Is your book discoverable, Backstage Pass, Audible New Royalty Rates– Booklinker May 2026 Broadcast #2

One book link, Every store Booklinker.com​

5/22/2026

Hello authors!

Last week I had the privilege of attending the Independent Book Publishers Association PubU conference in Portland with my Booklinker team. Conferences are always a great way to connect with people in person. Nothing beats those face-to-face conversations. I talked with authors (including a couple Booklinker authors–hello Victoria and Lisa M.), publishers and other industry professionals.

Plus, those outside of the conference times over dinner, drinks or a Japanese tea garden build relationships and even friendships that go beyond the actual event. (photos below)
​
One big takeaway for me this year was this:

Discoverability is no longer just about “marketing harder.” It’s about creating more clear positioning.

I attended IngramSpark’s Market With Precision session, and there was a strong focus on metadata, retailer expectations, and publishing wide. One thing became very clear: a lot of authors are working incredibly hard on marketing, but the different pieces often are not connected.

You can be posting on social media, sending newsletters, running ads, and making videos, but if your cover, categories, keywords, book description, pricing, and branding are all sending mixed signals, retailers and readers will struggle to understand where your book fits.

It was a great reminder that metadata isn’t just about filling in the info on a dashboard, this info becomes part of your marketing.

Your cover tells readers genre and tone.
Your categories help retailers place your book.
Your description helps algorithms and readers understand who the book is for.
Your series branding creates consistency.

I have always been a big advocate for publishing books wide and this session reiterated why it’s so important. Readers do not all buy books the same way anymore. One reader may discover your book on TikTok, borrow it from the library, later buy the ebook, and eventually listen to the audiobook. Another may be browsing Amazon for garden supplies, then head over to books for a quick look around and see your book there.

Readers think about convenience. Not formats.

The session also reinforced that broad marketing is becoming less effective. Specific positioning is becoming more important.

The clearer you are about:
• who is your idea reader
• what emotional experience your book delivers
• where your book fits
• why readers should care

…the stronger your discoverability becomes.

Successful marketing today is less about shouting louder and more about creating alignment between your cover, metadata, retailers, audience, and messaging.

Because readers, retailers, and algorithms are all trying to answer the same question:

“Who is this book for, and why should it matter to me?”

Happy Marketing!

Kerrie
Content & Community Manager
Kerrie Flanagan

​

​

P.S. If all of this sounds overwhelming or you’re not sure how to effectively create your metadata, I can help. In The Book Marketing Lab I cover these topics in detail and break it down making it easy to understand and implement right away. You can learn more about The Book Marketing Lab here: https://www.thebookmarketinglab.com/​

Get Backstage Access!

Marketing your book shouldn’t
feel overwhelming

For 4-days only, we’re opening The Book Marketing Lab to visitors.
Prizes, exclusive discounts and more

Take a look inside the book marketing course, explore the community, browse the industry expert webinar archive, and see how members are testing strategies, sharing ideas, and learning what works in today’s publishing world.

Come see why so many authors are ready to stop guessing and start marketing with confidence.

RSVP today: https://www.thebookmarketinglab.com/the-book-marketing-backstage-access​

👉 Monthly Marketing Tip

Stop making readers search for your books. Add your Booklinker URL everywhere readers might look: your social bios, pinned posts, email signature, website homepage, and author profiles. The easier you make it to buy, the more likely readers will click.

IBPA 2026

​

Now for something completely different

This is absolutely not marketing or publishing related at all, but I’m curious who is going to see the new Mandalorian and Grogu movie that just came out? I’m a wee bit of a fan so I’m going tonight. Will you be seeing the movie?

This is the way.

​

Industry News & Articles ✍🏽

​
​🌟 Ten Tips for Setting up a Direct Sales Storefront​

Thirty percent of indie authors are selling direct. Another 30 percent plan to start this year. Here’s how to join them without overcomplicating it. In this article by Chelle Honiker, she breaks down what you need to know about selling your books direct.

​

🌟 Audible’s Royalty Changes Explained (And Why Authors are Split)​

Audible has officially announced that its old royalty system is going away. And honestly, I think a lot of authors still don’t realize how big of a shift this is.

For years, Audible operated more like a storefront. Someone used a credit, bought your audiobook, and you earned a percentage based on that transaction. The system had problems (plenty of them), but at least there was a clear connection between a purchase and a payout. That’s no longer where this is heading.
​

🌟 A Glimmer of Hope in the Age of AI with James Blatch & Cissy Mecca​

James and Cissy tackle a “bits and bobs” episode covering the changing indie publishing landscape, with a focus on Amazon’s evolving AI-driven algorithms and what authors need to do to stay discoverable. They discuss why clear genre signalling, strong metadata, covers, blurbs, titles, and reader expectation alignment are becoming more important than ever. The conversation also touches on pricing psychology, the value readers place on author access and premium offers and the importance of stepping away from mental work with physical hobbies.

Have you created or used a Booklinker link recently to give your readers a choice of retailers or direct them to the correct Amazon stores around the world?

​Booklinker.com​

Conferences Booklinker Will Be Attending

• ​Romance Writers of America in Albuquerque, New Mexico, July 15-18
• Author Nation in Las Vegas November

​

Are you attending any conferences this year? Let me know.

Quote

“Content builds relationships. Relationships are built on trust. Trust drives revenue.” — Andrew Davis

About Booklinker

​Booklinker is a free service that helps authors save time and sell more books with a single, localized link for their entire international audiences.
Booklinker is owned by Georiot Networks and powered by its flagship service, Geniuslink. In 2022, Apple Books began supporting Booklinker, helping it become a fully multi-retailer tool. Booklinker remains free for authors through the generous support of Apple Books and partnerships with other retailers.

Amazon Best Seller