Short answer. Kindle Countdown Deal vs Free Book Promotion: each 90-day KDP Select term allows one or the other, not both. A Free Book Promotion gives the ebook away for up to 5 days and pays no royalty. A Kindle Countdown Deal sells it cheaper for up to 7 days at your usual royalty rate. Free reaches more readers. Countdown earns money.
Key points
- Both need the ebook enrolled in KDP Select. Neither touches the paperback.
- Free Book Promotion: up to 5 days per term, can start on day 2 of enrollment, no royalties.
- Kindle Countdown Deal: up to 7 days, only after 30 days in Select, only on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.
- A Countdown Deal needs the list price unchanged for 30 days before it. A launch week discount resets that clock.
- KDP's help page says you pick one promotion type per 90-day term.
What is the difference between a Kindle Countdown Deal and a Free Book Promotion?
The price the reader pays. In a Free Book Promotion the ebook costs nothing for the days you choose. In a Kindle Countdown Deal the price drops and then steps back up toward the list price, with a countdown clock on the Amazon page.
Both are tools inside KDP Select, the 90-day program that puts a Kindle ebook in Kindle Unlimited. If the ebook is not enrolled, neither option appears. Our post on whether KDP Select is worth it for a first book covers that choice first.
Where a promotion sits in a launch is a planning question, and it is one of the dates our book launch plan fixes for you.
Can I run both in the same KDP Select term?
No. KDP's Kindle Countdown Deals help page says you can run either a Free Book Promotion or a Kindle Countdown Deal during each 90-day enrollment period.
The same page adds that Countdown Deals are limited to one per term. So in one term you get either up to 5 free days or one Countdown Deal. If you renew, the next term lets you choose again.
What are the rules for a Free Book Promotion?
Five days per term, at most. KDP's Free Book Promotions page sets these rules:
- Up to 5 free days in each 90-day enrollment period.
- Run them all at once, one day at a time, or a few days in a row.
- Schedule at least one day before the start date.
- The earliest start is the second day of your enrollment period.
- Start and end times are usually midnight Pacific time.
- No royalties while the book is free.
- Unused days do not roll over to the next term.
What are the rules for a Kindle Countdown Deal?
They are stricter, and most of them are about time. From KDP's Kindle Countdown Deals page:
- The ebook has been in KDP Select for at least 30 days.
- The list price is $2.99 to $24.99 on Amazon.com, or £1.99 to £15.99 on Amazon.co.uk.
- The list price stays unchanged for 30 days before the deal and 14 days after it.
- The deal lasts from 1 hour to 7 days, as one block. You cannot split it.
- The price drops by at least $1.00, in up to 5 steps.
- Schedule it at least 24 hours ahead.
- The latest end time is 14 days before your enrollment period ends, unless you renew.
The royalty rate holds during the deal. KDP's page says that on the 70% option you earn 70% even when the deal price is below $2.99.
When could each one start after a real launch date?
We worked it through for a launch on Tuesday 1 December 2026, with the ebook enrolled in KDP Select on launch day. We checked every date below in Python's calendar on 14 October 2026.
| Promotion | Rule | Earliest date |
|---|---|---|
| Free Book Promotion | Second day of enrollment | Wed 2 Dec 2026 |
| Countdown Deal, list price never changed | 30 days in Select | Thu 31 Dec 2026 |
| Countdown Deal, launch price raised on 8 Dec | 30 days at an unchanged list price | Thu 7 Jan 2027 |
| Last day a Countdown Deal can end | 14 days before the term ends | about Mon 15 Feb 2027 |
The third row is the one that catches authors. A $0.99 launch week, then a move up to the list price on 8 December, pushes the earliest Countdown Deal into January. If you want a Countdown Deal early in the term, launch at the list price.
The term end in the last row is our count of 90 days from 1 December. Check the exact end date on your own KDP Select page before you schedule.
The fix we do for this: we write your launch plan in six parts, dated day by day around your launch, including which promotion runs and when, for $249 in 7 business days. You run it; we promise no sales. Tell us your launch date.
Which one should I run after launch?
It depends on what you need more: readers or money. That is our judgement, not a KDP rule.
A Free Book Promotion fits when the book has no readers yet and you want copies in hands. It can start on day 2, so it sits right next to launch week. It pays nothing, and free downloads are not sales.
A Countdown Deal fits when the book already sells a little and you want a reason to post about it again. It earns your normal royalty rate on every copy. It cannot start until a month into the term, so it belongs to week 5 or later of a plan.
If you write a series, a free first book can point readers to book two. If you have one book, the Countdown Deal keeps you paid.
Does a promotion change my paperback price?
No. Both promotions apply to the Kindle ebook only. The paperback keeps its list price, and its royalty works as usual.
That matters for a paperback-first launch. If most of your readers want print, a Kindle promotion will not move them, and the plan should spend its effort on the print launch.
How do I schedule a promotion in KDP?
From your Bookshelf. KDP's Free Book Promotions page gives the path: open the Marketing tab, choose the promotion under Run a Price Promotion, select the book, then enter the dates and save.
Write the dates into your launch calendar the same day. A promotion nobody hears about is a quiet week. Plan one post and one email for its first day.
Questions authors ask
Can I do a Countdown Deal on launch day? No. The ebook needs 30 days in KDP Select first.
Can I make my book free on launch day? Not on day one of enrollment. The earliest free day is the second day.
Do I earn royalties on free downloads? No. KDP pays no royalties during a Free Book Promotion.
Do Countdown Deals run in every Amazon store? No. Only Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.
Can I split my Countdown Deal into two weekends? No. The duration runs as one promotion.
Can I run free days and a Countdown Deal in one term? No. KDP's page says one or the other per 90-day term.
Your next step
Write down your launch date and check whether your ebook is in KDP Select. Send both through our launch plan page and the $249 plan comes back with the promotion dated into it, with the $99 graphics kit if you want the images made too. Our 4-week book launch plan timeline shows the weeks before.
