This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca tackle a growing concern for indie authors: is the flood of AI-generated books making it harder for genuine authors to get noticed and earn a living?

James shares some worrying findings from research into AI-written books, alongside data from Alex Newton showing how AI-generated titles are making their way into competitive Amazon categories. They discuss what this means for authors, the potential impact on Kindle Unlimited earnings, and why building a loyal readership and maintaining a strong newsletter could be more important than ever.

Cissy also shares a clever and affordable way to create special edition paperbacks using IngramSpark, plus a fresh approach to newsletter swaps after analysing the marketing habits of successful romance authors.

There's also an update on latest on SPS Live USA ticket sales, and news of another speaker joining the Fort Worth line-up.

Key Talking Points

• The growing number of AI-generated books and their impact on indie publishing
• Alex Newton's findings on AI-written books in competitive Amazon categories
• Concerns about manipulated rankings, page reads and Kindle Unlimited earnings
• Why building your own audience and email list matters more than ever
• Cissy's affordable special edition paperback hack using IngramSpark
• Bringing back newsletter swaps to reach new readers
• Using AI to improve reader freebies, websites and newsletter marketing
• SPS Live USA ticket updates and Mark Recklau joining the speaker line-up

Links & Resources Mentioned

ProWritingAid: https://prowritingaid.com
Discount code: IWC15

SPS Patreon: https://learnselfpublishing.com/support

SPS Live 2027 USA: https://learnselfpublishing.com/spsliveusa

SPS Live 2027 LONDON: https://www.learnselfpublishing.com/spslive

This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca are joined by Stuart Grant to talk about author discoverability in the age of AI and why your author website might be more important than ever.

Stuart explains how the way readers search for books and authors is changing, and what authors can do to make sure they're being found and recommended by tools such as ChatGPT. They discuss the difference between traditional SEO and the newer GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation), the importance of keeping your online information consistent, and some surprisingly simple ways to improve your website's visibility.

James and Cissy also share their own experiences of updating their websites using AI, and Stuart offers listeners a free author website audit to help identify what's missing.

Plus, there's an update on SPS Live USA, including ticket prices, Founders tickets and when tickets will go on sale.

Key Talking Points

• Author discoverability and how AI is changing the way readers find books
• SEO versus GEO and what authors need to know
• Why your author website is central to your online presence
• Using schema markup to help search engines and AI understand your website
• How ChatGPT and Claude can help with website optimisation
• The importance of FAQs, blogging and consistent author information
• Stuart Grant's free website audit for SPS listeners
• SPS Live USA ticket prices and early access for Patreon supporters

Links & Resources Mentioned

ProWritingAid: https://prowritingaid.com
Discount code: IWC15

Free Author Website Audit: https://learnselfpublishing.com/audit

SPS Patreon / Support: https://learnselfpublishing.com/support

SPS Live USA Waitlist: https://learnselfpublishing.com/spsliveusa

SPS Live Digital Recordings: https://learnselfpublishing.com/digital

Stuart Grant – http://digitalauthorstoolkit.com

https://reedsy.com/stuart-grant

On social media @stuartgrantuk on all platforms

Big news this week – The Self-Publishing Show Live is coming to the USA!

James Blatch and Cissy Mecca reveal the plans for the first SPS Live USA, taking place at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden in Texas on April 29th and 30th, 2027. The first year will be deliberately small, with just 200 places available, and the first 100 people on the waitlist will have the chance to secure special Founders tickets.

They also reveal the first two speakers: bestselling romance author Lucy Score and Hollywood screenwriter Tom Donnelly. James talks through why Fort Worth was chosen, plans for keeping the event affordable and what they want to bring across from the London conference.

Elsewhere, James and Cissy discuss the latest controversy surrounding RARE London 2027 and the large number of authors withdrawing from the event. James also shares an update on his Etsy experiment, including what happened when he promoted his Cold War book package directly to his mailing list and why bringing your own traffic to a new sales platform can make such a difference.

Key Talking Points

• SPS Live USA officially announced for April 29th–30th, 2027
• Fort Worth Botanic Garden confirmed as the venue
• The event will be limited to 200 attendees in its first year
• The first 100 people on the waitlist will be offered Founders tickets
• Lucy Score and Tom Donnelly announced as the first speakers
• Why SPS Live USA will avoid traditional hotel room blocks
• The latest controversy surrounding RARE London 2027
• James's Etsy experiment and selling books as gift packages
• Why driving your own traffic to a new platform can help generate sales
• Avoiding "shiny new object" syndrome and focusing on what's already working

Links & Resources Mentioned

ProWritingAid: https://prowritingaid.com
Discount code: IWC15

SPS Live USA Waitlist: https://learnselfpublishing.com/spsliveusa

SPS Patreon / Support: https://learnselfpublishing.com/support