Was My BookBub Featured Deal Worth It? See My Results!

I was recently selected for a BookBub Featured Deal, but there was a catch—it wasn’t for the U.S. market. My deal was only for international readers.

If you’re familiar with BookBub, you know how coveted these promotions are. They can skyrocket book sales and visibility overnight. But since my deal was limited to international markets, I wasn’t sure how it would pan out.

In this article, I’ll discuss my experience, share my results, and tell you whether I think it was worth it.

How Much Does a BookBub Featured Deal Cost?

Cost is one of the biggest factors in deciding whether to apply for a BookBub deal. Prices vary depending on several factors:

Your book’s genre
The price of your book during the promotion
Whether your deal includes the U.S. or is international only

For my deal, I promoted a fantasy novel at $0.99 (the second-lowest pricing tier available). The cost for my international-only deal was $196.

If I had been selected to include the U.S., the price would have been significantly higher. Since this was my first experience with Bookbub featured deals, I was kind of glad to have been chosen for international only, as it gave me a chance to see what the deal would do for me without spending as much as a U.S. deal would cost.

The trade-off between price and royalties is important to consider. A lower-priced book will sell more copies but yield lower earnings per sale. (At 99 cents per book, I earned only about 30 cents per copy, for example.) Plus, the Bookbub featured deal costs less.

A higher-priced book (you can go up to $4.99) means fewer sales but greater royalties per copy. It also means a higher price for the Bookbub deal, though. (You can find the prices here.)

I’ve also heard that you have a better chance of being selected for a Bookbub deal as an indie author if you price your book on the lower end of the spectrum.

I opted for the $0.99 price point because my primary goal was to increase readership rather than maximize immediate earnings—and I wanted to improve my chances of being accepted for the deal.

What Was My Goal with This Bookbub Featured Deal?

Whenever you invest in book marketing, it’s crucial to have a clear goal. Otherwise, how will you know if the promotion was successful?

For me, the main objective was to introduce more readers to The Midas Legacy series before the release of Book II in June.

I wanted to get my book into as many hands as possible so new readers could discover the series. That was my main focus. I was hoping to earn some of my money back, but I wasn’t overly concerned with breaking even or turning a profit from this deal alone.

My Results from My BookBub Featured Deal

BookBub estimates that a deal like mine (in the fantasy genre) could result in between 10 and 2,250 copies sold. Thankfully, I sold more than ten! (Phew!) Considering my book remains relatively unknown to the general fantasy audience, I feel pretty good about my results.

My BookBub email went out on February 12th, and by the end of the next day (February 13th), here were my total sales:

124 copies sold (all ebook)
- Amazon: 102 copies
- Draft2Digital: 22 copies
Total royalties earned: $46.93
- Amazon: $36.40
- Draft2Digital: $10.53

A couple of days later, by the end of the day on February 15th, I had sold:

50 copies total on Draft2Digital (all international buyers), bringing my Draft2Digital earnings up to $23.24.
8 more copies on Amazon (not counting U.S. sales), adding roughly $2.40 to my total Amazon royalties (I’m not sure how the exchange rates may affect this).

Updated Totals as of 2/15:

Total books sold (excluding U.S.): 160 copies
Total royalties earned: $62.04

I had more sales trickle in after this, but the pace had way slowed down, so I stuck with this cut-off date for this post.

Since this was an international-only deal, I’m counting only sales from the UK, Australia, and Canada. I did have some U.S. sales at the same time, as I ran the 99-cent deal in the U.S. to take advantage of the opportunity. I’m not counting those sales here, though, as they were not due to the Bookbub international deal.

Was My BookBub Featured Deal Worth It?

Based on my primary goal—introducing more readers to my series—I’d say yes, it was worth it.

Did I make all my money back? No. I spent $196 and earned $62.04 in direct royalties, meaning I recouped about 31% of my investment. But that wasn’t the only metric I was tracking.

Here’s why I still consider this deal a success:

New Readers Found My Book – 160+ new people now own my book. Some of them may read it, love it, and go on to buy Book II when it releases in June. That’s my hope, anyway!
Potential Long-Term Impact – I’ll be watching to see if I gain new reviews, email subscribers, or follow-up sales in the coming months.
Exposure in Key Markets – The UK, Australia, and Canada all performed well. These are valuable markets for fantasy books, so getting my foot in the door was beneficial.

Ultimately, marketing is a long game. While I didn’t see immediate financial returns, I’m optimistic that this BookBub deal will have a ripple effect, helping my series grow over time. I’ll be tracking my results in the months leading up to my next book launch to see if this investment pays off in indirect ways.

Would I do it again? Possibly! If I see strong engagement from the readers who picked up my book, I’d consider another international deal—or, ideally, a U.S. BookBub deal to see how it compares.

If you’re a writer considering a BookBub international deal, I hope my experience helps you decide whether it’s the right move for your books!