Bookbub selects "Wheels of Wisdom" for Featured Deal
Industry: Books
With Publishers Weekly review and strong endorsements already in hand, self-published seeker's devotional from Open Road Press gleans more credibility
Thompson's Station, Tennessee (PRUnderground) January 17th, 2017
E-book marketing behemoth Bookbub has chosen to promote “Wheels of Wisdom: Life Lessons for the Restless Spirit” to 1.2 million subscribers in its Christian nonfiction genre on January 17, 2017. The email feature is scheduled to reach subscribers in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, India, and Australia. Normally retailing at $7.99 USD, the Kindle version of “Wheels of Wisdom” will sell for only $0.99 USD under Amazon’s Kindle Select marketing program for six days surrounding the Bookbub pitch. The book is a seeker’s devotional based on the bicycling adventures of its coauthors, Hope Coaches Tim and Debbie Bishop. Published in 2016 in both e-book and paperback formats under their own imprint, Open Road Press, the Bishops officially launched “Wheels of Wisdom” in October.
“This book continues to puncture the book industry’s ‘glass ceiling’ on self-published titles,” said Tim Bishop, who with wife, Debbie, has published five titles as Open Road Press. “It’s extremely difficult to gain visibility and traction in the marketplace without the backing of a traditional publisher or a highly recognizable author name. We have neither. Yet “Wheels of Wisdom” received some noteworthy endorsements before publication. Furthermore, Publishers Weekly selected it for review and issued a favorable opinion in June. Now, Bookbub has submitted its vote of confidence. It seemed highly unlikely that Bookbub would pick a newly released, self-published book with only three Amazon reviews, but that’s exactly what has happened.”
Featured in dozens of publications, including the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, Bookbub is a recognized leader among e-book advertising websites. Bishop’s comment reflects upon Bookbub’s stringent criteria for selecting books to share with its over eight million subscribers. According to its website, Bookbub selects only 10-15% of all titles submitted for consideration, many of which come from traditional publishers. Its business model is premised on choosing titles that its subscribers will likely embrace. To make this determination, Bookbub selects e-books with strong cover design, error-free content, and demonstrable praise from the reading community. Under its “top-content” guarantee to readers, Bookbub “only features books that are bestsellers or written by a bestselling author, were published by a top-tier publisher, or have received strong reviews from critics and readers.”
The Bishops paid Bookbub $560 for the advertisement. Bookbub represents average sales per title in the Christian nonfiction genre of over 1,600 units. This average includes sales of books priced at $0.99, $1.99, and $2.99 USD.
About Open Road Press
Open Road Press is committed to excellence in publishing unique and uplifting works on love, life, and bicycling.
Founded in 2012, Open Road Press has four titles pertaining to long-distance bicycle touring and other matters of faith and inspiration. Furthermore, it has published a business book, “Hedging Commodity Price Risk: A Small Business Perspective.”
