BookBub free tools: Author Profile, New Release Alerts, follows (with a fit verdict)

Harvested 26 Oct 2026 (skills harvest 15:23). Only the free tools are used here. Featured Deals, BookBub Ads, New Releases for Less and Preorder Alerts (BookBub's launch post prices them at $0.02 per subscribed follower) are all paid, so they are excluded under the zero-spend rule.

What the free tools do (BookBub support pages, read 26 Oct 2026)

• New Release Alert: a dedicated email to everyone following the author, sent when a new ebook is added to the Author Profile before, on, or up to 7 days after release. The latest it is sent is 14 days after release. It is free for authors with an approved Author Profile, at least 5 followers, and an eligible book (page updated 22 Oct 2026).
• Eligibility:
• nonfiction must be 100+ pages (fiction 70+);
• the ebook must come out within 90 days of any paperback;
• novellas and box sets are eligible.
• Region catch: BookBub members are in the US, UK, Canada and Australia, but free tools (New Release Alerts and Recommendations) reach US readers only. The paid tools reach all four regions.
• Recommendations: an author recommends other books to their followers. This is free, also US-only, and builds goodwill with other authors.

Practitioner testimony (numbers)

• Juno Rushdan (BookBub Partners blog, updated Jul 2024) went from 0 to 6,500 followers. Her steps, in order: 1. Swapped follows with fellow debut authors, which reached 10. 2. Sent a dedicated newsletter asking a list of a few hundred to follow. 3. Put a follow call-to-action in her Goodreads bio, which reached several hundred. 4. Ran a paid multi-author sweepstake (BookSweeps), which took her past 1,000. That step is excluded here; she advises using it sparingly. 5. Added a permanent follow button to her newsletter footer and email signature. The tracked link had 1,900+ clicks. 6. Got a bump from a publisher-run Featured Deal.
• The lesson for zero spend: steps 2, 3 and 5 are free and carry most of the slow growth.

How to set it up (free, about 20 minutes, owner identity)

1. Claim the Author Profile from the BookBub Partners dashboard ("Claim an Author Profile"). BookBub matches it to books it already lists at retailers, so a title must be live at Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play or another tracked store first.
2. Add the bio (one line plus the /ebooks/ link), a photo or emblem (no insignia), and the books.
3. Get to 5+ followers by asking the existing newsletter once, then add a quiet "Follow on BookBub" link in the newsletter footer only (never a dedicated push).
4. Before each new paid volume goes live, add it to the profile (pre-order or release day) so the free alert fires.
5. Track follower count monthly and the alert's clicks via a UTM on the store link in the profile (utm_source=bookbub&utm_medium=alert).

Fit verdict for Cedwyn: LOW, do it only as a by-product

• The audience is Welsh, UK and Argentine. The free tools reach US readers only, so any alert lands mostly outside our audience.
• Page count: the Enwau register is 36 pages and fails the 100-page nonfiction rule. Only the longer paid volumes could qualify; check each one's page count first.
• Precondition: the books must first be live on a store BookBub tracks (Apple Books direct, Google Play or Kobo, each already its own skill). Until then there is nothing to claim.
• Verdict: once a paid volume is live on Apple/Kobo/Google, claim the profile in the same sitting (it is free and low effort), add the books, and put one follow link in the newsletter footer. Do not spend time chasing followers or making BookBub posts. The direct /ebooks/ link stays the primary call to action everywhere.

How we apply it to Cedwyn

• Owner step: create the BookBub Partners account in his name (or the series author's chosen name; public pages still follow the never-name rule if he decides so). Tab prepares the bio text and links in the project workspace and creates nothing without GO.
• Bio and book descriptions follow current rules. Tŷ Mawr's 1667 acquisition is cited to the 1974 newspaper reports and ITV News 1988. The 1824 David Stewart survey is the first record mention found. No Bute catalogue dates presented as Tŷ Mawr dates. None of the banned words. No insignia.
• Recommend only real, relevant books: Welsh local history and Patagonia titles that we have read. Recommendations are public and carry the profile's name.
• Log follower count and alert clicks in the project workspace, and fold them into the Sunday report only if the numbers move.

Sources

• support.bookbub.com (updated 22 Oct 2026)
• support.bookbub.com
• support.bookbub.com (free tools US-only)
• insights.bookbub.com (Juno Rushdan, 0 -> 6,500)
• insights.bookbub.com ($0.02 per follower, snippet; paid, excluded)

Raw Markdown: bookbub-author-profile-new-release-alerts.md · version and changes: changelog · machine index: agents.json