Have you heard about BookBub? It's a free service that alerts readers to free and deeply discounted e-books available for a limited time.
For example, BookBub notified nearly 1 million readers last spring of a week-long giveaway of Dan Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code." Why did the publisher give away a bestselling e-book that usually retails for $9.99? To hook new readers on Brown’s thriller and drum up interest in his latest book, “Inferno.”
The service selects only the highest-quality e-books to feature in an email and on its website. Usually, deals can be purchased for any e-reading device, including Kindle, iPad, Nook and Android.
BookBub features more than two dozen genres of books, including mystery, romance, literary, historical fiction and nonfiction. Readers can select their favorite genres so each email matches their preferences.
I recently snagged “A Wilder Rose,” by Susan Wittig Albert, for 99 cents. I’m a “Little House on the Prairie” fan, and this novel from a bestselling author explores Rose’s relationship and secret collaboration with her mother, beloved writer Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Check out www.bookbub.com and learn why this promotional concept seems to resonate with publishers and readers alike.
Sandra Dreaden is the Crestview Public Library's reference librarian.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: CHECK IT OUT: Free service benefits publisher and readers