Francesca Finch, Book Discovery Strategist based in Scotland

10 Plus Years Book Discovery Work

About

Hi, I am Francesca Finch

I help indie authors get their books in front of readers who are already looking for them, through the unglamorous but high leverage work of Amazon metadata, categories, and keywords.

I have spent over a decade in the indie publishing space, working with authors across every genre imaginable. From cozy mystery to hard sci fi. From children chapter books to sweeping epic fantasies. From memoir to thriller to romantasy. I have seen what works. I have seen what does not. And I have watched brilliant books get buried because nobody taught their authors the technical side of discoverability.

This is the work I love. Taking a book that deserves to be found, and making sure it actually is.

My Story

Why I Do This Work

I did not set out to become a book marketing strategist. Like a lot of people in this industry, I fell into it, and then I could not leave.

Over ten years ago, I started helping a small handful of indie authors with the technical side of Amazon publishing. Nothing fancy. Just the things I had figured out through trial, error, and obsessive research. Categories that actually made sense for their books. Keywords that reflected how readers actually searched. Metadata that was not fighting against them.

The results genuinely surprised me. Books that had been sitting quietly for months started moving. Authors who thought they had failed started getting reviews from strangers, actual readers, not just friends and family. And I started to realise something important.

Most indie authors do not have a book problem. They have a visibility problem. And visibility problems have technical, solvable answers.

Since then, I have worked with authors across every genre I can think of. From picture books to military sci fi. From paranormal romance to literary fiction. From debut authors terrified of their launch day to established indies with twenty book backlists that had stopped selling entirely.

I have watched authors go from feeling invisible to feeling like they finally understand the platform they are publishing on. That is what keeps me here. Not the metadata itself, although I do genuinely love a well optimised keyword string. It is the moment when an author stops feeling powerless and starts feeling in control of their publishing business.

That is the moment I am always working toward.

By The Numbers

A Decade of Focused Work

The kind of experience you only get from spending years in the trenches with indie authors.

10+

Years in indie publishing

A full decade of continuous work with indie authors, watching the platform evolve through countless algorithm changes.

All

Major genres worked with

From cozy mystery to epic fantasy, romance to sci fi, children fiction to memoir. Every genre has its own playbook.

1 to 3

New clients per month

A deliberately small client list. Every author I work with gets my direct attention, not a template or a project manager.

Calls required

Everything happens asynchronously through email and documents. Your time and focus stay where they belong.

Background And Credentials

Experience You Can Actually Trust

Ten years of hands on work with indie authors, backed by formal education and a small trusted team of specialists who support delivery on larger projects.

Education And Training

BA in Marketing, from the University of Edinburgh.

Digital Advertising Certification, Amazon Ads Accredited Professional.

Formal training underpins the analytical, evidence based approach I bring to every client project. Every recommendation has a reason behind it. Every strategy is grounded in data, not gut feeling.

Practical Experience

10 plus years working directly with indie authors across all major genres.

Multi genre expertise, from children fiction to adult sci fi, romance to thriller, non fiction to memoir.

Deep knowledge of the entire indie publishing platform ecosystem. Amazon KDP. IngramSpark. Draft2Digital. Findaway Voices. ACX. Kobo Writing Life. Apple Books for Authors. All the tools you actually need.

My Small Team

I work with a small, trusted team of specialists who support delivery on larger projects. Design, copywriting, PR outreach, and technical implementation when scope requires it.

You will work primarily with me. My team supports execution only when the project genuinely needs it.

This is not an agency. It is a focused practice with support where it matters. You get direct access to me on every engagement, no exceptions.

Handshake symbolising honest partnership

The Finch Method

My Promise to Every Author

I do not promise sales. I do not promise reviews. I do not promise bestseller status.

Anyone who does is either lying to you or does not understand how publishing actually works. Probably both.

What I promise is strategy. The right strategy, built specifically for your book, your genre, and the current state of the market. Strategy grounded in a decade of hands on experience and continuous testing across every genre.

If your book Amazon data is set up correctly, categories, keywords, metadata, all of it, then sales become possible. Reviews become possible. Visibility becomes possible. But none of those things can happen if the foundation is broken.

My job is to build that foundation. What happens on top of it depends on your book, your genre, your readers, and a hundred other variables I cannot control. But without the foundation, nothing else works. And with it, everything becomes possible.

That is the deal. That is the whole promise. Everything else is honest work done properly.

What I Bring

Experience, Not Guesswork

Six things you can count on from every engagement, regardless of package size or scope.

10 Plus Years With Indie Authors

Working across every major genre, cozy mystery, thriller, romance, sci fi, fantasy, children fiction, non fiction, memoir, and beyond. I have seen what works and what does not across thousands of listings.

Results Oriented Approach

I do not guess. I test and track. Every recommendation is grounded in data and real world performance from actual books, not theoretical marketing advice from generic courses.

No Fluff, No Jargon

You will get clear, actionable guidance. If I use a technical term, I explain it. If something is not relevant to your book, I do not waste your time with it.

Analytical Mindset

My background gives me an evidence based approach. I look at data, competitors, patterns, not gut feelings. If I recommend something, there is a real reason behind it.

Deliberately Small Client List

I take one to three new clients per month. This is not a factory. Every author gets my direct attention, not a project manager, not a junior staffer, not a template.

Honest Communication

I will tell you what is working. I will tell you what is not. If your book has issues I cannot fix with metadata alone, I tell you that too. Honesty saves everyone time.

What Makes This Different

Technical Discoverability, Not Generic Marketing

A lot of book marketing advice is generic. Post on social media. Build a mailing list. Run some ads. Send more newsletters. That advice is not wrong, but it is not enough.

Most marketing advice skips over the boring, technical, high leverage work that actually determines whether readers can find your book at all. Metadata. Categories. Keywords. Backend Amazon setup. The invisible plumbing that either makes everything else work, or makes it all pointless.

I focus specifically on the technical, structural side of discoverability, the metadata, categories, keywords, and platform mechanics that determine whether readers can actually find your book in the first place.

That foundation is what makes everything else work. The launches. The ads. The promos. The social media. All of it.

Without it, you are marketing a book that Amazon algorithm cannot properly serve to readers. And no amount of clever social media posts will fix a listing that is set up wrong at the foundation.

Fix the foundation first. Then everything else you do starts working properly.

The Difference

Why My Process Works When Others Fall Short

Seven concrete differences between how I work and how most book marketers work.

I Start With The Technical Foundation

Most marketers start with social media strategy or ads. I start with the metadata layer. If your foundation is broken, nothing built on top of it works properly. That is why I refuse to skip this step, ever.

Every Strategy Is Genre Specific

Cozy mystery readers browse differently than epic fantasy readers. Romance readers search using tropes, sci fi readers search using sub genres. Your strategy has to reflect your genre reality, not generic best practices.

No Calls, Ever, Unless You Want One

Most agencies want to book you into a 45 minute discovery call, then another call to present the proposal, then check ins, then strategy calls. All of that time comes out of your writing time. I do everything through email and documents.

I Only Take 1 to 3 New Clients Per Month

This keeps my client list small enough that every author gets my direct attention. No project managers between us. No junior staffers doing the actual work. Just me, doing the work you paid for.

Custom Pricing For Every Indie Author

The packages listed on my services page are for authors who want a complete transformation. Most authors do not need that level of investment. I quote every project based on what you actually need, at prices that make sense for indie authors.

I Give You Your Data, Not Just A Result

Every audit, every strategy document, every keyword list comes to you as an editable file you keep forever. You are not locked into ongoing work to keep access to your own strategy.

I Tell You When You Do Not Need Me

If your book has issues that discoverability work cannot fix, I tell you. If your budget is better spent on editing or a new cover before marketing, I tell you. Honesty saves everyone time and money.

Where To Find Me

Get In Touch

Based in Scotland, UK. I work with indie authors worldwide, entirely asynchronously. Time zones do not matter when you do not do calls.

This website and my X (Twitter) account are my only official channels for this business. I do not use Facebook. I do not use Instagram for client work. I do not use LinkedIn for cold outreach. Anywhere else claiming to be me is not me.

Important Impersonation Notice

I do not have a Facebook page or profile for this business. I do not solicit clients through Facebook. I do not collect payments through Facebook. If someone contacts you claiming to represent Francesca Finch on Facebook, it is not me. Please verify through this website or my email before sending any payment or information to anyone claiming to represent me.

Direct Contact

Email hello@francescafinch.com

X (Twitter) @francesafinch

Location

Scotland, UK

Response Time

Within 2 business days

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