Featherstone 
Without the words, there’s nothing. It’s true, your craft, topic/genre, and your unique perspective will always matter more than any book marketing campaign.
But once your book is near ready, you’re proud of it, and you want to get it into the hands (and hearts) of readers, you need to think about production, publishing and promotion. And yes, when you change your focus from writing to marketing, it can be overwhelming. It can also overwhelm your value radar and potential financial returns.
But some authors out there are already years down this path – we want to know what’s new, we’re curious about what people are trying when it comes to book production, marketing and building an author brand. It’s kind of fun to know what’s out there, even if we never end up utilising the tools ourselves.
And that’s why it was so fun to interview Stuart Grant on behalf of the Self Publishing with ALLi podcast.
We talked all things augmented reality (AR) and you can listen to the ep via your fave app or on the Alliance of Independent Authors site.
So, what is Augmented Reality?
Basically, AR overlays digital content (like videos, audio, or animations) on real-world objects, and it’s usually activated by scanning a QR code or an image with your smartphone.
You’ve probably seen it in:
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Furniture apps like IKEA’s “View in Your Room”
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AR-enhanced newspapers or magazine covers
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Product packaging that “comes alive” with interactive content
For authors, this opens up some fascinating possibilities:
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📖 Animated book covers that flash, flicker, or even play sound
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📹 Bonus video content embedded inside a printed or digital book
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🎥 Personalised author greetings accessible via QR codes
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🎭 Character introductions that let readers “meet” your protagonists
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📢 Enhanced marketing materials—like posters, business cards or bookmarks that play trailers or narrate blurbs
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♿ Accessibility boosts, such as audio descriptions for visually impaired readers
I loved this interview and Stuart’s enthusiasm for the tech just bubbled over.
Want to hear how authors are using AR—and whether it might be right for your books?
👉 Listen to the full interview:
🎧 https://selfpublishingadvice.org/podcast-augmented-reality/
And if you have other q’s about writing, publishing and book marketing, if you’re in Australia, how about we catch up in person and you can ask all your q’s!
You can catch me here:
- Marketing for Writers workshop for the fabulous Byron Writers Festival on Wed 6th August 2025
- a full day Successful Self Publishing Workshop for Writing NSW on Saturday 11 October 2025
- or, 1:1 online book coaching and book marketing consults.
For a great first step – you can also borrow Look-It’s Your Book! FREE from your local library or get it direct from me or from your favourite retailer, it has plenty of info to save you time and $.
Stay up to date via my newsletter too (just a couple of times a year so you’re not further swamped!).
Happy writing and publishing – and catch up soon!