#117: The BookBub Ads Myth That Kept Me Trapped

Read Time: 2.5 Minutes

For years, I dismissed BookBub Ads completely.

Every time someone mentioned them, I'd think the same thing: "Those are only for discounted books."

I had this mental image of BookBub Ads as the discount bin of book advertising. Authors slashing prices to 99 cents, racing to the bottom, desperate for visibility.

So I stuck to what I knew; Facebook Ads and Amazon Ads; the platforms where authors advertised full price books.

But then something shifted my perspective entirely.

A few authors on my BookBub Ads Mastery For Authors waitlist (join the waitlist here if you're interested) messaged me saying:

"I wish I could get BookBub Ads to sell my full price books".

My curiosity got the better of me.

What if I'd been wrong this whole time?

The Truth About BookBub Ads

Over the past few couple of weeks, I've donned my scientist hat and have been advertising full price books with BookBub Ads.

Full-price. No discounts. No sales.

The conversion rates? 8-13% (That's 8-13 sales for every 100 clicks). 

Let that sink in.

While most Facebook Ads convert at 2-5%, I'm seeing double-digit conversion rates on BookBub Ads with full price.

The secret isn't the platform itself. It's the intent behind the traffic.

The Intent Game

Facebook users are scrolling for entertainment. They're not hunting for their next read.

BookBub users?

They're book-hungry readers actively looking for what to read next. 

It's a platform built up entirely of readers only. 

That's the difference between interruption marketing (Facebook Ads) and attraction marketing (BookBub Ads).

One forces attention. The other earns it.

The Platform Prison

I'll be honest with you.

We've been guilty of building our entire business around Facebook Ads and Amazon Ads.

When costs started rising or audiences began shrinking, we'd panic. When the algorithm shifted, we'd scramble to adjust.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Facebook Ads and Amazon Ads.

But think about it...

Would you build a restaurant with only one supplier?

Would you put your entire investment portfolio into a single stock?

Of course not.

Yet that's exactly what most authors do with their advertising.

Sustainable author businesses aren't built on a single traffic source.

They're built on multiple streams that feed into one ecosystem.

BookBub Ads isn't just another advertising platform.

It's insurance against platform dependency.

The Mindset Shift

This isn't about replacing Facebook Ads and/or Amazon Ads with BookBub Ads.

It's about building an advertising ecosystem.

Each platform serves a different purpose in your reader journey.

Each one reduces your risk and increases your reach.

If you're tired of putting all your advertising eggs in one basket, it's time to think differently.

The authors who win long-term aren't the ones who master one platform; they're the ones who understand how multiple platforms work together.

BookBub Ads can work with both discounted books and full price books. The data proves it.

The question isn't whether it's possible.

The question is whether you're ready to expand beyond what everyone else believes.

Ready to Diversify?

I'm putting together a deeper breakdown of my full-price BookBub Ads campaigns next week.

The exact results, the key insights I've learned, and what this means for your advertising strategy.

But it's only going to folks on my BookBub Ads Mastery For Authors course waitlist.

If you're ready to break free from single-platform dependency and add BookBub Ads to your advertising arsenal, you can join the waitlist here.

Between now and the course launch in November, if you're on the waitlist, you'll get behind-the-scenes insights each week.

Real campaign breakdowns, strategy shifts, and the exact framework I'm using to hit those 8-13% conversion rates.

No theory. No fluff. Just the systems that work.

Oh, and you'll also receive early access to the BookBub Ads Mastery For Authors course when it launches in November 2025.

The myth that BookBub Ads only work for discounted books has kept too many authors stuck.

It's time to break free.

That's all for today.

Thank you so much for reading and enjoy your weekend.

See you next Saturday.

To Your Success
– Matt