​The short answer is NO. But why?

I decided to test their promotion with my most successful book, "Save the Ocean." This book is established, has been an Amazon Best-Seller, and I figured it would have the best shot at a cost-efficient advertisement. I didn't run a free promo but instead decided to promote my book at it's "bargain" price - which is $2.99 or under.

Since my ebook sells well daily - I wanted to see if this promotion would reach new readers and expand my audience and grab people I wasn't able to reach before.

With AMS I only spend about 10-20% of profits on advertising, so with the same results, a $10 promotion should result similarly. I assumed some purchasers wouldn't buy the ebook, opting for other versions, so the number of books sold will vary based on your profit margin for your books. However, I wasn't sure if the profit margin would be as good as AMS, so at the least I was hoping to break even.

The promotion went out (I saw my book in the email and on the website - both of which had working links to my book) and then the day after I went to check the results.

Nothing.
​
So what this means to be is that despite the large email list they boast there aren’t real people or people that actually care on the other end, which makes the advertisement useless. Yet, I had heard other authors happy with the free ebook promotion so I decided to give it a go despite by better judgement.

This promotion was $15 but I gave it a shot. I again wanted to test just the Fussy Librarian advertisement power. I shut off ads, and told no one, to let the sales be organic. I sat and waited as downloads came in. They were steady. Incredibly steady. Finishing at 322 ebooks downloaded in one day.

Great!

Free ebook promotions are wonderful not only do you get to share your work with amazing readers, but often times you will generate a lot of reviews and sales if people enjoy it.

My physical sales were still on track with my normal rate. Typically after my own free ebook promotions (using free resources) I notice a dramatic spike in sales and in this case there were none out of the ordinary.

It was advertised on their site, and email list. As they said it would. It did receive downloads. It just resulted in few to no benefits in terms of audience gain or in profits.

If you want a free ebook rank boost - then go for it! It does work. It does get downloads, and it does get your book at #1 in the free ebook section across multiple categories which DOES have the CHANCE to reach more people however in terms of maximum gain and biggest ROI there are far better ways to reach your ideal audience and receive higher engagement.

As authors, we are always looking for new ways to get our books in front of a new audience! I have compiled a list of resources that will promote your free e-book for free! Some of them do offer paid promotions, but that is up to you and your relationship with the resources. I haven't tried any paid options yet, and still, see considerable numbers in downloads.

For each resource, there may be a few different rules, so before you submit your book, make sure it meets the requirements (ex. reviews, pages, subject, etc.)

I will add more as I find more over time! And of course, if you follow me on Instagram and Twitter, and let me know you are doing a promotion, I will gladly share it with my combined audience of 10k+ followers and growing.

I will keep adding to this list as I find more, so please feel free to check back and see what is new!

On November 12th, 2018, we lost Stan Lee, a great comic writer and creative.

Bethany Stahl gathers inspiration from his characters and other characters that have been developed by so many other talented writers and artists created in the universe.

A few days and about 20 hours of work, Bethany digitally painted Stan Lee and a few of his characters, a few of her favorites from the universe and others that have stemmed from the inspiration of Stan.

Author and Illustrator, Bethany Stahl, inspires children with her books, but her newest book, Caridee: The Long-Leggedy Chickadee has touched the heart of countless children!

Bethany first got the idea of Caridee, when she fell in love with the chickadees frequenting her home, overlooking the Great Smoky Mountains in Spring 2018. She loved watching the birds and knew one had to be the star of her next book.

Stahl thought back to when she was in school, and could recall children's books that were silly and fun, but wanted to capture the lighthearted quality while telling of accepting your differences, something that bullies tend to find and pick at.

While watching the little chickadees outside her home, she laughed at all their small quick hops with their tiny legs, and it hit her, what if there was a chickadee with long legs!

The first ideas of Caridee were born with concept paintings!

During March, Juice Bar Market Square will be hosting artist Bethany Stahl's Spirit of Nature collection and select pieces of her Tennessee Wildlife Collection! Find them located at 2 Market Square on the corner near Charles Krutch Park!

​"Juice Bar is overwhelmingly plant-based, gluten-free, organic when possible, and always uses 100% whole fruits and vegetables from scratch.  Nothing processed, nothing yucky.  Simply said, we are an "I want to eat healthy and feel great" type place, offering yummies like our Super Greens juice made with locally-grown wheat grass, or our superfood Kale Quinoa Salad with spinach, organic quinoa and fresh-juiced, house-made lemon dressing." Read more at www.ilovejuicebar.com/about

During February, local business, Ice Up Cryotherapy, will be hosting artist Bethany Stahl's Tennessee Wildlife Collection and select pieces of her photography! Find them located at 5103 Kingston Pike in the heart of the Beard​en District.

Ice Up Cryotherapy was established in 2015 by local Knoxville residents who fell in love with cryotherapy and were the first to bring this technology to East Tennessee, including helping the Vols recover between basketball games! ​