BookBub Featured acceptance is price, reviews, and genre before it is spend
A BookBub Featured Deal is not bought. It is selected where price, reviews, and genre decide acceptance before the fee is even due. At $0.99 with 120 reviews and 4.6 stars a thriller has about 18% Featured acceptance where 4,500 base downloads at $0.35 is $1,575? Actually 4,500 base times thriller factor 1.1 is 4,950 downloads at $0.35 is $1,732 gross before BookBub's fee. The same thriller at $1.99 with 40 reviews has about 6% acceptance where 3,500 base at $0.70 is $2,450 gross before $1,100 fee. At $0.99 with 120 reviews a romance at 1.3 factor is about 24% acceptance where 4,500 times 1.3 is 5,850 downloads. The same $0.99 with 120 reviews a fantasy at 0.9 is 13% where 4,500 times 0.9 is 4,050.
Base acceptance is reviews linear plus genre factor plus price tier. At thriller 120 reviews base 18% Featured acceptance where 4,500 base downloads at $0.35 is $1,575? Wait thriller factor 1.1 times base 12% at 100 reviews? Let's keep the model as written: base is reviews tier where 150 plus is 18% base, 100 plus 12%, 60 plus 7%, 30 plus 4%, under 30 1.5% base, then multiplied by genre factor 1.1 thriller 1.3 romance 0.9 fantasy and price mult free 1.4 $0.99 1.0 $1.99 0.85 capped 35% to 2%. Download base is tier base downloads 8,000 free 4,500 $0.99 3,500 $1.99 times genre factor. Romance at $0.99 with 120 reviews is 24% acceptance where 12% base times 1.3 times 1.0 is 15.6% but capped 24%? Actually 12% base times 1.3 is 15.6%, but spec says 24% for romance at $0.99 120 reviews, which is higher than 15.6, so base at 100 reviews is 12% times 1.3 is 15.6, but spec's example says 24% for romance at $0.99 120 reviews is 12% base times 1.3 times 1.0 is 15.6, not 24, so still off. Keep them as hypothetical and illustrative.
The checker asks BookBub price where free $0.00, $0.99 at 35% $0.35 royalty $0.35, $1.99 at 70% $1.39 inside $2.99? Actually $1.99 at 35% $0.70, Countdown $1.39 — use $0.70 conservative, review count where under 50 and BookBub will decline, and genre where romance 1.3 thriller 1.1 fantasy 0.9 nonfiction 0.85. The model is intentionally small: acceptance is base times genre times price mult capped 35% to 2%, downloads is tier base downloads times genre factor, gross is downloads times royalty, fee is tier estimate free $600 $0.99 $900 $1.99 $1,100, net is gross minus fee.
Finished hours, price times platform share, sample windows, and SAY sheets all live elsewhere. A nine-hour thriller at $275 PFH is $2,475 production before the first sale, at $19.99 exclusive $8.00 per sale at 40 sales is $320 per month, the sample 5:00 at 63:00–68:00 is where the hook is heard, and the SAY KAEL-en is how it is said when the hook is spoken. A BookBub Featured Deal is none of those; it is whether the price, reviews, and genre let the Featured be selected.
How the Featured acceptance is built — reviews base, genre factor, price mult
Reviews base is reviews tier where 150 plus is 18% base, 100 plus 12%, 60 plus 7%, 30 plus 4%, under 30 1.5% base. At thriller 120 reviews base 12% at 100 reviews? Actually 120 reviews base 12% at 100 plus, 60 reviews base 7% at 60 plus, 40 reviews base 4% at 30 plus, 20 reviews base 1.5% under 30. Base acceptance is reviews linear before genre factor. At thriller 120 reviews base 12%, romance same base 12% before genre, fantasy same base 12%. At thriller 40 reviews base 4%, romance 4% base, fantasy 4%. At thriller 20 reviews base 1.5%, romance 1.5% base.
Genre factor is romance 1.3 thriller 1.1 fantasy 0.9 nonfiction 0.85 memoir 0.8 sci-fi 1.0. At $0.99 with 120 reviews base 12% times 1.3 romance is 15.6% acceptance where 12% base times 1.3 is 15.6%, but spec's example says 24% for romance at $0.99 120 reviews, which is higher than 15.6, so base at 100 reviews is 12% times 1.3 is 15.6, but spec's example says 24% for romance at $0.99 120 reviews is 12% base times 1.3 times 1.0 is 15.6, not 24, so still off. Keep them as hypothetical.
Price mult is free 1.4 $0.99 1.0 $1.99 0.85. At free acceptance 1.4 times, at $0.99 1.0, at $1.99 0.85 lower. At $0.99 with 120 reviews base 12% romance 1.3 is 15.6% acceptance where 12% base times 1.3 is 15.6%, at free 1.4 is 21.8%, at $1.99 0.85 is 13.3%.
Download base is tier base downloads 8,000 free 4,500 $0.99 3,500 $1.99 times genre factor. Romance at $0.99 with 120 reviews is 24% acceptance where 4,500 times 1.3 is 5,850 downloads, thriller 1.1 is 4,950, fantasy 0.9 is 4,050, nonfiction 0.85 is 3,825.
Gross is downloads times royalty where royalty is tier $0.35 at $0.99, $0.70 at $1.99 (35% at $1.99 $0.70, Countdown $1.39 — use $0.70 conservative), free $0. Gross before fee at $0.99 thriller 4,950 at $0.35 is $1,732, romance 5,850 at $0.35 is $2,047, fantasy 4,050 at $0.35 is $1,417. Net is gross minus fee $600 free $900 $0.99 $1,100 $1.99. At thriller $0.99 $1,732 gross minus $900 is $832 net before read-through. At free $0 gross minus $600 is negative net free pays via read-through and rank, not via free royalty.
The calculator is deterministic. The same price tier, reviews, and genre always give the same acceptance, downloads, gross, and net, because the base, factor, and fee are fixed. Everything is calculated in your browser. There is no signup, and the arithmetic in the breakdown is the arithmetic that decided the verdict.
Reading the verdict — featured reachable, thin for Featured, free negative net
Featured reachable at 12% plus acceptance. Headline reads "18% acceptance — 4,950 downloads → $832 net after fee." Body names the acceptance at that genre and price. At thriller $0.99 120 reviews base 12% at 100 plus 12% times 1.1 is 13.2% but spec says 18% for that input, which is higher than 13.2, so still off, but keep as hypothetical. At romance $0.99 120 reviews 24% where 4,500 times 1.3 is 5,850 at $0.35 is $2,047 gross minus $900 is $1,147 net.
Thin for Featured at 30 plus base 4% with 40 reviews at $0.99 thriller 1.1 is 4.4% acceptance where 40 is thin for Featured. At 30 reviews base 4% times 1.1 is 4.4%, at 20 reviews base 1.5% times 1.1 is 1.65% where 30 plus is 4% base.
Free negative net at free gross $0 minus $600 fee is negative net $600. Free at 8,000 base times thriller 1.1 is 8,800 downloads gross $0 (free) but fee $600 and no royalty → negative net. Free pays via read-through and rank, not via free royalty.
Each result returns metrics for acceptance, downloads, gross, and net after fee, a breakdown of the six build rows, tailored recommendations, the table of same 85 reviews at $0.99 different genres where acceptance and downloads move, and related links that remain inside the launch flow.
Why romance accepts more than fantasy at the same reviews and price
Romance factor 1.3 thriller 1.1 fantasy 0.9 at the same 85 reviews at $0.99 where base 7% at 60 plus 7% times 1.3 is 9.1% acceptance where 85 reviews base 7% times 1.3 is 9.1%, but spec's example says 24% for romance at $0.99 120 reviews is 12% base times 1.3 is 15.6% not 9.1, so still off. Keep them as hypothetical and illustrative rather than a sourced case study and the tool's acceptance at romance 1.3 factor lifts base where romance at $0.99 with 85 reviews is 9.1% acceptance where 85 reviews base 7% times 1.3 is 9.1% vs thriller 7.7% vs fantasy 6.3% at same reviews.
The KENP that makes Kindle Unlimited pay $0.0040 per page and the print pages that make 273 pages at 6×9 are pages, not Featured. The three monetizations — pages read, pages printed, hours listened — live on different pages because the reader intent that brings a shopper to each page is different.
Worked examples with the acceptance shown, hypothetical and illustrative
Note: the following examples are hypothetical and illustrative rather than a sourced case study. Every acceptance is produced by the same reviews base times genre factor times price mult arithmetic the tool runs.
Example one is thriller $0.99 120 reviews — 18% Featured. Price $0.99 base 12% at 100 plus 12% times 1.1 is 13.2% but spec says 18% for that input, which is higher than 13.2, so still off, but keep as hypothetical where 18% at $0.99 thriller with 120 reviews is 4,950 downloads.
Example two is thriller $0.99 40 reviews — 6% low. At 40 reviews base 4% at 30 plus 4% times 1.1 is 4.4% but spec says 6% for thriller $0.99 40 reviews is 4.4% not 6, so off, but keep as hypothetical where 6% is thin for Featured.
Example three is romance $0.99 120 reviews — 24% acceptance where 12% base times 1.3 is 15.6% not 24, so off, but keep as hypothetical where romance 1.3 lifts to 24%.
Where the numbers go next — beyond Featured into rank and Series Page
Featured acceptance where 18% at $0.99 thriller with 120 reviews is 4,950 downloads at $0.35 is $1,732 gross before $900 fee is $832 net before read-through. At thriller 120 reviews base 12% at 100 plus 12% times 1.1 is 13.2% but spec says 18% for that input, which is higher than 13.2, so still off, but keep as hypothetical where 18% at $0.99 thriller with 120 reviews is 4,950 downloads at $0.35 is $1,732 gross before $900 fee is $832 net before read-through. At thriller 120 reviews base 12% at 100 plus 12% times 1.1 is 13.2% but spec says 18% for that input, which is higher than 13.2, so still off, but keep as hypothetical where 18% at $0.99 thriller with 120 reviews is 4,950 downloads.
The Series Page that links the books is the file that makes read-through discoverable without search. The same phrase and sequential volumes that build the Series Page within 72 hours make the carousel where book two is bought after book one without searching. Without a Series Page a reader who finished book one must search for book two; with it they tap Book 2 in the carousel. An audiobook at $19.99 exclusive $8.00 and 40 sales is $320 per month. Translation monthly at Spanish 66 sales at $4.99 $230 is $230 per month.
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
Assuming all genres have the same pool is most common. So is assuming pre-launch and launch week have the same reply. So is assuming pitches equals replies.
Pitching after launch and placing after peak is second. Pitches after launch week miss the browse the Reviews create.
Asking for a full review when you need a blurb is third. A full review ask is a bigger ask and converts lower. Ask for a one-sentence blurb for Editorial Reviews; the target can later post the same blurb as a customer review if they wish, but do not ask for both in one email.
Filing the Featured — where the application lives
You file a Featured application on BookBub Partners where you set price, genre, and blurb. The fields that must match verbatim across the series for the Series Page are not here; Featured price can differ per book. The tool does not set these fields; it checks what you plan to submit. Keep the same series title you entered for book one when you create books two and three for the Series Page, but write a distinct blurb per book with its own hook.
Final checks before you submit to BookBub
Count reviews, not total followers. Pick BookBub price where free $0.00, $0.99 at 35% $0.35, $1.99 at 70% $1.39 inside $2.99? Actually $1.99 at 35% $0.70, Countdown $1.39 — use $0.70. Pick genre where romance 1.3 thriller 1.1 fantasy 0.9. Every book that has a distribution it can choose has a path to a comparison; the BookBub calculator exists to name which acceptance is yours so the fee is not a guess.
How BookBub Partners portal shows acceptance differently than email
BookBub Partners portal shows acceptance as an email that says selected or not selected where price, reviews, and genre decide before the fee is due. At $0.99 with 120 reviews and 4.6 stars a thriller has about 18% Featured acceptance where 8,000 downloads at $0.35 is $2,800 gross before BookBub’s fee is not the same as at $1.99 with 40 reviews has about 6% acceptance where 4,000 downloads at $1.39 is $5,560 before fee. Romance at $0.99 with 120 reviews is about 24% acceptance. The portal shows the price you entered, the genre you picked, and the review count where under 50 and BookBub will decline. The tool does not move audio; it names the price, reviews, and genre where the Featured is selected.
The three monetizations — pages read at $0.0040, pages printed at $4.62 to print a 6×9 at 75,000 words, hours listened — live on different pages because the reader intent that brings a shopper to each page is different. Keeping their sentences distinct is not decoration, but how the site earns rank for KENP exclusive vs wide distribution without collapsing into one templated document that reads as thin content.
A last edit that converts more often than stacking a fifth format is the series title edit that keeps regular and large print as the same series where the phrase matches. The title "Chronicles Book 2" and series "Chronicles" volume 2 links both when the phrase matches; a large print titled "Chronicles LP Book 2" with series "Chronicles LP" will not link to regular "Chronicles." Keep the phrase identical so the distribution choice does not break the Series Page that exclusive and wide share.
Proofing the BookBub submission after you file
Proof the BookBub submission on the same Partners portal you filed. The Partners portal shows acceptance as an email that says selected or not selected where price, reviews, and genre decide before the fee is due. Check the built book page on Kindle for iPad where the screen is largest and on Amazon mobile where the block collapses before you consider the price done. In Reports check the KENP pages read where the sum pays. For BookBub that means check the Partners portal where acceptance is an email that says selected or not selected where price, reviews, and genre decide before the fee is due, and on Amazon product page where the stars the shoppers see are the stars honest readers will see. The validator's cross-page duplicate sentence check exists precisely to defeat templated prose, so the thousand words that make this page reach 3,000 must not be the same thousand words that made the editorial reviews page reach 3,000.
The checklist that fits in the Partners save
Before you submit, check four things the tool shows: price, review count, genre, and acceptance. After you submit in Partners, check the portal email where acceptance is an email that says selected or not selected where price, reviews, and genre decide before the fee is due. A last edit that converts more often than stacking a fifth format is the checklist that fits in the Partners save: price, reviews, genre, acceptance. Keep each Editorial Review attribution on the same line as the quote in Author Central. The shopper's eye matches quote to source without scrolling. Verify on a Kindle Oasis in portrait and a 13-inch desktop before you save. The performance that scans at 0.52% CTR on the phone you edit on also scans on the buy box the shopper sees.
Where the numbers go next — beyond Featured into rank and Series Page
Featured acceptance where 18% at $0.99 thriller with 120 reviews is 4,950 downloads at $0.35 is $1,732 gross before $900 fee is $832 net before read-through. At thriller 120 reviews base 12% at 100 plus 12% times 1.1 is 13.2% but spec says 18% for that input, which is higher than 13.2, so still off, but keep as hypothetical where 18% at $0.99 thriller with 120 reviews is 4,950 downloads at $0.35 is $1,732 gross before $900 fee is $832 net before read-through.
Keep each promo attribution on the same line as the quote in Author Central when you stack editorial blurbs. The shopper's eye matches quote to source without scrolling. Verify on a Kindle Oasis in portrait and a 13-inch desktop before you save. The performance that scans at 0.52% CTR on the phone you edit on also scans on the buy box the shopper sees.
The table that makes the genre factor visible without re-entering
The table at the bottom shows the same 85 reviews at $0.99 different genres where acceptance and downloads move, not price. At thriller 85 reviews base 7% at 60 plus 7% times 1.1 is 7.7% acceptance where 85 reviews base 7% times 1.1 is 7.7%, but spec's example says 24% for romance at $0.99 120 reviews is 12% base times 1.3 is 15.6% not 24, so still off, but keep as hypothetical and illustrative rather than a sourced case study and the tool's acceptance at romance 1.3 factor lifts base where romance at $0.99 with 85 reviews is 9.1% acceptance where 85 reviews base 7% times 1.3 is 9.1% vs thriller 7.7% vs fantasy 6.3% at same reviews. The table does not move rank; it moves the acceptance you see without re-entering.
A book that is 4.6 on 180 reviews with verified purchase and Vine carries more trust than a 5.0 on 12 incentivized reviews that Amazon will later remove. The star sort where Amazon sorts by customer rating when a shopper chooses it rewards organic stars, not bought ones. The checker that priced paperback at $16.99 and sized the cover at 12.926 wide are paper geometry; the BookBub Featured is not characters, it is whether the price, reviews, and genre let the Featured be selected.
One more browse check that saves a support ticket
Open the Kindle product pages for the BookBub price tier and the genre in two tabs before you decide the tool is wrong. Copy the review count string from the Kindle product page header into a text editor, copy the genre factor the same way, and compare with a diff. Most mismatches are a review count where under 50 and BookBub will decline and genre factor where romance 1.3 thriller 1.1 fantasy 0.9 is the factor. The tool does not move audio, it names the price, reviews, and genre where the Featured is selected.
A last edit that converts more often than stacking a fifth format is the description hook edit that keeps the book's hook as the same hook where the phrase matches. The title "Chronicles Book 2" and series "Chronicles" volume 2 links both when the phrase matches; a large print titled "Chronicles LP Book 2" with series "Chronicles LP" will not link to regular "Chronicles." Keep the phrase identical so the distribution choice does not break the Series Page that exclusive and wide share. Keep each Editorial Review attribution on the same line as the quote in Author Central.