If a reader Googled your name right now, what would come up? An abandoned LinkedIn profile from a career you left behind? A neglected Goodreads page? An insurance agent in Albuquerque who happens to share your name?

There's only one number-one spot on Google, and if you don't claim it for your name, someone else will. The good news is that your most powerful tool for winning that spot is the one piece of the internet you fully control. It’s your author website.

In this week’s episode, you’ll hear from Jason Barnard, digital marketing expert who has spent more than a decade teaching Google and AI who people are.

You'll learn:

• The overlooked page on your website that Google checks first.
• The Wikipedia alternative that is easier to write and curate
• How you can get Jason’s robust SEO audit of your site, for free

Whether your website needs a little fine tuning or you’re building one for the first time, listen in or check out the blog version to find out what you should prioritize and what you can stop stressing about.

Blog link: https://www.authormedia.com/seo-for-author-websites-the-only-guide-you-need-in-2026/

AuthorMedia.social link:

YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/PNpmOklWm8M

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You know you need an email list. You've heard about reader magnets and maybe you even have one, but you're stuck at a handful of subscribers, wondering how other authors build lists of tens of thousands of engaged readers who actually buy their books.

Damon J. Courtney knows how. He's an author and the creator of BookFunnel, a service that helps authors grow their email lists and deliver many types of digital products to readers.

In this week’s episode, you’ll learn

• Whether you need a "lead magnet" or a "reader magnet" (there’s a distinction nobody talks about)
• How readers can get tech support when downloading your ebook or audiobook
• How to give a free copy of your ebook or audiobook when you’re meeting people in person
• How to tip the scales toward having readers buy directly from you rather than Amazon (so you can keep more profit)

Whether you’re looking to grow your email list, distribute ebooks and audiobooks, or sell directly from your own website, listen in or read the blog version to discover how BookFunnel can make each of those author tasks easy.

Blog link: https://www.authormedia.com/the-comprehensive-guide-to-bookfunnel/

AuthorMedia.social link: https://authormedia.social/c/novel-marketing/the-comprehensive-guide-to-bookfunnel/

YT Link: https://youtu.be/qLxqq4bKh1g

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Every month, traditional publishers lose more ground to indie authors.

One reason it’s happening is that in trad publishing, a committee or the highest-paid person in the room makes the call on book covers, marketing copy, and even what they suppose readers might like. Both get it wrong far more often than they want to admit.

Most indie authors aren't much better off. They just swap the highest-paid person’s opinion for their own, and trust their own gut on covers, titles, and blurbs.

But savvy authors skip this guessing game entirely. They test everything, and they're outselling everyone else.

In this week’s episode, USA Today best-selling author Steve Piper sits down with Thomas to break down exactly how split testing works.

You’ll discover:

• How many ideas you should test to find a viable one
• What kinds of book-related assets work for split testing
• The sneaky metric that fools most authors into thinking their split-tested ads are working

If you need help choosing a title, cover, or copy, or if you’re wondering why your ads aren’t working, listen in or read the blog version to find out how you can know for sure what will work.

Blog link: https://www.authormedia.com/why-your-cover-blurb-and-hook-are-all-just-guesses/

AuthorMedia.social link: https://authormedia.social/c/novel-marketing/why-your-cover-blurb-and-hook-are-all-just-guesses

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