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I’ve been running Amazon Ads for non-fiction authors for almost five years now (in June) and in that time, I’ve personally managed over $150,000 in ad spend for my clients books on a variety of subjects like: memoirs, self-development, history, politics, leadership, caregiving, business, lifestyle, and more. I’ve also taken half a dozen professional-level Amazon Ads courses, both online and in person to make sure I’m not just guessing my way through it.
I’ve worked with authors on both ends of the spectrum. Some had no reviews, no platform, no promotion and were completely starting from scratch. Others had hundreds of reviews, thousands of followers, active social media accounts, strong brands, and were recognized thought leaders in their fields.
With both types of clients, I’ve seen success. And maybe more importantly, I’ve seen plenty of failures too.
The main thing I’ve learned is that no matter what metrics you show an author, at the end of the day, they care about ROI. You can talk about impressions, click-through rates, and ACOS, but what really matters is whether the ads are helping to at the very least, pay for their promotions, and maybe add a little into their bank account every month.
This post isn’t going to be a list of basic best practices. I’m going to show you what I actually do on a daily basis to drive traffic to my clients’ books, maximize ad spend, and what I’d focus on first if you gave me access to your account right now.
Before I Touch Ads: The Conversion Check
If you gave me access to your account right now, I wouldn’t start by adjusting bids or launching new campaigns.
I’d go straight to your book page.
A strong Amazon Ads strategy for authors doesn’t start inside the ad dashboard. It starts on the product page. Ads amplify what’s already there. But if your page doesn’t convert, all you’re doing is paying to send traffic to something that isn’t ready.
Here’s what I look at first:
- Is the cover professional and aligned with the genre?
- Does the subtitle clearly communicate the outcome or benefit?
- Are the categories positioned correctly?
- How many reviews are there…and what do they actually say?
- Do you have A+ Content?
- Is the pricing competitive for the niche?
Before you start spending money on ads, you need to make sure you’ve done everything required to ensure conversions on the page. Amazon Ads will get traffic to your page, but it’s up to them to make that purchase decision when you get there.
If you’re on this step, you can check out our professional book description generator, professional author bio generator, and ideal reader analysis tool at Authorlaunchkit.com. This will save you some time creating these elements and you can try it free for 7 days.
How I Structure Campaigns (My Baseline Setup)
Once I’m confident the product page is solid, then I move into campaign structure.
1. If you’re brand new to Amazon Ads:
I’d suggest starting with a warm-up campaign using Amazon’s Auto-Targeting feature. This allows you to create a low-cost, easy to maintain campaign and get some initial data to expand on your strategy later.
Here’s a step-by-step showing you how to create your first auto campaign. (You’ll need to be logged into your advertising.amazon.com account to access the dashboard.)
I almost always start with an auto campaign.
This isn’t because I expect it to be wildly profitable. It’s for data.
Amazon’s algorithm will show your book to readers it believes are relevant. From that, I get search term data and ASIN data I can refine later. Think of it as research that I’m paying for — but strategically.
Also, you can continue reading on for more strategy, but Author Launch Kit will give you a custom Amazon Ads strategy for your book. Try it free for 7 days using this link: https://authorlaunchkit.com/.
2. If you’ve *recently ran Amazon Ads (*within the last 1-3 months)
It might be time to try out a more customized, and targeted campaign type so we can pick and choose where your book appears on the platform.
Now, I want to start our with what you DON’T want to do:
- Put multiple different books in a single campaign
- Jumble keywords, ASIN #’s, categories, and search terms all in a single ad group
- Set your bids to $10 for each keyword so you’re the highest bidder
- And just for housekeeping – check your account every day (this will drive you crazy!)
When you’re putting money behind ads, you want to be able to hone in on what IS and what ISN’T working. When you jumble everything together into a single campaign and call it a day, that makes it pretty hard to isolate the winners and the losers.
One big switch I made during my years of running ads is to isolate my strategies per ad group, per campaign, and sometimes even by book format.
The reason being, that you may discover that targeting ONLY categories for your ebook is resulting in more sales than trying keywords. Or, targeting highly specific keywords works best for your paperback, but not your hardcover.
3. Here’s how I structure my first Manual-Targeted Campaigns:
First off, create a new sponsored product campaign on your Amazon Advertising dashboard.
This time, you’ll want to select “Manual Targeting” instead of “Automatic Targeting”.
You’ll see that this opens up a couple of new widgets below:
Widget #1 asks you if you want to target keywords, or products. Keywords is just what it sounds like, you get to pick and choose the words and phrases to target, and Product Targeting will let you choose specific books and categories related to yours.
Widget #1:
Widget #2 is where you enter in the chosen type of targets for this ad group. You cannot do both in one ad group, but it’s best to separate them anyways.
Widget #2:
During the campaign creation process, it’ll prompt you to create a single ad group. This is where you choose keywords, categories, and competing ASIN #s to bid on for advertising. (This is all shown to you in the screenshots above)
After you publish that campaign, you can go back into that same campaign and create new ad groups. All of these ad groups are inside a single campaign, so you’re using your entire allocated budget to these ad groups inside that campaign. These are groupings of keyword targets, other book ASINS, and categories.
Here’s the ad groups I would recommend starting with:
- AMZ KW’s – These are suggested keywords by Amazon. There’s an option to just “add all” and it’s worth testing to start out, but keep an eye on this one! As it can increase your daily spend pretty quickly because it’s based on current, active search terms people are using on Amazon. Not all of these may be relevant to your book.
- Bl Chosen Keywords – These are the keywords that I researched on the platform, pulled from the author’s book description, other customer search terms pulled from my older campaigns, and any trending topics that are getting lots of traffic right now.
- Categories – This is an ad group ONLY targeting relevant categories that you book fits into.
- Comp ASINS – This is an ad group ONLY targeting competing books via their ASIN #’s. Lots of sales from Amazon Ads come from these, so don’t skip this one.
For keyword campaigns, I would start with “broad” and “phrase” match type, then when you start to get data on sales for specific keywords, add those in as “exact” match types. No need to match “exact” for a keyword until you know it produces sales.
The 5 Core Amazon Ads Tips That Get Authors Results
1) Don’t Be Afraid of a $5–$10/Day Budget
A common fear (especially if you’ve run Facebook ads) is: “Amazon will spend my whole budget every day no matter what.”
That’s not how Amazon Ads typically behave especially early on.
Amazon Ads are pay-per-click, so you only pay when someone clicks on your book from an ad. And many author bids start around $0.15–$0.50 per click, so it can take a surprising number of clicks to even hit $5/day.
If your budget is too low, ($1-2/day) you won’t gather enough data to make smart decisions moving forward. Look at your first few ads as an investment, and the return is data, not just book sales.
2) Treat Your First Few Hundred Dollars Like “Tuition”
Most authors don’t get a positive return in the first month.
That’s normal.
You’re paying for two things:
- exposure
- data (what’s getting seen, clicked, and purchased)
Your goal is to learn what works and then optimize your way into profit.
A good checkpoint: if you’re still not trending toward profitability after 60-90 days, it’s time to review fundamentals (page, positioning, targeting, and your offer).
3) Track Your ACOS (Advertising Cost of Sales)
ACOS is one of the most important Amazon Ads metrics. You can add this to your campaign dashboard by selecting Columns > ACOS
ACOS = Total Spend ÷ Attributed Sales (within 14 days of clicks)
General rule of thumb:
- Under 100% ACOS = your ads are at least generating sales that “cover” the ad spend
- Around 50% ACOS or lower = much healthier for most books (because Amazon fees and printing costs exist)
If you can consistently get ACOS under 50%, that’s often the moment to consider increasing your budget on what’s working.
4) Use a Keyword Tool
Amazon Ads isn’t like Google ads where you pick a few keywords and call it a day.
You often need hundreds of keywords to test.
A tool like Publisher Rocket can quickly generate large keyword lists that you can refine and test inside campaigns. (You’ll still want to add keywords from your manuscript language, your description, and any previous research—but Rocket speeds up the heavy lifting.)
5) Run Ads After Your Amazon Page Is Ready
This is the “don’t skip this” tip.
If your page isn’t converting, ads just buy you expensive traffic that doesn’t turn into sales.
Run ads once:
- your cover/title are strong
- your description sells
- you have reviews (or you’re actively building them)
- your page looks credible and complete
If you’re on this step, you can check out our professional book description generator, professional author bio generator, and ideal reader analysis tool at Authorlaunchkit.com. This will save you some time creating these elements and you can try it free for 7 days.
What I Look at Every Week (Optimization Routine)
The real work isn’t launching campaigns. It’s managing them and making sure they’re producing results that matter to you, whether that’s ROI, exposure, or capturing missed sales from other people running ads against your books!
Every week, I’m inside my client accounts reviewing:
- Customer Search Terms (Sales = add to campaign, OR irrelevant target = add to negative keywords)
- Spend without sales ($10 or more without sales > decrease bid or pause target)
- Impressions without clicks (1,000 or more impressions with no clicks > pause target)
- Top-performing ASINs (Check for sales, impressions, clicks. Remove any irrelevant books to make way for the best performing ones)
Here’s how I approach decisions.
If a keyword spends consistently without converting, I either lower the bid or cut it entirely.
If something converts multiple times at a reasonable cost, I isolate it into an “exact” campaign or ad group and scale carefully.
If I see irrelevant search terms, I add negative keywords.
I don’t panic after two days. But I also don’t let campaigns bleed for weeks unchecked.
A good Amazon Ads strategy for authors is built on disciplined, ongoing optimization not “set it and forget it.” Typically, I’ll check all my accounts once or twice a week, then do a deep dive every month.
How to Tell What’s Broken (Using Your Data)
Here’s a simple diagnostic flow:
If you have lots of impressions, but very few clicks…
That usually points to:
- mismatched targeting (wrong audience/keywords)
- weak cover (not scroll-stopping)
- ad not appearing in the most relevant placements
Start by tightening your targeting first. If targeting is good and clicks still don’t come, look at cover and positioning.
If you have lots of clicks, but no purchases…
That usually points to:
- your book description isn’t converting
- your hook line/title/subtitle isn’t clear enough
- reviews are too few (or not strong)
- your page needs A+ content or clearer proof
Clicks mean interest. No sales means your page isn’t closing the deal.
If you’re on this step, you can check out our professional book description generator, professional author bio generator, and ideal reader analysis tool at Authorlaunchkit.com. This will save you some time creating these elements and you can try it free for 7 days.
Weekly (or Biweekly) Optimizations That Save You Money
You don’t need to micromanage daily, but you do need routine check-ins.
A practical rhythm: once per week or once every two weeks.
Here are a few simple rules authors use to keep campaigns healthy:
- Keywords spending $10+ with no orders: reduce bids ~25% or pause
- 1,000+ impressions with zero clicks: pause (it’s not resonating)
- High ACOS keywords (over 100%): reduce bids ~25%
- Keywords with no impressions: check relevance, then raise bids gradually (small increments) until they start getting visibility
Quick note: A campaign can look “bad” overall while only a few keywords are causing the damage. Always zoom in.
Common Amazon Ads Mistakes to Avoid
- Editing too much, too often: making changes daily makes your data meaningless
- Going too broad: broad targeting wastes spend and muddies results
- Ignoring keyword-level performance: the campaign total can hide the real problem
- Expecting instant profit: ads often take time to learn and optimize
- Running ads before your page is ready: this is the biggest money leak
Tools & Learning Resources (Worth Knowing About)
If you want to go deeper, these are commonly recommended in the Amazon Ads world:
- Publisher Rocket (keyword research for Amazon ads)
- Brian Meeks’ book: Mastering Amazon Ads (solid education for authors)
- Author Launch Kit: Our book marketing software will give you a personalized Amazon Ad strategy for your book. Give it a try today!
Final Thoughts: Amazon Ads Are Simple… But Not “Set It and Forget It”
Amazon Ads are easier in principle than many platforms, but real success comes from:
- solid book fundamentals
- steady testing
- routine tracking and optimization
If you’re willing to treat the first phase as learning, your long-term payoff can be consistent visibility and steady sales—without guessing.
Frequently Asked Questions About Amazon Ads Strategy for Authors
Are Amazon Ads worth it for authors?
They can be, but only if your book is positioned correctly and you approach ads strategically.
Amazon Ads amplify what’s already there. If your cover, subtitle, categories, and description don’t convert, ads will just send paid traffic to a weak sales page. When the foundation is solid, Amazon Ads can drive consistent, targeted traffic to readers who are already shopping for books like yours.
The key is treating ads as a long-term strategy, not a quick fix.
If your Amazon Ads haven’t been profitable, check out this video: Amazon Ads Not Profitable? Why Authors Should Still Run Amazon Ads
How much should authors spend on Amazon Ads?
There’s no universal number, but most nonfiction authors should expect to test with at least $10–$20 per day if they want meaningful data.
The goal early on isn’t massive profit… it’s data collection. Once you identify keywords and ASINs that convert, you scale carefully.
Spending $3 a day usually doesn’t generate enough data to optimize effectively. Spending $100 a day without a strategy usually burns money.
Budget should match your goals and your patience level.
What is a good ACOS for authors?
“Good” ACOS depends on your royalty and your long-term strategy. (But typically, under 100% means you’re breaking even with ad spend, and under 50% ACOS means these ads are paying YOU.)
If you earn $5 per book and your ACOS means you’re spending $7 per sale, you’re losing money on the front end. That may or may not be acceptable depending on whether you have:
- Multiple books
- A backend offer
- A course or service
- An email list growth strategy
There isn’t one magic ACOS number. The real question is: does the math make sense for your business?
Should authors run automatic or manual campaigns?
Both.
A strong Amazon Ads strategy for authors usually includes:
- Automatic campaigns for data harvesting
- Manual broad campaigns for discovery
- Manual exact campaigns for scaling
- Product targeting for competitor placement
Each campaign type serves a different purpose. Relying on only one usually limits performance.
How long does it take for Amazon Ads to work?
Amazon Ads are not instant.
You need enough data to make decisions. That usually means running campaigns for at least a few weeks before making major changes.
Optimization is ongoing. The authors who succeed with ads are the ones who approach it with patience and consistency — not panic adjustments every 48 hours.
Why am I getting clicks but no sales?
This is one of the most common problems.
If you’re getting clicks but no sales, it’s usually one of three things:
- Your targeting is too broad or misaligned
- Your book page isn’t converting
- Your pricing or positioning is off
Before increasing bids, check your conversion rate and review your product page objectively.
More traffic rarely fixes a conversion issue.
Do authors need reviews before running Amazon Ads?
You don’t need hundreds of reviews — but you do need social proof.
If you’re launching with zero reviews, ads become harder because readers have no validation that the book is worth buying.
If possible, gather early reviews before scaling ad spend. Even 5–15 strong reviews can make a noticeable difference.
Can Amazon Ads work without a platform or email list?
Yes — but expectations matter.
I’ve worked with authors who had no platform and saw ads work. I’ve also seen authors with large platforms struggle.
Amazon Ads are intent-based marketing. You’re reaching readers who are already searching for books. That’s different from social media marketing.
That said, ads perform best when they’re part of a broader strategy, not the only thing you’re doing.
What’s the biggest mistake authors make with Amazon Ads?
Two things:
- Expecting immediate profit
- Making emotional decisions based on short-term data
A sustainable Amazon Ads strategy for authors requires disciplined optimization, realistic expectations, and consistent monitoring.
It’s not flashy. It’s methodical.
