Amazon Ads enable your books to appear in prominent placements in the Amazon store, helping you capture readers' attention while they're browsing for books. You'll set your own budget, giving you control over how much you spend on your campaigns.

Choose between Sponsored Products ads, which appear in shopping results and on product detail pages, directing shoppers to your book's detail page once clicked, or Sponsored Brands, which enables you to showcase a selection of your books and aid discovery of you as an author, or to run eye-catching video ads that direct shoppers to a detail page.

If you're interested in using ads to reach new readers, read on to learn how to get started. We'll also cover some FAQs, but for more information you can also visit the Support Center to discover step-by-step guidance, troubleshooting tips,  videos, and more.

Or if you've already reviewed the information on getting started, go ahead and Register for Amazon Ads to launch your first campaign.

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How to create ads

	Check eligibility requirements You can create ads for books you publish through KDP, co-authored books, and books published outside of KDP. For KDP titles, ads are available in the US, Canada, Mexico, UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Netherlands, India, Australia, and Japan. For traditionally published titles (books that are not self-published, and are published outside KDP), ads are available in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Canada, and Australia. To advertise your title, it must meet book advertising guidelines. Take this time to make sure your ad and book content meets the book ads creative acceptance policies. If the book title or content is in a language other than the language of the Amazon site where the ad will display, the following conditions apply: The book title in the ad and product detail page must include a language disclaimer, such as "The Book I Wrote (French Edition)" or "Un Deux Trois (French Edition)". Customizable headline or custom text, where applicable, must be in the language of the Amazon site where the ad will display. Where possible, a local language translation of the book title should be in the book title, headline, or custom text. If you're advertising in Japan, note that Indie Fliptoon and Indie Manga series ASINs are not eligible, however, Indie Manga episode ASINs are eligible for ads.
	Get your detail page ready A strong detail page can help convert clicks into a sale. Make sure your book detail pages have a good summary of your title and includes support for any claims you may make in your ads (ex: New York Times bestseller). You can also use A+ content to enhance your product detail page by adding images, text, and comparison tables to engage readers and give more information as they consider buying your book. Learn more about A+content.
	Add your books on Amazon Author Central Add your books to your Amazon Author Central account so they appear on your Author Page. To add books to your Amazon Author Central account: Sign into Amazon Author Central (use your existing KDP credentials). Click the Books tab and click Add a Book. In the Search field, enter the book title, ISBN, ASIN, or author name. Find your book and click the book cover. Click Add this book. Your readers may visit your Author Page during their shopping journey to get to know you and your books collection, so make sure your author bio and photo are also up to date. Learn more about how to update your Author Profile. For traditionally published titles, you must add at least one pen name and at least one book to your Author Central account before you can start advertising. To create a Sponsored Brands campaign, you must add at least one pen name with three unique titles to your Author Central account. Lean more about adding a new pen name.
	Register for an advertising account Go to the KDP Portal marketing tab. In the Amazon Ads section, click the button to Learn more. You will be taken to an educational page that provides an overview of Sponsored Products. If you select a marketplace before clicking through to the next page, you will be taken to the advertising console for your marketplace of choice upon registering. Click the Start Advertising button. You will be taken to the campaign creation workflow in the advertising console where you can launch your first Sponsored Products campaign. An ads account will be created for each of the countries that you list products in. At the top left of the ads console, go to Change country to view the different countries, and create and manage your ads for each country. To change the language in the ads console, click your user name in the header bar and select one of the available options from the dropdown menu.
	Launch you first campaign We recommend getting started with Sponsored Products. In just a few minutes, you can create a campaign, even if you've never advertised before. Sponsored Products are cost-per-click (CPC) which means you only pay when customers click on your ad. You choose how much to bid per click and set your own budget. After launching your campaign, it will go through a review process called moderation. Learn more about ads moderation. To learn more about Sponsored Products, read our author's guide to Sponsored Products. For additional ads resources, see I need more help with Amazon Ads, what resources are available to help me learn about advertising?.
	Manage your ads After you've launched your first campaign, visit the Ads console at advertising.amazon.com to see your performance, manage your campaigns, and launch new campaigns. Keep in mind that you can only check on your ads in the Ads console, which you can also access via the marketing tab of the KDP portal. To learn more about optimization and campaign management, refer to Optimizing your campaign, or our video on reports for authors. You can also learn more about ads by looking I need more help with Amazon Ads, what resources are available to help me learn about advertising?

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Troubleshoot common payment issues

If you're experiencing payment or billing issues with your Amazon Ads account, review the common scenarios below to resolve the issue yourself. If you need additional help after reviewing these solutions, contact Amazon Ads support.

Payment method failures

Issue: You're unable to add or update your credit or debit card, or you're receiving authorization failures.

Solution:

1. Verify your card details are entered correctly (card number, expiration date, CVV, billing address).
2. Confirm your card is authorized for international transactions if you're advertising outside your home country.
3. Contact your bank to ensure they haven't blocked the transaction.
4. Try adding a different payment method.

If the issue persists after trying these steps, contact Amazon Ads support.

$50 pre-authorization charge

Issue: You see a $50 charge when updating your payment method.

Solution: This is a temporary pre-authorization hold to verify your payment method is valid. This charge will be released by your bank within 3-7 business days and won't be deducted from your account. You'll only be charged for your actual ad spend.

Note: The pre-authorization amount may vary by marketplace and payment method.

Unpaid invoice blocking campaigns

Issue: Your campaigns are paused for "unpaid invoices" even though you've already made a payment.

Solution:

1. Check if your payment was processed successfully by reviewing your payment method's transaction history.
2. Wait 12-24 hours for the payment to be reflected in your Amazon Ads account.
3. Verify you paid the correct invoice amount.
4. If you have a $0 balance but campaigns are still paused, sign out and sign back into your Amazon Ads account.

If your campaigns remain paused after 24 hours, contact Amazon Ads support with your payment confirmation.

Duplicate or unexpected charges

Issue: You see multiple charges or unexpected amounts on your payment method.

Solution:

1. Review your billing history in the Amazon Ads console under Billing > Payment history.
2. Check if you have campaigns running in multiple marketplaces (US, UK, Germany, etc.) as each marketplace bills separately.
3. Verify you've paused or ended campaigns you no longer want to run.
4. Remember that it can take up to 12 hours for campaign changes to be reflected in billing.

If you identify charges that don't match your campaign activity, contact Amazon Ads support with the transaction details.

Payment timing and processing delays

Issue: You're experiencing delays in payment processing or seeing pre-authorization holds.

Solution:

• Payments typically process within 24-48 hours.
• Pre-authorization holds may appear before your actual charge and will be released by your bank.
• If you've recently updated your payment method, allow 24 hours for the system to update.

Billing address or setup problems

Issue: You can't add a billing address, you're experiencing payment settings page errors, or your international payment is being rejected.

Solution:

1. Ensure your billing address matches the address on file with your payment method provider.
2. For international payments, verify your card is enabled for international transactions.
3. Try using a different browser or clearing your browser cache.
4. Ensure you're using a supported payment method for your marketplace.

If you continue to experience setup issues, contact Amazon Ads support.

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Frequently asked questions

What type of Ads can I create?

With Amazon Ads you can choose between Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands. To see more details about each ad type, refer to the Getting started guide for authors

Why was I charged $50 when I updated my payment method?

When you add or update a payment method, we place a temporary $50 pre-authorization hold to verify the card is valid. This isn't an actual charge—it's a hold that your bank will release within 3-7 business days. You'll only be charged for your actual advertising spend.

Note: The pre-authorization amount may vary by marketplace and payment method.

My campaign is paused for 'unpaid invoice' but I already paid. What should I do?

If you've made a payment but your campaigns are still paused:

1. Wait 12-24 hours for the payment to be reflected in your account.
2. Verify the payment was processed successfully by checking your payment method's transaction history.
3. Sign out and sign back into your Amazon Ads account.
4. If the issue persists after 24 hours, contact Amazon Ads support with your payment confirmation.

I see duplicate charges on my card. What happened?

Duplicate or unexpected charges can occur for several reasons:

• You have campaigns running in multiple marketplaces (US, UK, Germany, etc.), and each marketplace bills separately.
• You see both a pre-authorization hold and your actual charge (the hold will be released by your bank).
• You have multiple campaigns with different billing cycles.

To investigate:

1. Review your billing history in the Amazon Ads console under Billing > Payment history.
2. Check which marketplaces you're advertising in.
3. Verify you've paused campaigns you no longer want to run.

If you identify charges that don't match your campaign activity, contact Amazon Ads support.

Why is there a difference between the reports showing in my KDP account and the ones in my Amazon Ads Account?

It's normal to see a difference between the information displayed on your reports between your KDP and your Amazon Ads accounts. This is because your Amazon Ads account will only show numbers for the sales attributed to your ads, whereas your KDP account will show all numbers related to your books, whatever led to their purchase.

Report	KDP Account	Amazon Ads Account
Sales	This account shows only the final sales-numbers and royalties you earned from books published in your KDP account. For paperback books, it shows the sale once your book has shipped. Sales for paperback books in Australia will be reported as an Amazon.com sale.	Show total value of your booksold within 14 days attributed to clicks on your ad. Sales of the advertised ASIN are credited to the campaign. For paperback books, it shows the sale on the day of the purchase. Sales for paperback books in Australia will show the sale in your Australian advertising account. The ad sales attributed to your products do not include reporting for Kindle Unlimited pages read. It can take up to 12 hours for your orders data to update on your advertising report. As a result, orders data may be delayed in the Today date range. We recommend waiting until all orders data is populated before evaluating campaign performance. Payment failures and orders that are cancelled within 72 hours will be removed from orders totals.
Kindle Edition Normalized Pages (KENP)	This account shows the accumulated total of all Kindle Edition Normalized Pages (KENP) read in Kindle Unlimited (KU). The dashboard shows reading activity from all customers who are currently reading or have read pages in your book.	Shows the estimated number of normalized pages attributed to your Sponsored Products campaign from customers who borrow your book from Kindle Unlimited. This metric helps you understand the volume of pages read after customers click your ads.
Royalties	The Historical report on your KDP account shows the accumulated total of all royalties including Kindle Edition Normalized Pages (KENP) read in Kindle Unlimited (KU). The total royalties in your KDP reports include royalties from pages read from books obtained through regular search, this is, without clicking on your ad. We recommend to check your actual earnings in your KDP reports.	The estimated KENP royalties metrics from your ads dashboard only reflect royalties from pages read that are attributed to an ad campaign for your book. This means, a customer who clicked on your ad and then read your book pages within 14 days after the click.

Important timing considerations:

• It can take up to 12 hours for orders data to update in your Amazon Ads reports.
• Payment failures and cancelled orders are removed from totals within 72 hours.
• We recommend waiting until all orders data is populated before evaluating campaign performance.

Why should I advertise my books?

Amazon Ads helps you reach audiences where they shop, read, listen, and watch. With Sponsored Ads, you can connect with customers through ads that appear in Amazon shopping results and drive discovery of your brand as an author.

• 74% of shoppers recall seeing an ad during their Amazon visit.*
• 51% of shoppers visit Amazon early in their purchase journey to gather information and for help finding books.*
• On average, book buyers who visited Amazon considered 22% more titles than book buyers who did not visit Amazon.*
• 46% of book buyers on Amazon use shopping results to research their book purchase.*
  

*Amazon and Kantar books path to purchase study, US only, August, 2023.

What is ad moderation?

Whenever you submit an ad for a book, it first has to go through a review and approval process we call moderation.

Moderation is a multistep process that every book advertisement on Amazon goes through. We consider your book content, book cover art, and the custom text or headline in your ads to ensure they fall within our retail and advertising guidelines.

This process helps make advertisements on Amazon safe, trustworthy, and high quality for our customers. And most importantly, it helps create a successful environment for book sales.

When review is complete, we will let you know if your ad was approved or rejected (usually within 24 hours, but this could take up to 3 business days). For more information and tips for approval, refer to the Complete Guide on Book Moderation.

How do I create a new campaign?

You'll need to be registered for an advertising account.

1. Sign into the Ads console.
2. Click Create campaign below the performance dashboard. If you have never launched a campaign, you will be taken directly to the ad type selection page.
3. Choose the ad type you wish to use and follow campaign creation instructions or follow our guidance to preparing your campaign, step-by-step.

How can I create ads with custom images and video ads?

You can use Sponsored Brands ads to create ads with custom images and video ads and drive awareness of your books with eye-catching creatives. To learn about Sponsored Brands for authors read our guide for Sponsored Brands for authors.

If you don't have a custom image or want to get new ones, then you can also use Amazon's AI-powered image generator to create custom images that match your book's theme - absolutely free of charge.

When should I contact KDP vs. Amazon Ads support?

Use this guide to determine which support team can best help you with your advertising questions.

Contact KDP support for:

• Basic ads information and getting started - General questions about what Amazon Ads are and how they work
• Creating or editing ads (general how-to) - Step-by-step guidance on campaign creation
• Accessing your ads account - Initial account access questions
• Recently published book eligibility - If your book was published within the last 15 minutes and isn't showing as eligible
• Sponsored Brands issues related to Author Central - If you've claimed your author page within the last 48 hours
• Report differences explanation - Understanding why KDP and Ads reports show different numbers (timing differences)

Contact Amazon Ads support for:

• Payment or billing issues requiring investigation - Unexpected charges, payment failures, unpaid invoice problems
• Technical campaign problems - Campaigns not running, zero impressions or clicks, campaign builder not loading
• Account access failures - Unable to sign in or access your account after initial setup
• Book eligibility issues - If your book still isn't eligible 15 minutes after publishing
• Advanced features and optimization - Questions about bidding strategies, targeting, or campaign performance
• Policy questions - Ad rejection appeals or policy clarifications
• VAT or tax issues - Tax-related billing questions
• Catalog errors - Issues with how your book appears in the advertising system

Still not sure?
If you're unsure which team to contact, start with KDP support. They'll help you with basic questions or direct you to Amazon Ads support if needed.

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I need more help with Amazon Ads, what resources are available to help me learn about advertising?

Visit the Amazon Ads Support Center for more resources. You can also check the book-specific resources below:

• Get everything you need to launch from the author's guide to Sponsored Products
• Watch our video on 3 essential steps before advertising.
• Watch our introductions to reports and measurement.
• Register for Amazon Ads webinars. Understand advertising best practices and ask questions in a live Q&A.
• Enroll in the learning console. Access free courses for authors to learn how to set up and analyze your campaigns.
• Getting started guide for authors. Overview of ad solutions and how to get started.
• Beginners webinar for authors. Review the on-demand webinar for authors to get started with Sponsored Ads.
• Understand your reports. Learn more about your advertising reports and how to use them.
• Complete guide on ad moderation. Everything book advertisers need to know about our moderation process.
• Author case study. Hear how Sponsored Products helped this author reach the right readers at the right time.
  
• Author case study. How author Bryan Cohen helps other writers increase their book sales with Amazon Ads.