BookBub vs Freebooksy
- BookBub Featured Deals are editorially selected and frequently rejected.
- Freebooksy, from Written Word Media, accepts any qualifying book at a published rate.
- BookBub deal prices vary widely by category, from around $100 to over $2,000.
- Freebooksy prices are lower and posted publicly by genre.
- BookBub also sells self-serve ads, which are a different product from Featured Deals.
A BookBub Featured Deal is the largest single promotion in the industry and is editorially selected, so you cannot count on it. Freebooksy accepts your book at a published price and delivers reliably at a smaller scale. Apply to BookBub; build the plan around Freebooksy and similar sites.
Chapter i·Why it matters
Authors design launches around a BookBub Featured Deal and then get rejected, which is the normal outcome. Treating BookBub as an upside rather than a plan, and stacking reliable paid sites as the base, produces a promotion you can actually execute on a date you chose.
Chapter ii·What to include
- A BookBub application submitted, with no dependency on acceptance.
- A base plan built on sites that accept at a published price.
- Genre-specific pricing compared across sites.
- A stacking schedule so promotions reinforce rather than overlap.
- Reviews and rating minimums, which most sites require.
- Measured results per site, so next time is informed.
Chapter iii·Example
An author was rejected by BookBub four times and built a stack of Freebooksy, Robin Reads, and Bargain Booksy for $240. It moved 3,100 free downloads and pulled book two into paid sales for three weeks.
In WriteLoom
A launch plan, not a launch day
WriteLoom tracks every promotion's cost, date, and result so you can see which sites actually pay for themselves.
Not ready for a workspace yet? Get the free six-part series on winning the writing game: finishing drafts, editing in the right order, querying with real math, and launching on a runway.