How to Run Amazon Ads for Fiction Books on a $10/Day Budget

You have $10 per day to spend on Amazon Ads. Not $100. Not $1,000. Ten dollars. Some marketing experts will tell you that's not enough, that you're wasting your time. They're wrong.

$10 per day—$300 per month—is enough to build consistent visibility, generate steady sales, and gradually grow your fiction readership. But only if you spend it strategically. Waste it on broad keywords and bad targeting, and you'll burn through budget with nothing to show. Spend it wisely, and you'll build sustainable book marketing that pays for itself.

This guide will show you exactly how to set up, run, and optimize Amazon Ads for fiction on a $10/day budget. You'll learn which campaign types to use, which keywords to target, how to write ad copy that converts, and how to optimize for profitability. This isn't theory—it's the practical, budget-conscious approach that works for authors who can't compete with publisher budgets but still need to reach readers.

Why $10/Day Can Work for Fiction (With Realistic Expectations)

Let's start with honesty: $10/day has limits. You're not launching to the top of the bestseller list. You're not competing with traditionally published authors who have $10,000/month ad budgets. You're not generating hundreds of sales per day.

But here's what you CAN do:

Build consistent daily visibility. Your book appears in search results and product pages every day, reaching readers actively looking for books like yours.

Generate 1-5 sales per day. Modest, but consistent. Over a month, that's 30-150 additional sales you wouldn't have without ads.

Accumulate page reads in KU. If your book is in Kindle Unlimited, ads drive page reads that add up over time. Many clicks that don't buy will borrow.

Improve also-bought associations. The more your book sells alongside similar books, the better your organic visibility becomes.

Test and learn. Small budget lets you test keywords, targeting, and ad copy to find what works before scaling up.

Build momentum slowly. Fiction sales often compound—readers finish Book 1, buy Book 2, recommend to friends. Ads initiate that cycle.

The key: This works best for series books, especially Book 1.

Why? Because you can afford to break even or even lose slightly on Book 1 ads if readers continue to Books 2, 3, 4, 5. Your profit comes from series read-through, not individual Book 1 sales. Standalone books need higher profit margins per sale, making $10/day tighter.

The math:

$10/day = $300/month If you get 20 clicks per day at $0.50 average CPC: - 600 clicks per month - At 8% conversion rate = 48 sales - At 5% conversion rate = 30 sales If Book 1 is $2.99 (70% royalty = $2.09 per sale): - 48 sales × $2.09 = $100 revenue - Spent $300, made $100 = -$200 Looks bad, right? But: If 60% of readers continue to Book 2: - 29 readers buy Book 2 at $4.99 ($3.49 royalty) = $101 - Total profit from Books 1+2: $201 - Net: $201 - $300 = -$99 If 40% continue to Book 3: - 19 readers buy Book 3 at $4.99 = $66 - Total profit: $267 - Net: $267 - $300 = -$33 By Book 4, you're profitable. And you've built a readership that keeps buying.

For standalone books, you need strong conversion and decent price point ($3.99+) to make $10/day work. Possible, but tighter margins.

Campaign Setup: The Two-Campaign Strategy

Don't put all $10 in one campaign. Split it for data gathering and control.

Campaign 1: Automatic Targeting ($3-4/day)

Let Amazon's algorithm find your audience. Auto campaigns show your ad based on Amazon's understanding of your book and similar titles.

Why run it: - Amazon often finds audiences you wouldn't think of - Minimal setup (no keyword research required) - Great for mining keyword ideas - Provides baseline performance data

How to set up: 1. Choose Sponsored Products 2. Select Automatic targeting 3. Set daily budget to $3-4 4. Set default bid to suggested amount or $0.40-0.50 5. Launch That's it. Amazon does the rest.

What you'll learn: After 1-2 weeks, download search term report. This shows which keywords triggered your ads and which led to sales. Gold mine for your manual campaign.

Campaign 2: Manual Targeting ($6-7/day)

You choose specific keywords and product targets. More control, more strategic.

Why run it: - Target readers actively searching for your genre/tropes - Control which searches you appear in - Optimize bids for specific keywords - Better ROI when optimized correctly

How to set up: 1. Choose Sponsored Products 2. Select Manual targeting 3. Choose Keyword targeting (not Product targeting, yet) 4. Add 10-20 keywords (more on this below) 5. Set match types (phrase match recommended to start) 6. Set daily budget to $6-7 7. Launch Your manual campaign is where you'll spend most of your time optimizing.

Budget split example: - Auto campaign: $4/day - Manual campaign: $6/day - Total: $10/day

This gives you discovery (auto) and precision (manual) working together.

Keyword Strategy: Long-Tail Is Your Friend

With $10/day, you can't afford expensive broad keywords. "Thriller" might cost $2 per click. You'd get 5 clicks per day. Not enough data to optimize.

Instead: Target long-tail keywords that are specific, cheaper, and more qualified.

What are long-tail keywords?

Longer, more specific search phrases that indicate clear reader intent.

Broad (expensive, vague): "fantasy" Long-tail (cheaper, specific): "dark academia fantasy magic school" Broad: "romance" Long-tail: "enemies to lovers workplace romance" Broad: "mystery" Long-tail: "cozy mystery small town bakery" Why long-tail works on limited budget:

Lower cost per click. Less competition = cheaper clicks. You might get $0.30-0.60 clicks instead of $1-2.

Higher conversion. Readers searching "dark academia fantasy magic school" know exactly what they want. If your book matches, they're likely to buy.

More impressions. Cheaper clicks = more clicks = more chances to convert = more data to optimize.

Better targeting. You're reaching readers who want specifically what you're offering, not just anyone interested in "fantasy."

How to find long-tail keywords for your book:

Method 1: Amazon search bar

Type your genre into Amazon search, note autocomplete suggestions: - "psychological thriller" → "psychological thriller with unreliable narrator" - "cozy mystery" → "cozy mystery with cats small town" - "romantasy" → "romantasy enemies to lovers fae" These are real searches readers use. Use them as keywords.

Method 2: Comp book analysis

Find 5-10 books similar to yours. Read their descriptions. What genre + trope combinations do they emphasize? Example: Book similar to yours mentions "slow burn romance historical Scotland" Keyword: "slow burn romance historical Scotland" Method 3: Genre + trope combinations

Your genre: Urban Fantasy Your tropes: Strong female lead, vampires, found family Keywords: - "urban fantasy strong female protagonist" - "urban fantasy vampires found family" - "paranormal urban fantasy vampire romance" - "urban fantasy detective vampire" Method 4: Mine your auto campaign

After 2 weeks, check your auto campaign search terms. Which searches led to clicks or sales? Add those to your manual campaign.

Keyword list goal: 15-25 long-tail keywords that specifically describe your book's genre, subgenre, tropes, and appeal.

Match Types: Phrase Match Is Your Starting Point

Amazon offers three keyword match types. Each has different reach and cost implications.

Broad Match: Your ad shows for searches that include your keyword or related variations. Keyword: "cozy mystery" Shows for: "cozy mystery", "cozy mysteries with dogs", "best mystery books", "mystery thriller" Phrase Match: Your ad shows for searches that include your keyword phrase in order, with possible words before or after. Keyword: "cozy mystery" Shows for: "cozy mystery small town", "best cozy mystery series", "funny cozy mystery" Doesn't show for: "mystery cozy", "mystery and thriller" Exact Match: Your ad shows only for that exact search. Keyword: "cozy mystery" Shows for: "cozy mystery" only For $10/day budget: Start with Phrase Match.

Why? - More targeted than Broad (less wasted spend) - More reach than Exact (more clicks to optimize) - Good balance of control and volume After a few weeks, if certain keywords perform well, add them as Exact Match with higher bids (more control, higher priority).

Avoid Broad Match initially—too much wasted spend on irrelevant searches.

Negative Keywords: Equally Important

Negative keywords prevent your ad from showing for irrelevant searches, saving budget.

Example: You write adult psychological thriller. Add negative keywords: - "kids" - "children" - "young adult" - "YA" - "teen" This prevents wasting clicks on readers looking for YA books.

Other common negative keywords: - "free" (if your book isn't free) - "audiobook" (if you're only advertising ebook) - "hardcover" / "paperback" (if ebook only) - Genres you're NOT ("romance" if you write thriller with no romance) Add negative keywords as you discover irrelevant searches in your search term reports.

Product Targeting: The Advanced Strategy

In addition to keyword targeting, you can target specific products (other books) or categories.

Product Targeting means: Your ad appears on the product page of books you choose.

Example: Your book is similar to "The Silent Patient." You target that book's page. Readers browsing it see your ad.

When to use product targeting: - After you've run keyword campaigns for 2-4 weeks - When you have clear comp titles - If you have budget to split ($5 keywords, $5 products) On $10/day, prioritize keywords first. Product targeting can be more expensive (popular books = expensive placement). Add it later if keyword campaigns are profitable and you want to scale.

If you do use product targeting: - Target 10-20 books very similar to yours - Avoid mega-bestsellers (too expensive) - Target books ranked 5,000-50,000 (active sales, not prohibitively expensive) - Start with low bids ($0.30-0.40) Product targeting works well for series—target your own Book 1 page when advertising Book 2, for example.

Ad Copy: Writing Fiction Ads That Convert

Your ad copy is what makes readers click. On limited budget, every click matters. Make them count.

Anatomy of Amazon Sponsored Product ad: - Book cover (automatic) - Headline (custom text, 150 characters) - Price (automatic) - Star rating (automatic) You control the headline. Make it work.

Headline formula for fiction:

[Hook] + [Genre Signal] + [Appeal/Trope/Comp]

Examples:

Psychological Thriller: "She thought she knew her husband. She was wrong. Dark psychological thriller for fans of Gone Girl and The Silent Patient." Breakdown: - Hook: "She thought she knew her husband. She was wrong." (emotional pull) - Genre: "psychological thriller" - Comp: "Gone Girl and The Silent Patient" (positions book) Cozy Mystery: "Murder, muffins, and a meddling cat. Cozy mystery series for fans of small-town sleuths and laugh-out-loud humor." Breakdown: - Hook: "Murder, muffins, and meddling cat" (fun, specific) - Genre: "cozy mystery" - Appeal: "small-town sleuths and laugh-out-loud humor" Enemies-to-Lovers Romance: "He's her rival. Her nemesis. And the only man she can't stop thinking about. Steamy enemies-to-lovers romance." Breakdown: - Hook: Relationship tension - Heat level: "steamy" - Trope: "enemies-to-lovers" Dark Fantasy: "Assassin. Outcast. Queen. Dark epic fantasy with morally gray characters and political intrigue." Breakdown: - Hook: Character progression - Genre: "dark epic fantasy" - Appeal: "morally gray characters and political intrigue" What makes these work:

Emotional hook first. Create curiosity or feeling in first sentence.

Clear genre signals. Readers searching for thriller need to see "thriller." Don't make them guess.

Specific tropes/appeals. Don't say "great story." Say "enemies-to-lovers" or "small-town sleuth" or "morally gray characters." Specific signals attract right readers.

Comp titles (optional). If you have obvious comps, mention them. If not, skip.

What to avoid:

Generic praise: "A gripping tale," "You won't be able to put it down," "Best book ever" Author credentials (if unknown): "Award-winning author" means nothing to readers who don't know you yet Multiple genres: "Thriller mystery romance fantasy" confuses targeting Plot summary: Too detailed, boring All caps or excessive punctuation: "MUST READ!!!" looks desperate

Write 3-5 headline variations and test them. Run one for 2 weeks, check click-through rate. Try another. Keep the winner.

Bidding Strategy: Finding the Sweet Spot

Your bid is the maximum you'll pay per click. Higher bid = more impressions = more clicks = faster budget burn.

Starting bids: - Use Amazon's suggested bid as starting point, or - Start at $0.40-0.50 per click Goal: Average cost-per-click (CPC) around $0.40-0.70.

If CPC goes above $1.00, that keyword is too expensive for your budget. Pause it or lower bid significantly.

Bidding adjustments:

Amazon offers placement multipliers: - Top of search: Increase bid by X% - Product pages: Increase bid by X% On tight budget, start with 0% multipliers. Don't pay extra for placement until you know your ads convert.

After a few weeks, if certain keywords convert well, you might add 20-30% top-of-search multiplier to get more visibility there.

Weekly bid optimization:

Check keyword performance: - High impressions, low clicks = bid might be too low (you're showing but not prominently) - Clicks but no sales = try different ad copy, or keyword might not match your book - Consistent sales = good keyword, maybe increase bid slightly to get more volume - CPC over $1.00 = decrease bid or pause Small adjustments: $0.05-0.10 at a time. Let run for another week. Repeat.

Monitoring and Optimization: The Weekly Routine

Amazon Ads isn't set-it-and-forget-it. Budget goes fast if you don't optimize.

Week 1: Just watch

Let campaigns run. Don't touch anything. You need data.

Check daily: Is budget being spent? If not, increase bids slightly. If budget spent by noon: Decrease bids or pause low-performing keywords.

Week 2: First optimization

Download search term report (for auto campaign) and keyword report (for manual).

Look for: - Keywords with 10+ clicks, no sales → Pause (not converting) - Keywords with sales → Increase bid by $0.05-0.10 (get more volume) - Keywords with high CPC (over $0.80) and no sales → Decrease bid or pause - Search terms in auto campaign that led to sales → Add to manual campaign as keywords - Irrelevant search terms → Add as negative keywords Week 3+: Ongoing optimization

Every 7-10 days: 1. Review performance by keyword 2. Pause keywords with 20+ clicks, no sales (they're not working) 3. Increase bids on profitable keywords 4. Add new long-tail keywords to test 5. Check overall ACoS (Advertising Cost of Sales) Key metrics to track:

ACoS (Advertising Cost of Sales): Ad spend ÷ ad revenue × 100

Example: Spent $300, generated $200 in sales = 150% ACoS Target ACoS depends on book type: - Series Book 1: 70-100% okay (you profit on series read-through) - Standalone: Under 50% needed (no backend profit) - KU book: 80-120% okay (page reads add revenue not counted in initial metric) Impressions: How often your ad showed. Low impressions = bids too low or keywords too specific. Clicks: How many people clicked. Low clicks despite impressions = bid too low or ad copy weak. Click-through rate (CTR): Clicks ÷ impressions. 0.3%+ is good. Conversions: How many clicks became sales. 5-10% is average for fiction. Cost per click (CPC): How much you pay per click on average. Goal: $0.40-0.70. Focus on ACoS and CPC. If ACoS is decreasing week over week, you're optimizing successfully.

Timeline: When to Expect Results

Amazon Ads is not a quick win. It's a gradual build.

Week 1-2: Data gathering - Sales: Inconsistent, maybe 0-2 per day - What's happening: Amazon learning your audience, you're gathering data - Action: Just watch, don't optimize yet Week 3-4: First optimization - Sales: Starting to stabilize, 1-3 per day - What's happening: You're cutting bad keywords, boosting good ones - Action: Weekly optimization, testing new keywords Week 5-8: Finding rhythm - Sales: More consistent, 2-5 per day - What's happening: Algorithm learning from conversions, also-boughts improving - Action: Refining bids, testing ad copy variations Month 3+: Steady state - Sales: Predictable range - What's happening: You've found keywords that work, campaigns are optimized - Action: Maintenance mode, monthly check-ins, occasional new keyword tests Patience is required. Most authors give up after 2 weeks ("it's not working!"). The ones who succeed run ads for 2-3 months while optimizing continuously.

When to Scale Budget (And When Not To)

Don't scale budget until you're consistently profitable or close to breakeven.

Scaling a losing campaign just loses money faster.

When to consider scaling from $10 to $15-20/day:

✓ ACoS consistently under 70% (series) or 50% (standalone) for 3+ weeks ✓ You have profitable keywords that are budget-limited (not showing as much as they could) ✓ You've exhausted optimization (cut all bad keywords, bids optimized) ✓ You have budget for it (don't scale into debt) How to scale: - Increase budget by $5/day, not $20 all at once - Give it 2 weeks to adjust - Check if performance maintains - If yes, increase another $5 Scaling doesn't always improve ROI. Sometimes $10/day at 60% ACoS performs better than $30/day at 90% ACoS. More spend attracts more expensive clicks.

When NOT to scale:

✗ ACoS over 100% and not improving ✗ You're still figuring out which keywords work ✗ You can't afford it ✗ Sales are inconsistent (some days zero sales despite ad spend) Fix profitability at current budget before adding more.

Common Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)

Mistake 1: Targeting Broad Keywords

The mistake: Bidding on "thriller", "romance", "fantasy"—single broad words that cost $1-3 per click.

Why it's wrong: Burns budget fast, attracts unqualified clicks, hard to compete with big publishers.

Fix: Use long-tail keywords. "Psychological thriller unreliable narrator" instead of "thriller."

Mistake 2: Not Using Negative Keywords

The mistake: Letting ads show for any search Amazon thinks is relevant.

Why it's wrong: Wastes clicks on wrong audience (YA readers for adult book, audiobook searchers for ebook, etc.).

Fix: Add negative keywords for adjacent genres, formats you're not selling, and "free" if book isn't free.

Mistake 3: Giving Up Too Soon

The mistake: Running ads for 1-2 weeks, seeing poor results, quitting.

Why it's wrong: Not enough time to optimize. Amazon needs data, you need data.

Fix: Commit to minimum 6-8 weeks. First 2-3 weeks are learning phase.

Mistake 4: Never Optimizing

The mistake: Setting up campaigns and never checking them again.

Why it's wrong: Bad keywords keep burning budget. You miss opportunities to improve.

Fix: Weekly optimization for first 2 months, then bi-weekly maintenance.

Mistake 5: Bad Ad Copy

The mistake: Generic, boring headlines: "A great story you'll love!"

Why it's wrong: Doesn't differentiate your book or signal genre. Low click-through rate.

Fix: Specific genre signals, tropes, emotional hooks. Test multiple versions.

Mistake 6: Wrong Book Type for Budget

The mistake: Advertising standalone book at $0.99 with $10/day budget.

Why it's wrong: Margins too thin. Can't possibly profit.

Fix: $10/day works best for series Book 1 or higher-priced standalones ($3.99+). If book doesn't fit, need bigger budget or different marketing approach.

Mistake 7: Ignoring KU Page Reads

The mistake: Only tracking sales, ignoring that many clicks lead to borrows/page reads.

Why it's wrong: Underestimates true ROI. KU page reads generate revenue not reflected in ad sales reports.

Fix: Track KU page reads separately. Calculate total revenue (sales + page reads) vs. ad spend for true ACoS.

The Series Advantage: Why $10/Day Works Better for Series

Let's be explicit about why series books make $10/day viable when standalone often don't.

Standalone economics: - Book at $4.99 = $3.49 royalty per sale - Need to break even on ads immediately - If ad costs $7 to acquire customer, you lose $3.51 - No backend to make it up Series economics: - Book 1 at $2.99 = $2.09 royalty - Can afford to lose money on Book 1 acquisition - If reader continues to Books 2-5: - Book 2: $3.49 - Book 3: $3.49 - Book 4: $3.49 - Book 5: $3.49 - Total: $16.05 customer lifetime value - Even if ad cost $7 to acquire customer, you profit $9.05 overall Series strategy for $10/day budget: 1. Advertise ONLY Book 1 (don't advertise later books) 2. Price Book 1 low ($0.99-2.99) to reduce barrier to entry 3. Accept break-even or slight loss on Book 1 ads 4. Optimize for series read-through rate (make Books 2+ irresistible) 5. Profit comes from readers buying entire series This is why series authors can afford 70-100% ACoS on Book 1. Standalone authors can't.

If you only have one book: Write more books. Seriously. A series is the best investment you can make in sustainable book marketing. One great book is hard to market profitably. Five-book series is much easier.

Your $10/Day Amazon Ads Checklist

Pre-Launch: - [ ] Book is published and live on Amazon - [ ] Book description optimized (keywords, genre signals) - [ ] Cover is professional and genre-appropriate - [ ] Book has 10+ reviews (helps conversion) - [ ] Pricing strategy set (Book 1 low for series, higher for standalone) - [ ] Budget allocated ($10/day = $300/month) Campaign Setup: - [ ] Auto campaign created ($3-4/day budget) - [ ] Manual keyword campaign created ($6-7/day budget) - [ ] 15-25 long-tail keywords added to manual campaign - [ ] Keywords set to Phrase Match - [ ] Bids set to $0.40-0.50 starting point - [ ] Ad copy written (3-5 headline variations ready to test) - [ ] Negative keywords added (wrong genres, formats, "free") - [ ] Campaigns launched Week 1-2: - [ ] Monitor daily budget spend (adjusting if needed) - [ ] Check that ads are showing (impressions happening) - [ ] Don't optimize yet—gathering data Week 3-4: - [ ] Download search term report - [ ] Pause keywords with 10+ clicks, no sales - [ ] Add negative keywords for irrelevant searches - [ ] Increase bids on keywords with sales - [ ] Add successful auto campaign keywords to manual campaign - [ ] Test new ad copy variation Ongoing (Weekly): - [ ] Review keyword performance - [ ] Pause consistently unprofitable keywords (20+ clicks, no sales) - [ ] Adjust bids (increase for profitable, decrease for expensive) - [ ] Add new long-tail keywords to test - [ ] Check overall ACoS trend - [ ] Track KU page reads if applicable Month 2-3: - [ ] ACoS improving week over week - [ ] Consistent daily sales (1-5 range) - [ ] Identified 5-10 profitable keywords to focus budget - [ ] Ad copy tested and winning version identified - [ ] If profitable, consider scaling budget to $15/day If you've checked these boxes, you've set up a solid foundation for sustainable, profitable fiction advertising on a limited budget.

Final Thoughts: The Long Game

$10 per day isn't glamorous. You're not going to see explosive overnight results. You won't hit the USA Today bestseller list next week. But you will build something sustainable.

Three hundred dollars per month, spent strategically over six months, puts your book in front of thousands of potential readers. Some will click. Some will buy. Some will love your book and buy the rest of your series. Some will leave reviews. Some will recommend your book to friends. Slowly, your readership grows.

Compare this to: Doing nothing. Zero dollars spent, zero new readers acquired. Or: Burning $1,000 in one month on broad keywords with no strategy, panicking when it doesn't work, and quitting.

The authors who succeed with Amazon Ads on limited budgets are the ones who: - Start small and strategic - Optimize relentlessly - Give it time (months, not weeks) - Focus on long-tail keywords and qualified audiences - Track metrics and adjust based on data - Think in terms of series and lifetime customer value - Don't expect miracles but build steady momentum Your $10/day is enough. Make every click count. Target the right readers. Write ad copy that converts. Optimize weekly. Be patient. The compound effect of small, consistent advertising over time is powerful.

Six months from now, you'll have steady sales, better also-bought associations, improved organic visibility, and a growing readership. Not because you spent thousands. Because you spent strategically, optimized relentlessly, and played the long game.

Start your campaigns today. Give them two months. Check back and see the difference.