The provided source material offers insights into free and low-cost online tools and promotional strategies for self-publishing authors. This information focuses on digital resources for building an author brand and marketing books, primarily through promotional websites and social media platforms. The data is derived from articles and guides aimed at authors, particularly those engaged in self-publishing, and does not cover traditional consumer product samples or freebies. The following article summarises the available facts on author branding tools and book promotion sites.
Author Branding Foundations
Author branding is described as the long-term foundation for attracting readers, separate from short-term book marketing. It involves building a profile that helps attract readers to an author's genre without focusing on a specific book. The tools for author branding are presented as essential for self-publishing authors, as most sales occur online, with Amazon being the largest platform. Other online avenues mentioned include Apple, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble. The goal of these tools is to save time or make tasks easier. The source material lists several free tools for this purpose.
Free Tools for Author Branding
A selection of free online tools is recommended for various author branding tasks. These tools are designed to help authors create a professional online presence and produce marketing assets.
- Email Signature Enhancement: Using a free tool like "Email signatures" allows authors to add information and select from templates. One suggested use is to include a book cover image in the signature, which requires a template with an image holder. This is positioned as an easy way to boost an author's profile through daily email communication.
- Image Creation: For creating blog post images, ebook cover mockups, or social media headers, Canva is noted as the most popular free online app. A free account is required to start using it.
- Stock Images: Free stock image sites are available for graphics. Pixabay is mentioned as a personal choice for free vector graphics. The source also notes the advent of AI image creation, with Bing Copilot cited as a free option for generating AI images, though many AI tools are not free.
- Book Mockups: For promotional activities requiring 3D images of books, DIY Book Covers is recommended as a free and easy-to-use app with plenty of options.
- Blog Topic Ideas: To overcome the challenge of generating blog post ideas, the app Answer The Public is suggested. By entering a topic, the app provides hundreds of ideas and variations, which can be displayed in a wagon wheel, list, or table format. An example given is using "fantasy books" as a topic.
- Social Media Platforms: Goodreads is highlighted as a must-use platform for authors because it is dedicated to books and reading. However, a note of caution is added regarding its history of problems with comment and review moderation, suggesting authors maintain a low profile in interactions. Facebook, and specifically a Facebook page, is also recommended for use.
Book Promotion Strategies and Sites
Book marketing is distinguished from author branding as a short-term exercise focused on driving sales and awareness for an individual book or series. Common methods include advertising, reviews, author appearances, giveaways, and social media promotion. The source material focuses heavily on price promotions through third-party promotional sites.
Free vs. Discounted Book Promotions
Free promotions are described as often being the easiest and cheapest to organise, providing a good return by getting books into readers' hands. In 2025, free promotions are noted as generally yielding the best return. Discounted book promotions (typically 99¢ deals) are also discussed, though they are considered less powerful than they once were but still valuable when used strategically.
Recommended Book Promotion Sites
The source provides a list of preferred promotional sites, with a focus on those that promote free or discounted books. Costs are given in US dollars. The sites are listed in order of preference.
Free Promotions: * Freebooksy ($30-$120): Also offers a "promo stacks" service, which the author does not recommend, advising manual booking instead. Its series promos are described as "stellar" but not cheap. * Fussy Librarian ($15-$79) * ENT (Ereader News Today) ($45-$55) * RobinReads ($45-$85) * BookRaid ($0.15 per click, capped at a maximum charge of $60) * EReaderIQ ($10-$30) * BKNights ($5, plus an additional $5 for an email feature) * BookBassett ($9)
Discounted Promotions (Primarily for 99¢ deals): * RobinReads and ENT are noted for being good with discounts. * BookBarbarian is recommended specifically for authors writing Science Fiction/Fantasy. * EreaderIQ is suggested as an option for those with a very tight budget or as an augmentation to Freebooksy.
Promo Stacking and Strategy
A key strategy mentioned is "promo stacking," which involves running several promotions simultaneously but not on the same day. The best method is described as running promotions one after the other. The source advises against using automated "promo stacks" from services like Freebooksy, as they may include sub-par sites. Instead, manual booking is recommended for better control and results.
BookBub: A Major Promotional Platform
BookBub is described as a significant entity in book promotion, with over ten million subscribers to its Featured Deals email list. It is presented as a different category of beast compared to other sites, with much greater reach. Authors can sign up as readers, select genres from 42 categories, and receive daily emails featuring a range of books from various publishers. For authors, getting featured on BookBub is a high-value goal, though the source material does not provide specific details on how authors can apply or the costs involved.
Additional Resources and Campaign Building
The source material references a free course called "Starting From Zero," which is promoted as a resource for authors to learn about promoting books. The course covers topics such as branding, packaging, positioning, building an email list and platform, and handling book launches. It is stated to have over 20,000 author participants and to be free of charge.
Conclusion
The provided information outlines a set of free and low-cost digital tools and promotional strategies for self-publishing authors. For author branding, key free tools include Canva for image creation, DIY Book Covers for mockups, Answer The Public for blog ideas, and the use of email signatures and social media platforms like Goodreads and Facebook. For book marketing, the focus is on price promotions through a curated list of third-party sites, with a strong recommendation for free promotions and a strategy of stacking promotions manually rather than using automated services. BookBub is identified as a major promotional platform with a large subscriber base. The overall advice emphasises strategic use of promotions and long-term brand building over constant, low-value marketing efforts.