Open Author Builders

A builder is a group giveaway designed to promote the participating authors and build their social media or newsletter following. All Fiction-Atlas builders are genre-targeted, which means we use prizes and ads, as well as cross-promotion tactics, that cater to a select genre dependent on each particular builder's theme.

Each builder works differently, depending on what kind of followers or subscribers we are trying to get you. The basic gist is that we pick a theme, and then I pick 3-4 best-selling and highly sought-after books within that genre or theme, plus 3-5 small items that also fit that theme. We then structure a giveaway around those items. Entrants get points by following the authors, subscribing to them, or whichever options the builder is geared toward. The more people they follow, the more entries they get and the higher their chances are of winning all the prizes. Once the contest is over, we use the giveaway software to pick a winner. We then notify them, verify their shipping address, and send the prizes off to them. Authors do not need to worry about sending prizes. This is all taken care of by me.

We offer builders for TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads, YouTube, Amazon, Bookbub, Goodreads, Reader Groups, Discord, Patreon, Ream, and newsletters. (We also allow Pinterest, Snapchat, and any other social media platform you can think of!  We've recently added a direct book link option so readers are taken to your book page via your universal link or a link to a certain platform. The only links we don't allow are LinkTree, Lnk.Bio, Carrd, or other similar all-in-one links. Social media links must go to one singular platform. Amazon series pages are also not allowed because they are not available in all countries.

The purpose of our service is to provide low-cost builders that effectively gain our authors a following and enable them to sell more books. Our builders are all targeted by genre, so authors reach real readers in their select genres who will be interested in actually reading the author's work, rather than winning a new iPad or an extravagant vacation. Our ads, methods, and prizes all help us successfully identify quality leads for our authors. We also do it without breaking the bank! Comparable services charge 2-5 times more than we do for services that may not yield as good results.

The difference is that I am an author and I know the industry, but I also know that marketing is hard, especially when you don't have a lot of money to start off with! This is why I keep my prices low and work as hard as I can to get results that lead to more sales. I care about my clients and I want them to succeed!

I post all builders on this Open Builders page and within the Facebook group, providing a brief description of the type of builder and the overall theme of the promotion. Each builder post has a link to a Google Form that you can click on to sign up. You can click the name of the builder or the photo on this page to open the form. If you're inside the Facebook group, the post will say sign up here and contain the text link. Once inside the form, enter the information it requests. This is usually your name, email, and the link to the social media or newsletter platforms you would like us to promote in the giveaway. There is also a payment link that you must click to pay the builder's buy-in. After paying the buy-in, you will enter the transaction number. If you are using a phone or tablet, it is recommended to open this payment link in a new tab so that the form does not close and your information is not lost. (Please note that we do not get your information until you hit the submit button on the form and see the success message and/or get your response receipt email from Google. If, for some reason, you do not get a response receipt, please email me (info@fiction-atlas.com) so I can check to make sure I have your information.)

The buy-in for each builder pays for my time to set up and maintain the giveaway. It pays for the purchase and shipping of the prizes and any paid ads that might be used to target readers or give the promotion a boost.

We realize that PayPal might not work for everyone. To help accommodate these clients, we do accept payments via Venmo, CashApp, and Stripe. Each form should have an alternative payment section with info on how to pay with each processor, but if you can't find the information, please email me at info@fiction-atlas.com.

Book Fairs usually have a set date that is listed on the sign-up form. Newsletter, Audience, and Bookbub builders do not have set dates because we must get a certain number of authors signed up for each builder before we can run them successfully. Some builders fill up in a few weeks, and others could take 4-5 months if signups are going slow. (This is usually directly linked to how well the economy is going.) The best way to speed up the process is to share the group and/or the builder sign-up with your author friends. The faster we get sign-ups, the faster we can run the builder! You will be notified when the builder does go live via email at the address you provided when you signed up, and you will have plenty of time to share since all our builders last a minimum of 45 days.

All you need to worry about after you've signed up is sharing the contest when it goes live. We will email you when the contest starts. Then, just share a few times on social media and in your newsletter, if you have one. The more the authors participating share, the more exposure it gets everyone.

Yes. We welcome authors of all list sizes, even those just starting out. We ask authors who have 0-500 subscribers to please share on social media a few more times than they normally would to make up for the newsletter share.

We usually post 2-5 builders every week. This can vary when signups are going slower or when builders fill up fast.

Ultimately, it is up to each author to keep track of the promotions they sign up for. You can always email or message me to check, but please note that it could be a while before I get back to you, as I do have a busy life that includes child-rearing, homeschooling, multiple businesses, authoring, teaching once a week, etc. I have put together a super useful Promotions Tracker Sheet that you are welcome to use for this purpose. You can find it and instructions on how to use it here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/11ERXo-tIPtqe___oeNGnldNnog4b4yH06HF7PQRjA4c/edit?usp=sharing

Courtney does do one-on-one marketing for authors in the Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Young Adult genres/categories. You can email her at info@fiction-atlas.com for a custom price quote and evaluation. Promotion packages are subject to schedule availability and overall marketability of the product. A professional cover and a well-edited book are required.

Unless there is an extremely valid reason(death, serious illness or accident, Amazon account terminated, etc.), no, we do not offer refunds. Due to the crowd-sharing nature of the builders we provide, when an author asks for a refund before a builder has been able to run, it not only takes money away from the prize, it also takes away reach from the promotion and, depending on how many authors are participating, could cause the builder to be delayed. If you just do not need the particular builder anymore, you can get a credit for the amount you paid for the builder to use on a future builder. This credit does not expire.

You can email Courtney with questions about promotions or general questions at info@fiction-atlas.com