📊 Top Analytics & Advertising Tools for Indie Authors

Publishing your book is only the beginning — understanding what’s working (and what’s not) is key to long-term success. Whether you’re running ads or tracking reader engagement, these analytics and advertising tools can help you make smarter marketing decisions.

💡 This post is part of our Ultimate Tools for Authors series. Explore tools for writing, formatting, promotion, email marketing, and more.

Analytics & Advertising Tools for Indie Authors

📈 1. Amazon Ads (via Amazon Marketing Console)

Best for: Running keyword-based ads directly on Amazon Visit →

Amazon Ads lets you target shoppers on the world’s largest bookstore. Ideal for promoting Kindle and print books, but success depends on understanding keywords and data.

🔍 2. BookReport

Best for: Visual sales reports for Amazon authors Visit →

If you're selling through Amazon KDP, BookReport provides beautifully visualized dashboards for your royalties, sales by marketplace, and estimated page reads.

📊 3. ReaderLinks

Best for: Advanced tracking and link management Visit →

More than just analytics, ReaderLinks tracks sales, links, promo results, and social media stats. Great for authors running multiple promos and ad campaigns.

🧠 4. Kindlepreneur + Publisher Rocket

Best for: Keyword research and category selection Visit →

The tools and tutorials at Kindlepreneur help authors understand how to rank on Amazon. Publisher Rocket (paid) is especially useful for researching keywords and profitable categories.

📉 5. K-lytics

Best for: Deep market research and trend analysis Visit →

K-lytics delivers high-level insights into what's trending on Amazon — great for planning new series, optimizing categories, or understanding seasonal shifts in reader interest.

📌 6. Google Ads Keyword Planner

Best for: Finding long-tail keywords for search ads or book titles Visit →

Even if you don’t run Google Ads, this free tool helps you find relevant keywords for blog content, ad campaigns, or even titling your book.

🎯 7. Facebook Ads Manager

Best for: Targeted social media ads Visit →

Facebook and Instagram remain strong options for book ads — especially if you’ve got strong visuals and a clear call to action. Just keep a close eye on ad spend and testing.