A big change is coming...ChatGPT ads are here
PUT DOWN YOUR PENCILS.
It's time for another critical UK weather update.
The heatwave is over.
We are back to more normal August temperatures, although we are being told there may well be another heatwave at some point!
We are now looking at about a week of rain apparently but it is yet to appear.
I hope whereever you are in the world you are not suffering with unseasonable weather as I know in some places this freakish weather has become dangerous and life threatening.
But in true mad English style after one of the hottest summers on record, yesterday a friend of mine had hailstones!
How does that even happen?
GETTING FOUND PART 5
THE HEADLINE NEWS
Hello Authoring people.
I’ve been playing with something very interesting over the last few days.
CHAT GPT ADS
I've been working as one of the beta testers with the team at OPEN.AI to test the platform and see results.
I have a feeling this could become a very big deal for authors.
I’ve been given access to the advertising platform and I’m currently setting up my first campaigns, learning how the targeting works, looking at how ads are matched to conversations, and, importantly, spending some of my own money to see what actually happens.
Because there’s a big difference between reading about a new marketing tool and actually using it.
And this one is particularly interesting.
Imagine this…
Someone opens ChatGPT and asks:
“Can you recommend a really good psychological thriller with an unreliable narrator?”
Or:
“I loved Fourth Wing. What should I read next?”
Or:
“Can you recommend some historical fiction set during World War Two?”
They aren't scrolling through Facebook.
They aren't watching cat videos on Instagram.
They're actively looking for something to read.
And that is what makes ChatGPT Ads potentially so interesting.
ChatGPT Ads can appear beneath relevant ChatGPT responses, giving advertisers an opportunity to reach someone while they are already researching, comparing or looking for recommendations.
Critically the ads will have no impact or influence on the answers given by chatgpt. The ads will sit below all responses. I think that is an important distinction.
For authors, that's a very different proposition from most traditional advertising. It's much more of an "active" response rather than luck of being served something on a platform you didn't ask for or even look for. This is true targeted advertising in response to a query.
And let me tell you something else.
ChatGPT now has over 900Million users (and growing) so there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that your readers are in that number, no matter what you write. They will be there.
But there’s a catch…
ChatGPT Ads doesn't work quite like Facebook Ads.
You don't simply choose:
Women
Age 35–65
Interested in crime fiction
…and hope for the best.
Facebook have also made changes to their platform recently which some authors feel may effect their ads success. So maybe now is the time to consider other platforms for ads.
A huge part of the system is context. (As we have discussed before)
OpenAI has told advertisers that the words used in the advert, the landing page and the contextual signals around the campaign all help determine when an advert may be relevant.
Which means something I've been banging on about throughout these emails suddenly becomes even more important:
AI needs to understand you, your books and who they're for.
If your website doesn't clearly explain that your book is a cosy mystery set in Cornwall…
If your book page barely contains any information…
If Google, ChatGPT and other AI systems struggle to understand what you write…
you're making their job considerably harder.
And now that could affect not only whether AI can recommend you organically, but potentially how effectively you can advertise through AI too.
THIS WEEK’S 15-MINUTE VISIBILITY CHALLENGE
Open ChatGPT and imagine you are your ideal reader.
Don't search for yourself or your book.
Instead, ask the sort of question that reader might genuinely ask when looking for their next book.
For example:
“I love fast-paced political thrillers but don't like anything too violent.
Can you recommend five books I might enjoy?”
Then try another.
And another.
Pay attention to the language ChatGPT uses and the questions you naturally find yourself asking.
Because those conversations are incredibly useful.
They tell you how readers may describe what they're looking for, rather than how authors describe what they've written.
THREE THINGS YOU CAN DO NOW
1. Think of five reader questions
Think about the questions someone might ask AI that could logically lead them to your book.
Not your title.
Not your name.
The problem, mood, genre, theme or reading experience they're looking for.
2. Check your book page on your website.
Does your website actually contain the information needed to connect your book with those questions?
Genre. Themes. Setting. Characters. Comparable authors. Reading experience. Series information.
Don't assume AI will work it out.
Don't be afraid to write more than the usual 100 words of book description.
3. Start thinking in conversations, not keywords
For years we've been taught to think about what somebody types into Google.
AI search is different.
People can explain what they want in extraordinary detail.
“I want a funny romantic novel set in Italy that isn't too cheesy and would be good to read by the pool.”
That's not really a search term.
It's a conversation.
And increasingly, that's how discovery is going to work.
I'm going to continue testing ChatGPT Ads over the next few weeks.
I'm deliberately using my own business as the guinea pig first because I want to know what works, what doesn't, what it costs and whether the results justify the excitement.
If they do…
I think there could be a fascinating opportunity here for authors.
And I'll share what I discover with you.
The other point here, is that now that ChatGpt has launched Ads, it's only a matter of time until others follow suit.
So learning about how to advertise inside LLM's is going to be the next big learning, and opportunity.
I am excited to share more on this topic soon, so keep subscribed for the latest news.
VISIBILITY TIP #5
AI is always looking for the answers to questions.
It doesn't write the answers... it FINDS Them.
So one quick way to help that happen is to create a simple
FAQ's on your website.
Place it on it's own page or underneath your bio on your about the author page.
Wix has an app where you can easily create the FAQs table, or if you prefer, just a list of questions and answers will help.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT SETTING UP FAQs
List 5 - 10 questions that you get asked by readers all the time (think they want the answers to for example
WHERE DO YOU WRITE?
HOW DID YOU START?
DO YOU BASE YOUR CHARACTERS ON ANYONE?
WHY DO YOU WRITE <INSERT GENRE HERE>?
WHAT ORDER SHOULD I READ YOUR BOOKS IN?
WHICH ACTOR DO WOULD YOU LIKE TO PLAY YOUR LEAD ROLE?
WHAT MADE YOU WRITE <INSERT BOOK 1 TITLE HERE>?
ETC
Literally scour your emails or any communications you have from readers and find questions they have asked.
If they are asking you, there is a good chance they will start asking LLMS' too, so make the answers easy to find.
Build an FAQs and give it a proper title that explains why it is there e.g.
HERE ARE MY MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
then add something like
"Let me know if you have any others, and I will add them."
Write 50-200 words for each words for each and bingo, you have just given AI and readers answers to questions you get asked.
See two new animated covers we made for some competition winners below
L. A. Petrie shared her experience of her other animated covers with me.
" I have been bombarded with "how did you do that?" and I have sent them to your website. Your animated covers have gone beyond anything I could come up with myself. They are amazing.
Thanks!
L. A. PETRIE
GET YOUR OWN ANIMATED COVER HERE
Stand out in a crowded marketplace.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
NORTHERN INDIE AUTHOR SUMMIT
21st NOV
2026
GET £10 off your ticket with the code DAT10
In my next email, I'll be talking more about Author Nation and then in Part 6 of this series I will be sharing some easy wins and some exciting new projects that I will be unveiling, that will increase your visibility.
Happy Authoring,
SCAM WARNING
Please remember to check your emails, especially if they claim to be from me.
You can always find me on social media and message me directly there.
2 clients have been scammed.
Please don't be the third.
NEVER ALLOW ANYONE ACCESS TO YOUR SITE.
Never pay any money until you are 100% sure you are dealing with the person they claim to be.
Email spoofing is getting more sophisticated and we are all at risk.
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