u/Winter-Juggernaut256

I published my horror novel Kristael on March 28, 2026, and I've been experimenting with different ways to get it into readers' hands.

Here's how things have gone so far:

First free promotion: 89 downloads

(organic + social media)

Second free promotion: 30 downloads

(organic + social media)

September 21: I tried a $25 Bargain Booksy promotion, which resulted in 11 sales. The price was $0.99.

September 25: I started another Freebooksy promotion. After the first 32 hours, I've gotten 17 downloads.

As for the current promotion, I don't think I'll reach my first record of 89 downloads, but 50 feels achievable.

And honestly, that's what I'm enjoying about being an indie author: trying things, looking at the numbers, and seeing what actually works.

If you're interested in doll horror, dark secrets, and a supernatural mystery, Kristael is currently FREE on Kindle.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GHSG7GD7

If you enjoy fun, creepy stories with that classic Goosebumps-like vibe, you might enjoy this book! 👀📖 It’s a fun and spooky read with plenty of mystery and creepy moments.

It’s currently FREE on Kindle, but only until September 11th, so feel free to grab it while you can! 🖤

I’d love to know what you think if you decide to read it!

I’ve noticed this not just in this sub, but across Reddit in general.

When you promote your book in those book-promotion subs and look at the analytics, you’ll often see a lot of views coming from India. But the conversion seems to be really low, even when the book is completely free.

For example, if I get 1,000 views from the US and UK while my book is free, I might get 5–10 downloads pretty easily.

But with India, I’ve had cases where 1,000 views resulted in zero downloads. If I’m lucky, maybe one or two.

I’ve wondered if part of the problem is Amazon itself. I’ve noticed that sometimes an Amazon.in link will open the Amazon app on your phone, and actually getting a free KDP book from there can be surprisingly difficult. A few people I know have run into the same thing.

The funny thing is, the solution is pretty simple. You can just open the link through the Amazon website instead of the app. But I’m wondering if people actually know that, or if there are other reasons for the low conversion.

So I wanted to ask Indian authors here:

Have you noticed the same thing? And if you have, what do you think is causing it?

Also, full disclosure, I’m an indie author and my scary mystery book is free for just one more day. It’s a fast-paced, fun mystery involving cats, nine lives, and an Egyptian mummy.

If that sounds like your thing, feel free to check it out for free.

And if the Amazon app gives you trouble, try opening the link through the website instead.

Link: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0G67F6Z62?dplnkId=4128caab-3106-402e-8364-c0b5a7602ef0

If you end up reading it, I’d genuinely love to hear your honest thoughts, good or bad.

Thanks!

What would you do if you find cats burning in your town?

I thought I'd share the numbers from one of my books and what I'm trying to do with it now.

I released The Mummy Who Stole Nine Lives in December.

It's a horror/supernatural adventure novel, and I've been experimenting with different ways of promoting it since release.

Here are the results so far:

December promo: 1,687+ free downloads

Later 5-day free promo: 44 downloads

Current 5-day free promo: 14 downloads after 2 days

The first promotion was by far the biggest success. I used paid newsletter promotions at the time, which brought in the 1,687+ downloads and also resulted in some follow-on sales and KENP reads.

The second free period was much smaller. I didn't use paid promotion, just social media, and ended up with 44 downloads.

Now I'm running another free 5-day period, but this time I'm trying to see what I can accomplish without spending money on newsletter promotions.

I'm currently at 14 downloads after 2 days.

So I've decided to turn the remaining 3 days into a little challenge.

My previous free promotion ended at 44 downloads.

Can I beat 44 this time?

The book is FREE right now, so if you're interested in horror, I'd really appreciate you grabbing a copy and helping me see how far I can push this.

The Mummy Who Stole Nine Lives

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G67F6Z62

I'm going to keep updating the numbers in the comments throughout the promotion.

I know the title sounds dramatic.

So, I have a book, not mentioning the title or anything here, that I released in December.

I booked a Freebooksy and Fussy promotion and got 1,687+ downloads, which resulted in further sales and KENP reads.

Then came another free Kindle 5-day period sometime around early summer. I got only 44 downloads that time, and I used only social media promotions.

My question for all horror authors and readers is: Can I at least get my third promo past the 44-download mark?

The third promo is currently at 7 downloads, and almost a day has already passed.

What should I use besides social media promotions, considering I don't have a budget for newsletter promos?

I’m a 100% human author. I write all of my books myself, but I currently have almost no budget for professional book covers.

Because of that, I’ve had to work with what I can afford for my covers. My plan is to replace/improve them as I earn money from my books.

The frustrating part is that when I promote my books on Reddit, I sometimes get comments immediately calling them “AI slop” based solely on the cover. Some people haven’t even looked at the sample pages before making that assumption.

I understand that there are legitimate concerns about AI-generated books and covers, and I understand why readers are cautious about them. But it can still be discouraging when you're a human author who actually wrote the entire book yourself and someone dismisses it immediately because of the cover.

So I'm genuinely curious:

How many other self-published authors are experiencing this?

And for those of you who have dealt with it, did changing/improving your cover actually reduce the AI accusations?

I’m not looking for an argument about AI. I’m trying to understand how much this affects indie authors and whether it's something I should prioritize as soon as I can afford better covers.

Please keep the discussion respectful. I’m genuinely looking for advice from other authors here.

Hey everyone!

I’m an indie author, and I’ve written four standalone supernatural/fantasy books so far. They’re all discounted for a limited time if you’d like to give them a try!

1. Aiden Roamer and the Goddess of Spiders — A middle-grade dark fantasy about an angry goddess, a prophecy, and a protagonist chosen as a sacrifice.

READ HERE: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DYVTJPG9

2. Untimely — A short supernatural story about a mother and daughter, time, and an inevitable destiny.

READ HERE: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FR3F48RQ

3. The Mummy Who Stole Nine Lives — A spooky small-town mystery sprinkled with Egyptian mythology and cats.

READ HERE:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G67F6Z62

4. Kristael — An adult horror novel about an entity that whispers in your head and knows all your secrets.

READ HERE:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GHSG7GD7

All four books are also available to read for free with Kindle Unlimited.

And, probably not necessary to mention, but I’m just excited to share this: the sequel to The Mummy Who Stole Nine Lives is about 80% finished and will be released soon! 😄

Thanks for reading, and I hope you find something you enjoy!

Hey everyone!

I’m an indie author, and I’ve written four standalone supernatural/fantasy books so far. They’re all discounted for a limited time if you’d like to give them a try!

1. Aiden Roamer and the Goddess of Spiders — A middle-grade dark fantasy about an angry goddess, a prophecy, and a protagonist chosen as a sacrifice.

READ HERE: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DYVTJPG9

2. Untimely — A short supernatural story about a mother and daughter, time, and an inevitable destiny.

READ HERE: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FR3F48RQ

3. The Mummy Who Stole Nine Lives — A spooky small-town mystery sprinkled with Egyptian mythology and cats.

READ HERE:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G67F6Z62

4. Kristael — An adult horror novel about an entity that whispers in your head and knows all your secrets.

READ HERE:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GHSG7GD7

All four books are also available to read for free with Kindle Unlimited.

And, probably not necessary to mention, but I’m just excited to share this: the sequel to The Mummy Who Stole Nine Lives is about 80% finished and will be released soon! 😄

Thanks for reading, and I hope you find something you enjoy!

One thing that fascinated me was how Egyptian deities have such distinct personalities and symbolism. Rather than making the gods the main characters, I kept them mostly in the background—their presence influences events without overshadowing the human story. Bastet and Sekhmet, for example, subtly shape parts of the novel instead of appearing as action heroes.

I'd love to know from people here: when fiction uses Egyptian mythology, what do you wish authors got right more often?

Here's the link if anyone's curious:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G67F6Z62?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback

Last December I published The Mummy Who Stole Nine Lives.

I honestly had no idea I'd end up writing a sequel.

Out of the four books I've published, this one connected with readers the most. It's reached over 1,700 orders (freebies included), has 9 Amazon ratings and 10 Goodreads ratings.

So now I'm writing The Mummy Who Ate Eight Hours.

Writing the sequel has made me realize I probably approached publishing backwards.

I kept writing standalones because I wanted to explore different ideas. Now I understand why so many indie authors recommend writing a series. Every new standalone starts from zero, but every new book in a series gives readers another reason to discover Book 1.

I know these numbers might be tiny compared to what some authors here achieve, but for me they've been a huge milestone. Every reader and every rating has made me want to keep going.

For those of you who've published series, did you notice Book 1 getting a second life after Book 2 came out? Or did it take three or four books before things really started to snowball?

If anyone's curious, here's the book:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G67F6Z62

It's also available to read free with Kindle Unlimited. I'd genuinely love to hear what you think if you decide to give it a shot.

So, back in December 2025, I wrote my third book. It was a spooky, fun horror called The Mummy Who Stole Nine Lives.

Now...

I ran a few promotions for that book, and it turned out to be the most successful one in my catalog.

It ended up getting over 1,700 orders (although most of them were free downloads), along with 9 Amazon ratings and 10 Goodreads ratings.

Keep in mind, it's my catalog. For some of you, that level of success might be nothing, but for me, it was a huge milestone.

After writing my fourth book (a doll horror), I started thinking about something people always say: it's usually a good idea to write a series.

So I decided to write a sequel to The Mummy Who Stole Nine Lives.

It's called The Mummy Who Ate Eight Hours.

Do you think this was the right decision, or should I have written something else instead?

Check out my third book here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G67F6Z62

I know the title sounds a bit weird, but I'm looking for something very specific.

I'm looking for spooky, fun, monster-filled books like the ones R.L. Stine writes, but centered around Egyptian mythology, mummies, ancient curses, Egyptian monsters, gods, and similar themes.

I already know about the Kane Chronicles. Are there any other books or series that fit this vibe?

Hi everyone!

I'm an indie author, and my middle-grade horror novel The Mummy Who Stole Nine Lives is currently available for $0.99 on Kindle.

The discounted price is temporary, and I'm hoping to introduce more readers to the series before Book 2, The Mummy Who Ate Eight Hours, releases later this month.

If you're into spooky adventures with cursed mummies, ancient mysteries, creepy small-town secrets, and Goosebumps-style fun, this might be something you'd enjoy.

If you decide to check it out, I'd genuinely appreciate any honest feedback or review.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G67F6Z62

Thanks for reading, and have a spooky day!

If you're looking for a spooky, funny middle-grade adventure on Kindle Unlimited, I'd love for you to check out my series.

If your kids enjoy Goosebumps, they'll feel right at home with mischievous mummies, mysteries, and plenty of laughs. And if you're still a kid at heart, I hope you'll enjoy it too.

Book 1 is available now on Kindle Unlimited, and Book 2 arrives this July, making it the perfect time to start the adventure.

As an indie author, every read, rating, and review means a lot. Thanks for taking a look!

Has anyone else seen this rumor?

Is it true?

And does anyone know what Yelena is doing in the Spider-man movie?

👁️My horror book is currently free on Amazon.

If you wanna feel the eerie atmosphere for FREE!

Just go and read what you are waiting for?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GHSG7GD7?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback

🩸❤️🪆

Seventeen-year-old Holly Danes begins hearing the voice of a doll named Kristael—a voice that knows everyone's darkest secrets. At first, the revelations feel like power. But every secret comes with a price, and the voice has plans of its own.

If you enjoy psychological horror, unreliable narrators, family secrets, slow-building dread, and unsettling supernatural mysteries, I hope you'll give it a try.

I'd love to hear what you think after you've read it. Thanks for checking it out!