One of the most frustrating moments for fiction authors running ads is realizing that the exact author you want to target… simply isn’t available. This happens constantly on platforms like Facebook Ads. An author may be dominating bestseller lists, trending on BookTok, or selling millions of copies, and yet they don’t exist as a selectable targeting option.

According to author coach Rebecca Hamilton, this is one of the most common reasons authors believe ads “don’t work,” when in reality, they’re just approaching audience building incorrectly. This misunderstanding often shows up alongside other performance issues authors attribute to broken ads, even when the underlying systems are functioning exactly as designed, a pattern explored further in Why Most Authors Think Their FB Ads Are Broken in 2026 blog post.

The good news? If an author isn’t targetable, their readers almost always are. just under different signals.

This post walks through practical, reliable ways to find targeting ...

When it comes to Facebook Ads, most author training focuses on setup, such as targeting, ad copy, images, and getting the lowest Cost Per Click. Those things matter, but they’re only half the story.

What most authors miss, and what can make or break the success of your campaigns, is something we call the Delayed Buyer Effect.

This is the single most overlooked factor that causes authors to shut off ads too early, and miss out on profits they could have had if they understood how buyers really behave.

What Is the Delayed Buyer Effect?

The Delayed Buyer Effect happens when a reader sees your ad, wants your book, but doesn’t immediately purchase. Or when they download through Kindle Unlimited but wait weeks before actually reading.

For authors, this delay skews how we measure ad success. Your early metrics might look like you’re “losing money,” when in reality, readers are just lagging behind in their buying or reading behavior.

We’ve seen this in multiple case studies from Six and ...