Free book sites definitely spike download numbers

My book Semper is free for Kindle download on September 11 and 12. (Don't have a Kindle? You don't need one; most devices have a free Kindle reader app available.)

I've enjoyed having Semper in Amazon's KDP Select program, and I've blogged before about the reasons. (Just click the SEMPER tag in the right sidebar to find those posts if you're interested.) One thing I've found, without a doubt, is that getting listed on the "free kindle books" blogs is critical for getting big download numbers.

I have yet to enjoy some of the numbers I've heard out there. My best free runs have been about a thousand downloads a day, though I've heard of 20,000 or more for books in other genres (typically romance and thriller). Young Adult books seem to have a harder time getting traction on free and discounted days.

There are a lot of free book listing sites out there; just google them. Today my book is listed on Free Kindle Books and Tips, and I hope that one will bring in some numbers. Semper has also been on Pixel of Ink and other sites. On free days when I don't do any promotion at all, the numbers are miniscule. But when the book is listed on one or more of these sites, the effect is dramatic.

If you're an author with free days coming up and want to get listed at FKBT, go see their page for authors.