Of all the book-advertising sites, Bookbub is king. But with great power comes…a pretty hefty pricetag and seriously restrictive submission requirements.

I applied three times before I was finally accepted, and I had to downgrade my wish list from a 99-cent listing to a free listing. I was a little concerned, actually, that I might have to explain to my  husband why I’d spent $175 giving away free books…but then Bookbub’s email went out yesterday afternoon and soothed my ragged nerves.

By 8 pm, I’d already broken even due to increased sales of the other novel and short story in the series, and I woke up this morning to find that my Bookbub-pushed title was number two free on all of Amazon! Book two in the series (aided by a countdown deal mentioned in the description of book one) had soared to #402 paid, and I had an author rank for the first time ever!

The moral of the story? If you’ve been considering applying for Bookbub, but have been afraid of the big bucks involved…do it. Be sure to read their requirements carefully, though, and consider applying when your book will be free since free slots are easier to land than sale slots. The more books you have in the series, the more of a return you’ll see on your investment, and remember that Bookbub ads can now be seen in Canada and the UK as well as the U.S.

The only downside I’ve found with Bookbub so far is the constant urge to refresh my sales data. Makes it hard to write book three….