How do you know if your marketing is working? | BookBub Results | Free Metrics Guide - Booklinker Broadcast July 2026 #3


One book link, Every store Booklinker.com​

7/30/2026

Hello authors!

How do you know if your marketing is working?

At first glance, that sounds like an easy question. You sold books...or you didn’t.

But marketing isn’t always that simple.

Last month, my coauthor and I ran a BookBub Featured Deal on The Nine, the first book in our series, The Judas Files. Our goal wasn’t to make a huge profit on that one book. We wanted to get it into the hands of as many readers as possible, knowing that if they enjoyed it, many would continue on to the rest of the series.

The Featured Deal cost us $424.

Would I have loved to make $1,000 from the promotion? Of course.

But that wasn’t our goal.

Here’s what happened:

  • BookBub Featured Deal cost: $424
  • Free downloads: 5,996
  • June royalties from The Judas Files series: $352.54
  • The book reached the Top 50 in its category for almost a week
  • We received more ratings and reviews
  • June became our best sales month of the year across all books

Monthly units sold across all of our books. The BookBub Featured Deal ran in June.

The BookBub Featured Deal on the first book in the series coincided with our best sales month of the year across all of our books. I can't say the promotion caused every sale, but it clearly played a role in one of our strongest months.

July isn’t quite over yet, but sales are already ahead of several previous months. That matters because it suggests the promotion may still be working. Some of the readers who downloaded Book 1 in June may now be moving through the rest of the series.

So, was the promotion a success?

Absolutely.

If I had looked only at whether we earned back the $424 during June, I might have called it a failure.

Instead, I looked at the goal we set before we ever submitted to BookBub.

Our goal wasn’t immediate profit. It was exposure, new readers, stronger read-through, and momentum for the series.

By those measurements, it worked.

I think this is where many authors get discouraged. We run a promotion, post on social media, send a newsletter, or start an ad, then ask ourselves one question:

Did I sell more books today?

Sometimes that’s the wrong question.

Before you start any marketing activity, decide what success looks like. Then measure your results against that goal. Want ideas on what you should measure? Click the button below to get a free one page guide.

Happy Marketing!

Kerrie

P.S. Do you have a marketing story you want to share? Whether it was a huge success or a complete flop, I'd love to hear what you learned. I may feature it in an upcoming newsletter (along with a link to your books). You can send those to: kf@geniuslink.com
​
~Kerrie

Content & Community Manager
Kerrie Flanagan


Exciting News

I have something new to share inside The Book Marketing Lab, and if you've been on the fence about joining, this is a good reason to finally give it a try.

Within The Book Marketing Lab is a complete author marketing course with over 40 lessons, videos and a workbook. It covers everything from metadata and keywords to author branding, email marketing, book launches, and more, all for $9 a month.

Here's what's new. No more trying to figure out which of the 40 lessons apply to you. Complete Lessons 1-7 and send me your Author Action Plan worksheet, and within one week I'll send back a personalized Road Map built around your goals, your books, and where you are in your marketing journey.

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If you've been curious about the Lab, now is a great time to jump in.

Use the promo code LABTEST50 to get 50% off your first month.
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The Strategic Author

Stop writing in circles. Start thinking like a Publisher.

The Strategic Author is a 3-month small-group coaching program for authors who need clear book positioning, audience definition, comparables, pitch, publishing path, and roadmap — before they query, self-publish, or spend another year second-guessing the book.



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Industry News & Articles ✍🏽

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🌟 Podcast Publicity for Authors and Publishers: What’s Working​

More than ever, podcasts are moving the needle on sales, better in some cases than an author appearing on TV. Podcasts intersect significantly with conversations on social media, and someone can listen to a podcast months after the fact, offering a long tail of visibility. At the US Book Show this year, a top book podcaster, two veteran publicists, and a PR agency CEO discussed what authors and publishers need to know before sending a podcast pitch.

🌟 Sell More Books with These Seven Promotion Steps​

Most promotions don't fail because the book is wrong, or the price is wrong, or the ad is ugly. They fail because there was never really a plan. A vague intention to “do something” turns into a frantic week of discounting, posting, and hoping, and when it's over you can't say what worked, what didn't, or whether to do it again. These seven steps, drawn from ALLi's promotion guidebook, take you from “I should probably run a sale” to a campaign you can set up, run, measure, and improve.
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🌟 Why Your Book Launch Doesn’t Have to Be Perfect (And Why That’s Good News)​

The problem isn’t that authors care about their launches. They should. The problem is believing that one launch determines a book’s future. In reality, the strongest publishing careers are rarely built around one perfect launch. They’re built through a series of strategic opportunities that introduce the book to new readers over time.


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Booklinker is owned by Georiot Networks and powered by its flagship service, Geniuslink. In 2022, Apple Books began supporting Booklinker, helping it become a fully multi-retailer tool. Booklinker remains free for authors through the generous support of Apple Books and partnerships with other retailers.

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