What are the tips and tricks of BookBub submission that can get your book featured?
Getting your book featured on BookBub can be a game-changer for self-published authors looking to boost sales and reach more readers.
BookBub is one of the best book discovery platforms for authors to promote themselves to a huge readership of bibliophiles.
But getting featured isn’t as simple as just submitting your book—you need a smart strategy to stand out from the competition.
To improve your chances, it’s important to understand what BookBub looks for in a submission.
What determines whether your book gets picked up?
If you take proper steps and prepare your book intelligently, you will be more likely to succeed and have your story seen by a good number of eager readers.
How to Prepare for a Successful BookBub Submission
Getting your book promoted on BookBub is not a matter of simply submitting it and wishing for it to work out.
It is an intelligent approach to align with the selection criteria of the contents and make your book different.
But don’t worry—I’ll walk you through exactly what you need to do!
What BookBub Looks for in a Submission
BookBub’s editorial team is picky (in a good way!) , and they focus on a few key factors when choosing books for their promotions:
✅ Pricing: Your book must be heavily discounted (at least 50% off its normal price), or even be free for a limited period of time.
✅ Quality: BookBub only features well-written, error-free books. A well-presented paper and a professional-quality cover are a requirement.
✅ Reviews: Although you don’t require thousands of reviews, some favourable feedback from the readers will aid you.
✅ Genre Popularity: There are certain genres that have a better performance and BookBub has a record of what readers want. Submitting your book under a trending category can help!
How to Optimize Your Book Before Submission
Before you hit that submit button, make sure your book looks its best!
Get a Professional Cover – A professional cover works wonders. It should be eye-catching and fit your genre.
Write an Irresistible Book Description – This is your book’s “sales pitch. Make it exciting, clear, and engaging so potential readers (and BookBub) take notice.
Collect Strong Reviews – If possible, gather some good reviews before submitting. Books with solid feedback tend to get better results.
Use a Smart Pricing Strategy – Offer an attractive discount that stands out. BookBub loves deals that feel like a steal for readers.
Choosing the Right Genre & Checking Availability
Not all genres perform the same, and so, do some research on BookBub trends.
Placing your book in the right category can enhance the likelihood that it will be featured.
Your book must also be listed on BookBub’s participating retailers and adhere to their rules.
It should also be a full-length and not have been offered at a better price too recently.
Step-by-Step Guide to Submitting Your Book to BookBub
Submitting your book to BookBub is a potentially life-changing event as it facilitates connections with thousands of receptive readers.
But how do you do that?
Here’s a simple guide to make the submission process smooth and stress-free.
Step 1: Log into Your BookBub Partner Dashboard
Head to BookBub Partner Dashboard and log in to your account.
This is where you’ll manage all your submissions and promotions.
Step 2: Click “Submit Featured Deal”
Once inside, find the “Submit Featured Deal” button.
The button that you click on brings you to the submission page.
Here you will input information on your book and on how you plan to promote it.
Step 3: Pick Your Book’s Format and Genre
Next, decide on your book’s format and target genre.
The selection of the appropriate genre increases chances of being accepted, so please choose carefully!
Step 4: Set Your Promo Price & Retailer Links
Decide on your discounted price—BookBub usually requires at least 50% off or a free deal.
Then, add retailer links (Amazon, Apple Books, Kobo, etc. ), making sure they work correctly.
Step 5: Write a Persuasive Pitch
Here’s your opportunity to pitch your book to BookBub’s team!
Describe features such as good reviews, prizes, or special aspects which set the book apart.
A well-crafted pitch increases your chances of being approved and featured as a deal.
Step 6: Submit and Wait for a Response
Double-check everything, then hit submit!
BookBub will review your request and usually respond within two to three days.
If you don’t get accepted, don’t worry—learn from the process and try again!
Winning a BookBub launch isn’t always a seat on an easy street, but with effort and good strategies one can improve odds.
What to Do If Your BookBub Submission Is Rejected
Getting rejected by BookBub can be tough, especially after you’ve put in so much time and effort.
But don’t worry!
Understanding why your submission was rejected and what you can do to improve it for next time can turn this setback into a learning opportunity.
Common Reasons for Rejection
There are a few common reasons why BookBub might turn down your book:
1. Poor Reader Experience: When your book has an abundance of bad reviews because of grammar problems, or poor writing quality, it is likely to be rejected.
2. Unprofessional Cover: A poorly polished book cover or one that does not adhere to the genre of your work could hurt your submission.
3. Wrong Genre: If your book is miscategorized into the wrong genre it risks being rejected. Ensure that your book is entered into the right category.
4. Too Few Reviews: Books containing less than 25 reviews can be very hard to put in, particularly in genres where such a thing has significance.
5. Pricing Issues: To comply with BookBub’s rules, your book must be discounted by atleast half of its published price.
6. Limited Slots: On occasion, even excellent books are turned down simply because there’s limited space for featured titles.
How to Improve Your BookBub Submission & Try Again
If you get rejected, here’s what you can do to increase your chances next time:
Revamp Your Cover: Especially consider investing in a professional cover design that adheres to your genre and is unique.
Look at successful books in your category for inspiration.
Boost Your Reviews: Work on getting more positive reviews.
You can try using review services or run giveaways to encourage readers to leave feedback.
Polish Your Manuscript: Make sure your book is professionally edited, so there are no grammar mistakes or other issues that could affect the reading experience.
Adjust Your Pricing: Take a look at your pricing model to ensure that your book meets BookBub’s discount requirements.
You might also try offering a limited-time free promotion.
Wait Before Resubmitting: Give your book the full 30 day wait after the initial rejection before resubmitting it.
This is an opportunity to make it better and to increase the likelihood of being accepted the next time around.
Alternative Promotional Strategies While Waiting
While you’re waiting for BookBub’s response, consider these other ways to promote your book:
Try Other Promotion Sites: Research other platforms like eReader News Today or Kindle Fire Department, which could accept your books, even if they have been rejected by BookBub.
Engage on Social Media: Use social media to connect directly with potential readers.
Advertising or becoming active in genre-focused communities is also an option to gain more visibility.
Build Your Author Website: Go ahead and build a website “personal website” to display all the books you have written, post your news updates, and engage with the readers of your books.
It will make your author brand look more professional.
Maximizing Your BookBub Feature for the Best Results
To be featured on BookBub is great but it’s only the beginning.
To make the most of this opportunity, you need to keep the momentum going with smart promotional strategies and track your success after the promotion.
How to Promote Your Deal Beyond BookBub
So in order to make your BookBub feature really sparkle, here are few easy ways to spread the word:
Email List: If you’ve got an email list, use it!
Send newsletters to your subscribers about the limited-time BookBub deal.
Try to make them interesting and shareable and don’t forget to send reminder emails before the promotion and post-promotion emails to maintain the excitement.
Social Media: Share your BookBub deal on your social media accounts—Facebook, Instagram, X, and even TikTok.
Post eye-catching images of your book cover, with captions that highlight the discount or free offer.
Interact with your followers by replying to comments and asking them to repost your posts.
Paid Ads: Consider running ads on Facebook or Amazon that directly navigate to your book’s page.
Experiment various ad formats in order to find out which one drives the most clicks and sales.
Monitoring Sales and Tracking Results
Once your BookBub promotion is live, it’s time to keep an eye on how it’s doing:
Sales Tracking: Check your sales numbers across all retailers.
Most platforms give you easy-to-read reports where you can see daily sales.
Analyze Data: Look for patterns—what worked best?
Did your email campaign see more clicks than your social media updates?
Seeing what drove the highest sales allows you to make more informed decisions on subsequent sales.
Keeping the Momentum Going After the Promotion
When the BookBub deal is over, there are ways to continue marketing your book:
Follow-Up Promotions: Continue the sales momentum by offering further discounts on the rest of your books.
If your first book was free or discounted, offer deals on the next books in your series to keep readers hooked.
Engage with Readers: Keep your readers engaged on social media and by email.
Share updates about new releases, upcoming events, or fun behind-the-scenes content that makes readers feel closer to you.
BookBub Ads: Consider running BookBub Ads after your feature ends.
Such ads can be used in such a way as to maintain visibility of your book by focusing on readers who are big on your genre and reading interests even after the main launch pricing is over.
Conclusion
In simple terms, having your book featured on BookBub is an excellent way to gain visibility and sales.
But the trick is in your book submission strategies on BookBub.
So, take the first step now using this guide—submit your book to BookBub and start growing your audience!