So, you’re a self-published author and just released your book on Amazon to what you hope is adulation and fanfare, but to your dismay, sales are sluggish.
Being entrepreneurial, you decide to promote it with Amazon ads. Makes sense, right? You’re selling on Amazon, might as well market it there too. This is what I thought. I published my debut fantasy novel, Relentless Blades, in October 2024 and tried Amazon ads in November and December. The results were not good.
This is my experience, which may not be yours, but I hope you find some useful information regardless.
Types of Amazon Ads
I’m not going to go into detail about how to set up Amazon ads. You can find all kinds of videos and guides to walk you through that. Like me, most authors will set up sponsored product campaigns in one or all of the following three types:
- Automatic Targeting – You let Amazon match the ads with customer searches.
- Manual Keyword Targeting – You set various keywords you want to have Amazon match your ads with.
- Manual Product Targeting – You set the various products you want to associate your ads with.
How Amazon Ads Work
Amazon ads work by displaying your book (impressions) based on the way you set your campaign. The cost of your ad is based upon what is known as a “click.”
You set a bid amount for each click of the keyword, product, or automatic targeting parameter.
For example:
- You may have the keyword “fantasy book” and set a bid amount of $0.75 per click.
- You are bidding against all other advertisers for that keyword.
- If I bid $1.00 per click and you bid $0.75, my book will get more impressions than yours.
Nobody knows the exact algorithm Amazon uses to determine the ratio, at least I don’t. Suffice to say, the higher your bid, the more impressions you’ll have.
Amazon doesn’t charge you for impressions. What you pay for is the click—when someone sees your impression, is intrigued, and clicks on it, taking them to your book page. Once they click, you get charged your bid amount.
Using my example, if I bid $1.00 per click, that’s what I’ll be charged when someone clicks my ad.
Bidding Low – Does It Work?
You might be thinking, “I’ll just set an extremely low click amount, say $0.10.”
You can do that, but remember how it works—you’re bidding against everyone else.
If the suggested bid for “fantasy book” is $0.75 and you only bid $0.10, you’re not going to get many impressions—meaning nobody sees your book while they shop on Amazon.
From my experience, the fantasy book market is very competitive, so although it would be nice to set bids low, you may have to set bids higher than you’d like just to be seen.
Breaking Down the Numbers
Remember, you’re setting multiple bid categories. You may have twenty keywords, and each one has a different bid amount.
Currently, across products on Amazon:
- The average cost per click is $0.99.
- On average, there is one click per 1,000 impressions.
- It takes 10–15 clicks per sale.
Let’s do the math:
- If your bid is set at $1.00 per click, and you make one sale after 10 clicks, you’ve spent $10.00 on ads for that sale.
- Are you making $10.00 in royalties per book? Chances are, not even close.
My experience was worse. I made a sale about every 20–25 clicks.
Even though I tried to keep my bids lower ($0.70–$0.80 per click), I was still spending $16 for one sale. Not good business.
I Tested Everything – It Still Didn’t Work
I tried all three types of campaigns and monitored my progress daily. I didn’t just set them and forget them. I:
✔ Consistently checked suggested bid amounts.
✔ Updated bids.
✔ Added/removed keywords.
✔ Adjusted products to maximize results.
Still, my results were poor.
Amazon marketers will tell you there are reasons for poor performance, such as:
- A poor book cover – This is the first thing people see, so it must be eye-catching.
- A weak marketing blurb – After the cover, they read about your book—you need to hook them.
- Pricing too high – Your book must be competitive in your genre.
- Low visibility and reviews – A common problem for first-time authors. It takes time to build reviews and a following.
I was confident in my book cover, and I priced my book competitively. My marketing blurb could have been stronger, and I was a new author with only about twenty reviews.
That worked against me—and it will work against you at first.
The Problem with Product Targeting Ads
When you use Product Targeting Ads, the ad (impression) for your book will show up as soon as anyone types your book name into the Amazon search bar.
Some people want this to happen, but here’s the downside:
- When you’re not running ads, if someone searches for your book, it comes up organically—no ad required.
- If you are running Product Ads, your own ad appears first, and if they click it, you get charged.
For example:
If I tell you to buy Relentless Blades, or you see me advertising it on X or Facebook, and you search for it on Amazon, my ad shows up first.
You click, you buy—and I get charged for a click, even though my marketing drove the sale.
With Keyword Targeting, Amazon allows negative keywords, so you can exclude your own book title—preventing this issue.
But with Product Targeting, Amazon does not allow this exclusion.
Final Thoughts – Should New Authors Use Amazon Ads?
My advice? If you’re a new author with only one book and a small following, Amazon Ads are not worth it.
There is no magical formula, but most veteran authors say sales pick up once you have three books published.
My advice:
🚀 Wait until then.
📖 Build up a loyal readership.
⭐ Get more reviews.
💰 Make sure your book is competitive.
A Better Alternative – Free Promotions
If your goal is just to get your book out to as many people as possible and you’re not worried about losing money, there are better options than Amazon Ads.
You’re better off offering a free promotion and advertising it yourself.
In one day, using only social media, I gave away 257 copies of my book. Without spending a dime.
That’s far more exposure than I ever got from Amazon Ads.
What’s Your Experience with Amazon Ads?
Have you tried Amazon Ads? Did they work for you?
If you’ve found success, please share what you’ve learned! 🚀
Let’s discuss in the comments! 🎤📚
Thank you breaking it down in such detail! This is almost EXACTLY my experience! I am embarrassed to say how much money I spent on those ads–and for nothing!
Sorry to hear it and sorry that it’s so common for all of us.
Don’t feel bad. I also spent much more than I should have before I quit.
Maybe it’s worthwhile down the road when you have multiple books and a big following, but I wouldn’t recommend them for any new author
I was considering ads for my first book, but when I saw the model it made me hesitate. Rightly so it seems! Thanks for the breakdown of how it actually works.