# The Best Book Promotion Sites for a Launch, Ranked

> BookBub, Freebooksy, Bargain Booksy, and the tiers below — where to spend for a sales spike. Ranked on reach, cost, and ROI by genre.

*Published 2026-07-04 · By Vanessa R. Thomas*

Every book promotion site is selling the same commodity: access to readers who have pre-opted into notifications about discounted books in their genre. The platforms differ in list size, what they cost to reach, what eligibility criteria they impose, and — critically — how each genre converts at each price point. [Written Word Media's 2024 reader survey](https://www.writtenwordmedia.com/the-2024-reader-survey-results/) found that Freebooksy subscribers rate the platform 8.87 out of 10 for recommendation quality, and Bargain Booksy's subscribers rate it 8.50 — both indicate genuinely engaged audiences. The author-side story is more measured: the same network's indie author survey rated both Freebooksy and Bargain Booksy combined at 3.3 out of 5, and BookBub Featured Deals at 3.4 out of 5. The gap between reader enthusiasm and author ROI traces to one structural fact: promotional sites are primarily a series-author's tool. Across every platform ranked here, the documented pattern is consistent — 70 percent or more of profitable ROI comes from backlist series sell-through, not the discounted title.

Five platforms are ranked below, from BookBub (15 million subscribers, an official average 196 times increase in earnings during the deal window) through two Written Word Media properties and two mid-tier genre newsletters. All cost figures are sourced to 2025–2026 data; promotional pricing shifts frequently, so confirm at each platform's site before booking.
PlatformAudienceAuthor cost rangeBook price requiredBest forBookBub Featured Deal15M+ subscribers$467–$4,216 (genre-dependent)Free or 50%+ offSeries authors with backlistFreebooksy1.35M readers$75–$120 (standard genres)Free onlyFree-day campaignsBargain Booksy317K+ users$35–$200$0.99–$5.00Paid $0.99–$1.99 promosEreader News Today675K reach$20–$35Free or discountedBudget stacksRobin Reads194K members$60–$85Free or $0.99Mid-tier velocity
The 70-percent rule: across BookBub, Freebooksy, and every mid-tier newsletter studied, the majority of profitable promotional ROI comes from backlist series sell-through — not from royalties on the discounted book. If you do not yet have a series with at least three books, promotional spend is better understood as a platform-building and review-acceleration investment than a revenue engine.

## Sources

1. [BookBub Featured Deals for Publishers — 196× earnings average, 70% backlist halo](https://www.bookbub.com/partners/featured_deals)
2. [BookBub Featured Deal Pricing by Genre and Price Point](https://www.bookbub.com/partners/pricing)
3. [Featured Deal Submission Requirements and Advice](https://support.bookbub.com/articles/submission-requirements-and-advice/)
4. [9 Reasons a Book Was Rejected for a BookBub Featured Deal](https://insights.bookbub.com/reasons-book-rejected-bookbub-featured-deal/)
5. [Freebooksy Feature Pricing by Genre (effective February 4, 2025)](https://www.freebooksy.com/freebooksy-feature-pricing/)
6. [Freebooksy for Authors — platform overview and testimonials](https://www.freebooksy.com/for-the-authors/)
7. [Bargain Booksy — Sell More Books: Platform Overview](https://www.bargainbooksy.com/sell-more-books/)
8. [2024 Reader Survey — Freebooksy 8.87/10, Bargain Booksy 8.50/10 recommendation scores](https://www.writtenwordmedia.com/the-2024-reader-survey-results/)
9. [Freebooksy Series Promo Results — Romance 89% ROI-positive, Fantasy/Paranormal 83%](https://www.writtenwordmedia.com/series-promo-results-what-to-expect/)
10. [Ereader News Today — Bargain and Free Book Submissions: Pricing and Rules](http://www.ereadernewstoday.com/bargain-and-free-book-submissions/)
11. [Robin Reads — Author Sign-Up and Pricing](https://robinreads.com/author-signup/)
12. [Anatomy of a Free BookBub Featured Deal — $712 cost, 30,000 downloads over 5 days](https://davedobsonbooks.com/anatomy-of-a-free-bookbub-featured-deal)
13. [Is a BookBub Featured Deal Worth It? — ROI analysis by genre and series depth](https://vugapublishing.com/blog/12-bookbub-featured-deal-worth-it)
14. [How Promo Stacking Helps Authors Hit Bestseller Lists](https://insights.bookbub.com/promo-stacking-helps-authors-hit-bestseller-lists/)
15. [The Best Book Promotion Sites — ranked and tested by the author](https://davidgaughran.com/best-promo-sites-books/)
16. [2025 Indie Author Survey — income, email lists, and marketing spend by bracket](https://www.writtenwordmedia.com/2025-indie-author-survey-results-insights-into-self-publishing-for-authors/)
17. [Freebooksy Author Results Thread — download benchmarks by genre](https://www.kboards.com/threads/if-you-have-used-freebooksy-would-you-share-your-results.327293/)
18. [Book Promotion Sites: The Ones That Actually Work — 7-site stacked promo comparison](https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/19387710-book-promotion-sites--the-ones-that-actually-work)

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Source: https://authorsgame.com/launch-and-ignite/best-book-promotion-sites-ranked
Index: https://authorsgame.com/llms.txt · Full text: https://authorsgame.com/llms-full.txt