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The Wonders of Reading, Writing, and Marketing
Debut novel, call for readers, book & author lists, and marketing.
Table of Contents
Sales Career + Writing Career ≠ Biz Book
Four months into my insurance agency and after decades as an award-winning salesperson, Licensed To Sell (LTS), was to be a playful business book. Seeing what I saw, hearing what I heard, I was inspired to write referral business tips and humorous warnings of our daily ethical crossroads.
A friend in the restoration business encouraged me to publish and print the book in time for her to sell at a big insurance conference. I went for it! I wrote over 125K words of content for what I now call an Interchangeable Action Novel© (IAN©). And then I accepted an opportunity to uproot my agency and personal life to move back to my hometown and help my parents. That move halted my progress and proved to me that in many ways my life died.
So I changed everything- my personal life, my career, and the book.
Now my book manuscript sits in the editor’s hands, all 68K words or 238 pages of it. Do NOT gift this book to your sales manager! LTS is an adult fiction IAN© about an insurance agent acting like a secret agent. When I describe this book out loud, I throw a bunch of adjectives out there, but I’d rather hear how my beta and blurb readers describe it.
How are beta and blurb readers different?
A writer like me wants both beta and blurb readers for my debut novel for several different reasons. Both generate interest in the book.
Beta readers read the book with a specific lens or assignment requested from the author. Think of book influencers on social media who read and recommend books. Beta readers can also be experts in specific fields of interest that pertain to the book, who can verify or correct particulars. Beta readers offer feedback to the author, and review the book online, explaining they received an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in order to do so before the big launch date.
Blurb readers are published authors who read the book for the generous and kind favor to write a favorable blurb that the author can print on their cover. These blurbs add instant credibility and marketability to the book, which also serves as a little marketing real estate for the blurb reader. Blurbs also help the reader decide if the book is right for them. Blurbs comment on the writing style, author’s imagination, how the story itself may be similar or different to other books but with a different perspective or creative style, etc. Blurbs are marketing gold, for the book author and the prospective readers.
Want a free Advanced Reader Copy of my book before it launches?
The Fun of Marketing!
I confessed to my sister that I just wanted this book ready for the editor already so I could, “…get on with the fun of marketing!”
She groaned and said, “‘Fun’ and ‘marketing’ do not belong in the same sentence!” Am I crazy? This is what I’m looking forward to…
writing monthly-ish newsletters like this one
creating and sending pitches to blurb and beta readers
finally reviewing books online for authors I support and books I admire
working with Two Lips Creative to add animation to my e-book cover
writing the book cover copy, ideally with bodacious blurbs
fine-tuning the Acknowledgements pages
writing copy and scheduling social media posts for a few months
posting blog articles with relevant brand content for my website
pitching podcasters for interviews about my book
mapping a book tour as a fun excuse to visit friends around the nation
organizing a big book launch party at 100State
trying out a raffle incentive marketing tactic to increase awareness of the book and encourage multiple actions to help spread the word
networking, networking, networking
See? Fun!
Friends with Books - A Supportive Reading List 📚
Fortunately for me I have a lot of human friends who create human-generated books, plays, and blogs. Here are just a few for your reading pleasure:
Sara Alvarado and Dreaming In Spanish
A.C. Fowlkes and Transgender Inclusion
Chris Candor and The Weight of a Piano
Maggie Messitt and The Rainy Season
Susan Gloss and The Curiosities
Martha DeLancey and The Color By Number Diet
Martha DeLancey and The Numerology of Color
Dr. Gina Senarighi and Love More, Fight Less
Erika Nelson and Brave Love 365
Amber Swenor and Unleashed!
Jodi Gonzales and Drawn To Yoga
Annette Langlois Gruneth and Becoming Trans-Parent
Joseph M. Lopez and Gas Station Stories
Brooke Saucier and The Isle of Stuck Faces
Kevin Revolinski and Stealing Away: Stories
Patricia Skalka and her Dave Cubiak Mysteries
Valerie J. Clarizio and her Nick Spinelli mysteries
Anne Emerson’s Doodle Love
Anne Heyse and The Lighthouse is Ours
M.J. Reiners and Engineering an Epiphany
and follow Jeremy Owens and You’re Being Ridiculous
Indie books - My Small Press Reading List 📚 🤓
I might be in the minority here, but I’m not an Amazon fan. I used to own a women’s clothing boutique with folk art and hand-selected fair trade treasures. Watching the impact of Wal-Mart and Amazon on small business and communities continues to break my heart. Now, I hear many authors consider Amazon a necessary evil. There are other pathways to vote for your dollar and support your writers, and a healthier book industry. I created my reading list for 2024 to support small presses and talented writers. May this list resurrect hope and a desire to support equitable, craft-oriented, book-publishing:
I’m a Fan by Sheena Patel
dioramas by Blaire Austin
Kamikaze Lust by Lauren Sanders
Love Junkie by Robert Plunket
Other Minds and Others Stories by Bennett Sims
The Lost Language by Jennifer duBois
The Chinese Groove by Kathryn Ma
Dearborn by Gassan Zeineddine
Burning Rage of a Dying Planet by Craig Rossenbraugh
Cecilia by K-Ming Chang
Witches by Heather Cleary and Brenda Lozano
The Queen of Steeplechase Park by David Ciminello
The Bicyclist’s Guide to the Galaxy: A Feminist, Fantastical Tale of Books and Bikes
Cheap Therapist Says You’re Insane by Parker Young
Small tip to support your writers: buy books from the most original source, ideally the author’s website, publisher’s site, or in person. That financially supports the writer the most for their book.
Small disclaimer: An additional reason I want to purchase books from multiple independent publishers is because I wish to pitch future works to appropriate small presses. I will most likely publish this debut novel on Lulu. This particular piece is the book that breaks the seal for a series. After all these years and crazy metamorphosis, it’s time to let it go. Let it fly or flop. 🦋
Next project? Ghostwriting a book for an incredibly inspirational organization who strives to make every workplace a safe inclusive space for everyone. We’re excited!
Thank you for reading! I would love to hear about your favorite books, publishers, authors in any of my social media platforms.