[SmallTownGirl]

Howdy,

There is a new amazon ad button for KDP Select people. It is where the free promotion and kindle select countdown deal. Any idea the effects this will have on people who don't use it? Will you have to use ads to increase exposure? Will it kill most non-select authors who don't have major followings?

It is brand new so the cpc is five cents. You only pay when someone clicks on the ad and gets directed to your book. I am giving it a try. It is a one hundred dollar minimum for your campaign budget. I'll let you know how it goes!

 

[Elizabeth Ann West]

I do not have this option on my last title that is in KDP Select. However, I know where the Amazon ad network lives if I wanted to go buy CPC ads for my book. My issue is why am I going to pay a company that already takes a 30% cut of my product's sale additional monies to advertise my book on their site? Something is fundamentally wrong with that system. I think I will stick with my plans of building my own following.

 

[Cherise]

I do not have this option on my last title that is in KDP Select. However, I know where the Amazon ad network lives if I wanted to go buy CPC ads for my book. My issue is why am I going to pay a company that already takes a 30% cut of my product's sale additional monies to advertise my book on their site? Something is fundamentally wrong with that system. I think I will stick with my plans of building my own following.

Same here. I don't see the ad button on my Select titles, and I'm kind of glad.

 

[Mark Dawson]

I believe they are split testing. The system has been around for six months or so.

 

[SmallTownGirl]

I believe they are split testing. The system has been around for six months or so.

Interesting. I wonder how they selected the people to offer it to then. Maybe those who have most of their titles in Select and use the free promotions often? I wouldn't have known about it until I went to set a free promotion today.

I do not have this option on my last title that is in KDP Select. However, I know where the Amazon ad network lives if I wanted to go buy CPC ads for my book. My issue is why am I going to pay a company that already takes a 30% cut of my product's sale additional monies to advertise my book on their site? Something is fundamentally wrong with that system. I think I will stick with my plans of building my own following.

I get that argument. My rationale is to test it out to see what it is like and I think it could be a boost for more exposure for my backlist. I also hope that it can have massive trickle down effect since it is part one of a serial that I'm using it on.

We shall see. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[Cherise]

I see it now, but when I click on it, I get:

Oops! The page you requested is currently unavailable.

LOL! 

 

[Amanda M. Lee]

I see it now, but when I click on it, I get:

Oops! The page you requested is currently unavailable.

LOL!

It let me set up two of them for a test run. I picked two different books, offered limited funds, and then picked two different options for who to target (for experimentation purposes). I figure it's worth a shot. They okayed my advertising options within about fifteen minutes each, and they start tomorrow, so I'm mildly curious. If it doesn't work, I'm only out a couple hundred bucks. If it does, it could be a really good thing. I'm just checking it out now. I have no idea of knowing if it will be good or bad at this point.

 

[Elizabeth Ann West]

I finally see it, they changed my Manage Benefits to Promote and Advertise. I"m reading the terms now. It says Amazon Network Property. You all should know they just opened up CPM advertising to affiliates. I'm willing to bet these "ads" are not going to appear on Amazon.com proper, but on Affiliate sites. In fact, so far in the T&C of the CPC stuff offered to authors/publishers Amazon Network Property is defined as :

""Amazon Network Property" means (a) the Amazon Site; (b) any website or other online point of presence operated by Amazon or our Affiliates; and/or (c) any other website, device, service, application, feature or online point of presence through which the Amazon Site, any website of any of our Affiliates and/or products or services (including the Services) available thereon are syndicated, offered, merchandised, advertised or described."

Plus, there's also a provision that none of your materials will be aimed at people under 13. And no obscene material. Just make sure you all read the fine print.

 

[scottmarlowe]

More info here (link is on the Reports page):

https://kdp.amazon.com/help?topicId=AVFOAV1KG90UW

"With advertising for KDP Select, you can use Amazon Marketing Services (AMS) to purchase advertising to promote your KDP-Select-enrolled books on Amazon.com."

I guess I'll never get to try it since my last title leaves Select tonight.

 

[Sever Bronny]

I just booked it. 100 bucks, 15 cent CPC. For two products similar to my book.

EDIT: Just booked a second one, this time for genre. See how things go.

 

[JumpingShip]

A hundred bucks As the minimum? Uh, no thanks. Let's see, I get a dollar and some change for a book borrowed in Select. I'd have to have at least 80 borrows before I even get in the black. Sure, I might get some sales too, but I bet KU subscribers are targeted since the books are in Select.

 

[Guest]

This could be a game changer for the people who can master this.

But until someone figures out the parameters it seems a bit dangerous to experiment with blind.

 

[Lionel's Mom]

I'd be interested to see what the ads look like and where they are, if anyone sees their ad and can link it, that would be much appreciated.
I'm not in Select, nor would this entice me to go in, but if they wanted to take my money anyway, I'd probably give it a try. 

It will be interesting to see what the actual ad looks like, if it pushes for people to borrow or just tries to get them to click on your book. If it's all about "Read this book for free with KU membership" which already irks me because 9.99 a month isn't free! and also, you're really paying them to help advertise their program.
But, only if that's what the ads look like. It could end up being really good, and like I said, I'd definitely try it if they wanted my non-select money, lol.

 

[Guest]

For instance, I'm looking at 'Target ad by product.' And then it lets me choose as many products as I like.

Doesn't seem right. It seems the more products I choose the more I'd be paying. But I can't find out where it says how any of that works.

 

[SmallTownGirl]

For instance, I'm looking at 'Target ad by product.' And then it lets me choose as many products as I like.

Doesn't seem right. It seems the more products I choose the more I'd be paying. But I can't find out where it says how any of that works.

I think it will be highly useful for some genres It says the suggested cpc bid for romance books there for me is five cents. That can pay dividends for a series. If the ad helps your first book take off then your subsequent books will do well. It will also help non ad viewers find your book because your ranking will go up creating more exposure. The ad is essentially your book cover and its title, but it is targeted to people who like that type of genre and you only get paid if they click through to the book page.

You can also do an ad for target a similar product.

For instance, I'm looking at 'Target ad by product.' And then it lets me choose as many products as I like.

Doesn't seem right. It seems the more products I choose the more I'd be paying. But I can't find out where it says how any of that works.

I believe it is more because you are competing against more people for your ads to be shown. I use to do internet marketing and this was the case for other cpc sites like google adwords. The more people in the ad pool then the the higher you have to pay usually.

 

[GP Hudson]

I don't see anything that says where on the page your ad will be displayed. Am I missing something? Does anybody else know where these ads will show up?

 

[Amanda M. Lee]

I don't see anything that says where on the page your ad will be displayed. Am I missing something? Does anybody else know where these ads will show up?

The ones I've seen have been fairly high up on the product page -- right around where the Kindle All-Star banners appear.

 

[PhoenixS]

*************

 

[Amanda M. Lee]

Ads booked by beta users have been showing up on every ebook product page for the last 6 months.

They appear on the amazon.com site just under the 'Send a Sample' box on the right side of the page.

That said, the beta runs I've been tracking for the past 6 months appear to be rather ineffectual. I didn't purchase any during the beta run and likely won't purchase unless they tweak them into something useful.

You have to commit $100, but if you don't get the clicks within the specified time, you don't have to pay - your credit card won't be charged. I didn't run any of the KDP Select ads, but I did run CPC ads with Amazon Marketing Services last spring. Out of my $100 budget that I really wanted to spend, I was only able to get like $10 worth of clicks. I was only charged the 10 bucks.

I think, like everything else, it's going to be a learning process. They might not work. I have no idea if they will. I'm willing to try. Why not? I'm just going to play around with them for a few weeks and see what happens.

 

[jimkukral]

The way they're doing it doesn't make sense and is poorly implemented. a MUCH better way would have been to sell ads on the post order page, or thank you page. For example, if you bought a book on "bigfoot", then I could buy a spot on that thank you page as "Other books similar to this you might like". I'd gladly pay for that. But they are burying the ad the way they're doing it now and it won't be effective.