Advertising

Better Ads Begin With a Better Understanding of the Book.

Advertising a romance novel takes more than selecting a few interests, adding a cover, and hoping the right readers click. The book’s tropes, emotional promise, heat level, character dynamics, cover, blurb, series position, and target audience all affect how an advertising campaign should be built.

At Indie Story Studio, we create and manage advertising campaigns specifically for indie romance authors. We work across contemporary romance, dark romance, romantic suspense, romantasy, paranormal romance, why-choose, and other romance subgenres. Whether you need Facebook and Instagram ads, Amazon Ads, or a coordinated campaign across both platforms, we build each campaign around the book you are actually selling.

Our advertising services include campaign setup and one month of maintenance, with scheduled weekly reviews and adjustments based on the information available through the advertising platform. Our goal is to give your book the strongest possible opportunity to reach qualified readers while keeping the process understandable, transparent, and aligned with your budget.

Ad spend is not included in the service fee. The client is responsible for all advertising charges billed by Meta, Amazon, or any other advertising platform.

Choose Your Advertising Service

Facebook Ads

One Title for One Month | $250

Tropes that click. Funnels that convert. Reporting you can trust.

Facebook and Instagram and Threads/Whatsapp advertising allows authors to introduce their books to readers before those readers begin actively shopping. A strong Meta campaign uses the right combination of visuals, hooks, tropes, audience signals, and testing to stop the scroll and encourage qualified readers to visit the book’s sales page.

We plan, create, launch, and maintain Facebook advertising campaigns for indie romance authors. Before creating the campaign, we review the manuscript and available marketing materials so the ads reflect the book’s actual content rather than relying on generic romance language. We use the story’s strongest hooks, conflicts, tropes, emotional promises, and character dynamics to create advertising that speaks directly to the readers most likely to be interested.

This service includes the creation of the campaign, advertising copy, graphics, and initial audience strategy, followed by one month of campaign maintenance. During that month, the campaign will be checked once each week for a total of four scheduled reviews. At each review, we assess the available performance data and make reasonable adjustments. These changes may include revising audiences, changing copy, pausing underperforming ads, shifting the campaign structure, or creating replacement advertising materials when needed.

What’s Included

THE PRICING IS FOR ONE TITLE.
Review of the manuscript and existing book materials
Campaign strategy based on the book’s genre, tropes, heat level, series position, and goals
Creation of Facebook and Instagram advertising campaigns as requested for platforms (including the choice to limit campaigns to one or more platforms)
Advertising copy written specifically for the book
Audience research and initial audience creation
Advertising graphics created for the campaign using stock assets which are legally licensed.
Campaign setup using the agreed-upon budget
Four campaign reviews completed once weekly
Reasonable targeting, copy, budget, or campaign adjustments during the service period
Replacement or revised ads when the available data indicates that a different creative direction should be tested
A summary of observations and recommendations at the end of the month

Graphics and AI Image Use

Advertising graphics are included in the Facebook Ads service. Whenever possible, we use client-provided covers, character artwork, licensed stock imagery, typography, decorative elements, and other non-AI assets.

We will not use generative AI to create advertising images unless the client specifically requests or approves its use.

Clients should provide any existing brand assets, character art, photography, mockups, fonts, or other visual materials they would like considered. Clients are responsible for confirming that they have the right to use any assets they supply.

What We Need From You

Before work begins, the client must provide:

A Microsoft Word file or PDF of the complete book being advertised
The current book cover
The final or current sales blurb
The book’s retailer link or preorder link
The primary tropes and subgenre
The heat level and any relevant content information
The book’s series position
The intended advertising budget
Any existing graphics, branding materials, reviews, awards, or marketing copy
Access to the Facebook Page, Meta Business Portfolio, or advertising account from which the campaign will run

The client may also request that the advertising campaign run from an Indie Story Studio-managed account. This must be discussed and approved before the campaign is created. Additional requirements, payment procedures, or limitations may apply when campaigns are run through our account.

Client Responsibilities

The $250 service fee covers campaign creation and one month of maintenance. It does not include the money paid directly to Meta for advertising placement.

The client is responsible for:

Paying the $250 service fee
Providing the agreed-upon advertising budget
Maintaining a valid payment method for platform charges
Supplying accurate book files, links, and marketing information
Providing the necessary account or Page access
Reviewing and approving any materials that require approval
Responding promptly when account access, payment, or policy issues arise
Informing us of price changes, promotions, preorder changes, publication delays, or retailer-link changes

What This Service Does Not Guarantee

Advertising performance depends on many factors outside our control, including the cover, blurb, pricing, reviews, competition, audience demand, retailer page, platform behavior, market conditions, advertising budget, and the book itself.

We do not guarantee:

A particular cost per click
A specific click-through rate
A specific number of sales, preorders, KU borrows, or page reads
A certain Amazon ranking
A profitable return on ad spend
That an ad will be approved by Meta
That Meta will deliver the full daily budget
That an audience or creative concept that worked for another book will work for yours

Our role is to create, manage, review, and adjust the campaign using professional judgment and the information available. Advertising always involves testing, and not every test produces a winning result.

Amazon Ads

One Title for One Month | $150

Own your product page. Scale your series. See what’s working.

Amazon Ads reach readers while they are actively browsing for books. Instead of introducing the book before the shopping process begins, Amazon advertising places it in front of customers who are already searching by genre, trope, author, title, category, or related product.

We create Amazon advertising campaigns designed around the book’s genre, reader expectations, metadata, cover, blurb, price, KU status, and series position. Depending on the title and available budget, campaigns may target relevant keywords, comparable books, authors, categories, or combinations of those elements.

This service includes the creation of approximately five to ten ad sets or campaigns, depending on the book, marketplace, available targeting options, and advertising budget. The campaigns are then maintained for one month, with four scheduled reviews completed once weekly. During those reviews, we assess the available data and make reasonable adjustments to bids, budgets, targets, keywords, negatives, or campaign structure.

What’s Included

Review of the book’s Amazon product page and available marketing materials
Review of the book’s genre, tropes, pricing, KU status, and series position
Amazon advertising strategy based on the client’s budget
Creation of approximately five to ten ad sets or campaigns
Keyword research
Comparable-author, comparable-title, ASIN, or category research where appropriate
Campaign naming and organization
Bid and budget setup
Four campaign reviews completed once weekly
Reasonable bid, keyword, targeting, budget, or campaign adjustments during the service period
Addition of negative targets or keywords when appropriate
A summary of observations and recommendations at the end of the month

The exact number and type of campaigns may vary. A lower advertising budget may not support every possible campaign type, while a larger catalog or series may require a different distribution of campaigns.

What We Need From You

Before work begins, the client must provide:

The Amazon link and ASIN for each book being advertised
Access to the appropriate Amazon Ads account
The intended monthly advertising budget
The book’s current price and KU or wide status
The book’s cover and blurb
The primary subgenre, tropes, and heat level
The book’s position within the series
Any comparable authors or books the client believes are relevant
Information about upcoming sales, free days, Kindle Countdown Deals, launches, or price changes
Current advertising information if campaigns are already running

A Word file of the manuscript may also be requested when a closer review is needed to identify accurate tropes, hooks, audience positioning, or comparable titles.

Client Responsibilities

The $150 service fee covers campaign creation and one month of maintenance. It does not include Amazon advertising charges.

The client is responsible for:

Paying the $150 service fee
Providing the agreed-upon advertising budget
Maintaining an active payment method in the Amazon Ads account
Providing account access and accurate ASIN information
Ensuring the book is available in the intended marketplace
Notifying us of price changes, promotions, publication delays, or listing changes
Maintaining a product page capable of converting advertising traffic
Reviewing recommendations regarding the cover, blurb, metadata, or pricing

What This Service Does Not Guarantee

Amazon advertising relies heavily on the product page and the purchasing behavior Amazon can attribute to an ad. The advertising dashboard may not provide complete visibility into Kindle Unlimited reading, organic purchases, later purchases, or series read-through.

We do not guarantee:

A particular cost per click
A specific ACOS or ROAS
A specific number of impressions, clicks, sales, borrows, or page reads
A profitable campaign
A certain sales rank
That Amazon will spend the full daily budget
That every keyword, target, or campaign will receive impressions
That advertising can overcome a cover, blurb, pricing, review, or product-page problem

Our work focuses on building a thoughtful campaign structure, reviewing the available data, and making strategic adjustments during the service period.

Combination Facebook and Amazon Ads

One Title for One Month | $300

Build awareness. Capture active shoppers. Give your book more than one way to be discovered.

Facebook and Amazon advertising serve different parts of the reader journey. Facebook, Instagram, and Threads can introduce the book to readers through strong hooks, trope-forward creative, and visual storytelling. Amazon Ads place the book in front of shoppers who are already browsing, searching, and comparing titles.

The Combination Advertising package brings both strategies together. We create and manage a coordinated one-month campaign across Meta and Amazon so the messaging readers see before the retailer click matches the positioning they encounter on the product page.

This option is especially useful for launches, first-in-series books, relaunches, backlist revivals, and authors who want to test both demand-generation and purchase-intent advertising without purchasing the two services separately.

What’s Included

Facebook, Instagram, and Threads/Whatsapp

Manuscript and marketing-material review
Campaign strategy and setup
Advertising copy
Custom advertising graphics
Audience research and creation
Campaign launch using the approved budget
Four scheduled campaign checks, completed once weekly
Reasonable adjustments to audiences, copy, graphics, budgets, or campaign structure
Replacement or revised creatives when appropriate
No generative AI imagery unless the client specifically requests or approves it

Amazon Ads

Product-page and metadata review
Keyword, ASIN, author, title, or category research
Creation of approximately five to ten ad sets or campaigns
Bid and budget setup
Four scheduled campaign checks, completed once weekly
Reasonable adjustments to bids, targets, keywords, negatives, budgets, or campaign structure
End-of-month observations and next-step recommendations

What We Need From You

Clients purchasing the Combination package must provide:

A Microsoft Word file of the complete book
The book cover and sales blurb
Amazon links and ASINs
Retailer or universal links for Meta advertising
Genre, subgenre, trope, heat-level, and series information
Meta Page, Business Portfolio, or ad-account access
Amazon Ads account access
The intended budget for each platform
Current pricing, KU or wide status, and promotional dates
Any available brand graphics, reviews, awards, character artwork, or marketing assets

The Facebook portion may run through the client’s Meta account or, with prior approval, through an Indie Story Studio-managed account.

Ad Spend for Combination Campaigns

The $300 service fee covers the setup and one-month management of both platforms. It does not include advertising spend.

The client must provide separate advertising budgets for:

Facebook, Instagram, and Threads advertising
Amazon advertising

We will discuss how the client would like the total advertising budget divided. The final allocation may be adjusted based on the book, goals, platform access, and early campaign data, but no platform charges are included in the service fee.

Important Expectations

Running both platforms does not guarantee better results than running one platform alone. The value of the combined service is broader testing and coordinated positioning, not a promise of sales.

We do not guarantee:

A specific CPC, CPM, CTR, ACOS, or ROAS
A minimum number of clicks, impressions, purchases, preorders, KU borrows, or page reads
A certain rank or bestseller placement
That either platform will spend the full budget
That ads will be approved or remain approved
That both platforms will perform equally
That the campaign will become profitable within one month

Campaign data is used to make informed decisions, but one month may function as an initial testing period rather than a complete scaling cycle.

What Happens During Your Advertising Month?

Week One: Setup and Launch

We review the book, audience, sales page, assets, budget, and goals. Campaigns, copy, graphics, audiences, keywords, and targets are created and launched after the required information and access have been supplied.

The exact launch date depends on receiving all client materials, account permissions, approvals, and payment information.

Weeks Two Through Four: Scheduled Reviews

Campaigns are reviewed once each week for a total of four checks during the one-month service period. During these reviews, we examine available campaign data and make reasonable adjustments.

Adjustments may include:

Pausing an underperforming ad or target
Changing bids or budgets
Revising advertising copy
Testing a new graphic
Adding or removing audience interests
Adding negative Amazon keywords or product targets
Moving budget toward campaigns showing stronger early indicators
Rebuilding part of a campaign when the existing structure is not delivering useful data

Weekly checks do not mean campaigns are monitored continuously or reviewed daily. Urgent account, billing, rejection, or access issues brought to our attention may be addressed separately when possible.

End of Service Period

At the end of the month, clients receive a summary of the campaign’s available data, notable findings, changes made, and recommended next steps.

Campaigns may remain active after the management period ends, but continued review, adjustment, creative replacement, or management requires renewal or a separate service agreement.

Before We Advertise Your Book

Advertising cannot fix every product-page problem. Before launching, we may recommend changes to the cover, blurb, pricing, metadata, retailer links, series information, or overall positioning.

These recommendations are made to protect the client’s advertising budget. The client may choose to proceed without implementing them, but doing so may affect campaign performance.

We reserve the right to delay or decline a campaign when:

Required account access has not been provided
The book or advertising materials appear to violate platform policies
The sales page is incomplete or unavailable
The supplied assets cannot legally be used
The advertising budget is too limited to support the proposed campaign
The client requests misleading claims, prohibited targeting, explicit imagery, or other noncompliant materials

Advertising Graphics

Graphics for Facebook, Instagram, and Threads advertising are included in the applicable packages. Designs may use:

Book covers
Licensed stock photography
Client-supplied photography or artwork
Typography-based designs
Trope graphics
Quote graphics using text supplied or verified from the manuscript
Series graphics
Cover-focused advertising
Decorative or genre-specific design elements

We do not use generative AI to create ad imagery unless the client specifically requests or approves it. When AI imagery is approved, the client will be informed that it is being used.

Amazon Sponsored Product advertising generally relies on the existing book cover and product-page information. Other Amazon ad formats may require separate creative assets or eligibility that varies by account and marketplace.

Results, Reporting, and Attribution

Advertising platforms do not always provide a complete picture of reader behavior. Facebook may show that a reader clicked an ad without confirming whether that reader later purchased or borrowed the book on Amazon. Amazon may attribute a sale to an ad but provide limited information about KU reads, organic series read-through, or purchases made outside the attribution window.

For that reason, campaign performance may be evaluated using a combination of:

Impressions
Click-through rate
Cost per click
Link clicks
Landing-page views, when available
Amazon advertising sales
ACOS and ROAS
Book ranking movement
KDP sales and KU page-read changes reported by the client
Series read-through patterns
Creative and audience response

These indicators help us make informed adjustments, but they do not allow us to promise a particular financial result.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is ad spend included in the package price?

No. The service fee covers the creation, setup, and one-month management of the campaign. All advertising charges billed by Meta or Amazon are the client’s responsibility.

How much should I budget for ad spend?

The appropriate amount depends on the book, platform, goals, timeline, genre, price, and number of campaigns being tested. We can offer a recommendation after reviewing the project, but the client makes the final budget decision.

Extremely small budgets may limit the number of campaigns, audiences, creatives, keywords, or targets that can gather enough information during the service period.

Why do you need the Word file of my book for Facebook ads?

The manuscript allows us to verify the book’s actual tropes, hooks, character dynamics, emotional promises, tone, heat level, and quotable material. It reduces the risk of creating vague or inaccurate advertising that attracts the wrong readers.

Will you read the entire book?

The manuscript will be reviewed for advertising and positioning purposes. This is not an editorial service, proofread, or full manuscript assessment unless purchased separately.

Do you guarantee a certain CPC or number of sales?

No. CPC, sales, KU borrows, page reads, rankings, and return on ad spend are affected by factors outside our control. We guarantee the agreed-upon work, scheduled campaign reviews, and professional adjustments—not a particular result.

How often will my ads be checked?

Each one-month package includes four scheduled checks, completed once weekly.

Will you make new ads if the first ones do not work?

Reasonable revisions or replacements are included when the available campaign data suggests that a new creative direction should be tested. This does not include unlimited graphics, unlimited campaign concepts, or daily creative replacement.

Can the Facebook ads run from your account?

Potentially. The client must advise us before work begins if they would prefer the campaign to run from an Indie Story Studio-managed account. Approval, payment procedures, platform restrictions, and additional terms may apply.

Do you use AI-generated images?

Not unless the client requests or explicitly approves them. Our default is to use covers, typography, licensed stock, client-provided assets, and traditional graphic design.

Can I continue the campaign after the month ends?

Yes. Campaigns may remain active, but additional monitoring, optimization, or creative work is not included after the one-month management period unless the service is renewed.

Can you advertise books with dark or explicit content?

We work with a wide range of romance subgenres and heat levels. However, all ads and graphics must comply with the policies of the platform on which they run. The advertising may need to imply heat, darkness, danger, or taboo themes without displaying or describing them explicitly.

Ready to Put Your Book in Front of More Readers?

Choose the platform that best fits your goals, or combine Facebook and Amazon advertising for a broader campaign.

Facebook Ads

One Month | $250 + ad spend
Ad creation, graphics, audiences, campaign setup, and four weekly reviews.

Amazon Ads

One Month | $150 + ad spend
Approximately five to ten campaigns or ad sets, targeting research, setup, and four weekly reviews.

Combination Facebook and Amazon Ads

One Month | $300 + ad spend
Coordinated campaign creation and management across both platforms.

Advertising results are not guaranteed. Platform charges are separate from all Indie Story Studio service fees.