Ads & keyword research

Amazon keyword, category, and ads research tools used by working indie authors.

6 tools

Paid · Subscription: Newbie ~$11.99/mo or ~$9.99/mo billed annually; Pro ~$23.99/mo or ~$19.99/mo annually (puzzle tools on Pro); 3-day free trial — confirm current tiers on bookbolt.io/pricing

Book Bolt

KDP-oriented research and production suite popular with low-content and niche paperback publishers: keyword and product research, Amazon search-volume style data, a browser Spy overlay, plus cover/interior design helpers…

Freemium · Free Partner account, Author Profile, and New Release Alerts; Featured Deals are flat fees by category/region/price (often hundreds–thousands USD); BookBub Ads are self-serve CPC/CPM from ~$1 budget — confirm live pricing on BookBub Partners

BookBub

Reader discovery network used by indie authors for Featured Deals (editorially selected discounted-ebook emails), self-serve BookBub Ads (CPC or CPM auction), and free tools such as Author Profiles and New Release Alerts…

Paid · Paid browser extension / research tool

KDSpy

Browser-based Amazon research overlay for category and sales-estimate style insights while you browse the store. Useful for quick competitive checks; always verify figures against your own sales data.

Paid · One-time purchase desktop software

Publisher Rocket

Amazon keyword and category research for authors: estimate demand, inspect competition, and build keyword lists for metadata and Amazon Ads. One of the best-known paid research tools in the indie space.

Paid · Pay-per-promotion, priced by genre (checked Oct 2026 on the official rate card): free-ebook newsletter slots roughly US$15–US$79 (e.g. Mystery, Thriller, Romance US$79; Fantasy US$55; Science Fiction US$52; Young Adult US$30); bargain-ebook slots roughly US$13–US$22 for books priced US$0.99–US$5.99. No subscription.

The Fussy Librarian

Genre-matched ebook promotion newsletter: readers pick the genres they want and get daily free or bargain picks. The official site lists about 570,000 free-ebook subscribers and around 125,000 bargain readers. Free promo…

Paid · Pay-per-promotion by newsletter brand and genre, shown at booking (checked Oct 2026). Full refund if you cancel at least 3 business days before the run date; no refund inside that window or if your price is wrong on the morning of the promo. Paid memberships add extras such as Limelight.

Written Word Media

Ebook promotion company behind five reader newsletters: Freebooksy (free ebooks), Bargain Booksy (US$0.99–US$5 deals), Red Feather Romance (romance only), NewInBooks (new releases) and Audio Thicket (audiobooks). The off…