Frequently Asked Questions
How do Facebook Ads work and what is the cost?
- You can create new campaigns or reactivate previous campaigns from this page, to extend an existing campaign please email us at distribution@bookbaby.com.
- Campaigns can be ordered for any title actively enrolled in the BookBaby distribution program.
- You can select your title’s BookShop or Amazon listing page as the point of purchase for each ad campaign. If you would prefer the ad point to a different sales page, you can provide that link.
- You will receive a proof 2-3 business days after creating a new ad campaign order.
- Please note: Advertising campaigns DO NOT guarantee book sales will occur.
- A $199.00 campaign development fee will be applied to new ad orders. You will see this charge applied to your total at checkout.
- In addition to the one-time $199 campaign development fee, 15% of the advertising budget is retained by BookBaby as a campaign management fee. This fee covers the execution of the ad campaign and ongoing campaign management.
In order to make the most out of your Facebook ad campaign, it is highly recommended to display the ad for the longest possible time to allow for the ads exposure to be optimized. Facebook uses an algorithm to determine the best ads to show to the best audience while also creating a good user experience, which is a continuous process of trial and error. Therefore, the longer you continue running the same campaign, the more effective and successful the campaign will become since the Facebook algorithm will attempt to show your ad to the audience who is most likely to purchase your book. For new campaigns and best results BookBaby recommends a budget of $350/per week over a 6-8 week campaign.
Why should you advertise your book on Facebook and Instagram?
Facebook has the world’s largest social network, making it the best social platform to promote your book. Since Facebook owns Instagram, it’s also included within our Facebook Ads for Authors service, expanding your book promotion opportunities to reach more readers.
How do I create a Facebook Ad?
With its huge user base and targeted marketing approach, Facebook ads can be a powerful tool for self-published authors looking to market their books and build their readerships.
To create your Facebook ad, follow these steps:
- On your Projects and Orders page, click the "Ad Campaigns" link on the left hand side of your screen
- On the Advertising Campaign Manager page, click "Create New Ad Campaign" next to the title you would like to advertise
- Set your weekly budget, the number of weeks you would like to advertise, and the Point of Purchase
- Click Create Campaign
- Input your payment information and submit your order
- In approximately 2-3 business days, we will issue your proof. Once you approve your proof, we'll submit your ad to Facebook to be launched on the date that you choose
What are Facebook Ads?
Facebook ads for authors
Advertise your book titles on Facebook through BookBaby.
What?
BookBaby’s team of advertising experts will develop targeted audiences of people who might enjoy reading your books. Considering the audience demographics, our team will create professional ad imagery and copy that will best position your book in the Facebook feeds of would-be readers.
Do Facebook ads guarantee book sales?
The short answer is, no. There no guarantees that marketing activities will generate book sales; however, it is guaranteed that if you don’t market your book, you won’t generate book sales.
The biggest challenge authors face is finding readers for their books. Facebook ad targeting presents authors with the most powerful advertising resource in history and BookBaby makes it easy for authors to get started.
How?
BookBaby’s Facebook ads for authors program is a book title level advertising program. Authors can choose to advertise any title actively enrolled in eBook or POD distribution with BookBaby. To create a new ad, login to your BookBaby publishing account and access the Facebook Ad Manager area. From here, you will be able to order Facebook ad campaigns for your titles by simply selecting the title you want to advertise, adding a weekly budget and the number of weeks that you prefer. Once you submit your ad order, our team of advertising professionals will begin targeting your audience and creating your ad. In 2-3 days. you will receive your ad proof for approval Once you approve your ad proof, our team will schedule your ad with Facebook.
Cost?
$199 advertising campaign creation fee. Includes professional:
- Review of your title and metadata.
- Facebook audience targeting.
- Ad proof.
- Ad creation.
15% of budget campaign management fee
- Setup and execution of ad campaign.
- Ad monitoring and optimization.
Why?
There are 2.19B and growing pairs of eyeballs glued to Facebook every day and modern audience targeting tools make it easier than ever before to segment those eyeballs into lists of potential readers who might enjoy reading your books. BookBaby’s team of advertising experts spend their working days creating and managing Facebook ad campaigns and now our authors can finally leverage this expertise in effort to sell their books.
Rules:
- 1 week/$100 minimum campaign budget.
- Ad campaign sales become final once the ad proof is approved and can not be canceled or refunded. Ad campaigns canceled before proof approval will be refunded their advertising budget but not the ad creation fee.
- BookBaby Facebook ad campaigns do not guarantee book sales.
- BookBaby recommends testing the market with a 2-3 week ad campaign with a $350 per week budget.
Will I see my ad on Facebook?
In short, no. Our staff is able to provide you a link via email request, but it's highly unlikely you would naturally see your ad delivered to you by Facebook by design. There are simply a LOT of ads on Facebook and a lot of advertisers bidding for your attention.
How many books will I sell?
One of the first questions we usually get from authors about our Ads for Authors program is “How many books will I sell?” The unfortunate answer is: We don’t know – it could be zero, or it could be a needle mover. You see, selling books depends on many factors, including:
- How much are you able to invest in advertising, and for how long?
- How active are you on social media, and how many followers do you have?
- Are you doing any offline marketing activities, like book signings or giveaways?
- Do you have a mailing list to whom you can promote your book?
- Have you published other books before, or are you a new author?
- And yes, is your book good enough to generate a buzz among readers?
All of these factors and more contribute to the effectiveness of your ad campaign. Read more
Terms and conditions: One week/$100 minimum campaign budget. All ad campaign sales final after proof approval. Ad campaigns canceled before proof approval will be refunded their advertising budget but not the ad creation fee. Ad campaign performance can be tracked from your BookBaby account in real-time. Metrics include reach, impressions, and link clicks.