Do book giveaways really result in more readership?

It’s been 3 months since our first giveaways launched on Pagebound. Over 700 users have won advanced reader copies, debuts, and backlist books across so many genres:

We’ve had 30 giveaways across print, ebook, and audiobook formats. One third of these have been open to readers across our global community (not just the U.S.), and as we grow, we hope to find more partners able to offer giveaways in all locations. It’s been wonderful having both indie authors and traditional publishers participate:

To better understand if book giveaways on Pagebound really result in more readership, we looked at the data across a wide range of books. As a leading indicator, we track the number of users with the book in their Pagebound library before and after a giveaway.

Spotlight: backlist books are able to find a new audience

Across indie and trad books, older titles can find new readership on Pagebound. This is through the Giveaways page and the social power of seeing someone you follow enter a giveaway or add a book to their library.

Spotlight: debut books are beloved

Many Pagebound users are huge supporters of indie and debut authors. After all, Pagebound is indie! While newer releases are harder to access, we’ve consistently seen our readers make the effort to acquire new books and post/review to help the author build momentum and awareness.

Spotlight: nonfiction also does well on Pagebound

Since every book has its own forum, Pagebound is truly for every reader. Nonfiction readers have found a haven here with our many nonfiction Quests and the ability to engage in thoughtful discussion about the books they’re reading.

As more time passes, we’re excited to measure giveaway impact in other ways: the number of people who finish a book after adding it to their TBR, the winners who leave a review and post/comment in the book forum. We hope giveaways can help users discover books they’ll love and conversations in the book forums can inspire interest for future readers.

If you’d like to host a book giveaway with Pagebound, you can find more information and sign up here.