I Tried a BookBub Featured Deal—Here’s What Happened

I’d always heard that landing a Bookbub deal could really help with marketing your book.

I’d tried a couple of times before with no luck. But recently, I submitted my historical fantasy, The Curse of King Midas, and was selected for a BookBub Featured Deal.

But there was a catch—it wasn’t for the U.S. market. My deal was for international readers only.

When I realized that, I wasn’t so sure about moving forward. I did some research and then decided to go for it.

In this article, I’ll discuss my experience, share my results, and tell you whether 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, after “free”). My international-only deal (which included the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia) cost $196.

The price would have been significantly higher if I had been selected to include the U.S. Since this was my first experience with Bookbub’s featured deals, I was kind of glad to have been chosen for international only. 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?

My main objective was to introduce more readers to The Midas Legacy series before the release of Book II in June (2025). I wanted to get my book into as many hands as possible so new readers could discover the series. 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.

Results from MyBookBub
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! Considering my book remains relatively unknown to the general fantasy audience, I feel pretty good about the 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

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. Additionally, I sold eight 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:

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

(A few more sales trickled in later on that I didn’t include here.)

Since this was an international-only deal, I’m counting only UK, Australia, and Canada sales. I did have some U.S. sales at the same time, as I ran a concurrent 99-cent deal in the U.S. to take advantage of the opportunity. (I sold nearly 200 books with the deals combined.) 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:

1. New Readers Found My Book – 160+ new people in international markets 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!
2. 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.
3. 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.

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 I do get another chance, I think I may go for a higher price point. One drawback of the 99 cents is that many readers will purchase, but then not read the book. They’ll leave it to languish on their ereaders. A higher price point may result in fewer sales, but inspire purchases from readers ready to read—though I’m not certain on this.

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!

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