October has been an up and down month. While sales were down compared to previous years, the results were roughly what I expected given all the changes Amazon has rolled out lately.
I started publishing at the end of 2019, so I’ve seen plenty of ups and downs, but 2025 has been one of the more challenging years on KDP, due to all the changes.
Royalty rates have shifted, ad performance has dipped, the algorithm has changed. Also, some of my long-running campaigns have stopped converting the way they used to and I’ve had to switch them off.
October Results
Before ad spend and expenses, royalties came to $4,267.
That’s lower than last October (around $6,933), but ad costs this year were $655 versus about $1,100–1,200 last year. After ads, profit worked out to roughly $3,600.
My highest day this month hit $453, the lowest was $62, with most days hovering near the $200 mark.
Earnings by marketplace:
Ads & Visibility
Many of my older campaigns had stopped performing, so I reviewed every ad I’d ever run and checked the lifetime ACOS. I switched a bunch back on if they’d been profitable in the past.
That’s always a bit risky but some take off again. Others will just overspend with minimal or no sales. but it’s often a good way to revive older books that have gone quiet. I’ll monitor those closely through November.
However my Ads in general for the month were good. A 21% ACOS on average across all the platforms.
New Books
I uploaded a seclection of dated & undated planners in October and a few more at the end of September.
A new standard-colour book sold 18 copies, most through ads. I paused that campaign for a while, but since it’s Q4 and I want to keep it visible in the algorithm, I’ve switched it back on.
Several new planners can’t be advertised because of language on the covers, but they’re still making organic sales, which is promising.
Tools & Workflow
I’ve upgraded Midjourney again to the $60 plan because I’ve been creating more AI-based visuals and videos lately. I’m also using Ideogram, Canva’s AI tools, and ChatGPT for various design and copy tasks.
You can find a list of my tools here.
Looking Ahead
December is usually my strongest month, so I’m hoping for a solid finish to Q4. Even though, I know it will be different than previous years! I’ll keep testing ads, continue publishing in standard colour, and explore translating some books for the German market early next year.
If you’re publishing too, I’d love to hear how your October went and what you’re focusing on for Q4.
Extra Post On Substack – Join Me There?
Over on Substack, I’ve recorded my first audio over there to acompany my post.
The post is a debrief of what went right and wrong in October, as well as plans & goals for November. Join me over there too and share your goals. You can find that post here.
I’m really liking to casual, homely feel to Substack! It’s free to join and if you subscribe to me, you will get notified whenever I post over there. 🙂
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