How Authors Can Make BookBub Work (and Why Most Don’t)

from YOU SHOULD TOTALLY WRITE THAT · host LL Kirchner and Author Tara Lush

After giving away more than 10,000 books in a single day and spending over $800 on a single ad, I can tell you BookBub isn’t what most authors think it is. And that’s why it works.This week on You Should Totally Write That, Tara and I break down BookBub’s entire ecosystem: featured deals, international promotions, newsletter ads, chirp audiobook deals, and the newer offerings like Free Reads. We talk real numbers—what we paid, what we earned, what actually moved the needle—and share the strategic mistakes we made so you don’t have to.If you’ve ever wondered whether BookBub is worth the investment, or how to navigate categories to pay less while reaching the right readers, this episode gives you the blueprint. We also cover the compounding effect of follower counts, the also-bought targeting strategy that’s changing how we advertise, and why breaking even on a BookBub might actually be a massive win.What questions do you have about BookBub or other advertising platforms? Drop them in the comments!Support the Show - Buy Our Books!* Shop Tara’s books on Amazon* Shop LL’s books Show NotesEpisodes referenced:* Episode 9: KU vs Wide Distribution (timestamp: 23:39)Platforms & tools discussed:* BookBub - https://www.bookbub.com* Chirp (audiobook deals) - https://www.chirpbooks.com* AZS Downloader - for scraping Amazon also-bought dataBookBub offerings covered:* Featured Deals ($110-$4,093 depending on category/price point)* International Featured Deals (lower cost, UK/Canada/Australia focus)* Newsletter Ads (CPC and CPM options)* Free Reads ($330+ depending on category)* Pre-Order Alerts (requires 1,000+ followers)* New Release Announcements (free, BookBub selects)* New Releases for Less (paid promotion)* Chirp Audiobook Deals (free to apply, 30% royalty share)What we’re reading/listening to:* A Nest of Magic by Kate Moseman - sapphic cozy fantasy set on a Florida nature preserve* Matador by Kathryn Dodson - gritty crime thriller with fierce female detective (Book 3)Coming next: How much time do I really have to spend on marketing???Our podcast has no external sponsors. If you want more of this content, support us by subscribing. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit youshouldtotallywritethat.substack.com

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Mar 10, 2026

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