Author Presence Audit — Diane Merrill Wigginton

The verdict

Author Presence Score

Brooks Craft scores ten areas that decide whether a romance reader finds, trusts and keeps reading a series. Each is rated from what is live today on Google, Amazon and the web.

out of 100

Diane Merrill Wigginton — Angelina's Secret

Critical gaps found

out of 100

Diana Gabaldon — Outlander

Category leader

Diane Merrill WiggintonDiana Gabaldon

Google Knowledge Panel

4 / 10

Google book visibility

2 / 10

Author website

6 / 8

Amazon author presence

6 / 10

A+ Content

0 / 10

Categories & rank

2 / 10

Reviews & ratings

3 / 10

Formats & series packaging

6 / 10

Wide distribution

4 / 9

Earned media & PR

5 / 9

Scores are Brooks Craft Publishing's assessment. Every figure on this page comes from live pages captured on November 7, 2026.

Part 1

Author branding: 1:1 comparison

Each pair was captured the same day, at the same size. Diane is on the left, Diana Gabaldon on the right.

Google search: the author's name

High gap

Diane has a Knowledge Panel, but it is built from Google Books and shows only photos, one line and three social links. Gabaldon's panel shows a Books carousel, a video interview, Instagram and a full biography from Wikipedia.

Diane Merrill Wigginton Google

Google results for Diane Merrill Wigginton

Knowledge Panel with photos and LinkedIn, Instagram and X links
No Books carousel — readers can't see her series from the panel
Her own website does not appear on page one; BookBub and eBooks.com rank first

Diana Gabaldon Google

Books carousel with the full Outlander series in order
Video interview and Instagram (6.5K+) inside the panel
Wikipedia overview: "best known for the book series Outlander"

Google search: the book title

Critical gap

Searching "Outlander" returns an AI Overview with the full series reading order, the official series page and Wikipedia. Searching "Angelina's Secret" returns retailer listings, one of which says the edition is "no longer available".

Angelina's Secret Google

No AI Overview, no book panel, no series order
A third-party store ranks above Amazon
An old Amazon listing shows "This edition is no longer available"

Outlander Google

AI Overview lists the series in reading order
Official "Outlander Series" page on her own site ranks first
Wikipedia article for the whole book series

Author website

Gap

Diane's website looks polished, with a script logo and 3D book mock-ups. But its hero is a stock photo of a reader, and it splits attention across romance, suspense and children's books. Gabaldon's site is built around one series and gives fans a reason to come back every week.

dianemerrillwigginton.com Website

Stock-photo hero instead of Diane or her covers
Three genres pitched at once; no single series focus
No newsletter sign-up, no reading-order page for the Jeweled Dagger series

dianagabaldon.com Website

News on the Starz series and a deluxe edition
Signed copies through her local bookstore
40+ "Daily Lines" excerpts that keep fans returning

Amazon author presence

Gap

Diane's Author Store is set up well, with 9 titles. But its "Most popular" slot shows a thriller, not her flagship romance series. A search for Gabaldon returns a wall of series books with Best Seller and Editors' Pick badges.

Diane Merrill Wigginton Author Store

Diane Merrill Wigginton Amazon Author Store

Photo, bio, Follow button and 9 titles
"Most popular" is The Magician Killer, a thriller
No badges; series books not grouped together

Diana Gabaldon Amazon

"Best Seller" and "Editors' pick" badges
Every result labelled "Book X of 9: Outlander"
Boxed set with 13.2K ratings

Part 2

Book presence on Amazon

Romance readers buy and binge series on Amazon. This is where the gap costs Diane the most.

Product listing, above the fold

High gap

Outlander opens with "#1 New York Times Bestseller", the Starz series and PBS's Great American Read. Angelina's Secret opens with atmosphere but no proof, and its Benjamin Franklin award appears nowhere in the description.

Angelina's Secret Listing

No award or review quote in the first lines
Filed under Books › Romance › Paranormal
No badge; a household-goods ad sits above the listing

Outlander Listing

"Best of #BookTok" badge
NYT bestseller, Starz and PBS proof in the first line
Kindle, Audiobook, Hardcover and Mass Market formats

A+ Content

Critical gap

Outlander's A+ section uses three illustrated quote cards and a comparison chart that sells six more products from the same page. Angelina's Secret runs its reviews together in one paragraph, and one review calls the 1760s story a "Victorian era novel".

Angelina's Secret Editorial reviews

No A+ Content
Kirkus, BlueInk and Forward quotes buried in one paragraph
Review calls it "Victorian era" — the book is set in the 18th century

Outlander From the Publisher

Quote cards: New York Daily News, San Francisco Chronicle
"The story that started it all" series banner
Chart sells the box set, companion, coloring book and graphic novel

Categories & Best Sellers Rank

Critical gap

Outlander wins by owning small, exact categories: it is #2 in Time Travel Romances. Angelina's Secret sits only in three of the biggest romance lists, where tens of thousands of books compete.

Angelina's Secret Product details

#72,756 Historical Romances
#96,997 Romantic Suspense · #107,800 Paranormal Romance
No niche category such as pirate, Georgian or gothic romance

Outlander Product details

#126,923 in Books (this edition alone)
#2 Time Travel Romances · #10 Historical Fantasy
#75 Historical British & Irish Literature

Amazon factor	Angelina's Secret	Outlander	Gap
Best category rank	#72,756	#2	Critical
Ratings	4.5★ · 56 ratings	4.6★ · 106,654 ratings	High
A+ Content	None	Quote cards + 6-product chart	Critical
Badge	None	Best of #BookTok	High
Series packaging	3 books, no box set	9 books, box sets, companion, coloring book, graphic novel	High
Formats	Kindle, paperback, audiobook	Kindle, audiobook, hardcover, paperback, mass market	Medium

Part 3

Where readers can find the series

Diane has done more than most indie authors here: every novel has an audiobook. The gaps are wide ebook retail and libraries, where Outlander is everywhere.

Platform	Jeweled Dagger series	Outlander series
Amazon Kindle + paperback	Yes	Yes, plus hardcover and mass market
Audible	Yes — narrated by Hetty Elliott	Yes
Box set	None	Several boxed sets
Barnes & Noble	Not confirmed	Yes
Kobo / Google Play	Not found	Yes
Libraries	Few catalogue records	Universal
Translations	Spanish edition of the children's book only	40+ languages
Signed copies	Not offered	Via her local bookstore

Part 4

Marketing presence

Diane has won more awards and given more interviews than most indie authors. The weakness is focus: her proof is spread across seven books in four genres, while Gabaldon has pointed everything at one series for 35 years.

Channel	Diane Merrill Wigginton	Diana Gabaldon
Bestseller lists	None	#1 New York Times across the series
Screen adaptation	None	Starz series since 2014, plus a prequel series
Awards	Benjamin Franklin Digital Award and many indie awards	Quill Award, RITA Award, PBS Great American Read top 10
Trade reviews	Kirkus, BlueInk, Forward Reviews	National press
Video & podcasts	YouTube interviews in her Knowledge Panel	Major interviews, behind-the-scenes series
Fan engagement	Blog not updated regularly	Weekly "Daily Lines" excerpts
Brand focus	Romance, suspense, thriller and children's at once	One series, one world

The Brooks Craft plan

How we close the gap in 90 days

Ordered by speed of impact: fix what Amazon and Google show today, then package the Jeweled Dagger series so readers binge all three books.

Weeks 1–3

Fix Amazon

New descriptions for books 1–3 with award and quote up top
Categories moved into Pirate, Georgian, Gothic and Historical Mystery niches
7 keywords per format; keyword-rich subtitles
Series A+ Content with award seal, quote cards and a 3-book chart
Editorial reviews cleaned up, "Victorian" error removed

Weeks 3–8

Build the brand

Knowledge Panel: add a Books carousel and website link
Google book entities for each Jeweled Dagger title
Website: Diane in the hero, series reading-order page, newsletter with a free prequel chapter
Jeweled Dagger 1–3 box set (ebook and audio)

Weeks 6–12

Grow readers

Review campaign to 150+ ratings on book 1
Amazon Ads aimed at Outlander and Bridgerton readers
BookBub featured deal for book 1
Instagram and BookTok content on pirates and 18th-century London

Live

A+ on all 3 series books

Top 100

in a niche romance category

150+

ratings on book 1

Launched

Jeweled Dagger box set

Added

Books carousel in Knowledge Panel

The Jeweled Dagger deserves Outlander-level readers.

Diane Merrill Wigginton

Diana Gabaldon

Author Presence Score