Permafree Book Strategy: First-in-Series Free to Maximize Series Sales
A permanently free series starter is one of the most powerful reader acquisition tools in indie publishing — when your series is ready for it. Here is the complete playbook.
What Is a Permafree Book?
A “permafree” book is a title permanently listed at $0.00 on Amazon and other retailers — not a temporary price promotion, but a sustained free listing that functions as a reader acquisition funnel for the rest of your series.
Unlike KDP Select Free Days (which give you 5 free days per 90-day enrollment period), permafree is indefinite. Your book stays free until you actively change it. This makes permafree a long-term discovery channel rather than a one-time event.
Reader acquisition at scale
Thousands of readers download free books who would never spend money on an unknown author. A small percentage of those readers buy books 2, 3, and beyond — generating revenue from zero upfront cost.
Amazon algorithm surface area
A free book 1 that accumulates downloads builds ranking history and "also bought" associations. When readers of your free book 1 buy book 2, Amazon associates the two books together, surfacing book 1 organically.
Review building accelerator
More downloads = more readers = more reviews. A permafree book 1 that has been downloaded 10,000 times will naturally accumulate more reviews than a $3.99 book with 200 sales — accelerating social proof.
How to Make Your Book Free on Amazon (Step by Step)
Amazon does not allow $0.00 pricing in KDP directly. The route to permafree is via price-matching from another retailer. This process requires your book to not be enrolled in KDP Select.
Remove from KDP Select
KDP Select requires 90-day exclusivity. Do not renew your current enrollment period. After it expires, your book is eligible for wide distribution. Note: you cannot go permafree while enrolled in KDP Select — the two strategies are mutually exclusive.
Distribute wide via Draft2Digital
Upload your book to Draft2Digital and set the price to $0.00 (free). Draft2Digital will distribute to Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and other retailers automatically. This establishes an official $0.00 listing on major platforms.
Report the lower price to Amazon
On your Amazon book listing, scroll to the bottom and click "Tell us about a lower price." Submit the Apple Books or Kobo URL showing the $0.00 price. Amazon's team reviews price-match requests and typically processes them within 2–4 weeks.
Verify and monitor
Once Amazon price-matches, your book will show "$0.00" with "Matched from [retailer]" in the price description. Monitor this periodically — Amazon occasionally reverts permafree prices. If reverted, resubmit the price-match report.
List on permafree sites
Submit your book to free ebook listing sites (BookBub featured deals, FreeBooksy, ENT, Freebooksy, Robin Reads, and 50+ others). These sites send free book discovery emails to hundreds of thousands of subscribers, dramatically amplifying your download volume.
Understanding Read-Through Rates
Read-through rate is the percentage of book 1 readers who go on to purchase book 2. This is the metric that determines whether your permafree strategy is profitable.
| Book 1→2 Read-Through | Assessment | Likely cause if low | Revenue math (1,000 free downloads, book 2 at $3.99) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10% | Critical problem | Book 1 ending, genre mismatch, cover | <$400/1,000 downloads |
| 10–25% | Below average | Weak hook, book 2 not compelling | $400–$1,000/1,000 downloads |
| 25–50% | Solid | Good story, standard funnel loss | $1,000–$2,000/1,000 downloads |
| 50–70% | Strong | Excellent hook, committed readers | $2,000–$2,800/1,000 downloads |
| 70%+ | Elite | Page-turner, loyal fanbase built | $2,800+/1,000 downloads |
How to track your read-through rate:
- →In KDP dashboard: compare units sold for book 1 vs book 2 over the same period
- →Use BookReport or Publisher Rocket to analyze ASIN-level sales trends
- →Track Kindle Unlimited page reads — if book 1 KU reads are high but book 2 is low, the hook at the end of book 1 needs work
- →Email list signups from book 1 back-matter give you a parallel read-through proxy
Where to List Your Permafree Book
Simply going permafree is not enough — you need to get your free book in front of readers who are actively looking for free ebooks. These are the highest-impact listing channels:
- BookBub Featured Deal (free)Extremely competitive but sends 100K+ downloads on approval
- FreeBooksyPaid placement, targeted by genre, high volume
- Freebooksy (Written Word Media)Strong genre fiction reach, affordable
- Robin ReadsQuality curation, good romance/thriller readership
- BookSendsConsistent reach, multiple genres
- Ereader News Today (ENT)Long-running newsletter, loyal readership
- Goodreads ListopiaCommunity lists — add your free book to relevant lists
- ManyBooksFree book directory with active user base
Reviews matter even more for permafree books. Free book listing sites like FreeBooksy and BookBub require or strongly prefer books with 10–25+ reviews before featuring them. Build your book's review count with iWrity before launching a permafree promotion.
Permafree vs KDP Select: Which Is Right for Your Book?
| Factor | Permafree (Wide) | KDP Select (Exclusive) |
|---|---|---|
| Free days available | Always free — no limit | 5 days per 90-day enrollment |
| Kindle Unlimited eligibility | Not eligible | Eligible — earn per page read |
| Distribution | All retailers (Apple, Kobo, B&N) | Amazon only |
| Revenue model | Series read-through only | KU page reads + sales |
| Best for | Series with 3+ books, wide audience | Series with strong KU readership |
| Review building | More downloads = more reviews | Fewer downloads but KU reads help |
| Algorithm impact | Consistent free downloads | KU borrows feed the algorithm |
| Risk | Zero KU revenue from book 1 | Locked out of Apple, Kobo markets |
- ✓Your genre has strong Apple Books / Kobo readership (e.g., literary fiction, women's fiction)
- ✓You have 3+ books and a proven read-through rate
- ✓You want long-term organic download volume without time-pressure
- ✓You want to diversify revenue away from Amazon dependency
- ✓Your genre has a dominant Kindle Unlimited readership (romance, fantasy, cozy mystery)
- ✓You're early-stage and want KU page reads contributing to your first income
- ✓Your series is under 3 books and you're not ready for permafree yet
- ✓You want to use KDP Free Days for launch momentum
Your Permafree Book Needs Reviews Before It Goes Free
Every major free book promotion site — FreeBooksy, BookBub, ENT — has minimum review requirements or strong preferences. And readers who find a free book with zero reviews will often skip it. Build your review foundation before you flip the permafree switch.
Get Reviews with iWrity Before Going PermafreeFrequently Asked Questions
How do I make my book permanently free on Amazon?+
Remove your book from KDP Select, list it for free on Draft2Digital (which distributes to Apple Books, Kobo, etc.), then report the lower price to Amazon via the book detail page. Amazon typically price-matches within 2–4 weeks.
How many books should I have before going permafree?+
A minimum of 3 books in the series. With only 1–2 books, free book 1 generates limited back-end revenue. With 3+ books, readers who download the free book can immediately purchase books 2 and 3, making the free book self-funding.
What is a good read-through rate for a permafree series?+
A read-through rate of 30–50% from book 1 to book 2 is considered solid. Top-performing series see 50–70%+. Below 20% usually means the book 1 ending doesn't compel readers to continue, or the cover doesn't match reader expectations.
Can I go permafree and then return to paid?+
Yes. You can remove the free listing from Draft2Digital at any time, which stops the price-match signal to Amazon. Amazon may or may not revert to your KDP-set price quickly — it can take weeks. This is a one-way door in the short term.