Searching for Books in 2026 Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) Neil S. Plakcy Dec 29   READ IN APP   GEO is the emerging strategy of writing content that AI systems can easily understand, pull from, and cite. It blends traditional SEO with: building brand authority creating structured, factual content strengthening topical expertise becoming the “source” AI tools rely on when answering questions This is also called “semantic search,” a combination for AI, natural language processing, and deep learning. For authors who want visibility, it’s a long game, but I believe it’s going to matter. If a reader asks an AI to recommend a cozy mystery with dogs, Japanese healing fiction with an American setting, or fun gay romance and adventure novels, I want my books to pop up right away. To accomplish this, AI tools have to be able to find lots of verifiable information about me and my books online. Not just social media profiles like Facebook and LinkedIn, but my Wikipedia entry, my blog posts, and information about my appearances and lectures. This is going to be a focus for me in 2026. I’m already scheduled to talk about how authors can make their books more available to long-tail search queries. Let’s say you want to buy a book for your mom. You know that she likes cozy mysteries and she loves her golden retriever. On Amazon you might type “dogs” and “Cozy mystery” into the search bar. You’ll get a lot of ads at first, and many of them might not be appropriate. By the way, Food of the Dogs is on sale for 99 cents at Amazon, and featured here: Cozy Winter Mysteries But you can provide much more information to an AI like Claude, Chat or Gemini. “I want to buy an ebook for my friend’s birthday, one that has an audio book as well so she can go back and forth. She loves cozy mysteries, but doesn’t like ones that are centered around food, because that makes her too hungry. She loves dogs, coffee shops, and small towns. No romance, please. She thinks it’s silly when the amateur sleuth falls in love with the cop.” Chat provided three books, and also recommended two series. Top pick: 1. Dog Detective: A Bulldog on the Case (Rosie Sams) Why she’ll like it: Small-village mystery with a talking French bulldog sidekick and cozy village feel — fun and light without a major romance focus. Audible.com Usually available both as ebook and audiobook (often via Audible or Kindle/Audible Whispersync). Audible.com Short enough for a single gift and the potential to continue with more in the series if she likes it. Claude showed its search process: I’ll search for some cozy mystery options that fit your mom’s preferences perfectly! Let me search for more specific series that match your mom's preferences - with dogs, coffee shops, and small towns, but no romance and no food focus. Now let me search specifically for some series that have been mentioned with both ebook and audiobook formats available: Claude came up with two top choices. The first was: Paws & Claws Mystery Series by Krista Davis  Top Pick! This series checks ALL your friend’s boxes: Setting: Wagtail, Virginia - a charming pet-friendly small town Dogs: Holly’s Jack Russell Terrier named Trixie is a main character who helps solve mysteries, plus her grandmother’s calico cat Twinkletoes No food focus: While the Sugar Maple Inn serves guests, the mysteries don’t revolve around cooking or recipes No romance: Holly isn’t paired with a cop. Focus is on the mysteries and the town 10 books available in both ebook and audiobook format The first book is Murder, She Barked and the series just released its 10th book (The Wagtail Murder Club) in 2025. Readers consistently praise the wonderful small-town setting and lovable animal characters. How did it come up with these? By checking many, many sources, including author websites, Goodreads lists and ratings, publisher websites, fan sites, Audible, Overdrive, and other retailers. (By copying its search process and pasting it into a Word docx, I was able to see where it went, but it hid that from the main results box.) As I continue to prepare my presentation, I’ll share more of this information in 2026. May the new year bring you all you wish for! With love and gratitude, Neil