GIVEAWAY SERVICE
Introducing our giveaway service…
The History Quill’s giveaway service enables historical fiction authors to grow their email lists by participating in themed book giveaways in the form of prize draws. We promote each giveaway to our list of historical fiction readers, all of whom have signed up for The Niche Reader, a website we created for readers who want to enjoy and explore their favorite genres. Our giveaways are sent to 9,000+ subscribers who have specifically registered a preference for historical fiction. We also use targeted online advertising to reach additional historical fiction readers.
When readers sign up to enter a giveaway, they have the option of joining the email lists of participating authors, giving you hundreds of new email subscribers to market your books to, all in your target audience.
Our service is built to provide you with an excellent return on investment, leveraging the power of email marketing to help you sell your books to an engaged audience far into the future, on your terms.
Below, you’ll find more information on how the service works and the giveaways you can sign up for.
The benefits of our service
The power of email marketing
Email marketing is the most effective way to sell books. Period. It gives you a way of cutting through the noise and reaching people directly. Email enables you to interact with your subscribers and turn them into loyal fans and advocates, creating even more sales through recommendations and reviews. You own your email list – it can’t be taken away from you or its impact negated by a new social media algorithm. If you have an email list already, our service enables you to grow it quickly and effectively. If you don’t have one yet, it’s the perfect way to get started.
Return on investment
Our service is built to provide you with an excellent return on investment. Once you’ve gained new subscribers from a giveaway, you can sell your books to them far into the future, including backlist titles and future releases. Over time, you’ll be able to generate a profit far in excess of the original fee. This service is designed to produce long term results, giving you an asset that will keep on producing revenue throughout your author career.
Your target audience
We promote each giveaway to 9,000+ historical fiction readers, as well as using targeted online advertising. Each giveaway is themed, usually based on a particular subgenre of historical fiction or period of history, which attracts readers who are in your target audience, rather than more general readers who may not go on to buy your other books.
Focused and effective
We limit each giveaway to ten books, maximum. Unlike other giveaway services, which can sometimes include dozens of authors in the same giveaway, this means you’ll be recognised by your new email subscribers when you contact them. Signing the same readers up to dozens of email lists does no one any good; our approach keeps your new subscribers happy and ensures the service is focused and effective.
High value prizes
Our prizes are always paperback books, ensuring they have a high value to giveaway entrants. This encourages more readers to join our giveaways and results in a larger number of subscribers for participating authors. Win win!
We do the hard work
With our service, you don’t have to worry about mailing prizes to the winners. We take care of all of that for you by simply gifting the prizes to the winners via Amazon. We cover the cost of this, meaning there is no extra financial outlay for you.
634
Average number of email subscribers gained by each participating author
How it works
1
Register for a giveaway
Below, there is a list of upcoming giveaways that you can join. The first step is to register. In order to participate, you need to put forward a suitable book that fits with the theme of the giveaway.
2
Complete your booking
We will review your registration and contact you to let you know whether it has been accepted. If it has, we’ll invite you to complete your booking by paying the fee. Please see below for pricing.
3
The giveaway period
The giveaway period will last approximately one week. During this time, we will promote it to our own audience and via online advertising. If you have an audience of your own, we’ll encourage you to promote it as well to maximise exposure, although this is not mandatory. At the end of the giveaway period, we will pick a winner and send them their prize.
4
Receive your new subscribers
A few days after the giveaway period ends, we will send you a spreadsheet with your new subscribers. You will receive their first names and email addresses, which you can then input into your chosen newsletter platform.
5
Start selling books!
Now that you have your new subscribers, it’s time to turn them into enthusiastic readers and buyers of your books. We recommend emailing them fairly quickly to welcome them to your list, introduce yourself, and remind them that they signed up via the giveaway. In the following weeks, it’s a good idea to offer them plenty of value; this could come in the form of freebies, discount offers, and interesting content. This will help ensure they remain engaged and open to buying your books as they settle in. Over time, you can turn them into loyal fans who will buy your new releases and backlist titles, while also spreading the word about your books to other readers.
Testimonials
“The History Quill giveaway service has allowed me to engage with a whole new raft of readers who enjoy reading historical fiction. It is very easy to use with everything taken care of, and I have no hesitation in recommending it to other authors.”
“The History Quill giveaways have boosted my email subscriber numbers very quickly and sustainably, the latter being the important part because their readership is exactly the tribe of fans I’m looking to reach. The service is very professional and effective, and I recommend it highly.”
“The subscribers I’ve received from The History Quill book giveaways have become some of my most loyal readers. Nine months after my first giveaway, they are still very engaged and often reply to my emails, which helps me to build a relationship with them. I had no hesitation about joining a second giveaway a couple of months ago, and I will do so again in the future.”
Pricing
$236.40 USD
Upcoming giveaways
There are no giveaways at present. For updates on future giveaways, join the waiting list below.
Frequently asked questions
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Which countries do you accept bookings from?
We welcome clients who are resident in the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and any EU country. If you are not resident in one of these countries, unfortunately we won’t be able to accept your business at this time.
What kind of giveaway is this?
Giveaways come in many forms. This form of giveaway is a prize draw. That means we’ll offer a collection of books as a prize and invite readers to enter in order to win them. There will be one winner for each giveaway, and they will be chosen at random. The prizes are always paperback books.
Who are the giveaways open to?
With a few limitations and exceptions, people resident in the United Kingdom and United States. That means your new email subscribers will be resident in these countries.
Please note, it’s fine if you are not resident in the United Kingdom or United States yourself. See above for which countries we accept bookings from. This geographic restriction is for giveaway entrants, not participating authors, so if you’re resident in Canada or one of the other countries we serve outside the UK and USA, you can still join a giveaway, but your new subscribers will be from the UK and USA only.
How does it work from the readers' perspective?
We invite readers to enter our giveaways via our email list at The Niche Reader, a website we created for readers who want to enjoy and explore their favorite genres, and via online advertising. They click through to a giveaway page displaying information about the books included in the prize and a form where they can sign up to enter the giveaway. They can also view a copy of the giveaway’s official rules.
The sign up form includes options for joining each participating author’s email list – or all email lists – to ensure it is GDPR friendly.
After the giveaway is over, we notify the winner and send them their prizes. We then transfer the details of entrants who opted to join participating authors’ email lists so that you can welcome them.
Which subgenres of historical fiction do you accept?
We accept a wide range of historical fiction subgenres, but you will need to find the best fit for your book among the giveaway options. The only subgenres we do not ever accept for giveaways are children’s fiction and erotic fiction, so please do not submit these to us. If you’re not sure whether your book is a good fit for a particular giveaway, you’re welcome to email us at enquiries@thehistoryquill.com to enquire further.
Will I get book sales from your giveaways?
Yes! Your sales will come from the new subscribers you gain and will happen over time. In due course, you will be able to make a substantial profit on your original investment as you turn your new subscribers into enthusiastic readers and advocates, buying new releases and backlist titles and helping to spread the word about your books.
How many new subcribers will I get?
This will vary between giveaways and authors. Our average figure for subscribers gained is displayed towards the top of this page and is regularly updated, and most authors can expect something in this region. On the basis of our previous results, the vast majority of these subscribers will be new to your list.
How engaged will my new subscribers be?
Very! Not only do our giveaways target historical fiction readers specifically, but each giveaway is themed, usually based on a particular subgenre of historical fiction or period of history, which attracts readers who are in your target audience, rather than more general readers who may not go on to buy your other books. It’s likely you will get a small number of unsubscribes the first time you send an email, but this is normal after a promotion and helps to weed out anyone you don’t want on your list.
How will you send me my new subscribers?
We will send them to you via a spreadsheet in .xlsx format (compatible with Microsoft Excel). If you require a different format, let us know via email and we will try to accommodate you.
Which email platforms can I use to email my subscribers?
Pretty much any! The choice is yours. Mailchimp and MailerLite are popular choices for authors, but there are many others out there, and you will be able to upload your new subscribers to all of them.
I don't have an email list; should I use this service?
If you don’t have an email list but want to start one, this is the perfect way to start, so yes! If you don’t have any interest in starting one or you are not using email marketing to promote your books, then this isn’t the right service for you.
Where can I learn more about email marketing for authors?
We strongly recommend this comprehensive guide by David Gaughran.
Is this compliant with the GDPR and other legal requirements?
Absolutely. We don’t force anyone to join your email list; it’s completely optional, and people can enter our giveaways without joining any lists. However, the vast majority choose to sign up because they want more opportunities to enjoy historical fiction!
Our giveaways, which are open to people in the United Kingdom and United States only, are also fully compliant with legal requirements governing prize draws in both those countries.
What format does my book need to be in, and where should it be available for sale?
We require all books entered into our giveaways to be available for sale in paperback format on amazon.co.uk and amazon.com.
What if my book is part of a series?
We’re happy to accept books that are part of a series.
Do I have to send my book as a prize to the winner?
No, we take care of that for you. We simply gift the prizes to the winners via Amazon. We cover the cost of this ourselves.
Can I participate in multiple giveaways?
Yes. Just register for the ones you want to participate in. If you’re registering for multiple giveaways within a short space of time, it’s preferable to put forward different books for each one, but if there is a significant gap (i.e. more than six months) between the giveaways you want to enter, you can put forward the same book for each.
How do I pay?
You can pay by credit or debit card once we have accepted your registration.
Which payment currencies do you accept?
We accept three payment currencies: USD, GBP, and EUR. The currency you pay in will depend on your country of residence. People resident in the UK will pay in GBP, people resident in the EU will pay in EUR, and people resident in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa will pay in USD.
What are the full terms and conditions?
You can view our full terms and conditions here.
More questions?
If you have any additional questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch by emailing us at enquiries@thehistoryquill.com.