Ad results July 2024

Selling books during the summer is always challenging, since everyone’s attention is on travel and then the clock turns to the inevitable back to school expenses.

Selling books during the summer of a US presidential election year is extra challenging, since every time something newsworthy happens, book sales almost always drop as well. It’s almost as predictable as clockwork.

How do I know this?

I’ve been an indie author long enough that this is my fourth presidential election cycle since I started self-publishing.

Fourth! That means I’m on my third president since I started self-publishing. So I’ve seen this cycle and resultant sales drop happen before many times. It’s like the Book of Ecclesiastes:

“What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again…”

Or a C. Montgomery Burns quote from THE SIMPSONS:

“Tough times eh? I’ve lived through twelve recessions, eight panics and five years of McKinleynomics! I’ll survive this.”

That said, let’s see how my ads performed for July 2024. The amount listed is what I got back for every $1 spent.

Facebook ads:

CLOAK GAMES/MAGE: $3.65, $4.05 if you include audiobooks

THE GHOSTS: $3.46, $3.71 if you include audiobooks

Bookbub ads:

FROSTBORN: $2.51, $3.72 if you include audiobooks

Amazon ads:

STEALTH & SPELLS: CREATION: $1.79.

HALF-ELVEN THIEF: $1.31, $1.42 with the audiobook.

So despite the challenging sales environment, the ads did still turn a profit.

Thanks for reading, everyone!

-JM