In this episode, Matt & Lauren debate the merits of using social media as a book marketing tool in 2026. Short answer? Yes, social still plays an important role! Long answer? Listen to learn about:

• Why social platforms should be used for discovery, not as the home base for your entire brand.
• How to show up with content that adds value and supports your long-term goals.
• Common mistakes that turn social media into a black hole time vortex.

Tune in now wherever you get your podcasts, or watch the video episode on YouTube!

Dive Deeper

💡 Explore These Resources

• Pew Research Center | Americans’ Social Media Use 2025
• Katie Brinkley’s Podcast Episode on Instagram | Apple | Spotify
• Adobe Express | Social Media Marketing Strategies: Complete 2025 Guide
• Deloitte Digital | 2025 State of Social Research

💡 Listen to These Episodes

• Ep #44 | How to Repurpose Your Book and Other Content for Social Media
• Ep #86 | Maximizing Your First Impression in the Attention Economy
• Ep #94 | Crafting a Content Strategy That Actually Works

💡 Read the Social Media 101 Series on the Lulu Blog

Sound Bites From This Episode

🎙️ [3:39] “Chasing virality is an exhausting and never ending tactic that in the end, for most authors, small publishers, even the larger publishers, is just not a winning tactic.”

🎙️ [29:58] “If you don't bring anything to the table, don't expect to eat.”

🎙️ [44:53] “That's the difference between building on rented land and building on owned land. You're using your social media as a content delivery platform to get people interested in your content that you're creating. And then they're coming to those content channels from social media.”

💀 Can’t wait for our next episode? Check out our Resources page for links to our blog, our YouTube channel, and more.
💀 Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at luludotcom!
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In December 2025, a sports romance series off Harlequin’s backlist, with modest sales and a niche fanbase, exploded into an overnight international sensation when the first two episodes of Heated Rivalry aired on Crave and HBO Max. New fans scrambled to get their hands on copies of the six-book series and were quickly disappointed by the realization that the titles were sold out everywhere.

What could Harlequin have done to meet the unexpected demand and avoid unknown losses in book sales? What can other publishers and authors do to capitalize on the moment? To start, they can listen to Lauren & Matt explore solutions for publishers and authors facing unexpected virality and demand that outpaces inventory supply.

Tune in now wherever you get your podcasts, or watch the video episode on YouTube!

Dive Deeper

📚 Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid

💡 Listen to These Episodes

• Ep #64 | Extend Your Books’ Shelf Life with Backlist Book Marketing
• Ep #68 | Maximizing Your Chances of Discoverability in Generative AI Search
• Ep #86 | Maximizing Your First Impression in the Attention Economy

💡 Read These Blog Posts

• Digital Printing for Traditional Publishers
• Print-on-Demand is the Perfect Solution for Selling Backlist Titles

Sound Bites From This Episode

🎙️ [6:06] “As I was watching this unfold in real time, the whole time I was thinking, God, this would be a perfect opportunity to implement a hybrid solution here where a traditional publisher could supplement their inventory with print-on-demand books.”

🎙️ [19:27] “When you dig into the traditional publishing world and you look at where their revenues come from, most, if not all of them make more money off their backlist than they do their front lists. And not having these systems in place to protect yourself, to future proof your inventory when virality hits or some sort of marketing surge happens…it's just wild to me that every publisher doesn't have this stopgap in place these days.”

🎙️ [42:32] “Just because one book went viral doesn't mean everyone is going to go viral, but it still means that you have opportunities to seize that moment too.”

💀 Can’t wait for our next episode? Check out our Resources page for links to our blog, our YouTube channel, and more.
💀 Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at luludotcom!
💀 Email us at podcast@lulu.com
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In this episode, Matt & Lauren explore four different ways publishers integrate AI tools to better support and streamline internal workflows. While we never advocate for using AI as a substitute for human creativity or editorial judgment, these tools can be a great way to help:

1. Clean up and optimize book metadata
2. Route and triage manuscript submissions
3. Track version changes and content updates
4. Track, plan, and modify production schedules

Listen now wherever you get your podcasts, or watch the video episode on YouTube!

Dive Deeper

💡 Learn More About

• IBPA | The Fast-Changing World of AI and Publishing
• Publishers Weekly | When It Comes to AI, Adapt or Else, Says Keith Riegert

💡 Listen to These Episodes

• Ep #59 | Mastering Book Metadata to Maximize Market Reach
• Ep #78 | How to Use Generative AI to Sell More Books
• Ep #100 | Looking Ahead at Publishing Trends for 2026

💡 Read These Blog Posts

• Think Outside the Bot: How AI Can Help Content Creators
• Genres, BISAC Subject Codes, and You
• What the Hell Is Metadata?
  
  

Sound Bites From This Episode

🎙️ [4:46] “The simple rule of thumb here is that AI can click, copy, sort, summarize. But humans should choose, shape, and approve.”

🎙️ [22:05] “I just think that any time you're dealing with multiple drafts of something and you're using an outdated tool and workflow and process, you're just bound for all kinds of heartache and trouble.”

🎙️ [45:34] “Use it as a tool to free up the creative people on your team, or yourself personally. So that you can devote more time to those creative pursuits, that creative work and the things that specifically need that human touch. Let it do the boring work so that you can do the fun stuff.”

💀 Can’t wait for our next episode? Check out our Resources page for links to our blog, our YouTube channel, and more.
💀 Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at luludotcom!
💀 Email us at podcast@lulu.com
💀 Sign up for our mailing list.