Hello Reader,

As I prepare for tomorrow's free webinar on book marketing (are you registered yet? If not, be sure to register here!) I wanted to share some top marketing trends for 2026.

What's working — and what's not — in book marketing as we head into the second half of 2026.

A lot has shifted since last year. Some of what we knew still holds. Some of it needs a full update. Continue reading for the 5 key insights you need to know for best book marketing results!

Here's where things stand right now:

• The Amazon bestseller campaign playbook just got a lot harder to run. Amazon hasn't changed its official rules — but it has quietly changed how often it updates category rankings, and the impact is real. There was a time when ranks updated hourly and a well-coordinated launch-day push could earn you that orange bestseller badge within hours. Now, rank changes can take up to six days to fully reflect on your sales page. That means a burst of launch-day sales may not move your category ranking in time to create visible momentum — or the social proof effect you were counting on. Add to that: Amazon has been reorganizing categories, removing many niche slots that authors used to rely on for easier bestseller wins, and adding hundreds of new ones that are so obscure they generate almost no real reader traffic. The result? A single-day bestseller campaign is a much riskier investment than it used to be. The smarter play is building a sustained sales strategy over your launch week (and beyond) rather than betting everything on day one. And as always, a strong focus on REVIEWS and of course sales.
• AI is deciding what readers find — and you need to be in those answers. Amazon's Rufus AI handles hundreds of millions of searches daily. ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews are where readers increasingly discover their next read. If your book listing, your website, and your online presence aren't written for how AI reads and recommends, you're invisible in a growing slice of the market.
• KDP Select authors can now reach libraries — without losing exclusivity. This is a big one. As of September 2025, you can distribute your Kindle ebook to public libraries (OverDrive/Libby, Hoopla, BorrowBox, and more) while staying enrolled in Kindle Unlimited. The catch: getting INTO the catalog is easy. Getting librarians to buy your book is a whole other skill. If you're utilizing this asset, do you have a marketing strategy for libraries specifically?
• Meta ads work completely differently now. Facebook Ads have been a mecca for authors and publishers, when set up properly. However... the release of the Andromeda update has changed everything we knew about running ads on Meta. Forget stacking author interest targets. Meta's new AI engine finds your readers based on the visual content of your ads — not the audience settings you chose. Specific imagery, bold creative, and letting the algorithm do its job outperform everything we used to do.
• Owning your audience is no longer optional. To me, this has never been optional... which is why I'm always preaching - GROW YOUR EMAIL list! With Amazon's volatility, rising ad costs, and AI reshaping search, your email list, your Substack, your BookFunnel community — these are your only algorithm-proof assets. Build them like your business depends on it. (It does.)

The landscape keeps shifting, but stick with us, and we'll make sure you're prepared for the changes and updates.

Don't forget to join us tomorrow for the Book Marketing Webinar. It's FREE!

How to Love Book Marketing with Alexa Bigwarfe

Date: Wednesday 4/29
​Time: 2pm Eastern US/NY time ​
​Location: Zoom (replay will be sent)

​REGISTER HERE.​

See you then!

Write on!

Alexa

Alexa Bigwarfe

Book Marketing Expert

Write|Publish|Sell

Write on!

Alexa

Alexa Bigwarfe

Publishing Consultant & Book Marketing Expert

Write|Publish|Sell