When Marketing Dollars Are Tight, Do Your Research

Fortuitously, I haven't spent any money on marketing my book for a while. I could run a FreeBooksy ad for $60.00, FreeBooksy being the only avenue that's actually worked for me, but what would I gain? Regardless of the number of free downloads I'd get, I would still be losing money.

I recently read a Substack post that touted a couple of alternatives to Goodreads, one of them being The Storygraph. "With 4 million users now, StoryGraph is the first platform that actually rewards indie authors for writing something specific." (source)

Sounds great. But at a cost of $69.00 to conduct a giveaway, it's vital for me to do my research. Not all indie authors are flush with cash. That's why I'm always on the lookout for free ways to advertise. Unfortunately, none of those free methods have worked.

With some help via email, Storygraph''s team helped me set up an account. (It's not obvious on the site, which in itself could be a red flag.) That's as far as I've gotten.

It appears that the main draw of the site is its book giveaways, and I just received an email informing me that the giveaway window will soon be open. Why is there a specific window? Don't people like giveaways all the time? Nevertheless, I now have to consider whether it would be worth my participation.

The first thing an author should do regarding a new or unfamiliar site is to click around and get a feel for it---its overall vibe, the types of books that do well, how reviews work.

And with The Storygraph, you'd also want to view some giveaways. 

Here is a screenshot of a random book's stats:

 

Looks great. However, while I randomly chose this book as an example, research tells me this is a GMA Book Club pick, meaning it's not only traditionally published, but it's gotten a lot of hype. The Storygraph features a ton of traditionally published books. Those are your competition.

Here is a snippet of a digital giveaway (there's too much on the page to include the whole thing):

 

Upon reading the giveaway FAQ's, I learned that it is possible to award up to 250 digital copies, which can be downloaded directly from the site, if an author uploads an epub or PDF. Or the author can take on that task herself by emailing copies to each winner, if she's a masochist. Rich authors can also choose to give away print and/or audio versions.

The in-app download is a point in Storygraph's favor. There is no way I could afford to purchase a bunch of ebooks, much less paperbacks.

I will caution that I haven't actually tried this, which means it could be a confusing, frustrating process, and I don't know if the site makes an author pay for a giveaway before finding out whether everything works like it's advertised.

Next, an author should Google for more information. 

Knowing who my ideal reader is, the site's reader demographic is an important piece of the puzzle.

Google tells me:

1. "The StoryGraph attracts a primarily younger, avid reading demographic, with a significant user base falling within the 18 to 34 age range." 

For me, this is a point against it. My readers skew older. While my MC in Running From Herself is in her early thirties, the story has never caught on with younger readers. (I have my suspicions as to why.)

2. "While attracting all genders, the platform is popular among, though not limited to, women readers who frequently use its features to track fiction reading, mirroring general trends on social cataloging sites."

No surprise here. This is common for all book sites. Women (not me) seem to love to keep lists, while men prefer sitting in front of their TV, channel surfing. (Oops, personal experience talking). Women are gatherers; men are hunters.

3. "Genre Interests: Users often engage with fiction-heavy genres, with high traffic in Young Adult (YA) and similar demographic-focused categories." 

One more point against it. YA? Are its readers babies? I would think teens would prefer scrolling TikTok. 

4. "While The StoryGraph does not officially track or release the political data of its 5 million users, the community is widely perceived as more progressive or "politically conscious" than that of other platforms like Goodreads." 

This is sounding worse and worse.

But with five million users, it's possible that Google is over-emphasizing a certain demo. It did tell me that even "old people" in their forties use the site. Plus, everyone can't be a YA fan, right? Still the left-leaning makeup of its base is a concern.

Unfortunately, I can't find a way to filter the books on The Storygraph by genre. I would have liked to sample Christian books to find out if the site has any right-leaning participants. No, I don't write Christian books. My work contains a few curse words. (So, sue me; that's how people talk in real life.) I can't seem to please anyone. 

Let's just say I'm wary. Not because of the YA slant or even the young slant, but because I don't write socially conscious stories. I just write stories.

Next tip: An author should research a site's readership.

Early on, I made the mistake of buying cheap promos from various sites, which were, yes, cheap, but I later learned that these places have a pretty tiny reader base. My results proved that out. If a particular site specializes in your niche, you're golden; and there are a few sites that do specialize. That's not the case for me, so I need a large potential audience.

Obviously, The Storygraph has a large contingent of readers.

Bottom line, I've tried giveaways before. I tried with LibraryThing and didn't even acquire enough entries to match the number of copies I was giving away. Out of the five or six winners, not one bothered to leave a review. A couple didn't even claim their free copy.

At least LibraryThing was free.

I'm still on the fence as to whether I want to pay The Storygraph for a giveaway. All signs point to no, but we authors know how we are---we're eternal optimists. It'll all depend on how my finances look this month. If I decide not to opt in, there'll be future "windows", no doubt. Plus, I'll probably forget about the whole thing as time goes by.

Memory loss isn't always a bad thing.