Word count: XXX
Deadline: Thursday, July 17, 2025
Author Inklings
Hello again, my pretties!
Tell me, have you ever poured your heart into a book—months or years of writing, revising, proofreading, and tweaking the cover—only to hit “publish” and watch it sink into the digital abyss faster than my willpower is lost at a cake sale?
Welcome to the great indie author magic trick: the vanishing act. One moment, your book is live for the first time. The next, it’s buried beneath a mountain of shiny new releases. Poof. Gone. Even your mum has to squint to find it on Amazon.
The answer to this, my friends, is increasing discoverability. And right now, it’s one of the hottest topics and hardest challenges in the indie author world.
The Crowd Problem
Here’s the sobering truth: More books are being published each year than any reader could possibly consume in a lifetime. In 2023 alone, over 2.6 million self-published titles hit the market. Since then, that number has ballooned further. It’s like trying to whisper at a rock concert.
It means that no matter how brilliant your book is, it won’t be able to sell itself. Readers can’t buy what they can’t find.
Cue the collective indie author panic. I’ve lost count of how many Facebook threads and writing sprints have devolved into hand-wringing over the mysterious algorithm, like it’s a capricious deity we must appease with offerings of ad spend and metadata.
The Myth of the Magic Button
I’ll let you in on a secret: there is no single magic button for discoverability. No perfect Facebook ad. No silver-bullet keyword. No ritual dance under the full moon—though I admit, I’ve tried.
Instead, discoverability is a messy blend of strategy, persistence, and experimentation. The trick is not to beat the algorithm but to outlast the noise.
Lessons from My Own Disappearing Act
Let me confess: My first few books launched into the void with all the fanfare of a damp squib. I refreshed my dashboard a hundred times, praying for sales. Instead, I got the cold comfort of “zero.” My dog gave me that same side-eye he did when I quit my day job.
So I did what any self-respecting author does: I sulked. Then, eventually, I learned. I dusted myself off and realized that if my book wasn’t visible, I had to make it visible.
I did the work, and books sold. I was then lucky enough to be picked up by another indie writer’s publishing arm. I thought I could sit back and let the money flow in. For a time, that worked, and it worked well. But now I am looking at branching out with a new pen name, which means it’s back to basics for your favorite columnist. The truth is that for every indie author, no matter experience level or audience size, there will always be some steady effort required in order to make a book sell.
So what actually works? Through trial, error, and far too many marketing books, here is my summary of the strategies that have helped me and other indie authors beat the disappearing act.
- The Power of the Backlist
One book is a whisper. Three, five, or ten books? That’s a chorus. The best discoverability hack is to keep writing and build a body of work. Every new release breathes life into your old ones. - Refresh, Don’t Regress
If a book has flatlined, give it a makeover: new cover, new blurb, new categories. Readers judge books by their covers, no matter what we’ve been told. Sometimes, a facelift is all it takes to get noticed again. - Direct to Reader: Take Back Control
Amazon is powerful, but don’t let it be your only stage. Build an email list. Offer a free novella. Experiment with direct sales platforms. When you own the relationship, you don’t have to beg an algorithm for attention. - Ads Are a Marathon, Not a Lottery Ticket
Yes, ads work—but not overnight, and not without testing. They are more like a science experiment than a slot machine. Start small, track results, and tweak. And if you hate ads? Outsource the work, or focus on organic strategies instead. - Community Is Greater than Competition
Instead of shouting alone, join a choir. Cross-promotions, multi-author box sets, newsletter swaps—they all expand your reach. Readers who love Cozy Mysteries, Fantasy Romances, or space operas rarely stop at one author. They’ll happily devour your books, as well as your friends’, and vice versa.
The Mental Game
Now, let’s pause here. Because though all this sounds practical, I know the emotional toll of invisibility is real. It’s exhausting to shout into the void. It’s demoralizing when your book baby disappears without a ripple.
But hear this: You are not failing. You are competing in the noisiest marketplace in history. Sometimes, the smartest thing you can do is step back, breathe, and remember your why (see my column in the August 2025 issue for more on that).
And please, for the love of your sanity, stop comparing yourself to the indie superstar who “just hit six figures in six months.” Their journey is not yours. For all you know, they’re spending more on ads than they’re earning, or they have a decade-long backlist feeding their success. Comparison is a creativity killer.
Final Thoughts (or the Bit where I Get Philosophical Again)
Discoverability can feel like trying to juggle flaming swords while blindfolded. But remember: Readers are still out there, hungry for great stories. They’re scrolling late at night, desperate for an escape, and your book might be exactly what they need. Focus on finding the right readers, in the right places, and building relationships that last beyond a single sale.
Keep experimenting. Keep refreshing. Most importantly, keep writing. Readers are loyal creatures. If you make them laugh, cry, or forget their troubles for a while, they’ll follow you anywhere—even into that slightly dodgy newsletter signup form you cobbled together at midnight.
My pretties, don’t despair if your book vanishes on launch day. The only real disappearing act is the one where you stop showing up altogether.
And I, for one, am not ready to vanish.
Happy writing,
Susan
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