Reach, Creating the Biggest Possible Audience for Your Message, Book, or Cause, and Working with a Book Publicist

In this episode 310, we’re all about the publicity and marketing. With guest host Alyssa Pressler, we feature Becky Robinson’s book Reach, about expanding your audience, and learn tips for how to make the most of your relationship with your publicist. Plus of course we offer book recommendations, and more.

Today’s Featured Authors:

Becky Robinson Time Stamp: 17:06

In Reach: Create the Biggest Possible Audience for Your Message, Book, or Cause, Becky offers tons of practical advice for how authors can build their platforms. We discuss her tips for both fiction and non-fiction writers.

Hannah Larrew  Time Stamp 1:07:04

In her blog post performed on the podcast, Hannah speaks to how to work with a publicist.

Host Updates:

         Sarah: Aside from my writing, I’m enjoying some fall events, like a bluegrass festival in Hillsborough, and the NC State Fair.

         Landis: On October 25th, I’m speaking to Junior League Lunch and Learn and to a book club on Deadly Declarations, and on October 26th, I will be at Yonder Bar in Hillsborough for an event from 5:00 to 7:00 where they will have a signature drink to celebrate the book. Come join me if you are in the Hillsborough area, and if you would like me to come discuss Deadly Declarations or the history that inspired it, shoot me an email through our contact page.

         Alyssa: We’re prepping for our next Children’s Story Time at the bookstore on October 29, which will be with newly published children’s author Sydney Stern Miller. She just released her book “I Love You Enough To Love Me” in October and we’re so excited to support her new author journey! We’ll also be painting pumpkins afterward as a fun craft.

Book Recommendations: Time Stamp: 6:25

         Sarah recommends:

         Lessons by Ian McEwan

         Landis recommends: 

         The Bullet that Missed by Richard Osman

Mark West, Storied Charlotte Blog, recommends:

Bertha Maxwell-Roddey: A Modern-Day Race Woman and the Power of Black Leadership by Sonya Ramsey 

Alyssa Pressler, That’s Novel Books, recommends:

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

2-Minute Tip: Time Stamp: 1:01:14

Don’t miss Charlotte Lit co-founder and executive director Paul Reali’s tip about what writer’s block is–and isn’t–and how to solve for it.

Marketing Tips:

Hannah shares her how-to guide for working with a publicist, from which we get these tips: Time Stamp: 1:07:04

  • No matter how good your book is, no one will read it if they don’t know it exists! Hiring a publicist is an investment in getting your current and future books to an audience.
  • Working with a publicist is a partnership. The author still needs to be the public face of their book.
  • Building coverage for your work takes time.
  • Good marketing involves thinking outside the box–which is fun!

 In the spirit of our episode on marketing, Lynda Bouchard of Booking Authors Ink shares a marketing tip. 

Community Voices:

     Lynn Rosenburg shares an elevator pitch.

Takeaways:

         Often writers dread marketing their books: they just want to write. But good publicity and marketing are essential to sharing your story–and they can be approachable and enjoyable, too.

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