Navigating the Amazon marketplace as an author can feel like trying to solve a crossword puzzle without having all of the clues. With millions (or billions is it?) of books competing for readers’ attention, understanding how to optimize your book’s keywords, categories, and pay-per-click ads is crucial.
This is where Publisher Rocket comes in. This is a super-powerful tool designed to give authors the data they need to make really intelligent marketing decisions. If used strategically, this is the tool that will separate indie authors earning full-time income from casual self-published writers.
In this Publisher Rocket review, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about Publisher Rocket, from all of the key features to what I would consider the pros and cons. I’ll also share my own experience using the tool for my books Naughty Week and Lucky Day. In the end, you should have a better idea of whether Publisher Rocket is the missing piece in your book marketing strategy (spoiler alert: it probably is).
Just a note — I am a Publisher Rocket affiliate, so if you’re convinced that Publisher Rocket might be for you, I’d very much appreciate it if you used my link to sign up!
Can This Tool Skyrocket Your Book Sales?
My first encounter with Publisher Rocket (formerly known as KDP Rocket) happened in 2020 shortly after I independently published my first novel, a middle grade fiction book called Naughty Week. I heard about the tool on a number of different indie author podcasts and had to check it out for myself. I am one of the few who actually loves the marketing side of independent publishing, so Publisher Rocket was right up my alley.
The bottom line is that authors these days face more competition than ever. The barrier of entry is lower than ever. Anyone can publish, and Amazon’s algorithm plays a huge role in determining which books of the millions that get published every year succeed.
The last figure I saw noted about 2 million books get published on Amazon each year.
2 million books?!
Let’s do the math on that — if 2 million books are published every year on Amazon alone, that means 5479 books are published every day, which means about 4 new books are published every minute.
Once you click publish, you become a needle in a mountain of a haystack.
Understanding how the Amazon search engine works isn’t easy. Discovering the right keywords, selecting the best categories, and running effective ads can feel massively overwhelming, especially for new self-published authors.
So what can you do to set yourself apart from the millions of books getting published each year?
Get a tool that will do most of the heavy lifting. I highly recommend Publisher Rocket.
Publisher Rocket simplifies the process by giving you hard data. Instead of guessing what readers are searching for, you’ll know exactly which keywords to target. Instead of blindly choosing categories, you can find the ones that offer the best chance to rank as a bestseller.
This kind of insight is invaluable for any indie author seeking discoverability.
Key Features of Publisher Rocket
Publisher Rocket offers four main features, each designed to help authors make the best marketing decisions for their books. Let’s dive into what each tool does and why it matters.
1. Keyword Research
Amazon is a search engine, like Google. And keywords are the backbone of Amazon’s search engine. With Publisher Rocket’s Keyword Research tool, you can plug in a search phrase, find out what readers are searching for, and how competitive those terms are. Some search terms are going to be more competitive than others, but you wouldn’t know that unless you had a tool doing the work for you.
For example, if you write contemporary romance, you might discover that the keyword “contemporary romance” gets more than 15,000 searches per month.
That seems great, right?
Not necessarily — because the competition for that keyphrase is STEEP.
Publisher Rocket provides data on search volume, competition, average list price for books ranking highest for the keyword, and even potential earnings for each keyword. But perhaps most valuable is the Competitive Score, which tells you how difficult it will be to rank for a given keyword on a scale of 0 to 100 and even provides a simple color coding to warn you about high-competition keywords.
The screenshot below shows that “contemporary romance” on its own scores in the red. But look a few keywords down, and you’ll notice that “contemporary romance paperback” has way less competition and still a very healthy monthly search volume. In this case, you would absolutely want to avoid entering “contemporary romance” as your book’s keyword and instead use “contemporary romance paperback.”
2. Category Research
Amazon’s categories can make or break your book’s visibility. Publisher Rocket’s Category Research tool helps you find niche categories where your book has a better chance of becoming a bestseller — or at minimum offer you a fighting chance to compete in a given category.
For instance, if you’re writing a YA alternate history sci-fi fantasy book, you could absolutely select Science Fiction & Fantasy as one of your Amazon categories. But you’ll need to sell 2250 copies of your book in one day to become a number one bestseller in that category.
On the other hand, if you drill down and select the more precise category of Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Alternate History, then your chances of ranking in the top 10 have exponentially improved.
By choosing the right categories, you can improve your book’s discoverability and potentially earn that coveted bestseller tag.
3. Competitor Analysis
Want to know what makes bestselling books in your genre so successful? Publisher Rocket’s Competitor Analysis feature lets you dig into their keywords, estimated sales, and more.
For example, if you’re writing a cozy mystery, you can analyze similar books to see which keywords they’re using and how well they’re selling. Publisher Rocket allows you to type in “cozy mystery” and view the top 10 books currently selling for that keyword. It also provides what categories each book is listed under, how many days since the book has been published, the Amazon best seller rank for each book, price, and both daily sales and monthly sales figures. This can help you gauge what you can expect to earn if your book cracks the top 10 for a competitive keyword and help you formulate an effective marketing strategy well before you publish.
4. Amazon Ads Optimization
Amazon ads are one of the best ways to boost your book’s visibility, but finding the right keywords can be a daunting task and if you’re not careful you will end up spending a lot of money with little return on your investment.
Publisher Rocket’s Amazon Ads tool simplifies the process by generating a list of potential ad keywords from a variety of different sources including:
- Search terms related to the seven keywords you’ve entered in KDP
- Search terms linked to other similar books
- Search terms linked to your category or categories
- Search terms related to books in your search
- Search terms Amazon has liked for your books
The Amazon Ads tool in Publisher Rocket also includes book targets, category bestseller targets, and comparable author targets. And in each of these, the data can drill down even further, saving you several hours of manual research and helping you create more targeted, cost-effective ad campaigns.
5. Reverse ASIN or ISBN-10 Lookup
The Reverse ASIN or ISBN-10 tool is a powerful feature that allows you to uncover the keywords that your book or other books on Amazon are ranking for. By entering the ASIN or ISBN-10 of a book, authors can see the specific search terms readers use to find that book.
This insight is invaluable for crafting effective book descriptions, selecting keywords, and running Amazon ads. It helps you identify high-traffic, low-competition keywords, improve book visibility, and optimize ad campaigns for better performance. For independent authors aiming to outsmart the competition, the Reverse ASIN feature provides a strategic edge in understanding the marketplace and targeting the right audience.
After reviewing the keywords that my book Naughty Week is ranking for, I was able to update my KDP keyword to help boost the book’s discoverability. The keywords “stories for naughty kids” and funny naughty books for kids” are two search terms I never would have predicted could be so profitable.
Pros and Cons of Publisher Rocket
Unfortunately, Publisher Rocket is not a free tool. If you’re an indie author looking to invest in a tool like Publisher Rocket, be sure to weigh the pros and cons.
Pros:
- User-Friendly Interface: The tool is intuitive and easy to navigate, even for beginners.
- Time-Saving: Automates research that would otherwise take hours.
- Actionable Data: Provides specific numbers on search volume, competition, and earnings.
- Affordable: This is debatable, but to get the tool it is a one-time payment makes it a cost-effective option for most authors. And most authors plan to write more than one book, which means the return on investment is excellent.
- Regular Updates: The team behind Publisher Rocket is constantly improving the software and there may be a brand new feature added at any time.
Cons:
- No Free Trial: You have to purchase the tool to test it out, but Publisher Rocket offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Amazon-Focused: The data is specific to Amazon and doesn’t cover other platforms like Kobo or Barnes & Noble.
- Learning Curve: While the tool is straightforward, understanding how to use the data effectively takes practice. There are tons of resources out there to help navigate Publisher Rocket for every niche.
My Personal Experience with Publisher Rocket
When I first started using Publisher Rocket, I was skeptical. Could a tool really make such a big difference in my book marketing? But after a few weeks, I was hooked.
For Naughty Week, I published the book prior to even knowing about Publisher Rocket. It wasn’t until I started marketing my book that I first learned about the tool. I was skeptical, but I felt my book was underperforming. I struggled to find the right keywords, and I had didn’t know that I was hurting myself by listing my book in highly-competitive categories.
I finally decided to purchase the software — and I fully intended to request my money back before the 30-day money-back guarantee ended. Using Publisher Rocket, I discovered a few keywords with high search volume but relatively low competition, so I swapped out some of the redundant keywords I was using in KDP. I also updated the book’s categories to categories that had lower competition.
After updating my book’s metadata, there was a noticeable increase in sales. Based on the revenue Publisher Rocket helped me earn from book sales, the tool paid for itself. So I decided to keep it because my second book, Lucky Day, was going to be published a few months later.
While Publisher Rocket doesn’t guarantee overnight success, it gave me the tools necessary to understand how to make smarter decisions and apply actionable recommendations to see real results.
Who Is Publisher Rocket Best Suited For?
Publisher Rocket may not be the best tool for every indie author out there. But the self-published authors who use it get an edge when it comes to marketing their books. Publisher Rocket is best suited for:
- Self-Published Authors: Especially those looking to optimize their Amazon presence and boost their discoverability.
- Small Publishers: Who manage multiple books and need a streamlined way to gather data.
- Authors Running Ads: To find keywords that improve ad performance and help lower their ACOS scores.
If you are a traditionally published author or a larger publishing house, then you likely won’t have a need for Publisher Rocket. Same goes for any independent author who sells exclusively on non-Amazon platforms or those who prefer not to delve into data and analytics.
But if you’re serious about marketing your book or eBook on Amazon, Publisher Rocket is absolutely an investment worth making. You will save time, get valuable insights, and boost your book’s visibility and sales.
The bottom line is that the benefits of owning this software far outweigh the drawbacks. For authors looking to gain a competitive edge in an incredibly crowded marketplace, Publisher Rocket delivers the must-have tools to succeed.
How Much Does Publisher Rocket Cost?
Publisher Rocket isn’t necessarily cheap at $199, but it’s is worth the cost in terms of the amount of time it will save you, and they do offer a money-back guarantee. Also, it’s NOT a subscription service, so you only pay once for lifetime access. That’s right — no monthly subscriptions or recurring fees to worry about. Once you buy it, you own it for life, and that includes all of the free updates whenever new features or improvements are added.
Considering the value it brings in terms of time saved and insights gained, it’s a cost-effective option for authors serious about their marketing. Whether you’re just starting out or have a backlist of books, the one-time payment model makes it an accessible and budget-friendly investment.
Is Publisher Rocket Worth the Money?
Short answer: Yes.
Long answer: The publishing world is more competitive than ever. As noted above, there are 4 new books published every minute (that’s 1 new book published every 15 seconds). Data is the secret weapon that can help authors succeed, and Publisher Rocket is the tool that can provide that data in milliseconds, giving you the tools to optimize your keywords, categories, and ads. If you’re tired of guessing and ready to take your book marketing to the next level, this tool might just be the key to unlocking your book’s potential.
Have you tried Publisher Rocket? What’s your experience been like? Or do you have other tools you’d recommend? Share your thoughts in the comments or hit me up on TikTok — I’d love to hear from you!
