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Self-publishing · Marketing

How to market a self-published book

Start with the page a reader already opens: the description, the categories, and an Author Page you can claim once the book is published. As of 7 October 2026, KDP's free-book tool is up to 5 days in each 90-day KDP Select term, a Kindle Countdown Deal can keep a 70 percent royalty below $2.99, and BookBub charges a Featured Deal fee only after you are selected and you confirm. None of these official pages states a sales total that means the marketing worked.

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The short answer

  1. Put the listing in place before you pay for attention. Description, keywords, and categories are separate fields, and Author Central is free once a book is published.[84][85][259][270]
  2. A+ Content adds images, text, and comparison tables under From the Publisher for Live titles and pre-orders. It is not the description.[251]
  3. A Free Book Promotion pays no royalty while the ebook is free. A Countdown Deal runs only on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk, after 30 days in KDP Select, as one block of up to 7 days.[89][260]
  4. BookBub submission is free. The fee is a one-time charge by category, region, and deal price. The pricing page lists the amounts. This page does not copy that table.[268]
  5. You may give away the book. You may not require an Amazon review. Compare ad spend with KDP royalties. Amazon does not publish one good ACOS.[80][245]

01

Where should a self-published author start?

Start with the detail page. Description, keywords, and categories are separate fields. The description answer has the character limit and the allowed HTML. Author Central is the free Author Page, and the book must already be published. Editorial reviews and BookScan are US only. No follower total is stated. Then match the tool to the rights you hold. Select promotions need the ebook enrolled. Going wide is a different decision. Ads are optional. Third-party promotion is allowed, and KDP says to avoid a guaranteed return. The marketing directory lists tools and does not rank them.[84][85][90][250][259][270]

  • Listing first: description, categories, and an Author Page.
  • Select promotions and a wide ebook are not the same choice.
  • Skip any promotion that promises a return.

02

What do Amazon's own author tools offer?

Author Central is free: books, a biography, Best Sellers Rank, customer reviews, and followers. Editorial reviews and BookScan are US only. No required follower count is stated. A+ Content, built from the Marketing page, adds images, text, and comparison tables under From the Publisher. It is for published books, including Live titles and pre-orders, not a book that is neither. One project can cover several ASINs, and each marketplace is published separately. Compliant content appears within eight business days, longer when volume is high. At most four quotes, only from well-known publications or public figures, with the source named. No customer quotes. In a 90-day KDP Select term, run a Free Book Promotion or a Kindle Countdown Deal, not both. Unused days do not roll over. Free promotion: the Kindle ebook is free for up to 5 days in every marketplace, together or split, scheduled at least one day ahead, and not before the second day of the term. No royalty while it is free. Rank moves to the Free list, which can take up to 24 hours and sometimes longer. Countdown Deal: Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk only, after at least 30 days in Select. Regular price $2.99 to $24.99, or £1.99 to £15.99 including VAT, unchanged for 30 days before and 14 days after. One block of 1 hour to 7 days, up to five steps, each at least $1 or £1 lower. The selected royalty rate is kept, including 70 percent below $2.99. Delivery costs still apply. Schedule at least 24 hours ahead. The page's 10 January example says any time before 8 January and does not explain the gap. One per term. End at least 14 days before the term ends, or on the last day if you renew. If the ebook is not exclusive, KDP cancels it. On a pre-order the Select term starts at release, so these deals wait until then. Sponsored Products are cost-per-click. You set the bid and budget and pay on the click. No monthly fee. Minimum daily budget $1, or the local equivalent. Moderation is usually within 24 hours and can take up to 3 business days. Amazon publishes no return that says the ads are worth it.[81][82][89][251][259][260][261]

  • Author Central: the page and the follower count. No required follower total is stated.
  • Free days: up to 5, no royalty. Countdown: one block, royalty rate kept, two marketplaces.
  • Sponsored Products: cost-per-click, no monthly fee, $1 minimum daily budget.

03

How do BookBub Featured Deals and other newsletter promotions work?

BookBub's cost article, updated 17 September 2026, says submission is free. The fee, if you are selected, is a one-time charge by category, region, and deal price, billed only after you confirm. Prices change. They are listed on BookBub's pricing page. That article states no single dollar amount, so this page does not copy the table. The requirements article, updated 9 March 2023, requires at least 50 percent off the predominant recent price, no more than 14 days at that deal price in the recent past, and no better price in the recent past. Free deals, including permafree, skip the 14-day rule. Recent past is not defined as a number of days. About 10 to 15 percent of US submissions are selected. New releases are rarely featured. A box set needs one included book not promoted by BookBub in the last six months, by an author with no BookBub promotion in the past 30 days. You need not discount before submitting. BookBub suggests starting the discount a few days ahead and does not set a required number of days. Other newsletter sites set their own prices. KDP allows them and says to avoid a guaranteed return. The directory names services and does not rate them.[90][268][269]

  • Submit free. Pay only after BookBub selects the book and you confirm.
  • At least 50 percent off. The page does not define recent past in days.
  • About 10 to 15 percent of US submissions are selected. New releases are rarely featured.

04

What review rules apply when you promote a book?

You may send a free or discounted copy. You may not require a review or try to influence it. A gift card, or anything other than the book, invalidates the review, and Amazon says the Community team will remove it. Reviews posted in exchange for compensation conflict with the Community Guidelines. The Federal Trade Commission's endorsement guides, at 16 CFR 255.5, require disclosure of a material connection the audience would not expect, including payment or a free product. A disclosure does not make a required positive review acceptable. A paid editorial review and an Amazon customer review are different products. The reviews answer covers what Kirkus, BookLife, and NetGalley state about their own fees.[80][246]

  • The book can be free. The Amazon review cannot be required.
  • Say when a reader got the book free, if that connection is not obvious.
  • Do not treat a paid editorial review as an Amazon customer review.

05

What should you track to know if it is working?

Track the reports the platforms actually publish. For a Countdown Deal, KDP's Promotions report shows sales and royalties at each promotional price beside the period before the deal. A Free Book Promotion pays no royalty on those days, and the sales rank moves between the Free and Paid lists. Author Central shows Best Sellers Rank, customer reviews, the follower count, and, in the US, BookScan. Amazon Ads says you can measure a campaign. It defines advertising cost of sales, ACOS, as ad spend divided by the sales it attributes to the ads, and it says there is no single good ACOS. Compare that spend with the royalty in your KDP reports. No page cited here states a conversion rate, a review count, or a revenue multiple that means the marketing worked.[89][245][259][260]

  • Promotions report for a countdown. No royalty line for free days.
  • Author Central for rank, reviews, followers, and US BookScan.
  • ACOS is not a royalty, and Amazon does not publish a target number.

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