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I think there is a little bit of the "if the author does well with a bookbub ad, they can't wait to tell everyone about it." So you hear a LOT from those who love the service. Those who dare to report they didn't do as well get suggestions such as, 'Maybe you need a new cover" (note that no schlocky covers are accepted by bookbub as they claim to vet them all because they are protecting their brand.) Or you may see: "Punch up your blurb." You don't see: Maybe it was a bad day a bookbub. Maybe people didn't click through or maybe the ads aren't always effective.
This can mean that authors who then "fail" with a bookbub ad don't speak up so you end up hearing about great successes, but not those who are upset about having wasted 1000 dollars.
This isn't anything new. Those who are successful at anything tend to talk more about their success and assume all responsibility for a fabulous product and a great service. *grin* Those that don't feel as successful (whether their rate is actually successful or not in terms of profitability) decide not to speak up.
Bookbub has had an incredible run with getting clicks and buys. You can tell that is changing as there have been noticeably more complaints about the service and also their drive to get authors to fill out profiles and the fact that bookbub advertises more frequently -- to authors.
As with a lot of things, authors and publishers (the big guys use them too) those who got in early did very well. I think some of the magic is fading and that is going to put pressure on their pricing and growth.
They have tried to mitigate this somewhat by expanding their affiliate services to other retailers (a positive thing for authors). On the negative side, they have started to pressure indies to advertise more freebies and more 99 cents (turning down ads for 2.99 more often than not.)
It's a free market. It's up to authors to decide whether to take the risk with their ads.
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