by Penny C. Sansevieri

In the world of book marketing, authors are often dazzled by the allure of bestseller campaigns, major media coverage, and influencer partnerships. These high-visibility strategies certainly have their place, but they're built upon something far less glamorous yet infinitely more important: foundational marketing elements. 

Foundational elements, while seemingly unsexy are critical components that can make or break a book's success.

5 Foundational Elements

Your Amazon Retail Page

The cornerstone of foundational marketing starts with your Amazon retail page. This digital storefront is where most book sales happen, yet surprisingly, many authors fail to fully optimize this crucial platform. 

From professional book descriptions that focus on buyer psychology to utilizing all available features like the "Look Inside" function, author bio sections, and editorial reviews - these elements signal to potential buyers that you're serious about your work. When readers land on your page, they make split-second decisions based on what they see. 

An incomplete or amateur-looking Amazon page immediately undermines trust, regardless of how brilliant your actual content might be.

Your Professional Author Website “Must-Have”

Another foundational element that cannot be overlooked is a professional author website with a dedicated media page. This doesn't need to be elaborate - even a simple, clean one-page site is better than nothing. 

The website serves as your home base, a place where media contacts, readers, and industry professionals can learn more about you and your work. For authors seeking media attention, a media page is particularly crucial. It provides journalists and producers with easy access to your background, talking points, and previous media appearances. 

Without this foundation, high-level media outreach becomes significantly more challenging, as media professionals have nowhere to verify your credibility or access materials they need.

Your Email List

Email lists represent perhaps the most powerful direct connection between authors and their readers. As highlighted in my podcast, one traditionally published author who transitioned to independent publishing managed to generate 7,000 ratings and reviews within 48 hours of release - all through strategic use of her email list. 

Unlike social media, where algorithms control who sees your content, email provides direct access to people who have explicitly expressed interest in your work. Many authors struggle with what to include in newsletters, but even simple updates about writing progress, behind-the-scenes insights, or personal reflections can foster connection with readers who become advocates for your work.

Your Reviews

Reviews are another critical foundation that directly impacts sales. Contemporary readers rely heavily on social proof when making purchasing decisions. Books with few or no reviews are often passed over, regardless of quality. 

A strategic approach to gathering honest reviews through advance readers, review teams, and thoughtful outreach can dramatically improve a book's visibility and credibility. Our podcast emphasizes that passivity is not an option - authors must actively develop and implement review strategies rather than hoping reviews will materialize organically.

Your Social Media Presence

Social media presence, while not mandatory for every author, is another foundational element that should be approached strategically. The key is consistency rather than omnipresence. It's better to maintain one active, engaged platform than to spread yourself thin across multiple neglected accounts. 

For many genres and author goals, some social media presence is beneficial for connecting with readers, building community, and sharing updates. Authors should identify which platforms align best with their target audience and focus their efforts accordingly, rather than feeling pressured to be everywhere at once.

Final Thoughts

The most compelling argument for investing in these foundational elements comes when considering return on investment. While many authors eagerly spend thousands on publicity campaigns or advertisements, this money is essentially wasted if the foundational elements aren't in place. 

I often tell authors that "houses built on sand generally don't survive." Each marketing effort builds upon these foundations, and without them, even the most expensive campaigns will yield disappointing results. 

We often share stories of authors who invested heavily in high-level marketing while neglecting basics like author photos or optimized retail pages, only to wonder why sales remained stagnant. 

How many of these elements do you already have in place? Which ones are still in the planning phase? Do you have any questions for Penny? Please share them down in the comments!

About Penny

Penny C. Sansevieri, is a powerhouse in the publishing industry. As the Founder and CEO of Author Marketing Experts, Inc., she has revolutionized book marketing, shaping the careers of authors and guiding them to bestseller status. Penny's influence is undeniable—named one of New York Metropolitan Magazine's Top Influencers of 2019, she's known for her cutting-edge Amazon campaigns and innovative strategies that catapult exceptional books onto bestseller lists. She is also the author of 24 books. To learn more about how Penny can help you amplify your book’s exposure, visit her website at: www.amarketingexpert.com

Tune into her podcast at: www.amarketingexpert.com/podcast

Image Credits

Featured Image purchased from DepositPhotos.

Second image by Darwin Laganzon from Pixabay

Final image by Stefan Schweihofer from Pixabay

By Deleyna Marr

In Part One, we explored how SEO changed the way we write. In Part Two, we looked at how GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is shifting how readers discover stories in an AI-driven world. But what comes next?

Let’s talk about what it means to build a sustainable future as an author, even as bots outnumber humans online and discovery tools keep evolving.

The End of the Open Web?

Once upon a time, the internet felt like a wide-open frontier. Authors built blogs, linked to one another, and hoped search engines would help curious readers stumble onto their words. For a while, that worked. Sometimes it was annoying and hard, took up too much of our energy, but it worked.

Now things are changing. GEO is here, and it’s reshaping how people use the Internet. Instead of browsing, they’re asking AI tools for answers. Those tools often summarize without ever pointing readers back to the original source.

Traffic is vanishing. Blogs with great content are seeing major drops in visits. Not because people aren’t interested, but because they’re not even seeing the page.

For years, authors played the SEO game. We stuffed in keywords. We blogged on tight schedules. We bent our creative work around what we thought the algorithm wanted.

And here’s the worst part: It didn’t really work well for fiction. It just burned us out.

I’ve seen the same thing happen in other industries. Ever looked up a recipe online and found what you needed, but had to scroll through ads, life stories, and endless paragraphs on the history of mozzarella before reaching the actual ingredients? That was SEO at work. Recipe writers padded their content to rank better and earn ad revenue. But now, with GEO, those same tactics are turning people away. And the ads? They aren’t generating nearly the income they used to.

It’s time for a new strategy.

Human Connection Is the New (or Original) Discovery Engine

Readers trust other readers. And that trust? That’s our new marketing secret weapon.

Word of mouth has always been gold, but now it’s the whole mine. Enthusiasm spreads faster than any search result. Connections like a book club email, a social post from a friend, or a chat in a fan group help stories get discovered.

Let readers become signal boosters and cheerleaders. When someone loves our work, they’ll talk about it. They’ll carry it farther than any algorithm could.

From Content to Connection: New Paths Forward

So what works now?

• Newsletters: Still the most direct path to our people. Talk to them like friends. Our email list may be the greatest asset for our careers.
• Fan spaces: Create or join reader communities on Facebook, Discord, or elsewhere.
• Voice-first platforms: Substack and Patreon are great examples. These are places where our unique tone can shine instead of being flattened by formulas.
• Collaboration: Bundles, co-author promos, group giveaways. We don’t have to do marketing all alone. Working together gives us strength.

These aren’t just tools. They’re ways to stay human in an increasingly automated space.

Your Brand Is Your Voice

You don’t need a fancy brand kit or logo. You need you.

In a sea of auto-generated sameness, your humanity stands out. Your sense of humor. Your turn of phrase. Your quirks and quiet moments. Those squirrels and plot twists that delight your readers.

That’s what readers remember. That’s what makes them stick around.

We don’t have to reach everyone. We just have to reach our people, our ideal readers.

The Future Isn’t in the Feed

Social media still has a role, but it’s definitely not what it used to be. Algorithms change daily. Platforms throttle reach unless you spend money on ineffective advertising. And soon, AI agents may bypass those feeds entirely.

But we don’t have to chase that chaos.

We can build spaces where people choose to come and find us. Where they trust what they see. Where they stay.

Keep Writing. Keep Loving the Work.

We’ve weathered SEO. We’re navigating GEO. And we still have the most important thing: a voice that can touch a human heart.

This shift isn’t an ending. It’s an opportunity. We don’t have to write for bots anymore. We get to write from our hearts, from our joy, and to our readers.

Keep going. Keep telling the stories only you can tell.

Build a future where fiction comes alive and readers are delighted to discover amazing new story worlds and websites.

What do you want your readers to feel when they finish one of your books? And how will you make sure they get the chance to read it?

About Lisa

Lisa Norman's passion has been writing since she could hold a pencil. While that is a cliché, she is unique in that her first novel was written on gum wrappers. As a young woman, she learned to program and discovered she has a talent for helping people and computers learn to work together and play nice. When she's not playing with her daughter, writing, or designing for the web, she can be found wandering the local beaches.

Lisa writes as Deleyna Marr and is the owner of No Stress Writing Academy. She also runs Heart Ally Books, LLC, an indie publishing firm.

Interested in learning more from Lisa? Sign up for her newsletter or check out her school, No Stress Writing Academy, where she teaches social media, organization, technical skills, and marketing for authors!

Top image from depositphotos.

By Lisa Hall-Wilson

I've been studying, writing, and teaching Deep POV for… 15 years? I've helped a lot of writers at various levels of accomplishment try and wrap their head around Deep POV, and I’ve learned a lot myself in that teaching process. If I’m honest though, my perspective on Deep POV and how we should approach this technique has changed somewhat over the years.

What Is Deep POV?

Deep POV is collection of stylistic choices that aim to immerse the reader in the lived experience of the POV Character. We want the emotions to be raw and real and the thoughts vulnerable and unfiltered.

Every word on the page, as much as possible, comes from within the character. The goal is to remove the author/narrator voice entirely. Yes, this is about show don't tell, but this style of writing takes showing to new depths and widens the definition of telling.

Examples Of Books Written Entirely In Deep POV

I get asked this A LOT. And I know why. People will fire up Amazon and peruse the bestseller lists and seem to come up empty. But everyone’s doing Deep POV, why can’t I seem to find a good example?

Here's the honest truth. Books written entirely in Deep POV are very difficult to find -- there are a few.

I've had students publish books that are 90% Deep POV who’ve had mixed reactions from readers. Some readers LOVE the shift into Deep POV. One student had a publisher reject the Deep POV novel, even though this was a multi-pubbed author with experience. Another student won a prestigious award by shifting to Deep POV. The results vary widely.

The majority of experienced authors are picking and choosing from among the various Deep POV tools.

They’re using what fits their voice, fits the story, and/or creates the effects they’re looking for. Remember, I said Deep POV is a collection of stylistic choices. When I poll my students on how deep they aim to write in Deep POV (on a scale of 1% - 100%), the majority landed somewhere around 70%-80%.

Deep POV Is NOT A Simple Technique

A lot of writers really beat themselves up because they can't seem to figure out Deep POV. It's not an easy technique. Despite what many blogs will try to tell you on the interwebs (and I recant any instances where I may have said it was easy), there is a lot more to Deep POV than removing emotion words, filter words and dialogue tags.

I’ve observed these three obstacles as common stumbling blocks for learning Deep POV.

- Remember I said that Deep POV widens the definition of author intrusion?

The author voice creeps into your work (usually to summarize, justify, or explain) and undermines the immersive effect deep POV aims to create. Learn to recognize it and use it strategically.

- Deep POV wants you to dive deeper into a character’s emotions and motivations.

First, this requires knowing what they are. Second, learning how to SHOW those emotions without using author summary or explanation without repeating yourself, while adding complexity, scaling up on the tension over the course of the novel, and building in reader surprise…

You get the idea. This is why AI will never really replace a great writer! It’s hard. It’s supposed to be hard. Lean into it and create an unforgettable experience for readers!

- Everyone struggles initially to shift into showing emotions in deeper ways.

Those who aren’t inclined to be introspective, who struggle to articulate or label their own emotions, tend to be the ones that really struggle with Deep POV. To overcome this, it’s going to take a lot of research and beta reader feedback.

Not Sure If Deep POV Is A Good Choice For You?

If you're someone who loves flowery language, the vast story-world building of epic fantasy, sweeping settings and detailed descriptions of historicals, the summarization and explanation of first person narration, Deep POV is going to feel restrictive and possibly suck all the joy of writing away.

Pick the tools that work for you and forget the rest.

Is keeping secrets from readers (that the POV character is privy to) a huge part of your plot?

Are you willing to recast that so the POV character learns things as the reader does or remains in the dark with the reader?

The point of deep POV is that the reader has access to the pov character’s relevant thoughts and feelings throughout the story. If they know something that’s relevant to what’s going on and you don’t share that with the reader, they’re going to feel cheated.

Do you like the more intense, personal, raw perspective of deep POV? If you're inclined to think your story is more about action than emotions, Deep POV is maybe better reserved for key gut-punch emotional moments than the whole novel.

What genre are you writing?

I love to read Nordic noir, but I've yet to find any that even attempt deep point of view (much to my great and intense sadness). Some genres almost require Deep POV, and others rely entirely on the author voice. I absolutely think someone should write a Nordic noir in Deep POV (can we dive deep into the psyche of the tortured detective protags - yes we can!), but that author would be swimming against reader expectations.

I wrote an essential list for Deep POV here.

But An Agent/Editor Told Me To Rewrite In Deep Point Of View

This is tricky and, as I'm neither an editor nor an agent, I'm going to make some generalizations and assumptions based on feedback I've gotten from students over the years. First, agents and acquisition editors are generally very busy. In most cases, they’re not going to give specific advice but more generalized tips (if you get any).

So, while you may be told at a conference pitch session or via email response to rewrite in Deep POV, they likely won’t explain which aspects of Deep POV would serve your story. Yes, some novels might benefit from being shifted entirely into deep pov, but it could also mean they think you need to cut out half the narration/author summary, broaden the emotional range your character expresses or add more emotional complexity.

Do you write in Deep POV? Why or why not? And do you have a question about Deep POV? Ask Lisa in the comments!

Announcement:
Lisa is launching her 4-week Deep POV Masterclass on September 15. This course only opens twice a year! Learn more here.

About Lisa

Lisa Hall-Wilson is a writing teacher and award-winning writer and author. She’s the author of Method Acting For Writers: Learn Deep Point Of View Using Emotional Layers. Her blog, Beyond Basics For Writers, explores all facets of the popular writing style deep point of view and offers practical tips for writers. 

Other Recent Deep POV Posts by Lisa:

• The Essential Deep POV Checklist: 11 Tips For Better Writing
• 4 Tips To Master Backstory In Deep Point Of View

Featured photo credit - Artem Korolev - Unsplash