The current market

I don't think the book market in general, but some genres probably have. The one in your signature, for example, looks like epic steampunk fantasy? Probably a hard sell.

The problem with your giveaway might be in your own marketing. If readers don't know the book is up for grabs, how can they reach for it? Also, looking at your "giveaway" it doesn't seem like you're opening up all your options, like a goodreads giveaway.

Just because you can't giveaway a novel doesn't mean the entire industry is burning down. The book industry in general has been steadily increasing since the invention of the printing press.

According to the Bookscan chart I posted in your other thread, book sales seem steady y-o-y.

IMHO I stopped entering contests for free books because: 1) I never won, and 2) I can have my pick of free books at places like Netgalley and Storycartel.

veinglory said:

IMHO I stopped entering contests for free books because: 1) I never won, and 2) I can have my pick of free books at places like Netgalley and Storycartel.

Click to expand...

Similar story hear. I actually did win a free book once, in exchange for an honest review, and it was a great experience. But, overall, there are easier ways to get my hands on the books I really want.


I don't think this is an industry issue. Just a bad luck time period for you.

I've entered three GR giveaways and won two, but I don't go out of my way to look for them. Try running yours on GR; you'll definitely get people signing up. Whether they'll actually read the book is another story, but you have no control over that, anyway.

The book market is fine. The number of books being sold should please anyone. How many visitors are you getting to wherever it is you're giving away the book?

Facebook, no. Twitter, possibly. Goodreads, very useful, at least in my experience. I've read books after seeing them on Goodreads. And hey, most of their giveaways have dozens of people signed up hoping to win!

writer_mccall said:

Actually that chart showed some valleys in May-June so... No detail on the last two months though.

Thanks for the GoodReads advice. I have to say it's not something I've had any time on yet. I do still question how useful social media is for books. I's very useful for some things, but books? Can't say I've ever bought a book because of a facebook post or a tweet

Click to expand...

If you are doing a give away online, you need to do that in a place people congregate--preferably people who read books. IMHO, why do it anywhere but a social media venue?