Are you a book blogger looking to get started with affiliate marketing? You’ve come to the right place! Here are tips about what it is, how to get start and what some of the best affiliate programs for books are.
The topic of payment amongst book bloggers has long been a taboo subject that most like to keep hush, hush on.
I have never really been able to figure out why but it’s something that frustrates me to no end, which is why I wrote this article on why book bloggers need to get paid. You can also find out what some of the top book bloggers think about influencer marketing in this post.
Whilst sponsored post opportunities for book bloggers and bookstagrammers are few and far between, there are a number of other ways in which book bloggers can monetise their websites.
One such method is affiliate marketing. I get the impression that a lot of book bloggers either don’t know what affiliate marketing is or are confused by it and hence don’t make use of it.
In this post I hope to answer all the possible questions a book blogger might have about affiliate marketing including what it is, how you can integrate it into your blog and what you can expect to earn. This is my ultimate guide to affiliate marketing for book bloggers!
Affiliate Marketing For Books
What is affiliate marketing?
First things first, what is affiliate marketing? Simply put, affiliate marketing means earning commission for sales made through your website.
You can create links to buy that are unique to you and insert them into articles on your site. When someone clicks on that link and makes a purchase, you will receive a very small percentage of the sale price.
To be absolutely clear, affiliate marketing is not the same as sponsored posts or display marketing. Affiliate marketing is passive income that is generated through sales, whilst sponsored posts generate active income, in that you need to produce specific content for specific products etc.
It is also different from display marketing because a simple click will not earn you any money. Your readers actually need to make a purchase from your specific link in order for you to generate any income.
Why should I consider affiliate marketing?
A lot of influencers and bloggers have had their careers made by the rise of influencer marketing, particularly Instagram influencer marketing. The majority of my income comes from sponsored posts on Instagram but this makes me feel a little uneasy.
Isn’t this too good to be true? What happens when Instagram implodes? That day may never come and Instagram may well be around forever.
However, it is wise as a blogger to diversify your income stream just in case. If your blogging business model relies solely on one income stream, you are running a very risky business.
As I’ve already discussed, there are a distinct lack of sponsored post opportunities for book bloggers anyway, which is why it is even more important for those looking to monetise their book blogs to seek other opportunities if they are hoping to turn their blogs into lucrative side hustles or even careers.
I have never accepted money for a book review and I don’t think I ever will. However, there are hundreds of book reviews on whatshotblog.com that I have written voluntarily and it seems a shame not to try and monetise my hard work.
This is where affiliate marketing for book bloggers comes in. An easy way to monetise new and old posts that requires zero upkeep on your behalf once you’ve integrated your personalised links.
No harm in trying, right?
How do I use affiliate marketing on my blog?
There are a number of different ways that you can integrate affiliate links into your content. You could insert deep links into your book reviews and articles or you could use banner ads that lead to sellers’ websites. Ideally you’ll use both.
Deep Links
Personally, I’d suggest inserting a link to the book’s product page every time you mention the title of the book in a review. This shouldn’t disrupt the reading of the text but does ensure that if they choose to click through to find out more, that link includes your own personal ID tag.
If you’ve written a listicle then each number on your list should lead to the book in question’s product page. At the end of the description of each book, you could add another link directing people to places where they can purchase the book.
Links to Buy
You should also include a link to buy at the end of the article so people know where to head next. This can be a line of text directing them to a certain site, in which case, you might like to include some price information, or you could use image links.
Amazon has a widget that allows you to easily insert these image links into your posts, however, my personal feeling is that they’re clunky and unattractive. There are a number of other alternatives that you can download from WordPress or it’s possible that your chosen theme comes with one integrated.
Banner Ads
Finally, you can use banner ads on your site. These could be on your homepage, in your sidebar, at the end of posts, or even throughout your posts.
Whilst deep links will link to a specific product page, banner ads may lead them to a shop’s sale section or their section on fantasy books, for example.
This functions a little like display advertising channels like Google Adsense, except the reader needs to purchase something in order for you to earn any money.
How do I use affiliate marketing on Instagram?
Affiliate marketing can be effective on Instagram too. Indeed, fashion bloggers can make a tonne from using apps like RewardStyle to direct people to shopping sites.
It’s not as easy to get people off Instagram to buy something directly, which is key to earning affiliate income as you need the tracking link to work.
Book bloggers can still use affiliate links in their stories by adding a link sticker or including links in their bio. The best book affiliate schemes to use on Instagram are those that allow you to create lists people can shop from so your followers can see lots of book options at once.
If you’re wondering how to put Amazon affiliate links on Instagram then you can create an Amazon storefront where you can curate lists.
This is great because you can share one link with your followers via the link sticker function or your bio and they could browse lots of different recommendations. Bookshop.org have a similar function on their site.
Keep reading to find out how to join these affiliate programs for books.
How do I sign up for affiliate marketing?
There are a number of different affiliate networks which book bloggers can sign up to, some of which are directly with the seller, others are through third parties.
For example, Amazon runs its own affiliate programme called Amazon Associates, but you can find stores like Waterstones on a third party affiliate network such as AWIN.
The application process is usually very simple but some advertisers will manually check each blog that applies to their programme. As such, you want to make sure that your blog is suitable for the programme you are applying for and that you are consistently producing high-quality content.
If you’re not, even if you’re accepted, it seems unlikely you’ll be able to generate much revenue through sales so a great blog is always step number one before you even think about monetising!
What book affiliate programs are there?
Pretty much every single book affiliate marketing program is country or region-specific since sales will be made in different currencies. Whilst some platforms will automatically redirect to the right website for the customer, others will not.
Be sure to research whether the programmes you are signing up for have separate programmes for other regions and then decide which is best for your readership.
I have rounded up some of the best book affiliate programs and bookstore affiliate programs that book bloggers should sign up for, including the pros and cons of each.
UK
Amazon’s affiliate programme is undoubtedly one of the most popular out there and is probably the best choice for book bloggers. It is the place where most people shop for books online and the prices are usually the most attractive.
However, sometimes a sale goes through but I don’t receive any commission, which can be frustrating. In addition to physical book sales, you can also sign up to earn bounties for people signing up to Kindle Unlimited, which is an ebook affiliate program, and Audible, an audiobook affiliate program.
Commission rate: 5% on books. Up to 10% for some other products.
Minimum payment threshold: £25.
Sign up for Amazon Associates UK here.
There are two ways to sign up for the Audible affiliate programme. The first is through Amazon directly, which I would recommend. However, you can also join the Audible affiliate program via AWIN (discussed in detail below), which may be better for you if you plan on using a lot of other advertisers on AWIN.
Commission rate: £5 for every free trial sign-up via Amazon; £4 via Awin.
Minimum payment threshold: £25.
Sign up for Amazon Associates UK here.
Sign up for AWIN here.
RELATED: Everand (Scribd) vs Audible
Bookshop.org is a new arrival on the book scene in the UK and in promoting their site you will be promoting local bookshops across the country. The books are a bit pricier on here, as is delivery, but it’s worth it as the proceeds help support local bookshops.
The higher prices also mean you can earn more as an affiliate – their scheme is the most generous book affiliate program out there offering 10% per sale! This makes the best affiliate program for books in my eyes as you earn lots and support local bookshops.
Become a Bookshop.org affiliate now.
Blackwells is my favourite place to shop online for books and with free delivery in the UK, it can be an attractive option to promote.
You’ll have to sign up to their book affiliate scheme directly meaning you’ll need to meet the minimum threshold of £20 from Blackwell’s sales alone but it can be done!
Sign up to Blackwells affiliate programme here.
RELATED: 7 Ethical Alternatives to Amazon for Books
Waterstones affiliate programme is operated via a third-party affiliate website called AWIN. The good thing about using AWIN is that you can sign up to several different programmes for several different products but have your earnings all come into one pot.
My favourite thing about AWIN is that you can insert some code into your blog which will automatically convert any links on your site into an affiliate link if you are part of their programme.
This means that once you sign up to the Waterstones affiliate programme, you don’t need to convert the links every time you use them on your site. They will be automatically converted for you.
If you are not part of the programme yet, but the advertiser is part of AWIN, then clicking through that link will automatically send a request to the advertiser on your behalf. Once you are accepting, you can start earning commission through that link.
Commission rate: 4% on all book sales.
Minimum payment threshold: £25 on AWIN.
Sign up for the Waterstones affiliate programme here.
AWIN Advertisers
WHSmith
Whilst WHSmith may not be your first choice when buying books online, there are lots of other products available from their site that may be of interest to your readers.
Experiences, magazine subscriptions, CDs, DVDs and more. If these are things that you write about too then perhaps the WHSmith programme is appropriate for you.
Commission rate: 5% on books. Up to 10% on other products.
Minimum payment threshold: £25 on AWIN.
Foyles
I am a huge fan of Foyles bookshop on Charing Cross Road so if you’d like to support this independent London bookshop online too then you may consider joining their books affiliate program.
They boast a competitive commission rate compared to most other booksellers but this is balanced against the fact that their books are often pricier and therefore less attractive to customers.
Commission rate: 7% on all sales.
Minimum payment threshold: £25 on AWIN.
USA
Amazon US
Please see the Amazon UK tab for more information on the Amazon Associates programme. The two function in a similar way but of course this one is directed at Amazon US sales.
Commission rate: 4.5% on physical books. Up to 10% on other products.
Minimum payment threshold: $10
Sign up for Amazon Associates US here.
Barnes and Noble
Barnes and Noble use a third party affiliate website, similar to AWIN, called CJ affiliate. This is available in the UK too. The commission rate on Barnes & Noble seems particularly low therefore it wouldn’t be my favourite for generating commission from US sales.
Commission rate: 2%
Minimum payment threshold: $50
Sign up for the B&N affiliate programme here.
How much can I make from affiliate marketing?
When it comes to affiliate marketing, books are by no means one of the most lucrative products you could be promoting.
How much you earn will largely depend on how much traffic you get to your book blog and how many of your readers you are able to convert into customers. This is why it is of the utmost importance that you first focus on creating a high quality blog before you bother faffing with affiliate links.
As you can see from the programmes mentioned above, the average rate of commission per sale is 5%. Given that books usually cost around £5-£10, this means you’re looking at a return of 25-50p per book sold. Literally pennies!
The biggest problem for book bloggers will be reaching the minimum payment threshold for these affiliate programmes. In most cases this threshold is £25, which means you’d have to convince 100 people to each buy a book. No mean feat that’s for sure!
This is why I’d encourage you to stick to one affiliate programme and really concentrate your efforts there as this means you will be more likely to reach the minimum payment threshold. If you join every single one of the above programmes, you may find your earnings scattered in many different places, never reaching the threshold in any of them.
Those figures may seem a little discouraging but, as previously mentioned, this is passive income so if you can earn a little something from doing nothing then it’s worth a little effort. If you have decent levels of traffic and engaged readers then you may well be able to generate a fair bit of affiliate income each month.
Disclosure of affiliate links
It is very important you disclose the use of affiliate links to your readers. This is a requirement under rule 2.1 of the CAP Code (can you tell I’m a lawyer?).
Affiliate links must be obviously identifiable, which will likely be the case with banner ads, but is less likely with deep links.
If you are going to integrate deep links into your reviews then you should add a disclosure statement at the beginning of your post. You might choose to asterix the links in question.
I highly recommend reading up on the disclosure of affiliate links on the ASA website before integrating them into your website as the above paragraph does not constitute legal advice. Read all about it here.
RELATED: ASA Influencer Guidelines Made Easy (inc. Affiliate Links!)
Affiliate Marketing for Books FAQ
Can I use affiliate marketing for other products?
Of course! There are affiliate programmes for just about every product. If you’re a book blogger then I assume you will be mainly looking for booksellers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Blackwells etc.
However, you may well be eligible for some other programmes too. If you promote book merchandise on your website (funko pops, memorabilia etc.) then you should consider joining the programmes for those sellers too. These might include Etsy, Redbubble, Society6, EMP and more.
What if they don’t buy the product immediately?
The positive (but sometimes negative) thing is that each seller will usually have a specified cookie window in which a sale that is made can be attributed to you.
What this means is that if someone clicks through your link, but chooses not to buy at that time, and then returns to the same site and makes a purchase later, you should still receive commission.
For some websites, this cookie window could be 30 days, but for some, like Amazon (grr), it is as little as 24 hours.
The other good thing is that they don’t necessarily have to buy the product you recommended. For example, if you click through from my review of Into the Water by Paula Hawkins to the Amazon page for Into the Water but then decide that you’d rather start with The Girl on the Train so you purchase that instead, I’ll still receive commission.
Clicking through to a seller from your site usually means that any sale from that site will be attributed to you (if within the cookie window) yay!
What if they click through another affiliate link in the meantime?
Unfortunately, if your reader clicks on your affiliate link, but then clicks on someone else’s affiliate link to the same website before making a purchase, the commission will be attributed to the second blogger and therefore you won’t get any commission. It sucks.
How long does it take to get paid?
To be frank, usually aeons. Some advertisers are better than others but on sites like AWIN, I have heard some bloggers complain that advertisers take weeks, or longer, to actually process the payment.
On sites like Amazon, you should be paid via bank deposit as soon as you reach the payment threshold. There’s no saying how long it will take to get paid but most websites will indicate their time frames on their websites.
It’s worth pointing out that affiliate marketing is not a way to get rich quick. Especially for book bloggers, since books are typically very cheap.
Whilst sponsored posts may be paid within one month, you could be waiting several months for your affiliate commission to reach the minimum threshold amount if your site is quite small.
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SO. At almost 3000 words, I think that’s about everything I have to say on affiliate marketing for book bloggers. If you have any other questions or feel that there’s more to be added, please drop me a comment or send me an email.
If you found this post helpful, please support me with a small contribution on Ko-Fi. This information was provided free of charge but is invaluable to bloggers and influencers and I’d really appreciate your support!
If you have stories to share about your experience with affiliate marketing in the world of book blogging then please do leave a comment below for others to see too!
Pin now, read again later!
For more book blogging tips:
How to Start a Book Blog
36 Book Blog Post Ideas
24 Bookstagram Props to Use
It’s Time for Book Bloggers to Get Paid.
A Guide to Book Hashtags
Book Bloggers and Influencer Marketing
How to Write Negative Book Reviews
My Bookstagram Evolution: How I Got Started on Instagram
Why Influencers Should Ditch the Term “Gifted”
Laura
Founder & Editor of What’s Hot?
[This article was first written in 2018 but updated in 2021]
Bethany
Sunday 26th of November 2023
How do you disclose affiliate links in your blog posts, or on Instagram if you include them in your bio/linktree?
Joe
Friday 11th of February 2022
I was very helpful after the description of your article. Your article was very beautiful. I bookmarked it. If there is any problem, I will read it again next time
revglue
Monday 20th of December 2021
Hi Dear Laura, Good Day Wow! Thank you for sharing such useful information about affiliate marketing and affiliate networks with us. I believe that sometimes you need to re-read articles, even if the material is intended for beginners.
Tyler
Wednesday 17th of November 2021
I wonder whether you might address the specific case of disclosures on one's own products. As an author, my website has links to where to buy my books. If these are affiliate links, do I need to disclose that? Obviously nobody expects me to be objective in representing my own work anyway.
Sachin
Monday 12th of April 2021
A very wonderful blog for a person new into affiliate marketing, Keep up the good work.