Book marketing through organic reach on Amazon is over, but there's no point lamenting the end of an indie era. Surf the changes and get to grips with Amazon Ads — or outsource them if you're ready to. Some hard talking — and encouragement — with Russell Blake today, as well as tips from Michael Beverly. In the intro, I talk about the Audible Captions rights discussion [The Verge], Dean Koontz signs with Amazon Publishing [Publishing Perspectives], and Mike Shatzkin outlines how things have changed over the last 10 years in publishing. Plus, my personal update around recovery from laser eye surgery — what grooves are you stuck in? Plus, Map of Plagues is out this week! Today's show is sponsored by my own courses for authors. If you need help with the writing craft, check out How to Write a Novel and How to Write Non-Fiction. Do you want to take your author journey to the next level? Check out Productivity for Authors and Content Marketing for Fiction, with more to come at: www.TheCreativePenn.com/courses Russell Blake is the bestselling author of 60+ novels. He's a happy customer and investor in AMS AdWerks.Michael Beverley runs AMS AdWerks which manages Amazon advertising for established authors. You can listen above or on iTunes or your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and full transcript below. Show Notes * On the maturation in the Amazon retail landscape * Why Russell was converted to using ads and how it’s affected his writing pace * Which types of books are most effective with ads * Why writing in series continues to matter * How to calculate read through, which is an important stat when advertising * On the eternal KU vs. Wide dilemma * Why reader satisfaction matters to Amazon’s algorithms * On how AI will affect advertising You can find Russell Blake at RussellBlake.com. You can find AMSAdWerks at AMSAdWerks.com Transcript of Interview with Michael Beverly and Russell Blake Joanna: Michael Beverley runs AMS AdWerks which manages Amazon advertising for established authors. Russell Blake is the bestselling author of 60 plus novels. A happy customer and investor in AMS AdWerks. Welcome, Michael and Russell. Michael: Good morning. Thank you for having us on. Russell: Hi Joanna, always lovely to talk to you. Joanna: Oh indeed. And for listeners of the show, Russell has been on the show before talking about writing fast and...