Freebooksy & Bargain Booksy

Freebooksy and Bargain Booksy are the flagship newsletters of Written Word Media, a bootstrapped company founded in Durham, North Carolina in 2011. Together they reach over 1.5 million readers across genre-specific email lists. Major publishers including HarperCollins, Harlequin, and Penguin Random House use the platform alongside 45,000+ indie authors.

The Two Newsletters

Freebooksy promotes free ebooks to genre-targeted subscriber lists ranging from 75,000 (Graphic Novel) to 822,000 (Mystery). Pricing runs $25–$245 for standard features, with Series promotions at the higher end. The book must be priced at $0.00 for the full promotion day, be at least 50 pages, and be available in English. An editorial review (within 72 hours of submission) can reject books with poor cover quality.

Bargain Booksy promotes discounted ebooks priced $0.99–$5.00 to genre lists ranging from 59,000 (LitRPG) to 588,000 (Mystery). Standard features cost $20–$90 depending on genre. A Deal of the Day tier ($95–$240) provides simultaneous placement in both newsletters for combined reach of 776,000–1.41M readers — available for Romance, Mystery/Thriller/Cozy, Fantasy/Paranormal, and Science Fiction, and requires a minimum of 20 four-star Amazon reviews.

Pricing was last updated February 2025.

What You Get

• Genre-specific targeting: 20+ genre categories on each platform; list sizes published alongside prices
• Deal of the Day: Cross-newsletter placement for four major genres; requires editorial approval and 20+ four-star reviews
• Limelight: $550 standalone email blast to 281,000 subscribers (members-only, non-romance genres, Thursdays)
• Subscriber Surge Giveaways: $75/slot; 60-day genre giveaways to build your email list (launched 2024–2025)
• Premium Membership: Gold ($125/yr) or Platinum ($250/yr); 10% off all promotions and early slot access
• Reader Reach Ads: Full-service Facebook + Amazon ad management; Promo Stacks with partner services

Who It's For

• Series authors running free days: Freebooksy pairs well with KDP Select free promotions, especially for book 1 of a series with books 2–3 priced at $0.99–$2.99
• Nonfiction authors: Bargain Booksy nonfiction categories (Nonfiction, Self Help, Cookbook, Travel) consistently rank among the best-value promotions in independent comparisons
• Authors with an existing backlist: The promotion ROI improves significantly when there's something to sell-through to; standalone first books see limited returns

Pricing: Freebooksy standard features $25–$245; Bargain Booksy standard features $20–$90; Bargain Booksy Deal of the Day $95–$240; Freebooksy Limelight $550 (members-only). No subscription required for standard features — pay per promotion.

Strengths

• Accessible entry: No waitlist or strict acceptance rate for standard features, unlike BookBub Featured Deals (4–8% acceptance). Submit, get a 72-hour editorial decision, and schedule.
• Transparent pricing and list sizes: Every genre shows the subscriber count alongside the price — authors can calculate expected cost-per-download before buying.
• Deal of the Day cross-promotion: Two newsletter placements for a single fee, with combined reach exceeding 300,000 for major genres.
• Stable 14-year platform: No acquisition or ownership changes. Still bootstrapped and independently operated.

Limitations

• Short-lived rank boost: Downloads spike on promotion day and return to baseline within 1–2 weeks. No lasting Amazon rank effect for most titles.
• Low review conversion: Roughly 2–3 reviews per 1,000 downloads is typical — free and discounted book readers convert at low rates.
• US-centric audience: Most downloads come from US readers; limited reach for authors targeting other markets.
• Bargain Booksy requires genuine discounts: Authors who promote at their regular price rather than a real sale see significantly lower performance.

Alternatives

BookBub Featured Deals reach 10,000–30,000+ downloads per promotion and have higher ROI per dollar, but acceptance is selective and prices run $300–$2,500. EReader News Today offers similar pricing to Freebooksy and is frequently cited as comparable or better value for some genres. For authors who want newsletter promos plus email list-building in one place, Written Word Media also offers Subscriber Surge Giveaways alongside the promotional newsletters.