Does email marketing work for Amazon KDP book publishing? Absolutely. This case study analyzes a recent book launch, demonstrating the power of email marketing in driving Amazon KDP sales.
Results from this recent launch show that building and leveraging an email list yields incredible results. Even with a modest 250 subscribers on the main email list, combined with a cross-promotion strategy with another author, book sales increased significantly.
One common mistake during a book launch is offering a free promotion immediately after publishing. The initial goal is to attract email subscribers through free downloads. However, this can negatively impact the book’s ranking when the price returns to $0.99. In this case, the book remained stuck on pages 7-9 for an extended period, despite decent sales.
Besides promoting the book to the author’s own email list, cross-promotion with another author in the same niche proved surprisingly effective. Both authors promoted each other’s new books to their respective email lists (around 2000 subscribers each). This not only expanded reach to potential customers but also increased the book’s visibility in the “Customers also bought” section on Amazon, creating a ripple effect.
Sending pre-launch email announcements is also crucial. A “teaser” email before the launch date built anticipation among readers. Then, upon release, an announcement email with a 7-day $0.99 discount generated 18 sales on the first day. Sales remained strong in the following days, with 18, 15, and 11 orders on the second, third, and fourth days, respectively.
The final email, announcing the end of the discount and the price returning to $3.99, created a significant surge with 32 orders. Notably, these 32 orders came solely from the 250-subscriber email list, proving the power of a quality email list. After the promotion ended, the book climbed to the top spot and maintained steady sales.
In less than a month, book revenue reached nearly $300, nearing the break-even point (ROI). With approximately $20/day in revenue, the book is on a strong growth trajectory.
This case study’s success proves that email marketing is truly effective for Amazon KDP book publishing, especially when executed correctly. Building a quality email list and implementing a cross-promotion strategy are key to success. Nick Stevenson’s “Your First 10k Readers” course is recommended as a valuable resource for building an effective email marketing strategy.
In conclusion, email marketing is a powerful tool for selling books on Amazon KDP. Start building your email list today to create a solid foundation for your publishing career.