Is Your Promo Site Worth the Cost?

Q: How many sales does a BookBub Featured Deal generate?

Results vary widely by genre and price point. A $0.99 Featured Deal in a popular genre (romance, thriller) can drive 2,000–10,000 downloads in a single day. Niche genres typically see 200–1,000. The higher the genre's subscriber count in BookBub, the more downloads you can expect.

Q: Is a BookBub Featured Deal worth the cost?

For most authors, yes — especially for book 1 of a series where read-through multiplies the value. Even if the featured book barely breaks even, the follow-on series sales often make the deal profitable. Use this calculator with your read-through rates to see your true ROI.

Q: What book price works best for promo sites?

$0.99 generates the most downloads but the lowest royalty per sale (around $0.35 on Amazon). $1.99 is the sweet spot for many authors — still cheap enough to drive clicks, but earns $0.70+ per sale. Free promotions are best for series book 1 where you recoup through read-through.

Calculate the ROI of BookBub Featured Deals, Robin Reads, BargainBooksy, and other promo sites — including read-through income from your series.

Open Calculator ← All Free Tools

Select a promo site (or enter custom costs below):

📣 Promo Details

Promo cost ($)

Your promo price ($) The discounted price during the promo

Royalty rate (%) 35% for $0.99 on Amazon; 70% for $2.99+

Estimated promo sales

Series books after this one 0 if standalone

Read-through rate per book (%) Typical: 25–50% continue to next book

Full price royalty per sequel ($) Royalty earned per sequel sale (not retail price)

💰 ROI Results

Promo royalty per sale—

Direct promo revenue—

Read-through revenue—

Total revenue—

Net profit / loss—

ROI—

Break-even sales needed—

Frequently Asked Questions

How many sales does a BookBub Featured Deal generate?

Results vary widely by genre and price. A $0.99 Featured Deal in romance or thriller can drive 2,000–10,000 downloads in a day. Niche genres typically see 200–1,000. The higher the genre's subscriber count, the more downloads.

Is a BookBub Featured Deal worth the cost?

For most series authors, yes — especially for book 1. Even if the featured book barely breaks even, read-through sales on sequels often make the deal profitable overall. Use this calculator with your read-through rates to see your true ROI.

How do smaller promo sites compare to BookBub?

Smaller sites are much cheaper ($15–$60) and easier to get approved, but drive fewer downloads (50–500 typically). Stacking several smaller sites on the same day can approximate a mid-tier BookBub deal at a fraction of the cost.

What book price works best for promo sites?

$0.99 generates the most downloads but lowest royalty ($0.35 on Amazon). $1.99 is a sweet spot — still cheap enough to drive clicks but earns $0.70+ per sale. Free promotions work best for series book 1 where you recoup through read-through.

Measure Your Real Promo ROI After the Fact

ScribeCount shows you exactly how your royalties spiked during and after a promotion — so you can see your actual return, not just an estimate.

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