One type of advertising I'd be interested to know the stats on - in terms of impact on sales - is advertising on the london underground. Every UK publisher does it (if they have the money) so curious to know if it's just "we don't konw if it works but we can't afford NOT to since everyone else is" or if it genuinely brings an uptick in sales afterwards. It's def a uniquely capitive audience vs other billboard type advertising.
I’m always looking to level up my marketing and branding. I wrote a series set in cape May and hired a plane to fly a banner over the beach every Friday all summer. Was it worth it? For me yes. The local bookstore kept selling out of all the books, I got a great article posted in a magazine, and found brand recognition for my name increased. Every decision needs to balance money, the book, the audience and the goal. Loved this post!
Not in publishing. Not an author, except scholarly research papers. I noticed that there were zero non-NYT ads in the last three NYTBRs and wondered what it meant. Google led me to you. Thanks.
I believe you on the ineffectiveness of advertising, but wouldn't say that publishers pulling back from advertising in the NY Times Book Review is "somewhat encouraging." How long can a standalone newspaper section survive with no ads? It's possible publishers do this to appease a bestselling author, but also to try to assure that the Book Review continues to be published, after all.
Do you know how much one of those ads cost? Like $70K. No publisher should spend that kind of money for a one-book ad. It’s a salary. It’s money that could be split up and allocated to a few other books. I truly don’t understand the “well they should support it just because” people. The NYTBR will be just fine. The NYT makes a mint from digital subscriptions & games. The Book Review isn’t going anywhere.
I wasn’t talking about WashPost. NYT announced their earnings today. They’re just fine. WashPost has not been fine for a while now, and bled subscribers over the past 18 months. Internally, it was a mess.
Eventually all newspapers will drop their books coverage, regardless of their bottom line, because it doesn’t bring enough revenue. A few years ago it would have been unthinkable that WashPost would do it, too.
Ads can work for authors and frequently do -- but it's all about the targeting and creativity. I'm over here in indie publishing land and ads work for my books and my clients on Amazon and Facebook much of the time. Every single book requires testing (and that can be done at a fairly low budget), because even if a similar book or a previous book in a series did well with a certain strategy there's no promise that replicating that same strategy will work. You have to have patience with the process. And, yes, sometimes I cannot get either of these (FB/Amazon) to work for a particular book. If publishers are still relying on uber-pricey, broadly targeted ads in publications (even digital) like The New York Times, NPR, or The Washington Post--it's kind of reckless behavior--even if it is more targeted to readers say with the NYT Book Review. It's just too broad. Yes, lots of people will see the ad, but what percent are readers?, and then what percent even like that type of book? The budget would be better shifted to a more targeted effort. (Like the golf book example mentioned in another comment.) As far as boosted posts on Facebook, I would avoid those and instead head to the ad manager dashboard where you can control more of the ad components. Targeting - Testing - Patience - are essential before scaling up on either platform. (There's a lot more to unpack here -- like how traditional authors using these advertising methods without monetary support from their publishers have a harder time with a positive return on investment because of their smaller royalty percentages -- so that's also a factor in the success formula.) Creativity is essential.
I just launched a book and used very little paid advertising. I found more success from being featured on blogs - sort of word of mouth. And my book sold out at Amazon, the publisher and distributor!
I’ve been wondering details about your opinions on ads for a while, but I’m still miffed on the essential point.
Most successful self published authors make their living off Meta and Amazon ads. That’s their bread and butter. There’s obviously even more authors spending money on ads that don’t work, but most success stories involve significant ad spend on one of those two platforms.
First of all, thousands of books sell via those two platforms every day. Whether or not Ita where you look for books, plenty of consumers do.
Self published authors know the metrics to look for. You’re right, most clicks don’t lead to buys, but people aim for 3-5%, and make money on selling other books to the same customers.
I see how there are differences, but I still don’t see why something that is so successful for self published authors is point blank useless for traditionally published books.
As I commented to someone else: this piece was not about what indie authors do. It was specifically about traditional publishing. I’d have to write an entirely different piece for indie authors. To answer your question: Traditional publishers must spread out their budgets. Amazon, for example: Traditionally published authors have Amazon pages run by their respective publishers. Those publishers have overall deals with Amazon for ad campaigns. They pay a flat fee, then rotate books they place ads for. The lifecycle of a traditionally published book is not the same as an indie book—it’s shorter. There’s a finite amount of time for a traditionally published book to get ad support from publishers. Then it’s onto the next. The same thing applies to Meta and traditional publishers.
There’s no reason to be “miffed.” These are two very different publishing paths.
Kathleen, I spend big bucks for advertisers on Meta and am seeing some shifts. Lead generation campaigns are on 🔥, but traffic campaigns with an external link are not faring like they used to.
Meta is systematically devaluing outbound links by quietly suppressing them in organic distribution while still allowing them in paid, just without giving them any real momentum. Organic posts with external URLs get less reach because every click off-platform works against Meta’s core goal of keeping attention inside its ecosystem. That part isn’t new, but what’s changed is the enforcement. It’s tighter, more consistent, and in some cases gated behind paid features like Meta Verified.
On the paid side, links still “work,” but they’re no longer a priority signal. The ad system optimizes around in-platform behaviors and downstream conversion signals, not the click itself, which means outbound traffic gets slow-rolled unless it produces clean, high-quality signals Meta can learn from quickly.
I am not doing any campaigns in publishing. I have used lead magnet for some personal projects but done a lot of lead campaigns for free consumer product offerings.
The big takeaway on Meta: Andromeda shifted Meta ads from advertiser-controlled levers to algorithm-driven guesswork, rewarding volume and “signal trust” over human intent, strategy, or nuance. I’ve been big on advertiser controlled levers but seeing diminishing return so tweaking strategy.
Thanks so much! I usually run some Kindle Unlimited ads (low bar for consumers, easy to target) but right now I just have Shopify catalogs for some luxury consumer goods. They're still converting. I'm always leery of lead gen for a free offer (for my own budget, not because it doesn't convert) and in publishing, we can usually do a free novella or short story to get readers into our mailing lists.
It's like deja vu all over again. (Sorry, couldn't resist.)
Don't know about you, but I'm getting rather sick of unprecedented times. I'd like to have a bit of dull time where the biggest news item was the weather (although, it's been a weather week...) and they have to pad it out with a story about a skateboarding duck or a husky that barks 'I love you'.
I was just thinking this this morning. Can I have a month or two when the breaking news isn't interrupted with more breaking news. Trust me, we are not alone, but it makes great copy for promoting books.
"Need an escape from the end of times, read this small town romance where the worst that can happen is the town gossip is gossiping about you and your new neighbour,"
Nice pitch! I'm dreaming up my own blurb now... "Valentine Klimt and the Revolution of Love - a satirical art-themed mystery with a 1960s setting - a bit of feel-good escapism for these dark times."
One type of advertising I'd be interested to know the stats on - in terms of impact on sales - is advertising on the london underground. Every UK publisher does it (if they have the money) so curious to know if it's just "we don't konw if it works but we can't afford NOT to since everyone else is" or if it genuinely brings an uptick in sales afterwards. It's def a uniquely capitive audience vs other billboard type advertising.
I’d be interested to know as well.
I’m always looking to level up my marketing and branding. I wrote a series set in cape May and hired a plane to fly a banner over the beach every Friday all summer. Was it worth it? For me yes. The local bookstore kept selling out of all the books, I got a great article posted in a magazine, and found brand recognition for my name increased. Every decision needs to balance money, the book, the audience and the goal. Loved this post!
Not in publishing. Not an author, except scholarly research papers. I noticed that there were zero non-NYT ads in the last three NYTBRs and wondered what it meant. Google led me to you. Thanks.
I usually buy books after hearing about them on podcasts (or interviews with authors) or through friends' recommendations on Goodreads.
I believe you on the ineffectiveness of advertising, but wouldn't say that publishers pulling back from advertising in the NY Times Book Review is "somewhat encouraging." How long can a standalone newspaper section survive with no ads? It's possible publishers do this to appease a bestselling author, but also to try to assure that the Book Review continues to be published, after all.
Do you know how much one of those ads cost? Like $70K. No publisher should spend that kind of money for a one-book ad. It’s a salary. It’s money that could be split up and allocated to a few other books. I truly don’t understand the “well they should support it just because” people. The NYTBR will be just fine. The NYT makes a mint from digital subscriptions & games. The Book Review isn’t going anywhere.
This didn't age well. Washington Post just axed its entire Books section. It can happen.
I wasn’t talking about WashPost. NYT announced their earnings today. They’re just fine. WashPost has not been fine for a while now, and bled subscribers over the past 18 months. Internally, it was a mess.
Eventually all newspapers will drop their books coverage, regardless of their bottom line, because it doesn’t bring enough revenue. A few years ago it would have been unthinkable that WashPost would do it, too.
So good! And yes! Theo of Golden!!!
Ads can work for authors and frequently do -- but it's all about the targeting and creativity. I'm over here in indie publishing land and ads work for my books and my clients on Amazon and Facebook much of the time. Every single book requires testing (and that can be done at a fairly low budget), because even if a similar book or a previous book in a series did well with a certain strategy there's no promise that replicating that same strategy will work. You have to have patience with the process. And, yes, sometimes I cannot get either of these (FB/Amazon) to work for a particular book. If publishers are still relying on uber-pricey, broadly targeted ads in publications (even digital) like The New York Times, NPR, or The Washington Post--it's kind of reckless behavior--even if it is more targeted to readers say with the NYT Book Review. It's just too broad. Yes, lots of people will see the ad, but what percent are readers?, and then what percent even like that type of book? The budget would be better shifted to a more targeted effort. (Like the golf book example mentioned in another comment.) As far as boosted posts on Facebook, I would avoid those and instead head to the ad manager dashboard where you can control more of the ad components. Targeting - Testing - Patience - are essential before scaling up on either platform. (There's a lot more to unpack here -- like how traditional authors using these advertising methods without monetary support from their publishers have a harder time with a positive return on investment because of their smaller royalty percentages -- so that's also a factor in the success formula.) Creativity is essential.
I came here hoping to find impossible and magical solutions. Dammit. :).
I hope you’ll consider writing that companion piece for indie authors. I could use the help!
This was excellent, thank you 🙏🏾
I just launched a book and used very little paid advertising. I found more success from being featured on blogs - sort of word of mouth. And my book sold out at Amazon, the publisher and distributor!
I’ve been wondering details about your opinions on ads for a while, but I’m still miffed on the essential point.
Most successful self published authors make their living off Meta and Amazon ads. That’s their bread and butter. There’s obviously even more authors spending money on ads that don’t work, but most success stories involve significant ad spend on one of those two platforms.
First of all, thousands of books sell via those two platforms every day. Whether or not Ita where you look for books, plenty of consumers do.
Self published authors know the metrics to look for. You’re right, most clicks don’t lead to buys, but people aim for 3-5%, and make money on selling other books to the same customers.
I see how there are differences, but I still don’t see why something that is so successful for self published authors is point blank useless for traditionally published books.
As I commented to someone else: this piece was not about what indie authors do. It was specifically about traditional publishing. I’d have to write an entirely different piece for indie authors. To answer your question: Traditional publishers must spread out their budgets. Amazon, for example: Traditionally published authors have Amazon pages run by their respective publishers. Those publishers have overall deals with Amazon for ad campaigns. They pay a flat fee, then rotate books they place ads for. The lifecycle of a traditionally published book is not the same as an indie book—it’s shorter. There’s a finite amount of time for a traditionally published book to get ad support from publishers. Then it’s onto the next. The same thing applies to Meta and traditional publishers.
There’s no reason to be “miffed.” These are two very different publishing paths.
Thanks for the sage advice!
Appreciate this behind the scenes take on ad dollars as I have a book coming out in June
Kathleen, I spend big bucks for advertisers on Meta and am seeing some shifts. Lead generation campaigns are on 🔥, but traffic campaigns with an external link are not faring like they used to.
Meta is systematically devaluing outbound links by quietly suppressing them in organic distribution while still allowing them in paid, just without giving them any real momentum. Organic posts with external URLs get less reach because every click off-platform works against Meta’s core goal of keeping attention inside its ecosystem. That part isn’t new, but what’s changed is the enforcement. It’s tighter, more consistent, and in some cases gated behind paid features like Meta Verified.
On the paid side, links still “work,” but they’re no longer a priority signal. The ad system optimizes around in-platform behaviors and downstream conversion signals, not the click itself, which means outbound traffic gets slow-rolled unless it produces clean, high-quality signals Meta can learn from quickly.
Interested to see lead generation is doing well! Are you generally doing a magnet or just a very good onboarding campaign?
I am not doing any campaigns in publishing. I have used lead magnet for some personal projects but done a lot of lead campaigns for free consumer product offerings.
The big takeaway on Meta: Andromeda shifted Meta ads from advertiser-controlled levers to algorithm-driven guesswork, rewarding volume and “signal trust” over human intent, strategy, or nuance. I’ve been big on advertiser controlled levers but seeing diminishing return so tweaking strategy.
Thanks so much! I usually run some Kindle Unlimited ads (low bar for consumers, easy to target) but right now I just have Shopify catalogs for some luxury consumer goods. They're still converting. I'm always leery of lead gen for a free offer (for my own budget, not because it doesn't convert) and in publishing, we can usually do a free novella or short story to get readers into our mailing lists.
This reminds me of our local newspaper and how most of the ads were for their associated radio station's shows.
Also, you are right that ads are not what come to mind when I think about what I want to read next.
Creativity is the way to go, especially as we are living in unprecedented times that kinda feel like the reruns of the previous unprecedented times.
It's like deja vu all over again. (Sorry, couldn't resist.)
Don't know about you, but I'm getting rather sick of unprecedented times. I'd like to have a bit of dull time where the biggest news item was the weather (although, it's been a weather week...) and they have to pad it out with a story about a skateboarding duck or a husky that barks 'I love you'.
I was just thinking this this morning. Can I have a month or two when the breaking news isn't interrupted with more breaking news. Trust me, we are not alone, but it makes great copy for promoting books.
"Need an escape from the end of times, read this small town romance where the worst that can happen is the town gossip is gossiping about you and your new neighbour,"
Nice pitch! I'm dreaming up my own blurb now... "Valentine Klimt and the Revolution of Love - a satirical art-themed mystery with a 1960s setting - a bit of feel-good escapism for these dark times."