We put out a call for our partners’ most pressing questions about BookBub Featured Deals, and you delivered! So I sat down with Maya, one of our Featured Deals editors, for an “ask me anything” to tackle them head-on. In this video, Maya pulls back the curtain on how the selection process works, what editors are looking for, and what you can do to give your book the best shot. Whether you’ve been submitting for years or you’re just getting started, we hope this helps you submit with more confidence.
If you’d like to skip around, here’s an outline of what you’ll find in this video:
Introduction to Featured Deals [00:00]
Improving chances of selection [00:43]
Resubmission strategies [02:03]
Getting feedback on submissions [03:53]
Tips for using the comments section [04:26]
How the selection process works [06:30]
Series submission considerations [09:46]
Pricing considerations [10:53]
Category selection for niche books [11:59]
Final tips for new authors [12:48]
Video transcript
AJ
Hi everyone, welcome. I’m AJ from the BookBub Partners team, and today I’m here with Maya, one of our lovely Featured Deals editors. We asked you to send us your burning questions about how Featured Deals work, and you delivered. So today we’re going to do something a little different, an “ask me anything,” where Maya’s going to pull back the curtain on what our editorial team actually looks for and how to give your books the best shot of being selected.
Maya
Hi everyone, I’m so excited to be here. I’ve been an editor at BookBub for four years, and I work primarily in some romance categories as well as a few speculative fiction categories. I’ve reviewed tens of thousands of submissions so hopefully I can share some insights that’ll be helpful for you.
AJ
Perfect. Let’s start with a big one: What can authors do to improve their chances?
Maya
That’s a great question to kick us off. We receive hundreds of submissions every day, and we’re only able to select a small subset of those for future deals. So what can you do to help your submission stand out?
First, submit regularly. You can submit each individual title every 30 days, and this keeps your book in our queue. The submission pool changes constantly, so when reader tastes shift and trends evolve, a book that wasn’t quite the right fit last month might be exactly what we’re looking for this month.
Second, take a fresh look at your book description and cover. These are the first things editors review, and we want to see a professional cover that matches genre expectations and a description that makes the plot intriguing.
Third, build up your reader reviews. Reviews help us understand how readers respond to your book.
And I would also think about availability. Books available on multiple retailers tend to be more competitive since more of our subscribers can access them.
We have a great article on our Partners Blog called 10 Things to Try If Your Book Doesn’t Get a Featured Deal that goes deeper into all of this. I would definitely recommend checking that out.
AJ
Yes, thanks, Maya. I’ll link any posts we mention in the video description, so definitely check them out. Next question: When you’re resubmitting a book, should you mention any milestones or updates?
Maya
Absolutely. The comments section is a great place to share what’s changed since your last submission. If you’ve gained significant new reviews, if you’ve hit a bestseller list, if you’ve released a new book in the series, received press coverage, picked up an award, or made any big changes to your cover description, those are all definitely worth mentioning. It helps us see the book with fresh eyes and understand why now might be the right time. These updates will give us important context that we might not otherwise have, so definitely include it.
AJ
Here’s one we hear a lot: Does it help to wait longer than the minimum 30 days before resubmitting, and how often can the same book be featured?
Maya
Once you submit, there’s a 30-day window before you can submit that same book again. And I definitely recommend taking advantage of that and resubmitting every 30 days. Our submission pool is constantly changing: what books we’re considering, what our schedule looks like, what trends are resonating with readers. And a lot of the selection process does have to do with timing. So staying in our queue means you might be there when the right opportunity opens up. As for repeat features, after a book runs as a Featured Deal, it becomes eligible for submission again after six months. So yes, the short answer is, books can absolutely be featured more than once.
AJ
What about books that have been submitted multiple times without being selected? Is there still a chance? When should I decide to make a significant change, e.g. the book cover?
Maya
There’s definitely still a chance. I’ve seen books get selected that had been submitted many times before. As I mentioned, sometimes a book just needs to land in our queue at the right moment. With that said, if you’ve been submitting the same title consistently for a long stretch, it can sometimes help to take a breather, maybe a few months or so, to let the submission pool evolve and give you time to build more reviews or momentum.
As for changing your cover, that’s a significant investment. We’d never want someone to make that decision solely in hopes of landing a Featured Deal, since we obviously can’t guarantee any specific outcome. But if you’re already considering a refresh for other marketing reasons, it certainly won’t hurt.
AJ
A lot of authors want to know this one: Is it possible to find out specifically why a book wasn’t selected?
Maya
I totally understand the desire to know. Feedback is really, really valuable in this business. The reality is, we do sometimes have to pass on a book we know our readers would love. And it’s rarely about one specific factor. So because of that complexity, and because we’re a small team reviewing hundreds of submissions every day, we aren’t able to provide individualized feedback on each title.
But partners are always welcome to reach out to us with questions, and we’re happy to share general guidance about the process and point you to helpful resources.
AJ
Definitely. Do editors actually read the comments section on submissions, and what should authors include there?
Maya
Yes, we absolutely read them, and they can be incredibly helpful. The comments field is optional, but we welcome additional information that helps us make better decisions. Some types of comments we really love to see:
Timing information — let us know what other promotions you have planned, dates that won’t work, or if you’re flexible on timing. And we really do try to accommodate these requests, so they can be really helpful.
Another one is price flexibility. If you submit for a $0.99 deal but would also consider a free promotion, please mention that. It gives us more flexibility to find you a spot.
Your book’s retailer status — it helps to know if a book has recently gone wide or is about to go wide on all retailers.
Tropes and plot elements — please include spoilers or tropes that might not be obvious from your retailer page. This helps us assess category fit and write accurate blurbs if your book is selected.
Alternative categories — if you think your book could fit multiple categories, please mention that. We’ll work to promote it where it has the best chance of success.
And then any notable achievements — bestseller lists, awards, stellar author quotes, things like that.
I would say what’s less helpful is things like detailed plot summaries or reader reviews, since we have access to those on retailer pages. Try to keep it focused on context we can’t get elsewhere.
We have a whole article on our blog breaking down the types of comments editors love. If you want more detail, definitely look at that.
AJ
A topic that does come up a lot: Being exclusive to a single retailer — does that affect a book’s chances?
Maya
To be perfectly clear, being exclusive to one retailer does not disqualify you. With that said, between two equally competitive books, editors might choose the one available on more retailers simply because more of our subscribers can access it. BookBub has readers on all major platforms, so wide availability is definitely a plus.
Just keep in mind that this is one of many factors, and the competitive landscape varies by category. It changes over time. So I definitely wouldn’t recommend going wide just to try to get a Featured Deal. Make the distribution decision that’s right for your overall publishing strategy and keep submitting either way.
AJ
Can you walk us through what you’re actually looking at when deciding which books to feature?
Maya
Sure! Every book goes through the same curation process. So here’s what we’re evaluating:
The first step is minimum requirements. These are things like discount depth, price history, formatting, and timing eligibility. The submission has to meet those minimum requirements in order to move forward.
Step two is quality assessment. We’ll read your description and reviews, check for any awards or bestseller history — these are not expected, but a lovely bonus — and we’ll evaluate your cover.
Step three is content fit. We’ll track what’s performing well in each category, and those trends shift constantly, so we keep an eye on that always.
Step four is comparison. When we have multiple strong books and limited space, we compare them directly — price, reviews, etc. It’s important to note that no single factor is a deal-breaker. It’s about the total package and timing, which is exactly why I always say: Keep submitting.
AJ
Does it help to look at what’s been featured recently and submit similar titles?
Maya
It’s definitely smart to browse our Featured Deals to get a sense of what’s resonating. I’d recommend subscribing to our reader emails in categories you write in, and browsing the site to see what types of books are working. But I would also caution against trying to reverse-engineer exactly what we’ll select, since trends are always evolving. A book doesn’t need to match something we just featured. Submit your best books that genuinely fit your category and trust that we’re always looking for great reads across the spectrum.
AJ
Does it matter whether a book has been submitted previously? And do you tend to prefer authors who have had successful deals before?
Maya
Great question. We review each submission on its own merits. So a book being submitted multiple times does not count against it. As I mentioned, circumstances change and persistence can pay off. We do check whether an author has been featured before and review how their previous Featured Deals performed relative to other books in their price tier and category. So if past deals performed well, that’s a positive signal that our readers might like to see more from them.
But even if one deal by an author didn’t perform especially well the last time it ran, that does not disqualify that book or that author from running again. We are absolutely not only selecting authors with perfect track records. Discovering debut authors and helping readers find new favorites is the best part of the job. It’s what makes it exciting, at least for me. So indie and traditionally published titles are equally considered, and every book will get a fair look.
AJ
This is another really common question: Is there a magic number of reviews, a minimum rating or sales rank, or anything like that?
Maya
I wish I could say yes, because that would make everyone’s life easier, but there truly is no hard-and-fast rule or minimum number. It really depends on context. What’s considered competitive varies dramatically by category. A smaller category might have lower thresholds. A highly competitive category like Contemporary Romance will naturally have higher benchmarks. Some days, we’re comparing books with 10 to 20 reviews. Other days, we’re looking at books with hundreds or thousands. It really varies day to day and category to category.
What I can say: Reviews matter because they’re social proof, but we also look at the quality of reviews, not just quantity. We read through them to understand what your book has that is most engaging to readers. A book with fewer but genuinely enthusiastic reviews can absolutely compete. My advice would be to browse what we’re featuring in your category and get a sense of what a competitive number might look like.
We also have an article debunking the myths around reader review requirements if you want to dig deeper into this.
AJ
For series authors, do editors prefer book one or can later books work just as well?
Maya
This really depends on the series and on the category. In some categories, readers expect to start at the beginning, so book one is the natural entry point. In others, like cozy mysteries or certain romance subgenres, books work well as standalones, and later entries can be great choices.
If you think about it from a reader’s perspective, will someone who grabs this deal be able to enjoy it without having read the previous books? If the book largely stands alone, that opens up your options. If the series really does need to be read in order, book one is probably your strongest bet.
If you’re submitting a later book, mentioning in your comments that it works as a standalone can be really helpful context for us. So make sure to mention that.
AJ
Can editors see how many times a book has been passed on before, and does that history affect the decision?
Maya
We do have access to submission history, but I want to emphasize: It does not negatively impact your chances. If anything, seeing that an author has been consistently submitting gives us context about the book’s journey. Every submission is evaluated based on current circumstances, what our schedule looks like, what else is in the pool, and what readers are responding to right now. So past submissions do not create any bias against you.
AJ
What would make an editor pass on a $0.99 deal, but select the same book as a free deal?
Maya
Great question. Reader expectations shift a bit based on price. A free deal lowers the barrier to entry, so readers are sometimes more willing to take a chance on a book that’s newer or from a less established author. Also, we have separate calendar spots for free and paid books, so sometimes we might just have more availability for one versus the other. So if you’re flexible on switching to free, mentioning that in your comments gives us more options to find you a spot sooner. We’re also open to people submitting to free and letting us know they’re flexible to switch to paid.
AJ
Some authors have asked whether BookBub would ever consider featuring multiple books in a series or trilogy simultaneously.
Maya
Currently, our Featured Deals format focuses on individual titles rather than series sales or bundle sales, although box sets are always welcome and encouraged. But we always welcome feedback from partners about features they’d like to see. If a bundle is something you’re interested in, definitely reach out to us at partners@bookbub.com with your thoughts. Product feedback from authors and publishers really shapes how we evolve our offerings.
AJ
If someone writes in a specific niche — say, American Historical Romance — should they apply to that category or try a broader one, like Historical Romance?
Maya
This is a really good question. Our category structure exists to help readers find exactly the kinds of books they’re looking for. Our more specific categories help you target readers who are going to be most interested in your specific type of book and help those readers find exactly what they want. So in general, I’d recommend submitting to the category that best matches your book’s content and target reader.
With that said, we do have the flexibility to move books between categories if we think there’s a better fit. So don’t stress too much about the category you choose. I would just submit where you feel like your book genuinely belongs. And if our readers’ particular tastes trend differently, we’ll find the right home for it. Also, if you think your book could work in multiple categories, feel free to mention that in the comments.
AJ
Yes, use the comments! All right, last question, and it’s a big one. What’s your number one tip for a smaller or newer author hoping to land a Featured Deal?
Maya
I really can’t emphasize this enough: Keep submitting. That is my biggest piece of advice. So many authors submit once or twice, don’t get selected, and give up, but the pool is always changing and persistence really does matter.
I’m also going to give a bonus tip. Make sure your book looks its best. A professional cover that fits your genre, a polished description, authentic reviews from readers — these are all wonderful bonuses. Consider applying for editorial reviews from places like Kirkus Reviews or Publishers Weekly. Editors love to quote these. Look into awards. Give us the best possible version of your book to consider.
And one more bonus: Use the comments section strategically. Tell us what makes your book special, why readers love it, any momentum you’re building. We genuinely love discovering new authors. Some of the most exciting Featured Deals are the ones where we help introduce a reader to their new favorite writer, and that could absolutely be you.
AJ
Maya, thank you so much for being here and sharing all of this. I feel like we’ve got a true master class in Featured Deal submissions, so thank you.
Maya
Thank you for having me. I hope this was helpful, and I really do mean it — keep submitting! We’re rooting for you.
AJ
And if you do have any more questions, please drop them in the comments below. We’ll definitely take a look, and we may do another one of these in the future if you’re interested. And if you want to go deeper on any of the topics we covered, head over to our Partners Blog at insights.bookbub.com. We have lots of information there about submitting, and we’ll link the specific articles Maya mentioned in the description. Thanks for watching, and good luck!
