to another well-reviewed book, which is understandable, but most offered some kind of new release option.

Anyway, my first promo stack with Ram is happening in July, and I can hardly wait!


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Dropping in for a quick note:

I'll be running around this weekend -> most of next week doing holiday/family fun stuff. If you've got an open order with me no worries, I'll be around and I'm still keeping things updated.

If you have a new order you want to place w/ me during this period that's totally fine - but please be aware that it might take me a little longer to respond back than usual. My grand plan for this week is "fun all day, get the work done at night."

Thanks!


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Bumpin' cause bumpin' feels fantastic.


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## cidneyswanson (Feb 1, 2011)

Hi Ram. Trying to make sure I understand the difference between promostacker and bookrank tiered packages. For the tiered pkgs, you list these features/services:

-Paid promotional ad space in multiple newsletters (the same ones in my Promo Stacker list). Your book is submitted to the venues I believe will be most beneficial to your campaign based on your budget, dates & availability, genre, and other factors. You don't have to pick and choose where to send it, that's all done for you.

-Submission to dozens of unpaid newsletters and websites which promote authors and ebooks.

-Submission to dozens of both private & public FB groups that concentrate on ebooks, deals, and author publicity.

-Promotion of your title within a few of my own private resources, which have not been made available to other authors before.

-Paid advertising on Facebook (all tiers) and Twitter (Silver tier and higher only). I create the artwork for these ads for you, as well.

My questions:
1) Is it just the first of the above listed items that's included in a promostacker? 
2) Is the $50 retainer a one time fee or per title fee or ... ? 
3) How are the FB ads that you make in the tiered pkgs paid for? I'm assuming the $200/$400 etc doesn't include the cost of the FB ads, although if it did that would be cool--lol!
4) With the tiered pkgs, does the 6.9% and/or the retainer fees go away, or are they also payable in things besides promostacker?

If my questions don't seem clear, ask, uh, more questions.   Thanks much!


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

cidneyswanson said:


> Hi Ram. Trying to make sure I understand the difference between promostacker and bookrank tiered packages. For the tiered pkgs, you list these features/services:
> 
> -Paid promotional ad space in multiple newsletters (the same ones in my Promo Stacker list). Your book is submitted to the venues I believe will be most beneficial to your campaign based on your budget, dates & availability, genre, and other factors. You don't have to pick and choose where to send it, that's all done for you.
> 
> ...


1) The Promo Stacker doesn't come "standard" with social media marketing and unpaid venue submissions. However, you can purchase these extra services as add-ons (at the bottom of the order form). You'd pay for them at the same time you pay the retainer. Also, if you want a greater social media spend, you can always just mention it in the additional comments section and I can add it to the invoice when I generate it for you.

2) The $50 retainer is a per title fee.

3) Social media ads are actually included by default for all pre-priced packages (FB only for Bronze packages) and part of the package price.  The general split I use for the tiered packages is usually around *20% soc. media*, *70% venues*, *10% me*. So a $400 order breaks down like so: $50 (the same amount as the retainer fee I charge on PS orders) + $35 (my 10% of 350), $245 towards venue promotions, and $70 towards social media. My cut is pretty close to the same, or less, on these orders as it is on Promo Stacker orders with all the extra add-on services chosen.

This split depends greatly on venue availability and acceptance, of course. For instance, if I try to get you a Bookbub promotion but they rejected it and you purchased a Diamond package, I'll allocate those funds back into a greater social media spend unless you tell me to do otherwise. Once my $50 + 10% are covered, every dime goes towards promoting your book.

Note: On Bronze orders, I reduce my retainer fee and percentage cut by about half since such small orders are much less work for me. I really only recommend Bronze packages for short promotions on free titles or as a way to try out my service for the first time, though. You'll likely get a _much_ better result with a Silver package or higher.

Another note: If you don't want any part of your budget to go towards social media ads on a pre-priced package order, just let me know and I'll leave it out.

4) As stated above, the retainer fee and my % are incorporated into the total cost of the pre-priced tiered packages. My % for the packages is slightly higher since I'm also doing social media ads and artwork, I'm choosing all the venues for you, and I'm doing unpaid site submissions as well.

Hope that answers everything! Let me know if anything needs more explanation or if you have any other questions!


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## cidneyswanson (Feb 1, 2011)

Best. Answering. Ever.   Srsly, that was super clear! Thanks very much!


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## Tstarnes (Sep 25, 2013)

Seriously.  That's some transparency right there.  I can't think of very many promo services where they straight up tell you what their cut is and what is actually going to advertising.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Tstarnes said:


> Seriously. That's some transparency right there. I can't think of very many promo services where they straight up tell you what their cut is and what is actually going to advertising.


Thanks!

I try to be crystal clear about as much as possible. Authors have enough to worry about already!


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## Eric T Knight (Feb 23, 2015)

Well, count me as impressed. You're going to be hearing from me soon. I have book 1 in a fantasy series coming out next week, then book 2 in August and the 3rd book in late September, just over 10 weeks away. That's what I'm going to be shooting for, to promo book 1 hard when the 3rd book comes out. I'm excited to see the results!


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Eric T Knight said:


> Well, count me as impressed. You're going to be hearing from me soon. I have book 1 in a fantasy series coming out next week, then book 2 in August and the 3rd book in late September, just over 10 weeks away. That's what I'm going to be shooting for, to promo book 1 hard when the 3rd book comes out. I'm excited to see the results!


Thanks for your interest and looking forward to working with you, Eric!


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## Eric T Knight (Feb 23, 2015)

Well, the first promo I booked with Ram doesn't start until Aug 22nd, so I can't report yet on its success, but I would like to say this: Ram has been very quick to respond to my questions and quite patient with me so far. (I maybe haven't been doing so well with the urge to micromanage  )


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## TromboneAl (Mar 20, 2015)

Ram,

Looks good. I'm probably going to use this for my upcoming release. 

Some questions:

Are you book-rank.com, or a separate entity? I can't find anything on that site about "Ram's Promo Stacker, an optional "build your own" service"

I go to book-rank.com, and the sum total information I can get there is: "Submission to 14-20 Promotional Venues. Custom Paid Advertising on Facebook."

Am I missing something?


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

TromboneAl said:


> Ram,
> 
> Looks good. I'm probably going to use this for my upcoming release.
> 
> ...


On the Services page, *scroll down* and choose one of the two options under "Build It Yourself". Those should be labeled as Promo Stacker on the buttons.

Link for your convenience: http://www.book-rank.com/services.html

And yes, book-rank.com is me!

--

I'm playing a bit of catch-up this weekend since I've been beyond busy. If you have an open order from the last day or two with me hang in there. I'll catch up on invoicing tomorrow. And after that I'll be doing lots of ordering, so updates will be a-coming.


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## TromboneAl (Mar 20, 2015)

>Scroll down

Ah, that's the problem. You might want to redesign that page--few people will realize that there's more below, even though there's text to that effect. Here's how it looks on my computer:


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## TromboneAl (Mar 20, 2015)

Okay, I signed up, thanks.

I've recently read that money can buy happiness when you use it to give yourself more time. This fits the bill.

Question: When you say: "We charge an additional 6.9% to cover associated transaction fees and our standard rate. "

Does that mean that the prices shown for each promo site include that 6.9% or that the 6.9% will be on top of those?


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## TromboneAl (Mar 20, 2015)

Answer: It's on top of those.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

TromboneAl said:


> Answer: It's on top of those.


Excellent. You got it!

Looking forward to a great promotional run for you!


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## kathrynoh (Oct 17, 2012)

Just a couple of questions - do you let authors know the results of the social media ads? 

Also, I've got a Bookbub promo coming up soon. If I wanted to stack ads around it, is it better to do it before the BB or after? I'm never sure which is best


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

kathrynoh said:


> Just a couple of questions - do you let authors know the results of the social media ads?
> 
> Also, I've got a Bookbub promo coming up soon. If I wanted to stack ads around it, is it better to do it before the BB or after? I'm never sure which is best


I don't contact authors with the results of their social media ads as a matter of course, but if you want those results I'm happy to provide them if asked. Keep in mind the only figures I can give you would be # of clicks and average CPC. Downloads/sales/pagereads aren't something I have any way to track. Amazon Associates forbids using affiliate codes within paid social media ads.

Regarding Bookbub:

If you think the BB promo will get your book to the top 100 by itself, then do all your other advertisement after.

If you think the BB promo won't be enough by itself to get your book to the top 100, then do at least 1/2 of your other promotions beforehand.

Obviously, this kind of plan requires you to have an extremely firm grip on what's going on in your genre's market, to have a solid idea of how well your book should stand vs. the competition, and a good measure of complete and total guesswork.


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## kathrynoh (Oct 17, 2012)

raminar_dixon said:


> I don't contact authors with the results of their social media ads as a matter of course, but if you want those results I'm happy to provide them if asked. Keep in mind the only figures I can give you would be # of clicks and average CPC. Downloads/sales/pagereads aren't something I have any way to track. Amazon Associates forbids using affiliate codes within paid social media ads.
> 
> Regarding Bookbub:
> 
> ...


Thanks for that  Makes sense about the FB ads.


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## TromboneAl (Mar 20, 2015)

The process went smoothly, and saved me a lot of time. I opted for stringing out the promos to avoid a simple spike. Good idea? Not sure, but worth a try. Here are the venues I had Ram set up for me (I did some others myself):










In my calendar:


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Giving this thread a little bump bump bump


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Alix Adale said:


> Hi Ram, could you explain how the 'user rating' for the promo sites are generated on your site? Is there a minimum threshold? Do the star ratings represent only one or two users, or many more? Thanks!


The star ratings were put together from a survey I held where 100 or so authors contributed feedback on the various venues on my list.

However, many new venues have been added since then and not all of them have ratings, and all of the ratings are at least 6 months old now, so keep that in mind.

Also, none of the venues I have on my list would be what I consider "bad".


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Ba-bump


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Looks like August is going to be our biggest month ever. Big thanks to everyone for their support!


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## EmparentingMom (Jun 20, 2011)

Hi! Question: do you recommend this service for middle grade or kids' books, and do you tailor packages to those audiences?


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

EmparentingMom said:


> Hi! Question: do you recommend this service for middle grade or kids' books, and do you tailor packages to those audiences?


Absolutely, yes - to both questions.

I've done marketing for several middle grade & children's books.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Thanks for all the recent orders, everyone! I'd love to get some more non-romance books if possible, too!

I should have some more venue updates coming soon. A few have been removed but to replace them I've got a some newer places and options to add that I think everyone is really going to like!


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## David VanDyke (Jan 3, 2014)

I searched this thread for testimonials, but I don't see any real results reported. Could anyone who has used the service provide:

What was your book (genre, price at discount)?

What was your spend?

What were your results?

I'm especially interested in the 99c range, but I'd like to see any reports.


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## TaraCrescent (Mar 21, 2015)

David VanDyke said:


> I searched this thread for testimonials, but I don't see any real results reported. Could anyone who has used the service provide:
> 
> What was your book (genre, price at discount)?
> 
> ...


I'll toss in my most recent book. It was steamy romance. New release, priced at 99c. (32k, one excerpt, no bonus books.)

I spent about $300 with Ram. Basically, I assembled my own promo and Ram made it work. (There's still an option for that, I think, and that's the way I've always done it.) I picked Bargain Booksy, MRR, and about a handful of others over a 3-day period.

In addition, I have a reasonably-sized NL, and I'd arranged more than a dozen NL swaps for my book.

Given all that, I don't know how to allocate results between Ram's service and the rest of my efforts.

The way I see it is that when I pick a site off Ram's list, it's on me to do the due diligence. I won't therefore pick the sites that are ROI sinks. Very few sites seem to be ROI friendly - at least for romance - so I pick the best out of the bunch.

Results: my book was in the top 1000 for ~7 days after launch, and is now in the early 1000s, and I'm pretty pleased with that. I've earned out all promo and am in the black at this stage.

I don't look as Ram's service as some kind of magic bullet, mostly because he's just booking the ad sites - he has no control over how they do. Vetting those is on me. Rather, it's a way to make my life a little easier - rather than submit to 15-20 sites, I upload one cover/blurb to Ram and he does the magic to set up a promo for me. I've used Ram's service with almost every release of mine this year (atleast 5) and I anticipate that I'm going to keep using him for the rest of my upcoming releases.

Hope that helps.


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## David VanDyke (Jan 3, 2014)

Yes, thank you.

Was your 99c book in KU, or did you earn out on 35% royalty alone?



It would also be nice to hear about some others' promos in isolation (Ram only) as I don't do 99c new releases, reserving 99c and free for first-in-series-type entry points. I'm also pretty savvy about the standard promo list, but I'm behind the power curve on FB ads, so I'm curious about how those do.


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## JaclynDolamore (Nov 5, 2015)

I used Ram recently with a choose-your-own promo stack. Steamy romance in the fantasy/PNR realm, not a new release, but already doing well.

Like Tara, I'm basically just paying Ram for what I don't have time to do, I do put some trust that the sites on his site offer a decent ROI to at least some books, because with stacks I'm never going to really know what works and what doesn't. I did do a Countdown Deal, 99 cents.

I will say, it was my best promo ever as far as sheer numbers. Over 800 books sold in four days. My best rank was #234. And I didn't have to spend time wrangling with different sites and their different booking time requirements. I just booked another promo stack for November. I plan on using this service again and again.


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## TaraCrescent (Mar 21, 2015)

David VanDyke said:


> Yes, thank you.
> 
> Was your 99c book in KU, or did you earn out on 35% royalty alone?
> 
> It would also be nice to hear about some others' promos in isolation (Ram only) as I don't do 99c new releases, reserving 99c and free for first-in-series-type entry points. I'm also pretty savvy about the standard promo list, but I'm behind the power curve on FB ads, so I'm curious about how those do.


I *think* I'd have earned out either way (my page reads always take a few days after release to kick in.)

I've never used the PromoStacker's Facebook ads option, so I can't speak to those. (My hypothesis is that FB ads involve so much testing and tweaking that very few people can become experts in *all* genre. I have no factual basis for this, but I doubt that Ram can do any better with FB ads than I can.)


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

TaraCrescent said:


> I have no factual basis for this, but I doubt that Ram can do any better with FB ads than I can.)


This is probably true.

My CPC on any given genre of FB ads varies anywhere between 0.18 and 0.40, depending on lots and lots of things- most of them beyond my control. Naturally, I'd like to get my CPC lower, but I've found that the audience narrowing I've done seems to give the best results (based on rankings) at that level. So, I'd say that while I'm definitely no master FB ads magician, I do know a few tricks and I've seen my fair share of successful marketing through that platform.


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## TaraCrescent (Mar 21, 2015)

raminar_dixon said:


> This is probably true.
> 
> My CPC on any given genre of FB ads varies anywhere between 0.18 and 0.40, depending on lots and lots of things- most of them beyond my control. Naturally, I'd like to get my CPC lower, but I've found that the audience narrowing I've done seems to give the best results (based on rankings) at that level. So, I'd say that while I'm definitely no master FB ads magician, I do know a few tricks and I've seen my fair share of successful marketing through that platform.


No offense intended, Ram. I haven't experimented with FB ads in a long time, and I never did get my ads much better than the higher end of that range. FB ads haven't been part of my launch strategy this year; the people that make it work in my genre have far too much money to spend on it. I can't compete, so I've stayed out of it.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

TaraCrescent said:


> No offense intended, Ram.


None taken! 

And yes, the amount some clients spend on FB advertising is really up there. It seems to take more and more these days to get anything out of Facebook.

...but I'd really just love it if they gave us more options to narrow audiences for romance.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Bumpity bump

I've got plenty of availability for new clients and new orders throughout this week.


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## Going Incognito (Oct 13, 2013)

I just pimped ya out in another thread, Ram. 

I've no promo numbers to share as I haven't done any promo in way too long, but I can sing your praises anyway. Having used Ram's services since, oh, 2013 or 2014 back on TNL, I can say you won't find a more stand up guy/service anywhere. Ram goes above and beyond with a transparent, honest, no bullshit business. He's a rare constant in an ever changing self pub landscape. He doesn't hem and haw or sugarcoat things to get your business he just tells it like it is. I can count on one hand the number of people in this business that I'd do anything for and Ram's right at the top of that list, no question. I can't recommend him highly enough.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Going Incognito said:


> I just pimped ya out in another thread, Ram.
> 
> I've no promo numbers to share as I haven't done any promo in way too long, but I can sing your praises anyway. Having used Ram's services since, oh, 2013 or 2014 back on TNL, I can say you won't find a more stand up guy/service anywhere. Ram goes above and beyond with a transparent, honest, no [bullcrap] business. He's a rare constant in an ever changing self pub landscape. He doesn't hem and haw or sugarcoat things to get your business he just tells it like it is. I can count on one hand the number of people in this business that I'd do anything for and Ram's right at the top of that list, no question. I can't recommend him highly enough.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Just a quick bump - I've got availability for more new clients and more orders this week. 

Thanks all!


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## Going Incognito (Oct 13, 2013)

Psst. I know you said not to contact you here and all, but I was just wondering when you were going to get around to paying me for all that stuff you hired me to say ^ up there. I did copy/paste it correctly, didn't I?








Lol, for real tho, I plan on emailing you tomorrow as I've got something up my sleeve for next month.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Going Incognito said:


> Psst. I know you said not to contact you here and all, but I was just wondering when you were going to get around to paying me for all that stuff you hired me to say ^ up there. I did copy/paste it correctly, didn't I?
> 
> 
> 
> Lol, for real tho, I plan on emailing you tomorrow as I've got something up my sleeve for next month.


LOL.

Nice.


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## werubin (Sep 27, 2017)

How were the results of your promo?

Regards,

Will



TromboneAl said:


> The process went smoothly, and saved me a lot of time. I opted for stringing out the promos to avoid a simple spike. Good idea? Not sure, but worth a try. Here are the venues I had Ram set up for me (I did some others myself):
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## ibizwiz (Dec 25, 2014)

Not just a thread bump! I know Ram from using TNL to help launch for six erotic books so far. He has always done what he said, and more: I made a noob error on one of my TNL ads. I emailed Ram just minutes before the newsletter was to be mailed out, and he fixed it just in time.

Now, I am *not* suggesting you cut it so close, ever.  But I *do* suggest anyone who's facing the endless do-list of a book launch try his service. Not just because he saved my bacon, but because his knowledge of ebook promotion is exhaustive, and he is extremely responsive to his clients. He knows the value behind the prices, too, starting with his own. Transparent? Yes. Straight shooting? Yes. Good looking? Who the hell knows?

I have seven titles to launch between today and March of next year, so I'll be using Ram extensively, putting my money where my too-wordy mouth is.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

ibizwiz said:


> Transparent? Yes. Straight shooting? Yes. Good looking? Who the hell knows?


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

UPDATES! 

#1 - Please welcome RED ROSES ROMANCE to the discounted venue list!

Clients get 5% off any orders placed at Red Roses Romance through the Promo Stacker or Book Rank pre-priced package services.

#2 - I've updated venue rankings based on my experience using them along with client feedback. I have also added "Mailing list size" and "Average monthly website visits" metrics to each applicable venue listing to help clients decide which sites are right for them.

If you own/operate one of the venues on my list and the metrics you see need to be changed or are incorrect, just let me know and I'll fix it. (P.S. I've only finished this for the Romance list but should have the Non-romance list done later today).


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## ThrillerWriter (Aug 19, 2012)

If someone would like to do the promo pack, but would rather put the money reserved for FB toward discount sites, is this possible? Thanks!


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

David Beers said:


> If someone would like to do the promo pack, but would rather put the money reserved for FB toward discount sites, is this possible? Thanks!


Yep, absolutely.

Simply let me know in the additional comments at the bottom of the form that you'd like to leave off the FB ads and I'll allocate that portion of the budget towards more venue adverts.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

*Bookbub Ads* Campaigns added!

I've added the ability for clients to request Bookbub Ads campaigns, managed by Book Rank. You can order any budget from $10+. Please note that these are NOT the same as Bookbub's more expensive and far more selective "Featured Ad" slots, but these ads do display alongside them in the email newsletters. Bookbub Ads are CPM (Cost Per Thousand) and are based on how many readers view the ad.

There is a simple $10 artwork & ad creation fee for this service, along with our standard 6.9% service charge which is added on top of whatever your maximum budget is.

Right now this option is only open to Promo Stacker (aka "You Build It") clients, but based on future feedback and results I may add it as a standard service on the pre-priced packages also offered at Book Rank.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

I haven't had much time for posting lately since I've been kind of swamped with orders, but I wanted to remind everyone -- if you're planning on running promotions around Cyber Monday, you'll want to *get your orders in* to me ASAP. It won't be long before most venues are packed full and don't have any availability left during that period. 

Thanks!


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Please welcome *Sweet and Spicy Gay Romance Deals* to Book Rank's venue list!

http://www.gayromancedeals.com/

P.S. - I'm still on the lookout for more venues to add my romance and non-romance lists! If you know a site or newsletter that gave you great results on a past promotion, let me know about them!


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## David VanDyke (Jan 3, 2014)

Just wanted to report on my results with Ram.

I ran a $400 package with a free sci-fi book (Reaper's Run). This book has been permafree for some time. The promo period was for about a week at the end of September. I estimate about 3300 downloads attributable to the Ram Stack. That's a little under my target of 10c/download, but not too bad. Probably with a book that hasn't been permafree for a while, I'd have gotten more downloads.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

UPDATE:

Shameless Book Deals has just been added to the venue list.

You can check out their site here: http://shamelessbookdeals.com/

SBD provides promotions for dark and erotic romance.


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## Salvador Mercer (Jan 1, 2015)

David VanDyke said:


> Just wanted to report on my results with Ram.
> 
> I ran a $400 package with a free sci-fi book (Reaper's Run). This book has been permafree for some time. The promo period was for about a week at the end of September. I estimate about 3300 downloads attributable to the Ram Stack. That's a little under my target of 10c/download, but not too bad. Probably with a book that hasn't been permafree for a while, I'd have gotten more downloads.


Good to see some feedback, David. Thanks for sharing.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

I've added Geektasic to my non-romance venue list.

Website: http://book-promos.com/geektasticbooks/

They are a great new resource for *Science Fiction* and *Fantasy* book promotions and headed up by the same folks in charge of Brazen Bookshelf.

As with many of the other venues I have listed, my clients enjoy a discount at Geektasic that they can't get elsewhere.


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## 98368 (Sep 4, 2017)

Wanted to report my far-better-than-anticipated results with BookRank!

First, thank you, Ram! And thank you, kboards.

I ran the Bronze promo package--$200--for my book, discounted to $0.99. I'm still too inexperienced to go for the Promo Stacker, although that may be the way I'll go next time.

The promo ran from Nov 3rd thru the 6th. These numbers may not seem astounding to others of you on kboards, but, for me, they _are_ astounding numbers, because: (1) up until the day the promo started, the most books I'd sold in one day was 3, and (2) I'd sold a total of 53 books (Kindle+D2D+paperback) before this promo. My book went on sale August 6th.

The grand totals from the promo are: 78 Kindle sales / 4 D2D sales / 1 paperback! = 83 books sold

So I more than doubled the number of books sold. Hurrah!

Pretty heady stuff for me, especially days 1 and 2, when 32 and 33 copies, respectively, of my book were sold.

I've had an AMS ad running, and I kept it running during the promo, so it accounts for a few sales, but not all that many.

And my book's still at $0.99 through today, because I added on eBookSoda for yesterday (9 sales) and BKnights today (3 sales so far--but it's early).

Hope these stats are helpful to others.


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## Athena Grayson (Apr 4, 2011)

RTW, those are some nice numbers!

Ram, I'm looking into scheduling a 99-cent promo for a first in series that's not been discounted in about a year, but I'm looking to schedule the promos out over two weeks as a way to do a more consistent build-up. Can the promo-stacker packages accommodate that?


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Athena Grayson said:


> RTW, those are some nice numbers!
> 
> Ram, I'm looking into scheduling a 99-cent promo for a first in series that's not been discounted in about a year, but I'm looking to schedule the promos out over two weeks as a way to do a more consistent build-up. Can the promo-stacker packages accommodate that?


Yep, it's pretty simple.

For the Promo Stacker, just check off "DON'T STACK" when you're filling out the form. You can add any details or scheduling preferences you want to communicate to me at the bottom in the additional comments section, too.

If you're wanting to go with one of the Book Rank pre-priced packages (Silver, Gold, etc.) there isn't a check box. Just let me know your scheduling preferences in the additional comments section when you place your order.


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## Nicholas Erik (Sep 22, 2015)

I booked the Gold package for a new release. Curious to see how it performs vs. organizing the promo myself in the past.

Nick


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## Miranda Honfleur (Oct 12, 2015)

I used Ram's service as part of my launch this November, and I'm very happy with the experience. He managed all the venues beautifully, even booked the ARC service for me, and when there was an issue with a venue, he handled it.  I was torn in a thousand different directions with the book launch, and I was so glad to have lightened the load. I'll definitely be back, and I recommend his services highly!


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Going to be doing Thanksgiving stuff over the next couple of days, but I'll be around and taking care of orders here and there so there shouldn't be any unusual delays for my clients.

If you have promotions you want to run before the year is out, it's probably a good idea to get them to me before the end of this month! And if you're planning on running promotions during January/Kindlemas, try to get your orders in by December 15th or so.



Miranda Honfleur said:


> I used Ram's service as part of my launch this November, and I'm very happy with the experience. He managed all the venues beautifully, even booked the ARC service for me, and when there was an issue with a venue, he handled it.  I was torn in a thousand different directions with the book launch, and I was so glad to have lightened the load. I'll definitely be back, and I recommend his services highly!


Thanks, Miranda. You put a lot of time, effort, and thought into your books - and it shows. Authors like you make my job easy.  It was a true pleasure working with you and I look forward to doing so again.


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## yellowlycra (Oct 25, 2017)

is there a promo service for full price books?


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

yellowlycra said:


> is there a promo service for full price books?


The pre-priced packages are built with free/99c/2.99 price points in mind. So, if you can, you'll want to use the "You Build It" / Promo Stacker service for books priced over $2.99.

If you're really not sure which venues to go with (though there aren't many that support prices over $2.99) but you do have a budget in mind, reach out to me via email ([email protected]) or you can PM me here. I'm sure we can come up with something to give you the best possible campaign for your money.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

REMINDER - I'll be handling orders and scheduling campaigns throughout the holiday period. If you've got books to promote, but you'd rather be drinking some eggnog or watching football instead, give me a shout and I'll take care of you.

Also - BIG thanks to all my clients. Book Rank broke through *over $500,000* worth of revenue this year and it only really started picking up steam in early March. Many, many satisfied customers along the way and more books in the Top 100 than I could possibly remember. It feels really good to have helped so many people and done it all for what I feel is a super reasonable price.

Here's to hoping we'll make even more authors happy next year. 

Wishing the very best to you all,

-RD


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## C. Rysalis (Feb 26, 2015)

Ram is so handsome and charismatic that I wish I had a book to promote _right now_.

Unfortunately I'll have to wait until next year


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

C. Rysalis said:


> Ram is so handsome and charismatic that I wish I had a book to promote _right now_.
> 
> Unfortunately I'll have to wait until next year


 Maybe I should add this one to the testimonials page!


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## Ian W. Sainsbury (Apr 9, 2016)

I ran a three-day Silver promo with Ram on the first of my series - The World Walker. It's the first time it's ever been free. Over 12,000 downloads, so I'm delighted. Although the UK has been my best market up to now, around 90% of the downloads were in the US, which is what I was hoping for. Well worth the money, I'd say, and highly recommended.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

I'm gonna be running around doing some holiday stuff this weekend, so I'll likely be in and out of the office a bit more than usual. If you need to put in an order and your promotion dates are even remotely close I'd advise you to do it ASAP.

Things will be back to normal by Monday.

Thank you, drive through. 



Ian W. Sainsbury said:


> I ran a three-day Silver promo with Ram on the first of my series - The World Walker. It's the first time it's ever been free. Over 12,000 downloads, so I'm delighted. Although the UK has been my best market up to now, around 90% of the downloads were in the US, which is what I was hoping for. Well worth the money, I'd say, and highly recommended.


Delighted to hear it, Ian! Thanks for sharing your experience with my service here on KBoards.


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## 98368 (Sep 4, 2017)

I'm currently on day 2 of a 3-day free promo that Ram's running for me. I'll report back later with all the results, but as of the moment, _Origin Phase_ has sold 1,822 free copies and is #1 in Kindle Free Science Fiction Time Travel and #7 in Kindle Free Paranormal and Urban.

Thank you, Ram!


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## wearywanderer64 (Jan 27, 2013)

Just saw the prices. If mine could be guaranteed to make a profit I'd jump at the chance.


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## 98368 (Sep 4, 2017)

First, many thanks to Ram for running a great promo for me. Also thanks to Miranda Honfleur for mentioning that Ram took care of her ARC service, since I was able to have him handle this for me as well--and he got the book out to the ARC service on a very tight schedule.

I'm bowled over by the results of my promo. 2,807 copies sold (for $0.00) over a 3-day period. I have 2 reviews so far from the ARC service, and got a couple of new subscribers to my mailing list. My book _Origin Phase_ was either #1 or #2 in the free Kindle store in science fiction time travel for almost the entire weekend and was somewhere in the top 6 in paranormal and urban fantasy as well. That was pretty damn thrilling for me. Especially for the few hours that I was beating out H.G. Wells!

Book 2 in the series is coming out next week, and book 3's coming out the first week in January. Ram's running these promos for me as well and I'll be sure to post results.

I could not have hoped to have done this without Ram's service. I think Ram should take off his tie in celebration!


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

wearywanderer64 said:


> Just saw the prices. If mine could be guaranteed to make a profit I'd jump at the chance.


Alas, there are no real guarantees to profit with any advertising.  About the closest you can get is with a Featured Bookbub promotion.

If you just want some advice feel free to contact me - it doesn't cost a dime.



RTW said:


> First, many thanks to Ram for running a great promo for me. Also thanks to Miranda Honfleur for mentioning that Ram took care of her ARC service, since I was able to have him handle this for me as well--and he got the book out to the ARC service on a very tight schedule.
> 
> I'm bowled over by the results of my promo. 2,807 copies sold (for $0.00) over a 3-day period. I have 2 reviews so far from the ARC service, and got a couple of new subscribers to my mailing list. My book _Origin Phase_ was either #1 or #2 in the free Kindle store in science fiction time travel for almost the entire weekend and was somewhere in the top 6 in paranormal and urban fantasy as well. That was pretty damn thrilling for me. Especially for the few hours that I was beating out H.G. Wells!
> 
> ...


Terrific! I love helping people so much. Authors like yourself and many others who I have worked with make my job easy because you create a quality book that has all the important elements in place.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Hope everyone has enjoyed the holiday season so far! It'll be 2018 before we know it! 

I'll be around all week handling orders before heading out of the office a bit over the weekend. After New Year's though, it'll be back to business as usual.

Also, an UPDATE:

The book promotion service *AUTHOR'S XP* has been added to both the romance and non-romance Promo Stacker venue list.

Author's XP website: https://authorsxp.com/index.php

My clients receive discounted pricing at this venue (and many others!) when ordering through my service.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Bumpin' cause my plans changed and I'll be around the entire weekend after all. So, I have plenty of availability to take on new orders. 

If you are interested in running a campaign sometime in January or February, get your orders in now!


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

I've been insanely busy with new orders the past few days but I did find time for an...

*UPDATE!*

Mona's Secret Panty Drawer Romance has been added to the Romance Promo Stacker venue list.

They are a newer venue but growing quickly. Give them a try and maybe add them to your next order with me!

Thanks to all and Happy (belated) New Year!


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## Nicholas Erik (Sep 22, 2015)

As promised, here's my report/review on the Gold package ($800, 28 - 34 promotional venues, custom paid FB advertising). This is BookRank's next-to-highest tier (Diamond, at $1500 is the highest).

*DETAILS*: this was for the launch of a new urban fantasy book that came out on Jan. 1. Very clear UF book (e.g. not PNR). I've written two other trilogies under this pen name. The stack ran from Jan 1 - 7, during which time the book was $0.99. It was in KU; KENP of 380+ pages; I didn't notify my email list or do anything else during that time. I did not run any PPC.

I booked it on Nov. 19, which gave Ram about a 40 day lead time to organize the promo stack before release day.

*SERVICE*: easy to book. Ram handled everything, then sent me a very clear PDF with the sites booked and the dates. When there was a minor scheduling problem with one of the sites (not his fault), he handled it and sent me the new info within hours. Fast, painless, professional.

*SITES BOOKED*: ENT/EBookHounds/Choosy/Read Cheaply* (DAY 1) | BettyBookFreak/AwesomeGang Deluxe (DAY 2) | BookBarbarian*/Book Gorilla/Geektastic (DAY 3) | BargainBooksy*/EBSoda (DAY 4) | eReader Cafe BoTD/KND/Fussy (DAY 5) | Booksends/GP/FKBT (DAY 6) | EBStage/Just Kindle Books (DAY 7)

Total sites booked by Ram: 16 sites. Some of these are for multiple sites (Awesome Gang Deluxe, for example, I think posts to three or four sites). 
* = booked myself

*CUSTOM ADVERTISING*:










*RESULTS*: 361 sales, 18,763 page reads. Revenue was probably $180 - $220 and change. Profit was not expected; you really do something like this for rank, stickiness, and a tail; peak rank was #2264 on DAY 4. I'd say that was more because of the cumulative effects, rather than that day's particular line-up, which only had two sites. Rank at the end (DAY 7) was #3705.

Important - this book didn't have any reviews until the last day of the stack. That would have no doubt improved the results. It was up for pre-order before the promo (so I had a live link) and garnered 41 pre-orders over about 40 days, but (obviously) wasn't on any sort of hot new release lists or anything.

*COMMENTS*: you're buying convenience here, which Ram doesn't make a secret. If you're tight on funds, you can save the fee and organize the stack yourself - there's no secret sauce (nor any claim of there being any, for that matter). I think this is useful for two types of authors: 1) those who don't understand the concept of stacking/organizing a promo and are intimidated by all the options/variables. This essentially guarantees that you have something workable. 2) those who don't want to spend 3 hours filling in forms or keeping track of requirements/payments and so forth. If you're making $50/hr from your work, then even with the fee, you likely come out ahead, although you sacrifice significant flexibility in what sites are used/what order the promo goes off (Ram does have an a la carte option where you can select your own sites; this is a specific review of the Gold service).

There were three things I would consider negatives.

One, the "Custom Paid Advertising on Facebook": the only ad I got sent was the one above. I'm not sure if Ram ran others. I was not expecting much, really, in this department, nor was it the reason I booked the service. However, linking to the book on Amazon and having Facebook pull the cover in automatically from the link, and then using a headline that says $0.99 is a rather generous (if technically correct) interpretation of "custom," unless there's some insanely complex audience targeting going on behind the scenes. Ram clearly has a lot of orders, so I don't think hyper-custom and managed PPC ad campaigns are on the table. Nonetheless, if that's what's on offer, I would humbly suggest nixing that from the advertising entirely. I don't think this added any value; if it had been removed, and if the price had stayed the same ($800), I wouldn't have batted an eyelash. Since it was advertised, however, that made me curious and hopeful, perhaps, that there would be something interesting in the works; alas, I ended up underwhelmed.

Two, I wouldn't book a couple of these sites at all, even if I was chasing rank. To be fair, it's promising a promo stack, not "most efficient use of funds stack" or "the most selective stack." Not all sites will accept new releases (my other books do have a bunch of reviews, so many sites will accept a new release based on this track record, however). That means perhaps other less optimal sites had to be substituted. But something to bear in mind if ad dollars are at an absolute premium.

Three, I probably would have ended with the big hitters/more sites, rather than spaced them out. In fairness, this isn't entirely in Ram's control (ENT, for example, is pretty random about what dates they're willing to give you), and he didn't know where I'd scheduled in my pieces of the equation. I also could have given him a narrower range of dates, which would have made them spaced closer together. That being said, a huge part of the stickiness factor, I think, is coming off at peak rank, or close to it - that didn't happen here. In fact, DAY 7 was my lowest sales/rank day. In this case, not a big deal, because the book is still $0.99 as I ramp up my PPC spend (and send out my newsletter/social media and so forth). But not optimal if that was actually the end of the promo, IMO.

*OVERALL*: this service does exactly what it says. Ram delivers the promo stack quickly, is professional, and provides excellent customer service. There's nothing here you can't do yourself, but you're not buying secret sauce; you're buying convenience. For certain authors, it makes a lot of sense to outsource a tedious and annoying series of tasks to a service like this and focus on other things; for others, it's a great way to get your feet wet without fear of messing up logistics while you learn about promotion. I would recommend the service to these people.

If you know what sites you like/work and want maximum control over your promo's schedule, then using a service like Book Rank (and especially the Bronze/Silver/Gold/Diamond packages) probably doesn't make sense, which is likely why my comments are less enthusiastic than many of the glowing reviews here. Just know what author bucket you fall into, then make your decision accordingly.

Nick


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Nicholas Erik said:


> magnificently concise and incredibly helpful review


Do you write reviews for a living? Because you should. That was a truly perfect review. I LOVE getting feedback like this. LOVE IT. Also, glad to hear you saw a measurable, direct profit during the promotional period.

Just a few notes, not necessarily directed at you, but for all KBoardians who might be reading:

The service is primarily a convenience. There is no secret sauce; just my experience and some good discounts. Probably 75% of my clients are authors who are super busy, or those who need a break for whatever reason. The rest are folks who need someone to guide them (and those are usually newer authors).

If you want more flexibility and you know the sites you want, definitely go with the Promo Stacker rather than the pre-priced packages.

I normally try to weigh down the tail end of a promo run with the big hitters at the end, but that doesn't always happen for a variety of reasons that are out of my control, like Nicholas mentioned. I've found that doing it this way brings better post-promotion ROI and a stickier rank to boot.

Back near the beginning, I used to do fancier FB ads with custom graphics and all that stuff. With my currently insane schedule there's unfortunately just no way I can manage that kind of thing anymore. I do narrow audiences down like a mother, though. I do everything I possibly can to make sure the folks seeing the ad are the same folks who would be deeply interested in reading your ebook. There are not multiple ads for the same book aimed at different audiences or anything like that - I've been whipping them together long enough that I pretty much know what is going to work best given the limited time and resources at my disposal. (Note: if authors want me to leave off FB ads all they need to do is say so on the additional comments field of the order form. I'll still use up the same amount of the budget by getting you more paid venues instead.)


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## ketosis (Apr 19, 2013)

Just booked your services on a big upcoming UF release I have next month.  I have been eyeing your thread for the past month or so, and am very happy to be working with you.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

loganbyrne said:


> Just booked your services on a big upcoming UF release I have next month. I have been eyeing your thread for the past month or so, and am very happy to be working with you.


Just saw your order, Logan, thanks!


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## 98368 (Sep 4, 2017)

Finally getting around to posting the results of the promos I booked with Ram for my 3-book series. The books are kind of a hybrid UF/SF. The specific results for book 1, which I sold for $0, are in a previous thread.

It's been a while since the promo for book 2, so I'm just going to post the final results.

Sales at $0 (book 1 in series): 2,807
Total paid sales (all 3 books): 113
Total page reads (all 3 books): 3,778

Both books 1 and 2 were ranked in the top 100 in a couple of paid categories for a while there, although neither is now.

In some ways, I was disappointed with the results, but this has utterly nothing to do with Ram's service. I believe that a somewhat too-high price for book 2 ($2.99) dampened its sales, so I ran the promo for book 3 at $0.99 and got much better results in terms of volume. ROI? No. But I wasn't expecting this. Exposure, sales, and reviews were my goals.

The 3 books now have a combined total of 50 reviews, most of them from the ARC service (Hidden Gems). Some other reviews are from purchasers.

I ran AMS ads for all 3 books during the promos. Some of the sales are from the ads, which are still running.

I have only 4 books total out under the pen I'm using, so I'm really just starting out, and I think for that, these are pretty good results. I learned a lot during this promo and got ace guidance from Ram before, during, and after. His advice is invaluable, to say the least.

I'll definitely be using his services again, although maybe I'll get brave and do the promo stacker instead of a package, which is what I used this time. There's so much else to do--in fact I ended up with a massive chart detailing tasks and deadlines for all 3 books--that having someone else take care of the promo sites was terrific.

I know there're authors on kboards who feel one shouldn't be spending more money on promos, etc,. than they're earning as an author, but this business of indie authoring is new to me, and I'm my own investor.

Side note: All 3 books and also my stand-alone have all been getting good page reads and some sales since the last promo ended on the 12th. This is a huge deal for me and very encouraging and energizing.

Many thanks, Ram!


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Just popping in to let everyone know that I have plenty of time this weekend to handle new orders. That might change a bit over Feb 1st - 7th or so as I'll be moving into my new crib. So...get your orders in early. 

New clients are also always welcome. Come check out the service and let's see what I can do for ya!



RTW said:


> Many thanks, Ram!


You are most welcome. Glad to be of service!


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

I've just completed my move and the office is back in action 100%. Apologies for the later-than-usual reply to anyone who messaged me over the last few days.  

I'll be updating the thread soon with new venues which are being added to the service! Thanks everyone!


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

UPDATE:

Clients can now get Professional quality BOOK TRAILERS from the highly regarded production company *Corr Commercials* when ordering a Promo Stacker / "You Build It" order!

(You can check out some examples of their work here: https://corrcommercials.com/our-work/ and their thread on kboards here: https://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,234439.0.html)

*How does it work?*

Basically, like all the other services on my list, you provide me with the needed info and I do all the legwork on your behalf. Turnaround time is a maximum of 10 days.

It's as simple as that.

My goal with this add-on is to make your production cycle easier and more efficient, while keeping your costs consistent. Plus, I figured some authors might have been wanting to try something like this out anyway and going through me for it would be a good introduction. 

NOTE: Clients purchasing pre-priced packages ("We Build It") can still get me to handle a book trailer package for them - just let me know in the additional comments section of the order form and I'll get in touch with you about it!

-

P.S. COMING SOON: I've got several more promotional venues already lined up which will be offering exclusive Book Rank client discounts. Look for more updates just around the corner!


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

I've carved out a bit of time this weekend for some more orders, so bring it on if you got 'em!


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

UPDATE: New Venues Added!

I've added two new venues to my lists. Both come with a nice discount, which is passed along to all my wonderful and totally awesome clients.

*Red Hot & Romantic*

*Ebookasaurus*


*** Also, I've modified the OP to reflect these new venue additions, but if you don't want to navigate back there, here's the fully updated (and growing really, reeeealy long) list of venues which Book Rank is able to offer exclusive discounts on for our clients:

-My Romance Reads
-BookSends
-Just Kindle Books
-Brazen Bookshelf
-Shifted Sheets & Uncarved Book Promotions
-Hot Stuff Romance
-eBookHounds
-ExciteSteam
-Ebook Betty (Betty Book Freak)
-ShareBear Newsletter
-Full Hearts Romance
-eBookSoda
-Awesomegang (Multi-site Promo Option Only)
-Romance Devoured
-The Wolf Pack
-Ebook Itch
-Bargain Booksy (non-romance genres only!)
-Freebooksy (non-romance genres only!)
-New In Books
-Crave Romance
-CraveReads
-Love Kissed Books
-MMW Bad Boy Promos
-Red Roses Romance
-Shameless Book Deals
-Author's XP
-Book Trailers from Corr Commercials (NEW!)
-Red Hot & Romantic (NEW!)
-Ebookasaurus (NEW!)


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

I'm all caught up and have plenty of availability for new orders, new clients, whatever - all week long!


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

Just signed up for the Silver Package for two weeks' time. I'll share my results here


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Bumpin' cause I got a pretty light schedule tomorrow.

Hit me with your orders before the end of the month if you can. I have a feeling March is going to be insane.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

I've had my coffee and checked my schedule. Plenty of availability for new orders all week. Bring it on.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Today I've added two new venues to my Romance list:

*The Sweetest Romance*

http://thesweetestromance.com/

and

*Bad Boy Romance . Com*

http://badboyromance.com/

Both are owned and operated by the wonderful Scarlett Skyes, the same person in charge of Shameless Book Deals.

Regular promotions are FREE at both sites. Featured spots are $5. There's an extra $5 charge for titles without an ASIN.


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## chrisebookslibrary (Feb 26, 2018)

I am thinking about repackaging my Watcher series which is borderline Christain fiction and getting ready to release book 3....do you think your service would be a good fit?


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

chrisebookslibrary said:


> I am thinking about repackaging my Watcher series which is borderline Christain fiction and getting ready to release book 3....do you think your service would be a good fit?


The genre really doesn't matter as long as it's not erotica. I've managed promotions and marketing for several dozen Christian-themed novels (romance & literature, mostly) over the last year with good results.


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## Issy (Aug 25, 2013)

Just wanted to pop in and give this service a big thumbs-up from me! I think this is the second or third time I've used the self-selection promo stacker for a non-romance book, but it's the first time I've had such amazing results. It's always paid for itself before, but this time, it's done brilliantly.

I promoted the first in a series of 6 using some KU free days, and it reached number 10 in the whole Amazon store. I'm seeing great sell-through, and some cracking good reviews, and a lot more newsletter sign-ups too.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Issy said:


> Just wanted to pop in and give this service a big thumbs-up from me! I think this is the second or third time I've used the self-selection promo stacker for a non-romance book, but it's the first time I've had such amazing results. It's always paid for itself before, but this time, it's done brilliantly.
> 
> I promoted the first in a series of 6 using some KU free days, and it reached number 10 in the whole Amazon store. I'm seeing great sell-through, and some cracking good reviews, and a lot more newsletter sign-ups too.


Thanks, Issy!


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## chrisebookslibrary (Feb 26, 2018)

This maybe a dumb question but will ask anyway so please forgive me since I am new to this. How many times a year would you suggest using your service. I hear from some writers advertise very few months to avoid having your book seen over and over again. What do you suggest?


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

chrisebookslibrary said:


> This maybe a dumb question but will ask anyway so please forgive me since I am new to this. How many times a year would you suggest using your service. I hear from some writers advertise very few months to avoid having your book seen over and over again. What do you suggest?


Is this for the same book or for different books from the same author?


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## chrisebookslibrary (Feb 26, 2018)

A series and by the same author


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

chrisebookslibrary said:


> A series and by the same author


I'd at least promote every time you had a new release. For some authors, this is once a month, for others, less often.

You can either promote the first book in the series (I recommend making it permafree) each time or you can promote the latest book in the series (99c+). Which one you pick to promote is determined by your ultimate goal during that particular launch and where you are as an author.

Overpromotion is possible, but you usually have to spend a lot of money before you start running into diminishing returns...unless the book itself is not up to reader quality standards for your genre. If that's the case, any amount of advertising could be like flushing your money down the drain.


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## MH Johnson (Jan 7, 2017)

Just wanted to give some honest feedback.

I just had Raminar run a silver promotion for me, a first time author, and I'm ecstatic with the results. My free prequel is visible on the first pages of my chosen genres, so people can easily spot my book now. I had the first three books after the free prequel lined up, and I'm hoping I get some sort of traction or follow through, but I guess that depends on the quality of my writing and the interest of readers, of course. 

Even if the ratings just last for a heartbeat in time, as a new author with very little audience or exposure, I am grateful just for a decent shot at letting others see my work.

I know a lot of people hesitate to share any results, afraid of bad reviews. I think most people here are pretty awesome, however, and I wanted to give Raminar credit where it was due.

Thanks, Ram.

MH


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## Used To Be BH (Sep 29, 2016)

raminar_dixon said:


> You can either promote the first book in the series (I recommend making it permafree) each time or you can promote the latest book in the series (99c+). Which one you pick to promote is determined by your ultimate goal during that particular launch and where you are as an author.


I've tried in the past to promote later books in a series and found that a lot of promoters won't take books unless they are first in the series. Is that no longer true? Or are there enough promoters without the ones who won't do it to still make the promotional effort worthwhile?

It's unfortunate that only a few promoters are set up to do a promo for a whole series. Really, that would be the best way to go with an in-series new release, catching people who are new to the series and people who've already read part of it.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Bill Hiatt said:


> I've tried in the past to promote later books in a series and found that a lot of promoters won't take books unless they are first in the series. Is that no longer true? Or are there enough promoters without the ones who won't do it to still make the promotional effort worthwhile?
> 
> It's unfortunate that only a few promoters are set up to do a promo for a whole series. Really, that would be the best way to go with an in-series new release, catching people who are new to the series and people who've already read part of it.


Most of the venues I use have no restrictions in place requiring only first-in-series books to be promoted.

Only a handful that I'm aware of offer some kind of special deal where they promote your entire series. This kind of special option is usually quite expensive...but they are promoting multiple books for you.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Wow - quick announcement!

Last month was the biggest month ever - Book Rank managed just over *$65,000* worth of promotions in March alone. That's around 5 books per day with the average order being about $433. Can you believe I still haven't hired an assistant?

Many thanks to all my wonderful author customers and to the promotional venues I work with on a regular basis. Stay tuned for more discounts and additional venues to be added. Maybe we can make April even bigger!


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

I've been totally swamped but I'm still bumping this because I just freaking love it!


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## halliegoodway (Dec 17, 2017)

Hi Ram! Quick question, for those who write, let say, Fantasy PNR...what option should we choose? The Romance or non Romance? I mean for some sites, they have a different bookings for fantasy and romance genre...and I'm quite confused what to choose if ever.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

halliegoodway said:


> Hi Ram! Quick question, for those who write, let say, Fantasy PNR...what option should we choose? The Romance or non Romance? I mean for some sites, they have a different bookings for fantasy and romance genre...and I'm quite confused what to choose if ever.


Is the main focus of your book on the romantic relationship & ultimate outcome between two characters? Or is the main focus on something else? What's the cover look like? - is it a couple holding each other or a sexy shirtless dude...or is it mostly magic swirls, elves, dragons, or something else very fantasy-esque like that? The answers to these questions may help you hone in on which genre is the predominant one in your book, or at least let you figure out how your book might be perceived by potential readers.

Of course, you can always just mix it up and have some venues run it as Fantasy and some run it as PNR. I can fill the order however you want, all you have to do is let me know.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Haven't had a weekend bump in awhile!


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## 101569 (Apr 11, 2018)

Do you have promos for new authors publishing their first work?


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

idontknowyet said:


> Do you have promos for new authors publishing their first work?


Sure, that's no problem. There's no restriction on having written a certain number of books or anything before I'll take you on as a client.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

*UPDATE:*  

I've added Bookorium to my venue lists (both Romance and Non-Romance).

Right now promotions with them are FREE if you have an ASIN. If you don't have an ASIN, it's 5 bucks.

It is likely that they will be offering a reduced rate to Book Rank orders at some point in the future when they begin to charge for all promotions.

Look for more new venue announcements and Book Rank updates in the near future. I'm always on the lookout for effective sites to add to my list(s) and more discounts for my clients.

-

Also, I should probably mention that as part of their grand opening, they are currently doing an Author giveaway with like $8,000 worth of marketing, editing, and various professional services as the prize: http://bookorium.com/authorspublishers/bookorium-grand-opening-author-publisher-giveaway/ (ends June 8th)

They are also doing a reader giveaway with $1,000 of Amazon gift cards and KU subsciptions here: http://bookorium.com/promotion/bookorium-grand-opening/ (ends June 1st)


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

*UPDATE:
*
Exclusive to only Book Rank & Promo Stacker clients!

You can now get three SOLO romance promotions with the following venues for one massively discounted price:

Shifted Sheets
Ebook Itch
Secret Panty Drawer Romance

...all for $175. Normally, this would cost authors $220!


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Hump day Bump day


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

This thread deserves a big, thick...bump.


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## AriadneBeckett (Jun 29, 2017)

A question for ram and anyone who's used the service....

Reading the comments from authors leaves me a bit unclear about whether using this service can actually generate a return on investment. I saw some people doing it on free books, which seems pointless? 

If I were to book promos for the launch of a title, could I expect to earn money after the cost of the promos? Or is the idea that it would help the title rank higher on amazon and thus gain more organic readers? Or is it a vanity thing? Or is it for established authors with large catalogs, hoping to gain new readers?

Sorry for the questions, I'm interested in maybe paying for promotion on my next book, or even an existing one, but it would need to at least pay for itself. This isn't so much a question about whether Ram's service is valid (I'd happily pay someone to do the legwork for me!), but whether the entire concept of paying for promotions is valid.


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## Used To Be BH (Sep 29, 2016)

AriadneBeckett said:


> A question for ram and anyone who's used the service....
> 
> Reading the comments from authors leaves me a bit unclear about whether using this service can actually generate a return on investment. I saw some people doing it on free books, which seems pointless?
> 
> ...


As far as paying for promotions is concerned, what's the other alternative? There aren't too many people out there who can keep their books visible without some kind of paid promotion every so often.

That said, it's good to consider ROI when choosing among alternatives. Unfortunately, sometimes ROI is trial-and-error. My second newest release earned back several times over. My newest release, with the same promotions utilized, didn't come close. (For some reason, that book just doesn't appeal, though as far as I can tell, it's as good as my other titles.) Advertisers perform differently for different people (and sometimes, as my case illustrates, different books).

Ram's service gives you the opportunity to try a wide range of promoters without having to do the legwork. Then you can tell which ones actually performed well for you and which didn't. At that point, you have some data to work with and can do customized promotions with Ram, using only the promoters that performed the previous time, or you can schedule with those promoters yourself, particularly if there are just a few you want to use.


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## 98368 (Sep 4, 2017)

I agree with Bill. I've had a similar experience. One thing, though--I just scheduled my own promos, thinking that it'd be easy to do since I knew which sites I wanted to use . . . but . . . I wish I'd used Ram's service! I spent the better part of a day setting everything up and still have more work to do. My time would definitely have been better spent doing something else. Like writing, for example.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Bill hit the nail on the head. But I'll try to add on to that:

I try to look at promotions and advertising the same way as cover art, editing, etc. - they are all investments. Sometimes your investments pay off and you turn a profit; sometimes they don't. The best basic advice for investing (in anything, really) is to never spend more than you can afford to lose. If it pays off- Yippie! If not... well, at least you didn't gamble with your rent money.

Also, heavy competition in just about every genre makes it much less likely for an author (especially a new one with zero following) to release a new book and not just sort of blend into the background of a thousand other books. Advertising shines a spotlight on your book. If your book matches what the market of readers expects and wants, then you stand a very good chance of increasing your book's ranking and your profit. If your book _doesn't_ do those things, then advertising won't do much to help you.

I will turn away clients and advise them on what to fix first if I feel like their book will not benefit from advertising. This isn't just me being selfless/helpful for the sake of being helpful or something, either. It's important for me to maintain certain standards too- many of the venues regularly use Book Rank like a sort of pre-filter and accept what I send them because they trust my judgement in the quality & marketability of a book. If I start sending them subpar books to advertise, they'll stop being so easy for me to work with.

I should probably also mention that every once in a blue moon I'll see a book that seemingly hits all the marks and still fails with appropriate advertising. Even more rarely, I'll see a book that doesn't align all that well with what readers seem to want but it takes off and does great anyway with just a handful of ads. In most cases, the reason behind the success or failure isn't readily apparent. It happens, it is extremely difficult or impossible to explain, and everyone should be ready for it just in case...good or bad.

To touch on some of your other questions:

-Part of the power behind advertising lies in getting a book into the top 100, category and/or Kindle Store. The chances that a book is successful greatly increases once this happens because more eyes are on it and because Amazon gives additional 'pimpage' to books which rank well.

-Yes, a small minority of authors use advertising at least partially for vanity reasons. Whatever floats their boat is fine by me.

-Many established authors use my service to do regular promotions for their older titles. Promo of back catalog helps keep a pen name fresh and in the minds of readers. It also brings new readers into the fold through series starters or just good books that generate interest in the author and their other works.

TLDR; Promotions and advertising wouldn't exist if they didn't at least sometimes work. Also, don't spend more than you can afford to lose.


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## Used To Be BH (Sep 29, 2016)

RTW said:


> I agree with Bill. I've had a similar experience. One thing, though--I just scheduled my own promos, thinking that it'd be easy to do since I knew which sites I wanted to use . . . but . . . I wish I'd used Ram's service! I spent the better part of a day setting everything up and still have more work to do. My time would definitely have been better spent doing something else. Like writing, for example.


Yes, the time saving is worth the money to me as well. Doing a really thorough setup, like for a new release, takes at least a full working day.


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## AriadneBeckett (Jun 29, 2017)

Some really great advice here, thank you all so much for the detailed answer to my question. I think it sounds like it boils down to "make sure you have something really sound to promote, then try it and cross your fingers."


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

UPDATE: 

I've added HotRead's Romance Deals Newsletter to my romance venue list. Clients get an exclusive 25% discount from their regular pricing along with priority booking on Regular spots when going through Book Rank/Promo Stacker.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Hump day, bump day   

Going on vacation or just want a break? Turn "promotion ordering day" into "sipping a cold beverage by the pool day" and let me take care of it for you.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Got a new release coming up?










Frustrated by the crazy amount of work still left to do?










Wish you could just let someone else handle all the promotions and advertising?










Then what the heck are you waiting for? Order a Book Rank pre-priced package or customize your own campaign with the Promo Stacker service today!


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Lets make some more top 100's.

Bummmmmmmp


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## C. Rysalis (Feb 26, 2015)

It was a pleasure to work with you. Can't wait to see the results


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Quick bump-date: The last week or two has been filled with many clients trying to get orders in so promotions land before "back to school" hits (and I certainly don't blame them!). 

If you are planning on running promotions between August 7th - August 19th, you'd best get your order in with me ASAP.


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## Jasonwinn (Sep 6, 2015)

Ram - I'll be signing up in a few months with the release of my second book in a series.

One question - I'll have the audio book from the first book in the series done at the end of September. Do you have any promo options for audio books?


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Jasonwinn said:


> Ram - I'll be signing up in a few months with the release of my second book in a series.
> 
> One question - I'll have the audio book from the first book in the series done at the end of September. Do you have any promo options for audio books?


There are a few sites which advertise ebooks which will also advertise your audiobook link at the same time in a promotion.

I don't really have any experience with venues which promote _strictly_ audiobooks. Of course, I can always add in whatever site you want if you have someplace in mind.


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## Used To Be BH (Sep 29, 2016)

raminar_dixon said:


> I don't really have any experience with venues which promote _strictly_ audiobooks.


You don't know of any because there aren't many, in contrast to ebooks.

I haven't used them recently, but Audavoxx advertises audio books, and some of their ad options are cheap enough that it's easy to achieve a positive ROI with even a couple of sales. http://audavoxx.com/promote-with-us/

I notice Findaway Voices is pushing for simultaneous release of ebooks and audiobooks. I don't have the patience for that, but I can see it becoming more of a thing, in which case more promoters may include an audio option. The only ones I can recall with audio links are ENT and Fussy Librarian, but there may be others by now.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Bill Hiatt said:


> You don't know of any because there aren't many, in contrast to ebooks.
> 
> I haven't used them recently, but Audavoxx advertises audio books, and some of their ad options are cheap enough that it's easy to achieve a positive ROI with even a couple of sales. http://audavoxx.com/promote-with-us/
> 
> I notice Findaway Voices is pushing for simultaneous release of ebooks and audiobooks. I don't have the patience for that, but I can see it becoming more of a thing, in which case more promoters may include an audio option. The only ones I can recall with audio links are ENT and Fussy Librarian, but there may be others by now.


Ah, very cool, Bill. Thanks! I'll have to keep them in mind.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

I can't believe it's already August...where has 2018 gone?? 

Another prime book release season is coming up soon. Are you ready? Give me a shout if there's any way I can give you a hand.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

*UPDATE: New Venue Added + Discount!*

I've added on the advertising services of The Masque of the Red Pen to my Promo Stacker list and I'll be using them in selective Book Rank pre-priced campaigns.

The Masque of the Red Pen specializes in romance but also offers non-romance promotions on all sorts of literature: Science Fiction, Poetry, Prepper/SHTF fiction, Cozy Mystery...and more.

They have a well-engaged list of over 12k subscribers and have close availability (1-2 weeks in most cases).

My clients will save $15 on Solo and Featured ads and $5 on Regular ads with them.


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## 101569 (Apr 11, 2018)

raminar_dixon said:


> *UPDATE: New Venue Added + Discount!*
> 
> I've added on the advertising services of The Masque of the Red Pen to my Promo Stacker list and I'll be using them in selective Book Rank pre-priced campaigns.
> 
> ...


I went to look at this new site that you added. All the features are from 2015 cover reveals etc.

I am very interested in your service since it looks like it would be helpful when I release my first book, but this site has me questioning it a bit.


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## Used To Be BH (Sep 29, 2016)

idontknowyet said:


> I went to look at this new site that you added. All the features are from 2015 cover reveals etc.
> 
> I am very interested in your service since it looks like it would be helpful when I release my first book, but this site has me questioning it a bit.


I checked and the top two listed new releases are from August 6 and July 31 of this year. I think the problem is that the website has a "You May Also Like" routine that pulls similar (but outdated) listings in under the current features. The site might well be better off without that, though if a reader wasn't just interested in promotional pricing, they might find some similar books that way.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

> I went to look at this new site that you added. All the features are from 2015 cover reveals etc.
> 
> I am very interested in your service since it looks like it would be helpful when I release my first book, but this site has me questioning it a bit.


I understand where you're coming from. A few things:

-This site is new to my list and is on a sort of probationary period. I vetted them as thoroughly as I could, but yes, they must past muster and provide a reasonably effective service for the price. I managed to negotiate a pretty hefty discount to help bring the prices in line with what other, similar services provide based on list size, engagement, etc. This is what I try to do with every site that makes it to my list. Most make it, but over the last year and a half others have been removed for various reasons.

-The services I'm offering to clients from this service are simple newsletter promotions. The cover reveals and such that you are seeing on their site are not on offer. Also, like Bill mentioned, the old listings are just part of some image carousel they have on the site - they have done plenty of recent promotions (as recent as yesterday).

-My clients are always free to leave off sites they don't want when either ordering via the Promo Stacker or when purchasing a pre-priced campaign. If you don't want me to use them (or any other site), I won't. Simple as that.

I'm very happy to hear that you're interested in the service and hopefully I'll get a chance to work with you soon. Let me know if you have any other concerns whatsoever and I'd be happy to address them.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Time for Tuesday bumpage. 

I've got plenty of availability for new orders and new clients right now! Get your orders in ASAP if you're planning on running promotions during September.


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## caitlynlynch (Oct 21, 2016)

Sent a message through the BookRank site - desperately in need of your expertise!


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

caitlynlynch said:


> Sent a message through the BookRank site - desperately in need of your expertise!


Check your email - I sent you a message.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

If bumping this is wrong, I don't wanna feel right.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

*UPDATE*: New Romance Venue Added

I've added Pillow Talk Books to my romance Promo Stacker list and will incorporating their promotions into select Book Rank packages. They accept all genres of romance and specialize in Steamy, Contemporary, Erotica, New Adult, Suspense & Sweet.

Promo Stacker & Book Rank clients will receive promotions at discount. PTB will also accept new releases from my clients so an ASIN is not necessary.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Bumpin' cause I'm all caught up and have plenty of availability for new orders and new clients through September.

EDIT: I'm also copying the discounted venue list here because wow- there are a lot of venues (32, to be exact) where I am able to pass along discounts to my clients now. _No other marketing service_ that I'm aware of offers anything like this.

-My Romance Reads
-BookSends
-Just Kindle Books
-Brazen Bookshelf
-Shifted Sheets & Uncarved Book Promotions
-Hot Stuff Romance
-eBookHounds
-ExciteSteam
-Ebook Betty (Betty Book Freak)
-ShareBear Newsletter
-Full Hearts Romance
-eBookSoda
-Awesomegang (Multi-site Promo Option Only)
-Romance Devoured
-The Wolf Pack
-Ebook Itch
-Bargain Booksy (non-romance genres only!)
-Freebooksy (non-romance genres only!)
-New In Books
-Crave Romance
-CraveReads
-Love Kissed Books
-MMW Bad Boy Promos
-Red Roses Romance
-Shameless Book Deals
-Author's XP
-Book Trailers from Corr Commercials
-Red Hot & Romantic
-Ebookasaurus
-Masque of the Red Pen (NEW!)
-Pillow Talk Books (NEW!)


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Hurricane Florence is headed my way so if you're placing orders and unable to reach me or don't get my usual quick response, it's probably because I've lost power/internet/I'm underwater/I'm rag-dolling through the air/one of the above.

Hang in there and I'll get back with you as soon as I can!

(loads shotgun to fire "warning shots" at hurricane as it approaches)


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## 101569 (Apr 11, 2018)

raminar_dixon said:


> Hurricane Florence is headed my way so if you're placing orders and unable to reach me or don't get my usual quick response, it's probably because I've lost power/internet/I'm underwater/I'm rag-dolling through the air/one of the above.
> 
> Hang in there and I'll get back with you as soon as I can!
> 
> (loads shotgun to fire "warning shots" at hurricane as it approaches)


Rofl!!

Be safe!


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Thanks, guys! Looks like Florence is outta here completely now. The worst we had included downed branches and a bit of light rain. I'd say the Charleston area of the Low Country got lucky this time.

Sympathies to anyone affected more negatively by this storm- it was certainly a doozy.

Anyway, all my orders are caught up right now so *my availability is pretty much instant*. If you need promotions anytime soon put your order in and I'll take care of you.


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## JaclynDolamore (Nov 5, 2015)

Glad you made it out all right!


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

For those of you who have the time, I'd love some feedback if possible:

-How or where do you typically concentrate most of your advertising these days? AMS? Facebook? Something else?

-What percentage of your ad budget do you typically spend on email marketing/newsletter venues?

-What service or product could Book Rank offer you that it isn't already? My goal is to save you time and reduce your workload. If I'm also able to save you money in the process, bonus!

-Is there something I'm doing wrong or something that I could do better?

Thanks!


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Back in the office. Turbo speed resumed.

New clients and new orders - engage.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

*Slaps thread on the rear*

Hey ya'll. Just giving the ol' girl here a bump.


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## Vinny OHare (May 3, 2013)

It is a real pleasure working with you. You are so professional and I can tell you love the authors that you are working with.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Vinny OHare said:


> It is a real pleasure working with you. You are so professional and I can tell you love the authors that you are working with.


Thanks! You too, Vinny!

I totally love working with my clients and helping them reach their goals. Watching an author's book do well and knowing I had even a small hand in that success is always a bit of a thrill.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

The Humpty Dance is your chance to do the hbump.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBsjggc5jHM


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Saturday bumptastic.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

This bump is all empty calories.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Fourscore and seven bumps ago...


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

...because there hasn't been a bump in a good, long while.


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## JaclynDolamore (Nov 5, 2015)

Recently I booked a promo with Ram, choosing a week when Robin Reads had a lot of openings, and I guess between the time of booking and paying/scheduling, all their openings vanished. Ram actually managed to get me in anyway. I wouldn't have even bothered asking. Plus he couldn't have been more gracious over my dismay asking what happened. This service continues to be worth every penny for time savings AND peace of mind, and my promos have all gone really well.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

UPDATE:

---New Venues added, more discounts---

*Fussy Librarian* was already on my list, but they have now been upgraded to a preferred venue. I'm now able to offer my clients better pricing at FL and priority booking, too.

*BookRunes* has been added as a preferred venue. Promo Stacker/Book Rank clients who wish to use their service will get a discounted rate.

I've got a few other venues I'm waiting to hear back from and I'm going to be working on getting even better discounts from the sites on my list over the next weeks and months.



JaclynDolamore said:


> Recently I booked a promo with Ram, choosing a week when Robin Reads had a lot of openings, and I guess between the time of booking and paying/scheduling, all their openings vanished. Ram actually managed to get me in anyway. I wouldn't have even bothered asking. Plus he couldn't have been more gracious over my dismay asking what happened. This service continues to be worth every penny for time savings AND peace of mind, and my promos have all gone really well.


Thanks for the feedback, Jaclyn! Keeping my clients happy is goal numero uno!


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## Kingdavid757 (Oct 23, 2018)

I booked the service a couple weeks ago for my upcoming book (the promotions will start next week). I loved the ease of just filling out the form and waiting (the hard part). Get a nice list with dates and venues, everything already scheduled and set up. was pretty awesome. I still ended up getting a couple more venues on my own. 

If I can afford it, I will use this service for every book launch (unless I figure out different launch tactics/techniques.) a lot of the venues I have used in promotions before but there were a few I didn't know about.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

UPDATE:

Book Doggy has been added on to my preferred venue list.

My clients will enjoy a discounted rate on their promotions there, as usual. 



Kingdavid757 said:


> I booked the service a couple weeks ago for my upcoming book (the promotions will start next week). I loved the ease of just filling out the form and waiting (the hard part). Get a nice list with dates and venues, everything already scheduled and set up. was pretty awesome. I still ended up getting a couple more venues on my own.
> 
> If I can afford it, I will use this service for every book launch (unless I figure out different launch tactics/techniques.) a lot of the venues I have used in promotions before but there were a few I didn't know about.


Glad to help, Kingdavid! Hopefully I'll be able to assist you again in the future.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Yet another UPDATE + more discounts for clients:

I've added the romance promo service Smexy Librarian to my list as a preferred venue.

As always, preferred venues are marked with a *$* on my list, indicating that clients who use my service will save money on that venue when booking through me.

...

BookSends' new ARC program has been added to my romance and non-romance lists. It's a new service that's just taking off and you should give it a try if you're looking for a few reviews.

...

PLUS - with the new year, I've been going through my list and contacting venues and asking for even greater discounts. So far, many have agreed. I've still got more to go, but by the end of the month I hope to have the absolute *least expensive way* ANYWHERE for authors to book promotions. The end goal is to make it so it's always cheaper for you to let Book Rank handle scheduling your promotions than it would be to do it yourself -- saving you huge time and money.


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## botolo (Feb 28, 2017)

What's the user rating of each venue based on?


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

botolo said:


> What's the user rating of each venue based on?


A large group of authors was polled about their experiences with the venues which have star ratings. This has been semi-updated, but not really recently. It will be changing soon.

I'm going to wind up providing my own star ratings eventually, based on the following factors:

-How much of a discount the venue provides
-How quickly the venue sends out a scheduling confirmation
-The overall price:effectiveness ratio of the venue
-How easy the ordering and payment process is
-How reliable the venue is

The venues which do the best on the above metrics will have the highest rating.


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## SND (May 26, 2017)

Hi Ram,

As it pertains to using your service; for a standalone new release would you consider Kindle Unlimited enrolment and 99c to be more ideal than say, wide and 'regular' price?

Thanks.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

SND said:


> Hi Ram,
> 
> As it pertains to using your service; for a standalone new release would you consider Kindle Unlimited enrolment and 99c to be more ideal than say, wide and 'regular' price?
> 
> Thanks.


I'd say that the service works fine for either one and there are pros and cons for each strategy.

If you are planning on promoting wide, the service makes your life even easier because there are so many links you'd have to plug in to the venues and I do that for you. Some people might be surprised just how much extra work is involved in promoting a wide release vs. a KU release for just this reason. However, a full-priced promotion will limit the possible venues that will accept your book somewhat.


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## botolo (Feb 28, 2017)

Ram, quick question for you. I see that you have special partnerships with some of the channels you use. Do you think it would be possible to get a slot for the Hidden Gems ARC service? I see that for Women's Fiction and General Fiction they are booked until December 2019 :-(


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

botolo said:


> Ram, quick question for you. I see that you have special partnerships with some of the channels you use. Do you think it would be possible to get a slot for the Hidden Gems ARC service? I see that for Women's Fiction and General Fiction they are booked until December 2019 :-(


Sometimes they will squeeze me in if they have an opening. For their most popular categories though, the wait can still be many weeks or even months.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."

-Wayne Gretzky

    -Michael Scott

          -Raminar Dixon


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## Vinny OHare (May 3, 2013)

I love that Wayne Gretzky quote I use it all the time.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

It's been awhile since I've bumped this thread and today seemed like a good time to do just that.

I'm still working on sorting my list and obtaining more venues and better discounts. Look for changes over the coming weeks that will make your experience easier and save you even more money.



Vinny OHare said:


> I love that Wayne Gretzky quote I use it all the time.


What are you talking about? Obviously I'm the one who said it. See how I attributed my name? 

Seriously though it is a great quote and very apropos in the promotion and marketing industry.


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## Vinny OHare (May 3, 2013)

raminar_dixon said:


> It's been awhile since I've bumped this thread and today seemed like a good time to do just that.
> 
> I'm still working on sorting my list and obtaining more venues and better discounts. Look for changes over the coming weeks that will make your experience easier and save you even more money.
> 
> ...


I need to get you details on our audiobook site


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## botolo (Feb 28, 2017)

Do you provide some sort of performance tracking for each promotional channel? If I stack 10/20 channels, how do I know which one performed better?


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

botolo said:


> Do you provide some sort of performance tracking for each promotional channel? If I stack 10/20 channels, how do I know which one performed better?


I don't provide any performance tracking and there's not really any way I could since I'm not privy to your sales data or the click/view data obtained by the venues. So, I don't track anything like that - the service being offered here is mostly just me saving you time and headache by ordering and scheduling promotions for you based on my expertise and connections, along with passing on a bit of the exclusive discounts that many venues offer to me. I mean, there's more to it than that -- just check out the OP if you want all the details on what's being offered.

If you stack 20 venues all on the same day there's no real way to know which performed better outside of asking the venues how many clicks your book got in their newsletter/on their website. Some would likely give you said information while others might not. It is extremely uncommon for anyone to ask for this data because even if they give it to you, you're having to trust that they are giving you 100% correct data and not inflating the results.

If you want to track roughly how well differing promotional venues perform, your best bet is to request that I schedule a different venue for each day of your promotion. While this might not bring the best results or rank movement, at least you'll learn which venues work best for your type of books.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Hey everyone, just putting this out there wayyy in advance so you'll be properly notified.

Book Rank /Promo Stacker will closed for vacation from March 11th - March 14th. If you are planning on placing an order anytime around then, I encourage you to do it early or wait until I'm back. I won't be answering emails unless its a dire emergency and even then what I can do to resolve said emergency will be seriously limited.

You will still be able to place orders with the service during this period. Just know that I won't be able to start work on your order until I get back.

And no worries if you are a current client and have promotions set to run sometime around that period. Everything should go off without a hitch. Just be sure to get me your ASIN ahead of the 11th if at all possible.

Thanks!


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Giving this bad boy a bump. I've got plenty of availability all week!


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## Anna Lowe (Sep 12, 2014)

I can highly recommend this service. They really follow through and are quick to respond to requests. They have saved me hours of time and aggravation which is well worth the expense (an expense I can take off my taxes, making it even more of a no-brainer).


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Things have been crazy the last few weeks but I've still got plenty of time for new orders.

Also, I am still working on developing more alternative promotion methods and still seeking out better and better prices for clients.  As soon as I have a sizable update, I'll let you know.



Anna Lowe said:


> I can highly recommend this service. They really follow through and are quick to respond to requests. They have saved me hours of time and aggravation which is well worth the expense (an expense I can take off my taxes, making it even more of a no-brainer).


Thanks so much, Anna. It's been a true pleasure working with you.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Time for a nice bump.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Hey everyone! I'm currently helping my dad out post-surgery (a kidney AND liver transplant!) so my response time might be a bit slow over the next few weeks. If I don't get back with you right away hang in there, I've likely seen your email or message already and will respond as soon as I can.

Thanks!


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

I'm back in the office and dad is doing great. Modern medicine is insane. He is a new man and deeply driven to enjoy and cherish his second chance at life.  

Thanks so much for all the well-wishes!!


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## A. N. Other Author (Oct 11, 2014)

I know there are no guarantees on these sorts of things, but do you have a rough idea on how the 0.99 Bronze and Silver non-romance stackers perform on new releases? Crime thriller genre. 

Any case studies, etc, would be especially welcome, but interested in any comments.

(NB - I used the Silver one to great effect with an established free book, so I know the service is legit, but a 0.99 launch is a different prospect entirely)


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

A. N. Other Author said:


> I know there are no guarantees on these sorts of things, but do you have a rough idea on how the 0.99 Bronze and Silver non-romance stackers perform on new releases? Crime thriller genre.
> 
> Any case studies, etc, would be especially welcome, but interested in any comments.
> 
> (NB - I used the Silver one to great effect with an established free book, so I know the service is legit, but a 0.99 launch is a different prospect entirely)


Anything I told you would be speculation, a wild guess, pure conjecture. So much relies on your book and blurb that it isn't even funny.

Even if I saw your book and blurb I wouldn't be able to tell you.

I don't like providing any speculation on results because there's really no benefit to either of us even if I _happen_ to guess correctly. Any previous examples I give could show enormously different results than what you get because they are a different book.

I would however say that if you are no longer just trying out Book Rank to see if you like the service, you'll want to do at least a Silver campaign. $200 for a Bronze promotion doesn't go very far when some venues charge $50+ for a spot. The Bronze campaign mostly exists so that authors and publishers who don't know me can test the waters and make sure I'm not some internet hooligan.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

UPDATE: *Series* Promotional Campaigns Now Available  

++ For ROMANCE only right now. Opening to Non-romance soon. ++

https://form.jotform.com/91585516923970

Have you ever wished you could easily promote an _entire series_ at once? In the past, most venues didn't offer any way to do this. Usually, authors had to rely on Facebook ads to advertise their series. If they wanted to use the newsletter services, they were limited to promoting one title at a time which could be much more expensive, time-consuming, and didn't always get eyes on every book in the series.

Now there's a new opportunity for authors to promote their book series and all the books in them at once, with a single ad. After a few weeks of communication, I've convinced many venues to start offering romance series promotions!

Note: Series promotions are also _GREAT_ for author *groups*. If you collaborate with other authors to create series on a regular basis and need a way to advertise them all at once with a pooled budget you should definitely take advantage of this opportunity. It really doesn't get much easier or economical.

Other stuff:

-As always, Book Rank clients get a much better price than non-clients. Also, some of the venues are only extending these series promotions to Book Rank clients and you can't even access them without going through me.

-Most venues will be sending these ads out as "solo" newsletters. Those who don't offer solo newsletters give series promotions top billing instead.

-You'll need to have a "single-image collage" which depicts the individual book covers of all the books in your series. This gives venues the ability to easily advertise your entire series at once with just one image. If you don't have a collage image like this Book Rank can make you one (see the extras options at the bottom of the order form).

-You can select "Choose for Me" if you aren't sure which venues you or your group want, but you do know your budget. I'll go through and pick out the best venues and come in under your given budget.

-You'll need a "series blurb" which gives a brief overview of the series and describes the pricing (ex. "all books 99c"). I don't need individual blurbs for each title.

-If you don't have an Amazon series page (ex. with Harry Potter - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074BYZBPD) then you'll need a landing page where all the books can be linked and displayed. Most authors do this on their website. If neither of these is a possibility for you, Book Rank can create and host a landing page for your book series (see the extras at the bottom of the order form).

-Uniform pricing. You'll want either:

a) all titles priced the same.

or

b) the first book priced low (or free) and the other titles priced the same. (ex. book 1 is free and books 2 - 5 are all 2.99)

...this just makes the advertising far easier and more effective.

 And that's pretty much it. If you have any questions post away and I'll answer as soon as I can. Thanks to all and hope you have a nice weekend!


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## kswalker (Apr 26, 2013)

This sounds interesting! I'm getting New covers for a series right now and plan on a promotion when they're finished. I'll keep an eye open for the non-romance series option then.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Givin' the old girl a bump.


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## kswalker (Apr 26, 2013)

Booked a promotion for book 1 in my steampunk series at 99c when book 2 came out. Wow! It was a crazy week watching all the books fly off the shelves (digitally speaking). This has been my most successful promotion yet, way beyond anything I've done myself, and I love that I didn't have to do any of the work. I will definitely be using this service again.

Biggest moment was seeing my book at #2 in LGBT Sci-fi for several days. The best part: #1 was the 50th anniversary edition of The Left Hand of Darkness. Ursula K. Le Guin is my idol and just being on the same page as one of her most important books was a lifetime achievement.

I actually had several people asking me what kinds of promos I was doing, so I guess I got their attention. I sent them all your way, Ram. Thanks for an awesome week!


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Just a quick update since I haven't done one in a while:

I've now added Book Gorilla as a preferred venue, which means authors get a discount when booking a promotion there through my services.

Authors will save $10 on the cost of a regular 99c promotion there and $20 off the cost of a promotion on books priced from $1.00-$2.99. You're welcome! 

--

I'm in the process now of looking into new venues to add to my list. Are there any really good places YOU'VE found out there to promote your books? I'm not looking for the next Bookbub (though that would be great), but if you know any sites/facebook pages/newsletters/etc. that gave you a positive result after you bought from them, I'd be really happy to hear all about it.

Thanks!!



kswalker said:


> Booked a promotion for book 1 in my steampunk series at 99c when book 2 came out. Wow! It was a crazy week watching all the books fly off the shelves (digitally speaking). This has been my most successful promotion yet, way beyond anything I've done myself, and I love that I didn't have to do any of the work. I will definitely be using this service again.
> 
> Biggest moment was seeing my book at #2 in LGBT Sci-fi for several days. The best part: #1 was the 50th anniversary edition of The Left Hand of Darkness. Ursula K. Le Guin is my idol and just being on the same page as one of her most important books was a lifetime achievement.
> 
> I actually had several people asking me what kinds of promos I was doing, so I guess I got their attention. I sent them all your way, Ram. Thanks for an awesome week!


So happy to hear about your success, ks! I'm looking forward to working with you again in the future.


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## LadyG (Sep 3, 2015)

Is your service only for new releases?


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

LadyG said:


> Is your service only for new releases?


Your book doesn't need to be a new release to qualify. In fact, lots of authors use the service to handle regular, recurring promotions on their backlist titles as well as on their newly-released and upcoming titles.


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## LadyG (Sep 3, 2015)

raminar_dixon said:


> Your book doesn't need to be a new release to qualify. In fact, lots of authors use the service to handle regular, recurring promotions on their backlist titles as well as on their newly-released and upcoming titles.


Thanks!


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Quick Update:

I've now added *Kindle Nation Daily* to my romance venue list and made them a preferred venue for both my romance and non-romance lists. This means clients get a fairly substantial (around ~20%) discount on any orders I place for them there!

With these kinds of discounts available with my service, *it makes more sense to let me book these promotion for you than to do it yourself.* Seriously. It's actually cheaper for most of my clients just to let me do it for them, and they don't have to do any of the work!


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Another Update:

I've added the much-recommended *KU Addicts Express* to my Romance and Non-romance venue lists.

As usual, clients get a nice discount.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Giving this baby a bump because it's been awhile.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

I haven't had enough coffee to come up with anything witty today but here's a bump anyway.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Doin' the Bump-ty Bump!


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## Moe D (Dec 6, 2017)

A questions about your services. Do you create and manage the Facebook ads in your silver package, etc?


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Moe D said:


> A questions about your services. Do you create and manage the Facebook ads in your silver package, etc?


Usually, what I'll do for Silver+ packages is to spend around 70-80% of the budget on venues/newsletters and 10-20% of the budget on a Facebook ads campaign.

So for a $400 Silver package, that would mean a small-ish $40-80 campaign. And yes, I create the ad and deliver it through my own Facebook Ads account. If you have your own copy you'd prefer I use I can do that, too.

Sometimes if I'm able to get a really awesome string of venues that are normally hard to get I will put all the budget towards newsletter ads, though. I do this only if I'm pretty sure the newsletter ads I'm able to get will outperform FB ads.

And of course if a client requests "no Facebook ads" I allocate those funds into newsletter venues.


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## Marseille France or Bust (Sep 25, 2012)

Your site is not coming up as secure "https." Should not input cc info in an unsecured form.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Marseille said:


> Your site is not coming up as secure "https." Should not input cc info in an unsecured form.


The site itself is just a regular website but you don't have to enter any information on the regular website at all.

The forms are handled via Jotforms. All the forms are *secured https* forms.


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## Sam B (Mar 28, 2017)

I'm sure I've commented in this thread somewhere before, but my most recent promo just finished, and I thought I'd give a shoutout, because quite honestly, I don't think it could have gone much better.

The book is two years old--the promo was literally for its two year publishing anniversary. It's also the first in a just-completed nine book series. All that being the case, it seemed like the perfect time to run a free promo. My niche is on the small side, and I rarely expect enormous numbers, so I opted for the silver promo package. I trusted Ram to know which promo places to choose better than me, because I rarely (read: never) run them on my own.

The net result? I peaked at #42 in the free store, #1 in two of my categories and #3 in paranormal romance, and gave away more than six thousand books in five days. The second in series is already seeing a bump in sales from the readthrough, and January looks like it's going to be a great month.

Thanks Ram!


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Sam B said:


> I'm sure I've commented in this thread somewhere before, but my most recent promo just finished, and I thought I'd give a shoutout, because quite honestly, I don't think it could have gone much better.
> 
> The book is two years old--the promo was literally for its two year publishing anniversary. It's also the first in a just-completed nine book series. All that being the case, it seemed like the perfect time to run a free promo. My niche is on the small side, and I rarely expect enormous numbers, so I opted for the silver promo package. I trusted Ram to know which promo places to choose better than me, because I rarely (read: never) run them on my own.
> 
> ...


Glad to hear it, Sam B!

Thanks for being a client and here's to many more great promos in the future.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Time for a bump!


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

NOTICE:

I'm almost finished with the 2020 update of my Promo Stacker venue list. 

Several not-so-great venues have been removed and I've added a few new promising and recommended venues already.

Before I wrap it up though, I'm looking for any more recommendations about venues you found helpful, "worth it", etc.

*Let me know* if you have any book promotion venues that you'd like to see added (and possibly get discounts on!)

Thanks!


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Don't let a little pandemic get you down. Folks who #stayathome need entertainment, after all, and Ebooks are a *fantastic* deal when it comes to to amount of money spent for the amount of enjoyment a person can get.

So, might as well try to make the bestseller charts while you are isolated! Let's get people talking about your book (from a respectful 6+ foot social distance, that is).

Got a new release that needs some promotional love? Or maybe an older title you want to advertise instead? Whatever you need, I got you covered! Now that I'm locked down here at home I have nothing else to do but handle your orders. Lay 'em on me!

P.S. thanks and love to all of you and I'll be thinking of you during this difficult time! Hang in there! xoxoxo

-RD


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

I couldn't think of anything witty for this bump


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Just a quick note- things have been steadily picking up over at Book Rank since around the beginning of April and now I'm at a point where I'm honestly just _swamped_.

So I'm asking anyone who is planning to place an order to please please try to do so at least 2 weeks in advance (or more) if at all possible. With the way things are right now it might be two or three days before I'm able to get started on your order and I don't want even a minor delay on my end to affect the quality of your campaign. A little bit of buffer between when your order is placed and when promotions will start can make a *big* difference.

Thanks to all and stay safe!


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## Christine_C (Jun 29, 2014)

Just wanted to leave a review because I had a great experience with booking the promo stacker. It runs tomorrow and has saved me a lot of time.


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## edipet (Feb 7, 2015)

Sounds good but definitely not affordable. Best of luck with your business, Edita


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

edipet said:


> Sounds good but definitely not affordable. Best of luck with your business, Edita


?

The amount you pay is very close to the same cost as booking the promotions yourself. So you pay only marginally more and someone else does all the work (which can sometimes take hours) for you. And the larger the order, the smaller that margin gets.

There are pre-priced campaigns which range from $200 - $2500, which should fit just about any budget. Or, you can build your own campaign and choose however many venues you want with the Promo Stacker.

I'm not really sure how it isn't affordable if you are planning on doing any sort of advertising?


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## Knox (Mar 3, 2017)

Excited to hear of a one-stop promo source! Strongly considering for my new release next month...but first I could use some advice. In your experience, which book is better to do the promotion on for Book 2 in a series? 

Discount and promote only the 1st book? Only the new book? Give away book 1 instead? 

Having trouble deciding which might work better. Hoping you have heard some feedback from others over the years...


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Knox said:


> Excited to hear of a one-stop promo source! Strongly considering for my new release next month...but first I could use some advice. In your experience, which book is better to do the promotion on for Book 2 in a series?
> 
> Discount and promote only the 1st book? Only the new book? Give away book 1 instead?
> 
> Having trouble deciding which might work better. Hoping you have heard some feedback from others over the years...


Most authors seem to go with promoting the first book and sometimes using it as a temporary loss-leader (free) to drive sales to the series and help push the second (or third, or fourth) book's launch. IME, that's been the most successful way to do it.

If things are going well you can always do a small promotion campaign for book 2 right on the heels of the previous advertising.


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## chai tea (May 15, 2020)

I'm new here on the Kboards forum, and I'm looking to promote/market a few books that I recently published.  I've been reading through this thread, and I'm intrigued by your promotional services.  I have a question, for some of the venues that promote through newsletters or other "closed" venues, how does the author verify that the promotion was done and done during the time period required?

And by the way, congrats to your surge in business.  I understand that there's a lead time due to the surge in business.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

chai tea said:


> I have a question, for some of the venues that promote through newsletters or other "closed" venues, how does the author verify that the promotion was done and done during the time period required?


It's pretty easy to verify - the author just needs to sign up at the venues with their email and they should also get the newsletter, just like the readers do. Then on the day of the promotion, they'll see the ad when it lands in their inbox.

Also, most (but not all) venues have a website, so the author should also be able to visit those sites on their promotion day to see the advertisement running there, too.


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## chai tea (May 15, 2020)

raminar_dixon said:


> It's pretty easy to verify - the author just needs to sign up at the venues with their email and they should also get the newsletter, just like the readers do. Then on the day of the promotion, they'll see the ad when it lands in their inbox.
> 
> Also, most (but not all) venues have a website, so the author should also be able to visit those sites on their promotion day to see the advertisement running there, too.


Okay. Thank you so much for answering my question. Enjoy your evening!


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Absolutely! You (or anyone else) can always hit me up here in the thread or just send an email to [email protected] and I'll do everything I can to help.


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## Knox (Mar 3, 2017)

raminar_dixon said:


> Most authors seem to go with promoting the first book and sometimes using it as a temporary loss-leader (free) to drive sales to the series and help push the second (or third, or fourth) book's launch. IME, that's been the most successful way to do it.
> 
> If things are going well you can always do a small promotion campaign for book 2 right on the heels of the previous advertising.


Thanks so much for your response! That's exactly what I've been thinking. Appreciate it and good luck! I'll keep you in mind.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Been way too long since I bumped this thread.


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

UPDATE:

It's been months since I updated this thread! Holy smokes!  

Anyway, I've added a few new venues (with discounted pricing, of course):

*Reader Army*

*BookSpry*

...both cater to romance authors only at this time but plan to eventually spread out into other genres.

The biggest update is probably Book Rank's new service/option: *Exclusive Private Newsletter Buys* (Romance only -- for now!).

AFAIK, no one else is offering anything like this and it is only available to Book Rank clients. 

These Newsletter Buys allow clients to get a newsletter swap-like experience without having to actually swap with another author. Basically, it allows Book Rank clients to purchase ad placements in similar author's newsletters. Right now I've got about 20 romance authors on board (Steamy Contemporary Romance, New Adult Romance, Paranormal Romance, and Science Fiction Romance) and participating as providers. I have a feeling that number may grow and I'll probably need more eventually to meet the demand. The participating authors all have newsletters with at least 1,000 subscribers though many have lists over 10k or even 25k. Many of them are well-known bestselling authors as well.

I've also kept differing budgets in mind as not everyone can or wants to spend the same amount. There are four tiers, ranging in price from $100 - $600.

If you are interested in taking advantage of the Exclusive Private Newsletter Buy service, selectable options are available in both the regular Book Rank "We Build It" service and the "You Build It" (aka Promo Stacker) service.


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## Tasha Black (May 28, 2014)

Thank you so much for stacking a promo for my upcoming BBFD and KDD! I can't imagine how much time and trouble you saved me! I get to go into my sale knowing that I did all I could to get eyes on the book WITHOUT sacrificing writing time on my WIP!


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Tasha Black said:


> Thank you so much for stacking a promo for my upcoming BBFD and KDD! I can't imagine how much time and trouble you saved me! I get to go into my sale knowing that I did all I could to get eyes on the book WITHOUT sacrificing writing time on my WIP!


Thanks - and you are welcome, Tasha! Good luck with everything. Hope your book does great!


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## tkfdi (4 mo ago)

I've used Ram's service for 8 book releases, and one non-release promo. I can not sing the praises high enough. She is on time on task and the service saves so, so much time. Five stars!


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

Just an update on the service since it's been forever since I gave one!

*Pricing/Billing Changes to the Promo Stacker "You Build It" platform (beginning October 1st, 2022):*

I'm ditching the $75 retainer/setup fee that clients pay upfront on all orders. That fee will be getting reduced to $5. I have to charge something or else I'll get tons of invalid orders from people playing around with the form.

The Handling Fee which is added to invoices will be changing from 6.9% to 15%. What does this mean for clients?

In short, clients placing smaller orders ($600 or less) should pay LESS overall. Clients with medium-sized orders ($600 - $1000) should pay about the same. Clients with large orders ($1000+) will pay slightly more than previously.

A kind of sliding scale seemed to make more sense rather than doing an across the board price increase on my retainer fee. *Everything* is already too expensive these days with inflation and I don't want to make the barrier to entry too high for new clients or hurt those with smaller budgets, and I certainly didn't want to raise prices more than was absolutely necessary. 

The billing/ordering process for Book Rank "We Build It" orders will remain the same as always.



tkfdi said:


> I've used Ram's service for 8 book releases, and one non-release promo. I can not sing the praises high enough. She is on time on task and the service saves so, so much time. Five stars!


Thanks tkfdi! I appreciate you sharing your feedback on the service. Saving time for authors is definitely a big benefit to using Book Rank. With everyone trying to produce more content so they can earn more $$$, many authors like it because it gives them more time to write!


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## CM Raymond (Jun 28, 2015)

Ram, considering the service. I am wondering if you could give us an update for what you're seeing in trends for newsletter promos in non-romance. There's plenty of talk about promo newsletters losing their juice. You seeing this? Can you share some data? Also, how are your FB ads performing if I pick the Gold package?


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## raminar_dixon (Aug 26, 2013)

CM Raymond said:


> Ram, considering the service. I am wondering if you could give us an update for what you're seeing in trends for newsletter promos in non-romance. There's plenty of talk about promo newsletters losing their juice. You seeing this? Can you share some data? Also, how are your FB ads performing if I pick the Gold package?


If you compare NL ads now to NL ads back in 2016, yeah, they've lost some juice. Compared to a few years ago though? I'd say they are about the same. IMO they should be a part of every author's advertising push because sometimes all you need is that extra little bump to get your book onto a Top 100 list and in front of thousands more readers.

I very very rarely run FB ads anymore for Book Rank clients. Typically they request that I leave those off and focus the entire budget on NL venues instead. If FB ads are really something you want I can help you out, but I'd say to keep in mind they will be very simple ads if I run them and you don't provide me with any special artwork and/or ad copy.


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