Whatever the path led you here, there’s only 2 ways to get a book listed as free on Amazon.
Your Book Is In Kindle Select (KU)
If your story is in Kindle Unlimited, you’ll have access to the Promote and Advertise option for the story. Click it and you’ll see the time you have left in Kindle Select and beneath that is this box called Run a Price Promotion.
Choose wisely. You can only run 1 type of promotion every enrollment period.
Free Book Promotion
When you choose the Free Book Promotion, your book can be listed for up to 5 days for free. You can decide to run those 5 days back to back or spread those 5 days out throughout the 90 days. (**Stacking promos across 5 days is better marketing wise than spreading those 5 days out.)
Your Book Is Wide
If your book is wide, then you don’t have the short-term option that Kindle Unlimited offers.
To get Amazon to put your story to free, you’ll have to set your story free on the other retailers. Once it has taken effect, you’ll use your Author Central account to inform Amazon of the price change and ask them to price match. If you’re in an area where you can have a phone conversation, and you have the time, that option works as well. I prefer to email them so there’s no confusion, mixed up ASIN number, etc.
Include your ASIN and links to the other retailers where the book is free. In my dealings with Amazon, please send URLs that are not just USA-based if you’re wanting your book free on all the Amazon sites. They have been known to change the price only on the sites that have competition with the links you give—depends on the customer support tech you get. Some techs are awesome and price change all of them.
Example—If I didn’t send the Kobo UK URL, then Amazon won’t price match in the UK. It happens more frequently with India, Australia, Japan, etc, but that can mess up your promotions with something like Bookbub.
With your book wide, periodically—especially with long term permafree—Amazon has a forgetful moment and your price resets to normal, and you’ll have to repeat emailing them with links, and it doesn’t happen on all the Amazon sites.
***Amazon has the right to refuse to price match. It is rare, but it does/can happen. If this happens to you, wait a few days and resubmit to customer service.***
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This post was edited/proofed by ProWritingAid.
Writing without Drama 