Where to Promote My Book?
The honest answer is: in fewer places than the lists suggest, and in a particular order. Sort every option by two questions. Does it cost money? Does it stay up after you stop paying attention? Do the free permanent ones first, use the temporary ones for launch week, and pay only when your book page already converts.
Free
no fee, no card
2 days
usual turnaround
Forever
no expiry
Free and permanent. Do these first.
Skriuwer
A free page with cover, description, and buy button, listed on the genre pages readers browse. Never expires. One form, no account.
Amazon Author Central
Your author page inside the store. Free, permanent, and most authors leave it empty.
Goodreads
Claim the author profile, add the book, fill in the blurb. Readers check it before they buy.
Your own site
One page per book, with every buy link. Slow to bring traffic on its own, but every other channel can point at it.
Free but temporary. Use for launch week.
Reader communities
Reddit genre subs, Facebook reader groups, Discord servers. Only work if you are already a member who contributes.
Free deal aggregators
List your free day or 99-cent promo. Traffic ends when the price goes back up.
Your mailing list and social
Reaches the readers you already have. Good for launches, weak for finding new ones.
Paid. Use when the page converts.
Deal newsletters
BookBub, Freebooksy, Fussy Librarian and the rest. One day of visibility, needs a discount.
Ads
Amazon, Facebook, BookBub ads. Per click, stop when you stop.
Placements in articles that rank
A paragraph inside a best-of list that Google already sends readers to. On Skriuwer this is a one-time fee from €29 and it stays in the article.
Free listing, optional placement
The listing itself is free and permanent: your own book page, an Amazon buy button, and a badge for your site. Free pages stay out of Google on purpose.
Want readers? A placement puts your book inside one of the best-of articles that bring the traffic, and opens your page up to Google. One-time fee per book, no renewals. Buys the spot in the article, not the listing.
1 book
€29
one placement, one-time
3 books
€24 / book
€72 total, save €15
5 books
€19 / book
€95 total, save €50
10+ books
€14 / book
Best for series and publishers
Start with the one that is free and stays up.
No fee, no card, no account. Fill in the form and we build your page, usually within 2 business days. Add a placement later if you want readers.
List my book for freeWant readers too? Placements from €29, one-time
Common questions
Where should I promote my book if I have no budget?
The free and permanent group: Skriuwer, Author Central, Goodreads, your own site. They cost nothing, take an evening, and keep working. Then join one or two reader communities for the genre and contribute before you mention your book.
Where do readers actually find new books?
Amazon search and recommendations first, then friends, then best-of lists and reviews they find through Google. That last one is what Skriuwer is: the lists readers land on when they search for the best books in a genre.
Is it worth promoting a book with no reviews?
List it everywhere free, yes. Pay to promote it, no. Paid traffic to a page with no reviews bounces. Get the first reviews, then spend.
How many places is too many?
If you cannot keep them updated, too many. Four permanent listings, one community, one launch-week feature, and a mailing list is a complete plan.
Related: how to promote a self-published book, book promotion sites, and the full list of free promotion sites.