Solo episode with Jonathan as Thomas is on vacation. We're going into changes with Substack, GoodReads, Kindlepreneur's look into Amazon keywords, and much more. 

Feast your ears as Jonathan and Thomas discuss the direction fiction is taking, and how societies deal with major turns.

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Several court cases impacting authors, the NYT wonders if men read literary novels, and Jonathan starts a lawsuit against Thomas. All on this week's Author Update.

The Israel-Iran War, more AI impact on the workforce, zeitgeist discussion and more Patron Tools in the toolbox. All here with Author Update. 

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A new version of Vellum, Publisher Rocket ends its lifetime deal, and is the AI bubble going to burst?

🎙️ Author Update – Episode: The End of Google (for Authors?)
Hosts: Jonathan Shuerger & Thomas Umstattd Jr.
🕒 Runtime: \~57 minutes
📚 Topics: AI Search, SEO, Voice Cloning, Book Marketing, Author Tools

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🔍 Episode Summary:
Is this the beginning of the end for Google? In this episode, Jonathan and Thomas explore how AI is disrupting traditional search and discovery—and what that means for authors. From SEO and Pinterest to AI audiobooks and “Not a Literary Agent,” this is your update on everything changing in the publishing world.

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🧭 What You'll Learn:

* Why Google is losing market share—and what’s taking its place
* How to optimize for AI-driven search (semantic SEO explained)
* Why Gen Z is using Pinterest instead of Google
* How to structure content for AI overviews
* What voice cloning means for audiobooks
* Tools for analyzing your publishing contracts
* How to stay discoverable as bots change the rules

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🛠️ Tools & Resources Mentioned:

* Yoast SEO: [https://yoast.com](https://yoast.com)
* Not a Literary Agent: [https://authormedia.com](https://authormedia.com)
* 11 Labs (voice cloning): [https://elevenlabs.io](https://elevenlabs.io)
* Opera’s Neon AI Browser: [https://www.opera.com/neon](https://www.opera.com/neon)
* Pinterest Marketing (for Gen Z outreach)
* ChatGPT, Grok, and AI-powered search tools

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🔥 Hot Takes:

* “Pinterest is now more useful than Instagram or TikTok for authors.”
* “First-person POV dominates because it’s easier—not better.”
* “AI-generated content is training new AI—welcome to the feedback loop.”
* “You can't have a cyborg baby with an AI girlfriend… yet.”

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🧠 Author Action Steps:

1. Add rich, structured content to your blog
2. Focus on being *the answer* for AI bots
3. Experiment with voice cloning for budget audiobooks
4. Explore Pinterest as a discovery tool
5. Stay current—these shifts are accelerating

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**🎁 Bonus for Patrons:**
Thomas hosts a monthly bonus Q\&A episode exclusively for patrons. Get your questions answered live!
👉 Support the show: https://authormedia.com