Beyond the Noise: How to Get Your Book Discovered in 2025

Have you noticed that things are really, really noisy on the internet these days?

*Image courtesy* *Dirk’s Big Bunny Blog*

Who are we kidding—of course you have. If 2025 is going to be remembered for anything, it's going to be for the overwhelming wall of noise at every turn.

If you're a newer author, you should know it wasn't always this way.

In fact, there used to be a relatively fail-safe approach to finding success as an author:

Create an author platform that connects you with your audience
Create an ad strategy leading readers to you and your content

But now, with a mind-blowing number of books being published each year (estimates in the millions), and with the AI revolution flooding author platforms and content feeds, we'd argue there's one more critical thing authors need to focus on to sell books:

Discoverability.

What We Really Mean by "Discoverability"

When we talk about discoverability, we aren't talking about your amazing book cover or outstanding web page design. Those things are a given.

When we talk about discoverability as an author, we're really talking about making sure that you, your book, and your message are easily found in the vast ocean that is the internet.

"Easily" is the operative word here.

No one has patience for ad-riddled blog posts or unhelpful digital downloads.

People aren't interested in sitting through a video that's really just a sales pitch for a book.

And Amazon, for better or worse, has made all of us unwilling to accept any more than a couple clicks to make a purchase.

All this to say: you can create all the content in the world, you can have the best and most brilliant book of all time, but if you aren't aware of how to make your book easily discoverable and easily purchasable, you're going to be consistently paddling upstream.

What's Working Now: 4 Strategies for Book Discoverability

Here are a few ways we're seeing authors make their books discoverable in the ever-changing landscape of 2025:

1. Strategic Awards (Not All Awards Are Created Equal)

We've spoken about book awards many times over the years (TL/DR: not all awards are created equal, so enter contests with caution).

However, the overall saturation of the book market has made the awards that really count the ones that showcase your book beautifully, making it easily found by readers.

We love this page devoted to the winners of the IPPY awards this year as an example of how award recognition can create genuine discoverability.

2. Genuine Influencer Marketing (Emphasis on "Genuine")

Before we explain, please know we would never advise an author to pay someone to hype their book on social media. In fact, we think the days of the cringey social media influencer are numbered.

But in a world where we're craving real-life interactions with people, a positive, unpaid review or recommendation can work wonders to get your book noticed.

The key? Authenticity over reach.

3. Thinking Beyond Amazon

Do not get us wrong—Amazon is still the king of book sales and isn't going anywhere.

But while we used to call Amazon "Google for books," the complete saturation of the platform has made it harder and more expensive to be the book at the top of the list when someone types in your keyword(s).

Alternative platforms making waves: Bookshop.org, Tertulia, and even small indie shops like Trident Books in Boston are leading people to their sites and getting books noticed with beautiful descriptions and curated presentations, making their websites valuable real estate for authors.

4. Keeping Content Real (Yes, We're Talking About AI)

Every time we attend a publisher roundtable or open up LinkedIn, we're seeing another AI-driven product that promises to "save time," "drive sales," or "keep you relevant."

We are not anti-AI by any means, but we are also extremely skeptical of anything that promises the moon. (Always have been!)

AI content and imagery isn't always bad, but seeing every social media feed flooded with obvious AI content is a real turnoff for many readers. Real, human connection still wins.

The Bottom Line

Your book, platform, or marketing plan doesn't need to be perfect. In fact, sometimes getting your book discovered means keeping your sense of humor and making lemonade out of lemons.

We're seeing lots of authors get discouraged by all the noise and constant changes in this industry, but take heart: books aren't going anywhere. There is still room for you and your book to find its place.

Stay open-minded. Avoid anyone promising you riches. And above all else, enjoy the process of connecting your hard work with your audience.