Why Advertising Doesn't Work for Books

Authors often ask me about paying for ads. The truth is, book ad campaigns rarely translate into sales.

Welcome to the first edition of Publishing Confidential in 2026. My main goal this year is to be more intentional about my work, which means asking myself, “How does this serve me?” much more often. My company just turned three years old, so it’s a good time to reassess where I am and what I want to do going forward. Don’t worry, this newsletter is definitely still a priority!

Today, I thought we’d talk about advertising because authors often ask me if it’s worth putting some money into ads for their books. My answer is mostly “no,” but context matters, so here we are.

Recently, as I thumbed through a couple of editions of The New York Times Book Review, I noticed something: The only ads were from…The New York Times. In the past, I’d see at least some ads from publishers, so the absence of them was very telling. In case you aren’t aware, a full-page ad in The New York Times Book Review can cost over $20K, and they are largely ineffective. In fact, the only time any publisher I worked for had me place them is because an author’s ego required it. The fact that publishers might be pulling back on advertising in the Book Review is somewhat encouraging, but there is still enough ad spending overall that it warrants discussion.

Here’s what usually happens in an ad campaign for a book, which occurs mostly in the digital realm: A publisher can spend, say, $10K on some digital ads with The New York Times, NPR, or The Washington Post. The ads look great, and if you click on them, you will usually reach a landing page where you can choose which retailer you’ll use to buy the book. That is where the engagement usually ends. You’ll hear how many clicks the ad received, which sounds impressive until you realize NONE of those clicks led to meaningful sales. It’s frustrating, to say the least, so let’s examine why publishers keep placing ads.

Something that always drove me nuts while working in-house was every publisher’s desire to appease certain authors. This has led to, among other things, spending mid-five-figures on a full-color ad in People Magazine. Instead of being honest and saying that the ad won’t increase sales, they’d acquiesce. Other times, when a book “needed something to happen,” ads would be placed in literary magazines, Goodreads, and more, with the same result: no added sales. Amazon ads can work, but only with a decent budget and someone who has experience with keywords, A+ content, etc. Even so, chances of increasing sales are minimal. There are a few reasons for this.

Consumers are inundated with ads daily. Whether on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, a streaming service, or a media website, we are bombarded with enticements to consume more. Just this morning, I saw an ad on Facebook for something cool that I bought my husband for Valentine’s Day (Hopeless romantic reporting for duty, thank you very much). It was something I had never seen before, so it piqued my interest. Unfortunately, books are something we have all seen, so we are more likely to scroll past ads for them. We have become accustomed to two things: influencers recommending products and discovering new things through newsletter recommendations. In many cases, ads are just noise. On some media websites, they are annoying as hell (I’m looking at you, NY Post). We are also in a bit of a non-consumption phase as many people grapple with layoffs, the economy, and healthcare costs. In this case, books are luxury items bought with disposable income, which not many people have these days.

We are only a few weeks away from the biggest advertising day of the year: The Super Bowl. Have you ever bought something because you saw an ad for it during the Super Bowl? Me either, but I learned in my MBA program that brands only do it for awareness, as if to say, “Hey, you! Remember that Doritos exist!” It doesn’t mean you’ll buy them. In fact, the brands that buy advertising during the Super Bowl and Olympics (Sidenote: The Olympics are NBC’s advertising sweet spot—they make a mint) are only doing so to remind consumers they are still there. If we take that reasoning and apply it to books, it doesn’t quite work. Yes, it can be exciting to see your book on a digital billboard in Times Square, but that doesn’t mean it will sell. Often, those spots are discounted, or publishers would never do them.

AI slop is another problem with modern advertising. Equinox just began a really odd ad campaign that employs AI while making a statement against it. I don’t find it appealing, but they’re getting publicity for it, so good on them…I guess. In other sectors, brands are trying to save money, so they’ve turned to using AI to create digital ads and commercials. At some point, AI figures will start to replace human influencers, and I’m not so sure any of us will tell the difference. What is true, though, is that consumers are tired of being constantly sold something or of clicking links where someone gets a commission. I don’t see this changing.

Sometimes, I recommend that authors try a boosted Facebook post with the cover of their book, a buy link, and some copy. What I have seen is that the post gets great engagement, but almost no one clicks the buy link. It’s helpful to have those metrics from Meta because it can help inform your next decision on where to spend a little money, or rather, where not to spend money.

There are some ad mechanisms I’d like to see publishers try. Hulu intrigues me, and you can’t skip over the ads, so I often wonder if it’s worth a shot. I previously mentioned that Drybar partners have a captive audience. Their most recent brand partnership was with The Bachelorette, which I do not watch, but I now know who several contestants were. An idea I am dying to try this summer is placing an ad on a boat’s digital billboard that travels up and down the Jersey Shore. You can’t miss it, and I wonder if using it for beach reads would make a difference.

I still like Goodreads giveaways, but I don’t think advertising on the site drives much sales. I think Substack ads could work, depending on the book and newsletter they're featured in. Sponsored content is still up for debate. I’m not a fan, but I don’t think we can rule it out (it is expensive, fyi). I’m more likely to buy a book I saw in a literary website or publishing trade’s seasonal preview than I am from an ad I saw on their site. I think most people feel the same way.

So, where does this leave us? Well, I’d love to see more creative marketing from publishers that doesn’t necessarily include paid ads. What that looks like depends on the author and book. What should not happen is that publishers spend marketing dollars on ads they know will barely make a dent. This is, again, an area where I think publishers need to be honest with authors. Explain why ads won’t work, and have an alternate plan ready. It’s really not that hard.

END NOTES:

What I’m Reading: I am savoring every page of Theo of Golden. Friends, this is what great writing looks like.

What I’m Watching: It’s more like what I’m waiting to watch. Season 2 of The Pitt (HBO), Season 3 of Tell Me Lies (Hulu), Season 4 of Shrinking (Apple), Season 2 of Paradise (Hulu), Season 2 of Your Friends and Neighbors (Apple).

What I’m Listening To: Probably too much news.