Hello Reader,

When asked about AI, we get a LOT of varied response from our community.

Love it or hate it, AI is here and it's here to stay.

Many readers are using it, and if we're not savvy to the strategies to being found by AI search results, we're missing out.

If you read my email the other day about GEO, I talked a lot about what this is and how books are being discovered now. (I'll be teaching this and running the GEO audit live in the upcoming WIP Marketing Bootcamp!)​

To recap, readers are typing things like:

• "What's a good cozy mystery for someone who loved Knives Out?"
• "Best self-help books for entrepreneurs in 2026?"
• "Picture books that help kids talk about losing a pet?"

And the books that come up? They're not necessarily the most popular ones. They're the ones that have been positioned correctly — with the right metadata, descriptions, and digital footprint that AI systems can actually find and recommend.

This is called Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) — and almost no one in the author marketing space is teaching it.

I AM teaching it.

Live.

In a few weeks.

At the WIP Marketing Bootcamp (June 12–13, virtual)…

…I'm running a working session called "AI Is Now a Book Discovery Engine — and Many Authors Are Invisible In It." We'll:

• Break down what GEO actually is (it's simpler than it sounds)
• Run a quick audit on your author presence in real time
• Walk through specific tweaks to start showing up in AI search results
• Do some of the work together so it's not just one more thing on your to-do list

That's ONE session out of more than a dozen.

This two-day virtual event is all about what's working and what's changing in the marketing world for authors and publishing professionals.

This isn't a passive virtual conference. So come ready to get some work done, because this is an intensive working bootcamp with two tracks (authors and publishing professionals). We're pairing learning implementation sessions designed to get something done during the event, not have to add it all to your 'to-do' list.

---

A few sessions I'm personally excited about:

• Jennifer S. Wilkov on building a marketing plan that actually works (keynote — everyone)
• Savannah Gilbo (Fiction Writing Made Easy podcast, 3M+ downloads) teaching how to actually get booked on podcasts
• Shalonna Anderson on AI marketing tools every author should be using
• Chelle Honiker walking attendees through setting up a real social media automation live (yes — you'll leave with an automation built)
• Beth Barany on values-aligned marketing for authors who've avoided it because it felt inauthentic
• Lacy Lieffers on proven strategies to grow your audience and sell more books
• Leanne Janzen on landing independent bookstore partnerships as a self-published author

And for the publishing pros: Lilian Sue, Bobbie Carlton, Julie Lokun, Diane Windsor, and Porsché Mysticque Steele are all running sessions tailored specifically for service providers, coaches, and publishers.

---

By the way, the topics we chose were all from a poll we conducted to find out what our audience wanted to learn about most.

When we surveyed our community earlier this year, 59% of you said marketing was your #1 struggle. Discovery (getting found by new readers and clients) was the single biggest individual challenge. The second challenge was HOW to implement and WHEN to find the time to do the marketing.

So we designed the bootcamp around what you actually asked for: hands-on workshops, organic and email strategies, real implementation, and tools that don't require a paid ad budget.

You'll leave with new systems in place — not a ton of new homework.

---

→ Grab your ticket here:

​https://womeninpublishingsummit.com/marketing-bootcamp-2026/​

Replays are included if you can't make every session live. (But I'd really love to see you in the room during the GEO audit. That's where the magic happens.)

See you June 12!

Alexa

Alexa Bigwarfe

Publishing Consultant & Book Marketing Expert

Write|Publish|Sell

P.S. This bootcamp is built for intermediate to advanced authors and publishing pros. If you've published a book (or run a publishing business) and you're tired of throwing marketing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks — this is built for you.

Full speaker lineup and schedule here: https://womeninpublishingsummit.com/marketing-bootcamp-2026/​