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I've personally run more than 400 BookBub Ads campaigns over the past few months.

But I've also had the privilege of seeing inside the campaigns of multiple authors I'm coaching—across fiction and non-fiction, across different price points and genres.

Today, I want to share with you what I've learned.

The Conversion Rate Reality

BookBub Ads convert differently than Facebook Ads or Amazon Ads.

On Facebook Ads, I'm happy with 1-5% conversion rates. On Amazon Ads, 5-10% is solid.

On BookBub Ads? I'm seeing 5-15% regularly. Some campaigns hit 25-35%.

That $4.99 book you're struggling to sell on Facebook Ads? It could convert at 10% on BookBub Ads.

Same book. Different audience. Different intent.

What The Data Actually Shows

Here's what surprised me most about BookBub Ads.

I expected it to work like Facebook Ads — where you're interrupting people scrolling through family photos and cat videos, trying to convince them they want a book.

But BookBub readers are already in book-buying mode. They're on the platform because they want to find their next read.

This changes everything.

That screenshot above is from an Amazon Attribution campaign, tracking the BookBub Ads I'm running at the moment for one series.

That's 95 sales and just over 14,000 page reads in just over a month. From $4.99 and $5.99 books. Not on sale. Not discounted. Just books reaching readers who were actively looking for something to read.

The ads that are driving the most sales? They're delivering a 1.5-2.0 ROAS. Then there's the organic sales on top of these numbers.

N.B. The data in Amazon Attribution here isn't fully populated; there are still more sales to come in yet.

What Actually Matters

After running 300+ campaigns and watching dozens more from inside my coaching clients' accounts, here's what actually matters:

Images for full-price books can convert better with price tags on. The click-through rate looks horrible. But the conversion rate? 10% and higher. People who click know the price. They're ready to buy.

Bids need to be higher than you think. I'm starting campaigns at $0.88-$0.92 now. Sometimes $0.98. The days of $0.50 bids working consistently are gone.

Fresh campaigns outperform scaled ones. Instead of scaling one winning campaign, I duplicate it with a higher bid. Fresh campaign, fresh algorithm performance. This can revive a campaign so much that 25-35% conversion rates aren't uncommon.

Attribution data lags by 7-14 days. Most authors make decisions too quickly. You need to wait. The data will come.

Click-through rate doesn't predict profitability. I have ads with 0.15% CTR that convert at 15%. I have ads with 3% CTR that convert at 0%. CTR is noise. What matters is how many books are you really selling with your BookBub Ads? And how profitably are you selling them?

The Multi-Genre Reality

This isn't just working for one genre.

I'm working with thriller authors, romance authors, fantasy authors, science fiction authors, non-fiction authors, and more. Different price points. Different audience sizes. Different book lengths.

All seeing results.

One client revived a two-year-old backlist book that Facebook Ads couldn't touch. BookBub Ads took it from ranking 220,000 to consistently under 40,000.

Another is seeing page reads jump from 2,000 per day to 6,000-8,000. Same books. Just finally reaching the readers who want them.

What Surprised Me Most

The authors who succeed fastest aren't the ones with the biggest budgets or the most experience.

They're the ones who test volume and wait for data.

They launch 10-15 campaigns at $2-3 per day. They test 3 images per author target. They wait 7-10 days before making big decisions.

They don't panic when an ad gets 1,000 impressions and 5 clicks. They check the attribution data. Sometimes those 10 clicks turn into 3 sales.

Patience wins on BookBub Ads.

The Bottom Line

BookBub Ads aren't magic. They're not easier than Facebook Ads or Amazon Ads. They're just different.

But they're reaching millions of active readers who aren't being hammered by Facebook Ads all day.

Less competition. Higher intent. Better conversion rates.

If you've been thinking about diversifying beyond Facebook Ads and Amazon Ads, this is your opportunity.

Join BookBub Ads Mastery For Authors →

And just to let you know, enrollment closes tomorrow, November 16th at 11:59pm PT.

To Your Success
– Matt