Facebook seems like a perfect advertising platform for independent authors. Ads are relatively inexpensive, simple to produce and can be targeted in a Facebook environment, where you know readers are spending a good chunk of their quality time.

But there are challenges and pitfalls to Facebook, with no guarantee that the return-on-investment will be any better than traditional advertising vehicles.

Fortunately, Facebook advertising is one of those topics that is discussed in-depth in the independent publishing community. There are plenty of resources and case studies available to help authors weigh the pros and cons.

Author consultant Sandra Beckwith recently published what she calls a “Quick Start Guide” to dealing with Facebook ads. It provides a nice overview with plenty of links. Beckworth acknowledges she is a paid affiliate of one education program named in the report, but there is still plenty of useful information and resources. It can be found here.

Publisher’s Weekly offers a nice primer on the basics of Facebook advertising, “Facebook Ads: A Guide for Indie Authors.” Facebook’s huge user base makes it “an ideal destination for self-published authors looking to market their books and build their readerships,” the authors say. Find that article here.

Over on Digital Book World, author Mark Dawson refutes the premise that Facebook “cannot help you sell books.” He saw a “massive spike in business” when he started using Facebook. Read his experiences here.