The Official [delete] BUMP Guide - What are they? How to they work? Do I have to participate? submitted 6 months ago * by [delete] TOO MANY WORDS![M] I decided to make a new sidebar post to explain the [delete] bump, especially in light of our new members. Here it is. What is the [delete] BUMP? The [delete] BUMP is a tool we use at [delete] to help grow in our success! It's a tool that, used properly, can take an ALREADY SUCCESSFUL book and make it MORE successful. How do [delete] Bumps work: We are a community of successful authors who are interested in each other's work and success. Part of that learning involves looking at and reading the successful work of your peers. I know many of us (myself included) were ALREADY buying the most-successful books that came out from [delete] authors. The [delete] BUMP just concentrates these sales and puts them to work! Let me give you an example: A [delete] author releases a novel using a proper launch strategy. They have released at 99 cents, and a groundswell of purchases has built for five days straight. Now, also-boughts have filled in on the book's sales page. Because this was a successful book, it has already achieved a rank lower than 4,000 in the kindle store! The author immediately advertises the book on WTRAFSOG/etc/etc, and as SOON As those advertisements are live, it's time for an [delete] BUMP. They come to and request a bump. Fellow [delete] authors immediately participate, borrowing, reading 10% of, and then purchasing the book. (or some variation on this depending on whether the book is in KU) This gives us all a chance to read and learn from the successful book, and the RAPID and CONCENTRATED purchases takes their book from it's sub-4000 rank, to a rank in the 1,000's that can easily chart in the Kindle store. The author receives a benefit (their book charts, often making them THOUSANDS of dollars). We all receive a benefit (we get to check out the latest successful books from [delete] members, improving our craft as a group). There's also the added SIGNIFICANT benefit that this links our books together in terms of also-bought and also-viewed content, making it more likely that customers purchasing ebooks will see and purchase OTHER [delete] books. What are the rules I need to follow before asking for an [delete] BUMP? 1: Have a book at sub-4,000 in the kindle store. Preferably, you want the book to be sub-3000 in the store. Do not try to bump a book that is above 4,000 in the store - it will waste your bump and won't make your book chart. This may change in the future, but for right now, we lack the ability to make a rank 5000+ book chart in a meaningful way. 2: Have the book priced at 99 cents. Do NOT ask for a [delete] BUMP on a book priced higher than 99 cents. 3: You -MUST- have participated in previous [delete] BUMP threads. If you're not participating in [delete] BUMPS, don't ask for one. To this end, I highly suggest posting a reply in [delete] BUMP threads you participate in, letting the author know you "bumped". 4: Use an intelligent launch strategy. While it's not NECESSARY for you to have a WTRAFSOG ad up while using an [delete] BUMP, it is -SMART-. Intelligent launches lead to more success and more dollar bills in your bank account. Don't waste an [delete] bump! Are you saying as an [delete] member I -MUST- spend my hard earned money on [delete] BUMP threads? ABSOLUTELY NOT. I'm saying you -WANT- to spend your hard earned money on [delete] BUMP threads. If you're making 100$/month, I'm not asking you to spend 10$/month bumping every single book that pops up in a HB BUMP thread, but you COULD set aside a dollar or two and participate in a few. If you're making 1,000$+/month, you -can- afford to participate in every [delete] BUMP thread, and you -SHOULD-. Participating in [delete] BUMPS gives you insight into the currently most-successful books and genres [delete] authors are writing in. Participating in [delete] BUMPS means -YOU- can ask for the [delete] BUMP in the future when -YOUR- book succeeds. Participating in [delete] BUMPS is a big part of the growth and success of our community as a whole. At the end of the day, I can't force you, and since this is on the honors system it's totally built on trust. I've participated personally in every single bump thread we've ever had on [delete], and the total outlay has been a pittance compared to the money I've earned and the lessons I've learned from other [delete] member's successful novels and novellas. The only way it succeeds is if we all commit to being a part of [delete] BUMPS when the request pops up on the board. At the end of the day, I'm asking you to set aside 5-10$ to help your fellow authors. Sooner or later, -you're- going to have a successful book fly up the charts and your own [delete] BUMP thread is going to lead to thousands upon thousands of dollars and success beyond your wildest hopes. Don't take my word for it, search for previous [delete] BUMP threads and look at the sales figures in the month-end threads. The [delete] BUMP works. So, by participating in [delete] BUMPS I get to learn how to hit the most successful niches, I get insight into the ever-changing launch strategies being used by the most successful authors, I help my fellow authors make copious amounts of money, I help link [delete] books and build our group as a BRAND, and when I put my newfound knowledge to work I get to benefit from the [delete] BUMP myself?!? YES! Sounds great, doesn't it?