This Books Go Social review tackles everything you want to know about book promotions and how its services make an impact as an author.
Becoming an author doesn’t end after you finish writing a book. Rather, you’re just about to begin the journey.
Imagine the pressure when you uploaded a book on Amazon. Given the unimaginable expenses you paid for the editing, book cover designs, as well as hundreds of hours of writing and editing, you expect sales.
But then…
*cricket sounds*
Nothing happens. Days pass by, no one buys your book. What will you do? You will feel deeply sorrowed knowing that it didn’t work.
You spent so much time on self-publishing your book but you gain nothing in return. For sure, it’s also an accomplishment. But you can’t deny the fact that to succeed as an author, the book should generate sales.
This is where book promotions come into handy. Experienced self-published authors noted the importance of creating an effective strategy i.e. smart marketing to ensure the book’s success.
Even before you hit publish, you need to guarantee that your target readers are going to search for it and buy it. And one of the key things you need to do is either to do the marketing yourself or rely on a third-party like Books Go Social.
Now, let’s find out how this company aids in the process in book launching. With that said, we’ll dig into details, its background, as well as its costs.
Disclaimer: I’m not affiliated with Books Go Social. So, rest assured that my judgment will be unbiased.
Are you ready? Let’s dive into it. Shall we?
What Is Books Go Social?
Based in Dublin, Ireland, Books Go Social offers, as the name implies, book promotion services, aiding the authors—both experienced and the first-time authors—to expose their books across social media.
To make sure they deliver results for each book promoted, they sent out several social media posts across 800,000 followers on Twitter and 150,000+ email subscribers. They’ve been doing the same strategy since they established in 2013.
Depending on the package, they shoulder a $75 to $200 budget for Amazon and Facebook ads.
In a nutshell, Books Go Social offers 3 packages to choose with their corresponding features.
Advertising Services
- Complete book promotion packages
- Amazon ads “Done For You Service” on Amazon Dashboard
- “Done For You” Facebook ads
- “Done For You” Audiobook promotion
Book Production & Author Support Services
- Mentored “Done For You” publishing services
- International Review of Books, editorial reviews
- NetGalley+ service for reader reviews
- SMARTURL + Amazon Store & SMARTURL service
- Book exposure in the International Dublin Writer’s Festival
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How Much Do Books Go Social Cost?
Book promotions cost $89 to $499. All of these are one-time payments via Paypal.
It depends on which of the 3 options you like to choose that suits your book marketing strategy.
You can either choose silver, gold, or platinum membership with their corresponding features. Regardless if you choose the cheapest option, you still gain a lot with Books Go Social.
Silver Membership
- cheapest package option
- worth $89 one-time payment
- one month on NetGalley for Amazon real reader reviews (book exposure to 370,000 book reviewers alongside biggest publishes i.e. Simon & Schuster and Penguin Random House)
- Giant Email promotion for ebooks costing $2.99 or less and the author has 7 reader reviews on Amazon
- 4 weeks of daily tweets with 20,000 impressions on average
- Bonus extra book promotion via email + Facebook Reader Group
- Minimum of 700 visitors/hits on Amazon
- Reach global audience
- A free guide to improve book description
- Blog promotion
- A 3-month book marketing issue
- Optional 8 free Fast Track Masterclass 1-Hour Author Training Courses
- Optional SMARTURL for the book and placed on Amazon Store page worth $50 (bonus).
- Special page exposure from Amazon directed to email subscribers and social media followers.
Gold Membership
- worth $249 one-time payment
- $75 budget for Amazon or Facebook ads
- 1 month on NetGalley ($199 worth)
- 1 Giant Email promotion if the book costs $3.99 or less and if the author earned 7 reader reviews on Amazon
- Average 67,000 impressions on Amazon ads
- 8 weeks of daily tweets with 40,000 impressions on average
- A free 3-month other membership benefits
- Extra book promotion (Facebook Reader Group)
- 1,400 visitors/hits on the book’s Amazon page
- Reach out to a global audience
- A free guide to improve book description
- Blog post promotions
- Bonus 3-month email support to book marketing concerns
- 8 free Fast Track Masterclass (1-hour Author Training Courses)
- Optional SMARTURL, book exposure on Amazon Store page ($50 value) directed to email subscribers and social media platforms.
Platinum Membership
- The expensive package option
- Worth $499 one-time payment
- $200 budget for Amazon or Facebook ads
- 1-month NetGalley place for the book to get reviews ($199 value)
- Giant Email promotion to 150,000+ readers if the book costs $3.99 or less and the author earned 7 Amazon reader reviews
- 12 weeks of daily tweets (80,000 impressions in 8 weeks on average)
- 3-month access to a full membership area
- Guaranteed 2,100 visitors/hits to book’s Amazon page (independently tracked)
- A free guide to improve book description
- Video book readers or YouTube book trailers employed on tweets
- Blog post promotions
- Free 3-month email support for any book marketing-related concerns
- 8 free Fast Track Masterclass (1-hour Author Training Courses)
- Written interview featured on BooksGoSocial.com
- Optional SMARTURL directing readers to the book’s Amazon page ($50 value)
To understand these benefits further, let’s take a look at some terms:
NetGalley
NetGalley is an independent company launched in 2008 wherein book reviewers and other professional readers access books before they’re launched in an e-galley or digital galley form.
Publishers benefit by providing training, strategy, and consultations to unleash NetGalley’s fullest potential in their overall marketing strategies.
They partnered with over 300 publishers across North America and other countries like the UK, Australia, Germany, France, and Japan.
According to the Books Go Social website, the community comprises librarians, booksellers, educators, media professionals, bloggers and/or reviewers, and Amazon reviewers.
With that being said, anyone who wishes to publish a book guarantees unbiased reviews from the pros across the world.
Fast Track Masterclass
Fast Track Masterclass is a 1-hour worth of Author Training courses comprising several book marketing strategies apt for Facebook and Twitter and blogging promotions. (Worth $199)
SMARTURL
SMARTURL is an optional and limited time bonus you get in every package you choose in which your book page on Amazon will be distributed across Books Go Social social media followers (Facebook and Twitter) and 150,000+ email subscribers.
These bonuses are all optional. You can’t take them all. It’s either you prefer utilizing NetGalley or 150,000+ email subscriber exposure. Or, you opt for extra book promotion or social media exposure. You have to choose from.
Because of that, it’s best to talk and sit down with any of their staff to explain how each package works for your book launch.
What Happens Next After Purchasing One Package?
After you purchase any of the Books Go Social book promotion packages, you will receive an email with the form where you input book details.
By the way, authors residing within the EU will be charged WITH SALES TAX. Other countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and other non-EU countries will have NO SALES TAX.
In case of other book marketing-related concerns, Books Go Social admin is ready to respond as soon as possible via email.
If you’re impatient to receive a response email, you can visit their Facebook Support Group and receive immediate responses.
If dissatisfied, you will receive a full refund within 60 days via PayPal or credit card depending on which method you used for the purchase. That’s excluding the amount spent on ads.
The cancellation request will be processed within 24 hours.
[su_note note_color=”#e7e7e7″]Please take note that before you invest in Books Go Social services, you have to talk with them and know the exact needs of your book. This could prevent you from unnecessary expenses, especially if you’re an indie or a first-time author.[/su_note]
Pros & Cons of Books Go Social
Here is the summary of the pros and cons of Books Go Social to serve as a reference for your decision whether you try it or not.
Pros
- Reasonable book promotion package price
- 80,000+ Twitter impressions in 8 weeks on average
- 800,000 Facebook followers
- 150,000+ email subscribers
- Lots of optional bonuses
- Inclusive 1-hour Masterclass
- Top-notch email support
- Global reach to real reader reviews on Amazon (50% from the US, 30% from the UK, and 20% from the rest of the world)
- 60-day refund option; 24-hour cancellation process
Cons
- The sales tax charge for EU-based authors
- Could be an expensive option for first-time authors
- Not for non-fiction books
- 50-50 decision to partner or not
Books Go Social Review – Other Users’ Feedback
Authors who have used Books Go Social as their partner book launching platform seem to have a good experience.
According to Patricia E. Gitt, she wrote on Reviews.co.uk about the excellent commitment this company makes for its stakeholders.
“Having attended several writer’s conferences in the Us, I have never encountered an organization so committed to helping authors reach potential readers of their books,” Gitt mentioned.
Holly Bell supported the review by saying, “Books Go Social provide the highest quality services to authors I have come across. I’ve been with them for about a year and it’s the best decision, as an indie author, that I have made.”
Like most of the platforms I reviewed, some authors weren’t satisfied with the company’s book marketing strategies, considering it as a waste of investment.
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“They promise the moon but you get nothing in return,” Dennis Stamey, another author, stated in his review. “I received no feedback from them and my book sales were zero,” he added.
The same anonymous author agreed with Stamey’s post. He wrote that it’s not guaranteed that when you rely on Books Go Social, your book will be successful.
He stated that he would rather hire a freelancer from Upwork to do the same job as Books Go Social does for its authors.
In general, it’s a 50-50 decision for you. If we refer to Reviews.io data, out of 160 reviews posted for the above-mentioned platform, it only gained 3.62-star out of 5-star rating.
In some circumstances, it could also depend on the genre. According to Services4Authors.com, romance books, as well as historical fiction, mystery and thrillers, sci-fi, fantasy, and women’s fiction perform better than non-fiction works.
This observation is based on how their books performed on NetGalley, which is one of the accentuated features Books Go Social offers for authors.
With that being said, it’s not said that if you write a book and are willing to pay the upcoming expenses for publication, it succeeds. It depends on the platform you choose.
This leads us to this question, would you partner with Books Go Social as your partner platform at this point… or not?
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[su_note note_color=”#e7e7e7″]According to Services4Authors.com, romance books, as well as historical fiction, mystery and thrillers, sci-fi, fantasy, and women’s fiction perform better than non-fiction works. [/su_note]
Conclusion – What’s Your Takeaway?
The takeaway here is simple. Having a strategic book launching plays an essential role in succeeding in the self-publishing industry even if you are an indie or a first-time author.
As much as Books Go Social promises outstanding benefits, it doesn’t guarantee you success. Though they have a massive following, it all depends on—I don’t like to say this but… luck.
This is why the self-publishing option, though it’s a great shortcut for authorship, it’s quite tricky.
The fact you’re doing every traditional company does—on your own—its success is in your hands.
If you think Books Go Social is best for you, then, you can give this company a try. As you can see from the reviews above, many authors approve its promising services. Utilize it and see the outcomes of your investment yourself.
If you already did, do you mind if you can share your experience with me? You can share them in the comment section below. I will appreciate it a lot. 🙂
Whew! I finished the post. It took me a while to write everything down. If you like this post, why not share it with your friends and family? Don’t hesitate to share your thoughts about Books Go Social, too.
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