BookBub Ads are a popular and powerful tool for authors looking to get their books in front of a highly engaged audience.
These ads allow you to target specific genres and readers, helping your book stand out in a crowded market.
But here’s the big question: Are BookBub Ads really as amazing as people say?
Today, we’ll look at how BookBub Ads work in favor of authors.
We will outline their pros and cons, assessing what role they play in sales generation and author visibility.
With real-world examples and different viewpoints, we’ll give you the information you need to decide if investing in BookBub Ads is the right move for your author journey.
Cost and Budgeting for BookBub Ads
For those considering running BookBub Ads, knowing how to price is the foundation of winning.
Let’s simplify it:
How BookBub Ads Pricing Works: CPM vs. CPC
BookBub offers two ways to pay for ads:
🔹 Cost per Thousand Impressions (CPM): You pay a fixed amount each time you serve an ad (when an ad is shown, 1,000 times, no matter whether anyone clicks it or not).
This approach is a good use of time and money for getting the book in front of as many eyes as possible.
And, it’s also a good way to generate brand awareness.
However, keep in mind that simply viewers seeing your ad is not guaranteed that they will click or purchase.
🔹 Cost per Click (CPC): The only costs are incurred when a user, in fact, clicks on your advert.
This is useful especially if you want the highest possible engagement and the assurance of getting interested readers.
Since you’re only charged for clicks, it can be a more cost-effective option if your goal is to drive sales or email sign-ups.
How Much Do BookBub Ads Cost?
There is no fixed cost, as has been found to vary depending on bid price, competition, and targeting approach.
However, here’s a general guide:
To be profitable, an acceptable CPM bid is usually less than $10.47.
For CPC, you’ll want to aim for below $0.70 per click to get the most out of your budget.
BookBub requires a minimum budget for ads, so you’ll need to decide how much you’re willing to spend per day or per campaign.
The more you spend, the greater your potential reach—but only if your ad performs well!
What Affects the Cost of BookBub Ads?
Several factors influence how much you’ll need to spend:
📌 Audience Targeting: The more narrowly defined your target audience, the less competition you may have, and thus lead to reduced cost.
In contrast, wide targeting can be excessively expensive due to higher demand.
📌 Ad Quality: Nice-looking advertisements with attractive images and interesting text are likely to have more clicks and can decrease the total cost of those ads.
A high click-through rate (CTR) indicates that your advertisement is performing well.
📌 Bidding Strategy: If you want maximum exposure, CPM might be better. However, if you just want to pay for results, CPC is generally the better option.
📌 Market Trends: Peak book promotion times, like holiday seasons or big book events, may drive up ad costs since more authors are competing for attention.
BookBub Ads: How They Work & How to Set Up a Successful Campaign
BookBub Ads are a powerful way to promote your book to the right readers, but simply running an ad isn’t enough.
You need the right strategy to make it work.
So, how does BookBub Ads work and how do you set up a successful campaign?
How BookBub Ads Work
Before diving into ad setup, it’s important to understand how BookBub Ads operate.
These advertisements are shown on BookBub’s website, in email lists to BookBub’s subscribers, and on the app on their mobile devices.
In contrast to BookBub Featured Deals (which are hard to get), these are open to all authors and can be used to advertise any book currently for sale.
How to Set Up the Campaign
Step 1: Signing In
1️ Sign in to BookBub Partners – Go to partners.bookbub.com and log in or create an account.
2️ Start a New Ad – Once inside, click on “Create New Ad” to begin your campaign.
3️ Choose Your Book – Select the book you want to promote and its specifics. It should be for sale at least on one of the larger retailers (Amazon, Apple Books, Kobo, etc. ).
Now that your ad setup has started, it’s time to fine-tune your targeting.
Step 2: Choosing the Right Audience
Your ad’s success depends on reaching the right readers.
BookBub allows precise targeting in several ways:
Author Targeting – Show your ad to readers who love similar authors.
For instance, if your book is a detective novel, then perhaps you want to reach readers of Agatha Christie or James Patterson.
Genre Targeting – Select genres to which your book belongs so that your ad appears for readers who are looking for books in that genre.
Retailer Targeting – Is it time to target Kindle readers? Or Apple Books? You get to decide on which of the platforms where your display ads will be shown.
Geographic Targeting – Promote your book in specific countries where it’s available or where you have a promotion running.
💡 Pro Tip: The better the ad, the more refined your targeting. Avoid overly broad targeting—focus on engaged readers who are more likely to buy.
Step 3: Designing an Eye-Catching Ad
Your ad needs to stand out and encourage clicks.
Here’s how to design a high-performing ad:
High-Quality Images – An attractive and well-designed book cover is the best value for money for promoting a book.
Write a Compelling Hook – Keep it short but impactful. Highlight what makes your book special—an award, a discount, or a gripping tagline.
Effective Call-to-Action (CTA) – Prompt clicks with wording such as “Limited-Time” Deal. “, “Read Now! “, or “Start the Adventure Today! “.
Custom vs. Pre-Built Ads – You can upload your own artwork to use in your ads or turn to BookBub’s built-in ad layout builder for a visually appealing design.
Step 4: Setting Your Budget & Bidding Strategy
BookBub Ads use an auction system, meaning you’re competing with other authors for visibility.
Enter a schedule and budget for your ad.
You’ll never be charged more than the budget you set, and you can stop your ad at any time.
Remember when bidding you can choose between:
💰 Cost-Per-Click (CPC) – You only pay when someone clicks your ad. Great for authors focused on book sales and conversions.
👀 Cost-Per-Thousand-Impressions (CPM) – You pay based on how many times your ad is displayed, whether people click or not. Ideal for increasing brand awareness.
💡 Pro Tip: Start with a smaller budget and test different bids before scaling up. Testing helps you find the best-performing audience and design combination.
Step 5: Launching & Monitoring Your Ad
📢 Launch Your Ad – Once everything is set up, you can either launch your ad immediately or schedule it for later.
📊 Monitor Performance – BookBub’s dashboard allows you to track key performance metrics:
1. Click-Through Rate (CTR) – The percentage of people who clicked on your ad after seeing it.
2. Impressions – How often your ad has been displayed.
3. Return on Investment (ROI) – How much revenue your ad generates compared to the cost.
If your ad isn’t performing well, tweak your targeting, visuals, or bidding strategy and test again.
BookBub Ads: Pros & Cons
Thinking about using BookBub Ads to promote your book?
Before you jump in, it’s important to know what you’re getting into.
Like any marketing tool, BookBub Ads have their perks and their downsides.
Here’s a simple breakdown to help you decide if they’re right for you.
✅ The Good Stuff (Pros)
🔹 Huge Audience of Book Lovers – BookBub has over 10 million readers actively looking for books.
This means your ad has the potential to reach a ton of people who actually want to buy books.
This is especially great if you’re offering a discount!
🔹 Flexible Budgeting – You don’t have to break the bank to run a campaign.
BookBub Ads let you set your own budget and choose between Cost per Click (CPC) or Cost per Thousand Impressions (CPM).
This gives you full control over how much you spend.
🔹 Super Targeted Ads – You can target readers by genre and author preferences, meaning your ad gets shown to people who are most likely to be interested in your book.
❌ The Not-So-Good Stuff (Cons)
⚠️ Can Get Expensive – While you can set your budget, if you’re not careful, costs can add up quickly.
If your ads aren’t optimized properly, you might end up spending a lot without seeing good results.
⚠️ Lots of Testing Required – Finding the perfect formula for a successful ad takes trial and error.
You’ll need to test different images, headlines, and targeting strategies, which can take time and money before you see what actually works.
⚠️ No Guaranteed Sales – Just because you run an ad doesn’t mean you’ll make sales.
Even with a large audience and solid targeting, many factors—like book pricing, competition, and reader preferences—can affect your results.
Real Results: Are BookBub Ads Worth It?
Authors who have used BookBub Ads have seen both incredible successes and some challenges.
Here are real experiences from authors who tested BookBub Ads and shared their results.
Success Stories from Authors
👉 Lindsay Buroker – Fantasy Author
Lindsay ran a BookBub ad for the first book in her series while also discounting books two and three to $0.99.
She made sure to mention this in the product description, encouraging readers to continue the series.
The result?
Strong sales across the entire series for the rest of the month.
Her strategy helped turn one ad into a boost for multiple books.
👉 Susan Daffron – Women’s Fiction Author
Susan used BookBub Ads to promote her novel Chez Stinky, and the results were game-changing:
— 20,000 downloads in just a few days
— 36,000 total downloads on Amazon that month
— Sales skyrocketed for the rest of her series
— New reviews, fan emails, and email subscribers
Susan went from near invisibility to a major visibility boost overnight, with the ad paying for itself within hours.
👉 Liz Matis – Romance Author
Liz promoted Playing for Keeps using a BookBub ad and saw immediate returns:
— Earned back her ad spend within hours
— Hit #12 overall on the B&N Nook Store and #26 on Amazon’s Kindle Store
— Made the Amazon Movers and Shakers List
— Her author rank soared to #25
She called it a “Snoopy dance” moment!
When Do BookBub Ads Work Best?
Series Promotions Work: Ads that promote the first book while discounting sequels can drive sales for an entire series.
Discounts Drive Clicks: Lowering prices, even temporarily, makes a huge difference in engagement.
Strong Targeting is Key: Authors who narrow their audience by genre and similar authors tend to get the best results.
Tips for Maximizing ROI with BookBub Ads
Test Different Ads (A/B Testing)
Create two versions of your ad with slight differences to see which one performs better.
Timing: Launches vs. Ongoing Sales
For book launches, use ads to create excitement and drive immediate sales, especially if you’re offering discounts.
For ongoing sales or backlist titles, focus on promoting the first book in a series to boost sales of the following books.
Combine with Other Marketing Strategies
Boost the impact of your BookBub Ads by promoting them through email newsletters or social media.
Additionally, link directly to retailer pages to make it easier for readers to buy with fewer clicks.
Conclusion
BookBub Ads can be a great way for authors to boost visibility and sales, reaching a large, targeted audience with flexible budgeting options.
However, their success depends on your strategy.
Authors with a solid backlist or promotional pricing usually get the best results.
On the other side, those with full-priced books or limited time for optimization might find it harder to succeed.
Still, with a smart, strategic approach, BookBub Ads can definitely be worth your time, making them a valuable tool for marketing.