When we signed our contracts with SH, we all became business partners in a sense. If we as authors do good, Sheaf House does good. If Sheaf House succeeds so do we.

I’m surprised by a great divide in my world lately. Oh, I’ve always known there was a big difference between believers and those who don’t. However, this one isn’t in our favor.

At a secular conference earlier this year, I watched people (who made it very clear they don’t believe at all like you and I do) give away thousands of dollars in business to each other with no thought of gain for themselves. Their generosity stunned me. They couldn’t give enough and at the end we still thinking of ways they could do more for each other. Really – their giving was of staggering proportions.

I also had the opportunity to hang out with some Christian writers, speakers, and business women. When I asked if they’d consider a joint venture with me to market us both, only two got excited and said yes (I met one at a secular event!). The others said no in various ways – none of them supportive.

Since then, I’ve watched these believing women losing ground in their professional efforts. Comparison has taken the place of compassion; greed has replaced generosity; cruelty overrides kindness; desperation edges out delighting in each other.

If it weren’t so sad, it might be comical. When we don’t work together, for each other’s good, there is a danger we will become competitors instead of team members. They gossip, back stab, and do all they can to prove they are better than the rest of us – all in the name of Jesus. I’m crying as I type this – it’s been a heartbreaking journey. What Christian wants to admit she enjoys the company of her non-believing business relationships to those with believers? Talk about painful.

Aren’t we in competition for readers? No.

As a reader I enjoy the writing of many different authors. So do your readers. Most authors release one book a year (there are exceptions, but go with me here) and I read over 100 novels per year. Do the math with me. That means I read about 100 authors – unless I find a new series and buy the whole set so I can settle in for while with one. (I did this recently with our John Robinson’s series and I am so glad I did.) Even if my author number is 50, plus the many non-fiction authors I enjoy that’s a lot of authors. Your readers are the same. Their reading interests vary and they read more than one or two authors in their favorite genres. I read our very own Alice as well as other cozy mystery writers – oh Alice I just had a fun idea – I think I’ll send Ann B. Ross your books and ask her NOT to endorse them, but to read and enjoy them. J I think the author of the Miss Julia books might enjoy Glory!

Isn’t competition healthy for business? Sure. However, I believe more in the power of business partnerships that complete and compliment (not as in flattery) each other.

So, how can we authors help SH?

First of all, is there a SH author you can team up with and market together? Book marks can be printed on both sides – one side for each author. If you share the expense and each take half, you both get a lot of mileage out of the investment. It’s the same with postcards – if you order the extra large ones, there is room for two book covers on one side and ordering information for both on the back. Both of your mailing lists grow without you sharing a single address when each of you sends the postcards to your readers.

Sometime in January, we will be adding a marketing tool box to our website – a place you can go and print off sell-sheets and other pdfs to distribute. You can also design your own together. Get creative and send me your ideas.

Do you live near enough each other to have a book signing together now and then? What if at the signing you leave the table to talk to the staff and even customers and you give out book marks with both your books on them? Or for example, if Joan and I did this and we had decided to have individual book marks – what if I took hers around the store and she took mine? It’s so easy to say, “I enjoyed reading this book and you might too.”

~We advertise to the local librarians with a newsletter and a print sell-sheet. I think it would be great if you contacted your local libraries and let them know you enjoyed reading whatever book you read and encourage them to consider ordering it – let them know you believe their readers would as well and let them know why.

~We also send marketing information to Christian book stores and Barnes & Noble all over the country. CBD is also carrying our books. If you decide to purchase each other’s books as gifts, you can benefit us all by ordering from these retailers.

~Book reviews are becoming a bit more tricky with the government attempting to control the process. (Ask our Peg about this – she wrote about it on her blog recently) Reviewing each other can be stressful and some might not take us seriously since we are all published by SH. When Joan and I review our own books it might seem a little bit selfish – of course we’re going to love the books we publish right? Negative reviews would hurt. So, what if instead of reviews, we attempt something different with our blogs? The possibilities are many. We can write about what we loved about the book and not call it a review – it’s just a blog entry. We can interview each other, invite each other to be guest bloggers, and do joint ventures together on our blogs – for example we could hold contests together – your book is free on my site at the same time mine is free at yours. We can comment on each other’s blogs – often, link to each other, and send our friends over.

I review books on my blog. I have a rule – I only review books I love. Yes, I know, this will get me nowhere in the professional reviewing category, but that’s not my goal. I write about books as a reader and a writer. If there are flaws in the books, I let others point them out.

I read a lot of reviews out of curiosity and I’ve noticed something very interesting: some reviewers are excellent while others intentionally keep a negative comment or two embedded in their reviews of new authors. However, they rarely say anything negative about the far more famous who they are hoping will notice them and give them a nod. Really. Cracks me up. I won’t list the bloggers here, but before you ask someone to review you, study their blog and look for patterns. What makes them credible? If they aren’t published (an in my opinion, self-published DOES count) do they really have the expertise to critic you or offer you advice in their reviews? They can – just be sure you know ahead of time. Collecting reviews for the sake of reviews isn’t always best.

I realize the big blog tours where a “form” review is offered to all the bloggers who add a brief comment of their own are one way to get the word out. I’ve resisted them due to the cost. There are a few hundred on one of the lists and I simply can’t afford to send that many of my books out there. Besides, do we want “form” reviews or personal reviews? Yes, I know the viral thing works – I’m all for it. However, if you read the viral thing closely (I’m talking Seth Godin again) the best sneezers aren’t part of a “pack” – they are willing to step out on behalf of you to their part of the world in ways that fit them individually.

When one of us is having a blog tour, we can take the time to read the reviews. If you agree, or disagree, leave a comment. Peg did this for me. When we put out YouTube videos – leave a comment out there.

What if we combined our favorite bloggers into a list and shared it? Yes, you worked hard to get them to trust you and read your books – I know. I did with mine too, but let’s consider sharing them anyway and see what happens. Anyone game? I’ll put the list in our marketing toolbox so we’ll all benefit.

~See if your local newspaper has a book review column – these are sometimes part of their online publication. I just talked to our local paper – they are excited by this stat – they are received physically by 25,000 homes and many more thousand online and only 3% of these people are crossover readers. So, if they provide reviews both places – this is huge for authors. If your paper does publish book reviews, see if you can submit yours. You don’t get paid for this, but it’s We-Marketing. J 

~See if they are interested in a local author gets published story. My paper gave me 2/3s of the page a few years ago. I’m going to hit them up again for Under His Wings. Most papers want personal success stories about local people. Let them know about your success more than once. Then, let them know why you went with Sheaf House.

They don’t’ usually care about the book – this is most often an interview about being published.

Facebook, Twitter, and blog about each other. We’re a team.

~Alice has done something very creative and I’m just so proud of her! She has book signings at her local Hy-Vee stores. So – John and Rod – what if you approached your local hardware stores (hang in here with me before you laugh yourself silly!) with the idea that you’d like to have a book signing there. Since the majority of your readers are going to be women, ask the hardware store guys to have a “Ladies Day Out.” They could put together a tool box for women with the main tools they’d need, offer discounts, and even have demonstrations on how to use certain tools. They could have goodies, (chocolate is good) and a drawing for a free bouquet of flowers. They’d do the advertising, you’d invite your female family and friends( and ask them to invite theirs), and you’d show up with your books and pen. I’m making a list of places nearby that sell bird seed – I’m going to approach them about all about book events. Tucked inside each book will be a brochure printed up by me listing all your books. I’m also going to buy a big bag of their best bird food and put it in tiny plastic bags and give them away at my table. I’m pretty sure the store and I will both benefit from that. The nursing home next door to my office is also a possible place I’ll visit – I’d love to be able to bring them birdfeeders, a year’s worth of bird seed, and a few free copies of UHW. I’m going to ask for donations for the feeders and seed. Oh and of course next week, a local dress shop here will be giving away copies of all our current and past releases. J  I talked to the ladies again today – they are so excited. We will gain readers from this event although right now, it’s all investment on our part.

Any other ideas? We’d all love to hear them!

What if you don’t usually enjoy the genre of our other authors? These was a time I didn’t think I liked Chinese food – it looked funny and my family didn’t eat it. My future in-laws all loved it and I went along to celebrate our engagement with them determined to eat off the “American” side of the menu. I peeked over the menu and looked around the restaurant. They were standing in line down the street! (the wait used to be over an hour – they have a much larger place now) People were really enjoying the food and my future family was talking about their favorites – they could hardly wait to eat. Before I knew it I was ordering an egg roll and chow mein. That was over 32 years ago and the beginning of my love for the Chinese side of the menu.

I think I’m going to call Jon right now and see if we can to Wong’s for supper. He said yes.

With the issue of supper settled, I have one more suggestion – if you don’t want to read a certain genre of our books, why not ask your spouse, adult children, or friends to read them and give you their thoughts? Interview them on your blog.

While it isn’t all about me or you – it can sometimes be about us. On my own, I have a few hundred loyal fiction readers. Together, we have thousands of readers. Which do you prefer – desperately marketing yourself or this thing I call We-Marketing?

What if the best marketing plan involves marketing more than your book?

I cannot tell you how much fun it is to tell other people about your books. You might think it’s because it’s my job or that because I love it, it’s natural for me.

I’m going to be honest with you: It’s neither!

I took on marketing all of you because I CAME to love it and that’s why I volunteered to take on the marketing work at Sheaf House.

Like most of you, I read a lot. (Rough figures: over 100 novels a year and around 100 non-fiction books as well) Book cover art, blurbs, and the writing all teach me something about marketing. Together, the author, editor,  publisher, designers, and marketing team did something right enough that I bought the book and read it. What they did, worked.

Then, I join their word-of-mouth team. I talk about their books, sometimes blog about them, and often buy copies for people I believe will enjoy them.

What stands out about this truth is this: I’m a co-owner in Sheaf House Publishing and sometimes I work for the competition. So does Joan and some of you as well. We enjoy the work of authors published by other houses and we’re not afraid to let anyone in our sphere of influence know it! We also spend our hard earned dollars to read our favorites  again sometimes published by another house.

Seth Godin calls this “viral marketing” and people like you and I are “sneezers.”

As I’ve sat in business meetings and listened to hugely successful people, I realized there is a common denominator with their marketing plans. While they marketed their own products and services, they also chose to be part of “joint ventures” where they marketed others. They are generous in their endorsement of each other. They rave about each other’s products and find ways to connect with people who will benefit from them both.

They share in the costs and the profits  . . . and they profits are as they put it “huge.” As I listen I hear them define the profit in these ventures in ways not always heard of in business. They are mentioned in this order:

→Personal growth (they talk about the satisfaction of working with someone else instead of competing)

→Spiritual growth (as defined by them)

→Relationship growth (with the person they’ve chosen to work with and with clients or in our case it would be readers)

→Financial  (the cha-ching factor!)

Honestly, they stand there with tears in their eyes celebrating the privilege of marketing someone else!

I asked one of these men recently, “So, it seems marketing to you is as much an attitude of service as much as it is a way to make money.” He replied, “Yes!” We were interrupted at that point, but we’d said all we needed to.

So, how does this apply to Sheaf House?

We are a team. When Joan and I spent those hours at her kitchen table, we realized what we have right now is special and we do not want to lose it! We are working with people whose work we believe in and people we either already know well enough to like or people we are looking forward to knowing better. Joan describes it best when she says we are more than an organization – we’re a living organism.

This means we have the potential to do something bigger together. I call it “We-Marketing.”

After praying and talking to Joan, here is my personal plan to participate in We-Marketing: (this is not bragging – I simply believe you need to know what I’m up to – hang on for some brain-storming at the end . . .)

I’m going to purchase 100 of your books and open a bookstore at every speaking event I have. (that’s 100 each) I will sell you and me wherever I speak.  I’ll have to do this slowly – even with the discount, it’s going to take me awhile to do this. I’m also going to give your books away at every event – I’m already doing this and the women LOVE it! It actually drives them to the book table! I’ll make some of my investment back and intend (at least at first) to re-invest this back into SH/JP/NRP.

Professionally, I’ll still market you in all the ways Joan and I have set into place.

I realize you can’t all afford to do this and even if you can, this might not be the plan for you.

So – how can we as authors join together in some We-Marketing?

First of all: we can read each other’s books before we read anyone else’s. This is not a requirement although I think because we’re still small, it can be done. If you’d like, we can email you the pdfs so you can read them and brain storm before they are released on how you can become “a sneezer” for each other.

Secondly, most of us buy gifts for others throughout the year and sometimes we buy books. Why not consider how we can give each other’s books to those we love? Maybe you could put a post-it note in the book and while you’re reading it, if a name comes up, write it down.

Joan has a fantastic Christmas book on the market. There is a modern day Christmas miracle that involves a WW2 vet and a son who doesn’t come home from Vietnam, but his grandson does. Who do you know who would benefit from reading this book? I know Joan will sell you a signed copy for anyone on your Christmas list.

Know someone who likes cozy mysteries? Alice’s books would make great birthday presents – or how about mother’s day?

Do you have any 19 + readers in your life? Think Michelle Sutton.

Any history buffs? There’s Joan’s Wind of the Spirit – what makes this series unique? It’s set in the time of the Revolutionary War. To my knowledge, there is not another series on the market like it. Know a history teacher where your kids attend or one in your congregation?

Are you pro-life? Rain Dance deals with that honestly and graciously. Michelle’s current release, It’s Not About Him, does as well. Know any other pro-life folks? Let them know about these books.

One of my favorite reads is Kathi Macias’ My Son, John. I’m praying earnestly this will be picked up by someone and adapted into a movie or play. What do you believe about the death penalty? Would you believe the same way if your son waited on death row and how in the world do you deal with a son who murdered your mother?

Soon we will release Jen’s, The Heart’s Journey Home. After our Ted DeKker blog discussion – well, just let me say that while Jen writes good clean romance, it’s real, complicated, and full of surprises. There are women in all our lives who love to read romance – why not give them a romance novel worth reading?

I can go on and on about our authors. I meant what I said to Joe Bonsall the day I met him in Nashville. “I’m a fan of all our authors.” I am. While you can’t take that statement to the bank, you can take it to heart.

I’ll end this with this challenge:

When you market me and I market you, We-Market and it makes a difference to all of us. So, what SH author can you partner with soon to impact your personal, spiritual, relationship, and financial growth?

No matter how I tried not to see it this truth kept pestering me: authoring and marketing go together.

I didn’t just need a new attitude, I needed a new mindset.

Here are a couple examples of how my thinking changed:

Give-aways matter to future sales  . . .

• A friend took one of my books to work with her and started letting her co-workers read it. She asked only that anyone who read it sign their name on the inside of the cover – if they liked it. When the book came back to her, over 25 women had read that single copy. 100% of them told her the story had touched them. I wept tears of thanksgiving as realized, if those women saw my name on another cover, they would at least pick it up and take a look. They were all potential future buyers. (it also confirmed that the number we read are sales figures – most books have more than one reader so those statistics while unknown are higher)
• A friend emailed me and said she’d seen my novel at a garage sale – right next to her book! We were in excellent company as that reader sold our books along with far more famous authors she had enjoyed. I saw her selling that book (she paid $15 for it and sold it for 50 cents) not as her trying to profit from re-selling the book but rather as her stamp of approval on it. She’d pass it on to the next reader for a few cents rather than throw it away the way she would a book that disgusted her. She might be a repeat reader and the person who picked it up at the rummage sale a future reader.
• After speaking to the women’s Bible study groups in my church, a woman came up to me and told me what a privilege it was to meet one of her favorite authors. She is a missionary who lives in a Zimbabwe and was home on furlough. Someone from our church had sent her church library a box of books. My books were among the many sent. Dozens of women in her country had read the books and they were tattered and repaired. I sent her home with a new copies. This was not a marketing moment – to me it bordered on the miraculous. I have readers in a land I will most likely never visit. She told me that while I live here, I am a missionary in her land. For me, this is “making it.”

 My new mind-set helped me see author marketing is in the long run, a benefit to me. Yes, spending my time and money on marketing is in my best interest. What made me sick in the past now inspire me. Instead of nausea, I felt butterflies of anticipation.

• Marketing myself improves my relationships with some of my readers and a few book sellers. These relationships often develop into friendships. They are also part of a great marketing tool – word of mouth. Publishing house reps don’t always have time to read the books they represent. I know my books, their potential audience, and no one has the same desire I do to see my books sell. I can let that enthusiasm escape in every marketing endeavor. When shared without expectation or demand, (signs of a desperate author) the excitement can be contagious even if they don’t like your book.  An author can build relationships that turn book sellers into selling champions.
• When most of the marketing is my responsibility, I stay current with reader and book selling trends. While this rarely determines what I write, it always impacts how I market.
• Self-marketing ignites a tiny entrepreneurial flame inside me. I used to think creative personalities were not capable of selling and I wasn’t as long as I thought I had to let someone else determine my purpose and my path. I’ve learned what motivates me: readers. My sales spirit is charged and recharged by relational marketing.
• Marketing knowledge and being the one accountable doesn’t guarantee me huge sales. In fact, readers can be fickle and book sellers focused only on the famous. While I am in charge of marketing, I am not in control of sales. This infuses me with gratitude for the readers I have and the booksellers already on my side. It also encourages balanced expectations on my part. I can try to squeeze myself into a marketing plan does not fit and become unhappy and desperate for sales. Or I can experience progress blended with peace when I write a plan that I can work. This is how I develop a readership that waits for my next book and book sellers willing to make room for my books on their shelves.

Author marketing is part of this incredible writing journey we are privileged to live.

Yes, it’s work – part of our job description.

How we approach it and act on it is up to us.

It can be a chore or the way we reach readers and eventually impact our world.

Where did fear factor into my old marketing mindset? Front and center. I was coaxed into avoiding marketing by my internal voice reminding me of my inexperience and ignorance. A quiet thought flittered by and I caught it and hit the replay button. The thought was: Everything you need to garner readers and gain sales can be learned and put into action.

I was very disturbed when my reasons were exposed as excuses.

There’s no getting around it – getting the word out about my books scared me. What if I did all the right things in all the right ways and still nothing happened? Wouldn’t that signal failure? Or worse yet – that I wasn’t living in God’s will? Worry comes so natural for me.

I was glad to move out of the passive mode but, was surprised to hear the siren song of the aggressive marketeer calling my name. Thankfully, I tried it out in front of my mirror and on paper and realized aggressive on me was ridiculous. I ended up laughing so hard my sides ached. I could continue to cling to fear or I could choose courage.

I decided to watch someone in my life who was very successful in sales. I took notes on how he did it and was relieved when I learned how powerful authentic enthusiasm is. I noticed how what I once took for self confidence was in reality, God confidence and a certainty in his God-given talents. He was also sure of the product he sold and enjoyed serving his clients as much as he did selling to them. I observed this man up close and personal – I’m married to him. He often out sold the other insurance agents in his district without pushing and although we had lean times in the beginning, he never sold anyone anything out of desperation.

Jon taught me that true marketing is neither aggressive nor passive. It is a balance of knowledge and understanding. You must know the principles that work and understand how you can employ them in ways that are authentic and realistic. Being true to yourself will translate into a marketing plan you can implement and build trust with your readers.

So fellow authors – how can you reach your readers in ways that are uniquely you while using tried and tested marketing principles? This blend will be your blueprint for success.

As we walk through these marketing matters together, I hope you’ll share your marketing ideas and what makes them work for you.

More soon!

Believing . . .

Joy

Let’s take a closer look at the word.

Pro as a prefix (according to Webster) means: for, to champion or support.

Motion of course is an action word meaning to move ahead.

Webster defines the combination this way: promotion = the act of furthering the growth or development of something ; especially : the furtherance of the acceptance and sale of merchandise through advertising, publicity, or discounting

According to my new understanding and my participation in marketing as a Christian and an author it means: Promotion = positive actions on my part to draw readers to my writing and maybe to faith.

So, in the long run, while promotion involves me, it’s all about the books and the readers.

I resisted this truth for a long time and nearly missed this vital ingredient to successful authorship:

No sales =  no readers.

No readers = no opportunity to share my faith in the way I’m best at communicating.

I realized marketing is a choice followed by action. Doing nothing means no sales. I cannot tell you how scared I was.

I’d had the value of humility and meekness drilled into my head until the thought of marketing seemed like sin. Wanting sales and readers seemed both vain and greedy.  In all my soul searching I discovered something amiss in my faith. I wasn’t worried about what God thought about me having readers and a few bucks in my bank account – I was in a spiritual tizzy about what other Christians would think!

Once I took care of this with the Father, I took another look at the whole process.

Marketing the books I’ve been given to write is me, being like one of the servants in the parable – I’m taking what the Master left me and multiplying His investment in ways that reflect Him to readers.

This fact removes all scheming and scamming sometimes involved in marketing and replaces them with a humble satisfaction.

When I held my newly published book in my hands and dreamed of God using it to work His will out in the hearts of readers I was certain since we (God, the publisher, and I) had built it, readers would come. Booksellers all over the nation would see the potential for them at the cash register and stock their shelves accordingly. This was not arrogance on my part but it was ignorance.

Days after the release I called the publisher (NOT Sheaf House!) and asked what marketing they were doing and how I could help them. Their answers were brief: none and nothing. The book would either sell or it wouldn’t.  

I knew reaching readers was in a large part up to me. With no training, but fuelled with a new determination, I set out – alone, afraid, and at times desperate to do all the right things in all the right ways, I stumbled and stammered my way into the unknown.

Insecurities I didn’t know I had rose to taunt me. I was sure my limited financial means, lack of famous or influential connections, and absence of polish would be the end of me.

I tried to mirror other people’s success and revealed my amateur status. I’m not sure why I believed it would work – I can’t act to save my life! I’m a simple woman – at my best being me.

My marketing apprenticeship had barely started and I was certain I was done for. I wanted to quit. I looked at that little book again and conviction nudged fear out of first place. I stepped out of my comfort zone and onto the marketing path. It was rocky and full of dead ends. I got tired and discouraged. I still wanted to quit. I chose not to.

What kept me going? The vision I had of readers with that book in their hands. People I wanted to encourage and share my faith with. I longed to hear their chuckles or even see their tears. Those things happened after I adopted a new mind-set.

Reality taught me a mind changing lesson: marketing is a way of thinking.

In the process, each dead end became an opportunity to turn around. Boulders in the path were places to climb high and look ahead. Detours were no longer hassles – instead, these were times I met new contacts. Getting lost led me to ask for directions. I followed them creatively and discovered ways to market my book that was authentically me. (I chose the scenic route every time!) Speed limit signs started to reveal a rhythm that matched the one beating in my heart. Stop signs were where I could catch my breath. I stopped at Rail Road crossings to watch and celebrate other authors on a much faster track.

Every problem became a possibility.

I’m a positive thinker most of the time. The above truth didn’t come out of my sanguine personality. I skinned the knees of my heart more than once. I blew it more times than I care to mention. I cried – hard. Many days I was certain that if marketing was part of publishing I’d be better off doing something else.

I didn’t just resist this thought – I resented it. I wrote it down in my journal then I argued against it and shook my fists at it. Literally. In an attempt to disprove it, I also wrote down a problem I was facing. Following what is commonly called in sales the Ben Franklin close, I wrote down all the negatives I was facing then all the positives. Every single con had a pro. Then, the pro side of the page continued to the next page. The cons did not.

No longer angry at the truth, I accepted it.

I will post part two of this entry tomorrow. For now, let the truth that honest promotion is not a sin settle in. If this is not your struggle, lift whatever is to the throne of grace. Let Him remove your fear with a greater faith. Yes, God cares about marketing. When it’s done with creativity, integrity, and a desire to touch readers for Him, He is honored.

Let me close with this question: Besides the Lord, who better to champion your books than you?

Believing in Him and each of you,

Joy

As a fellow author, I’d like to break this to you gently, but there’s really no way to do that so let’s jump right into two main marketing facts:

It’s up to you and . . . you are the best marketing manager your books can have.

Even before the present economic setbacks, publishing houses expected their authors to do most of the marketing. This makes good business sense although it stretches the creative spirit of authors. We’d rather be in our writing nooks working on our next project instead of out there promoting sales.

I remember sitting in a room at the Florida Christian Writer’s Conference listening to Steve Laube and when he said, “The lion’s share of marketing is up to the author,” I nearly fell out of my chair. I still have my notes and my handwriting got a little shaky at that moment.

Up to me? I wanted to cry. I’d tried selling Mary Kay, Tupperware, and numerous other party products and failed miserably. I was certain I could not market my books. The thought made me nauseous and sweat broke out on my quivering upper lip. I thought if it made me sick, I could skip it.

Fellow authors, it’s been a journey!

I’ve said this myself and often hear writers say, “Marketing is not one of my gifts or talents.” My response is this: marketing is a skill. It can and must be learned and then sharpened in order for writers to have readers. It’s also true that readers are less resistant to marketing when there is author involvement.

As I write this blog entry, I’m praying it will inspire you to develop marketing strategies that work for you as a person. If you and I are willing to learn the practical principles of marketing and then take the time to personalize them, we will not only increase sales, we will find getting the word out about our work is satisfying and in some cases…fun.

The marketing blue print I’m most likely to implement is the one that reflects my goals and dreams; the one that uses my strengths and abilities in ways that compliment my personality instead of compromising it. This plan will not endanger my spiritual or moral standards and instead those values will be the bed rock I establish my plan on.

Developing a plan that works for you means taking the time to decide on a plan you can work. We’ll all be doing similar things: building mailing lists, sending postcards, participating in blog tours, book events, and connecting with readers. However, we need to do these things in ways that are reasonable for each of us. Otherwise, we’ll give up before we get started.

Your plan might look like an outline or could be a far more detailed document. Don’t get too wrapped up in how it looks as much as if it works.

I’m a big fan of index cards. Each card has one marketing goal on it and a brief list of how I’m going to accomplish that goal for that project. Sometimes I include a completion date (some call them deadlines but that sounds so – dead!). I also use post-it notes in my datebook to list my marketing goals for the day or project for the week.  My index card or cards are on my desk ready for me to check off my accomplishments. (I also love to color code my projects so each one is on different colored but matching index cards, post-it notes and in the same colored file folders. Eventually, the process becomes like breathing.

Each project deserves a new set of cards even if the plan will be similar. I always come up with different ideas when I write out a new set of cards. These are my personal brainstorming tools.

This is a fascinating truth: once you tune your mind into marketing, it’s like the static around you clears. You will hear things you might have otherwise missed – opportunities will come up and you’ll be able to fit them into your plan. Even after your book has been on the market for months, you will find marketing possibilities cropping up – things you’ll find fit your project and personality. Those that don’t you will naturally discard. I don’t think this is mysterious or new age kind of thing – I think it’s simply called awareness.

I’ve found after seeing 5 of my books in print and being largely responsible for sales, I have a rhythm – the things I find effective, come more naturally with time. I tweak each step so it is in unity with the project and my process.

It’s vital for each of us to value the importance of marketing and take responsibility for getting our books into the hands of readers whenever we can.

As I close this entry, I can’t escape the best example of all – the Bible. It was written to change the world – one reader at a time. I’m not asking you to out sell the Word of God – it’s still the number one bestseller year after year. I am saying I believe if we do what works in ways that work for us our stories will make a difference.

Authors, it really is up to us to touch the hearts of readers – one at a time. It’s our job.

It’s the same with authors and marketing plans. We’re not the same and attempting to force us all into the same marketing mold defeats us on a personal and professional level.

I’m an author, speaker, VP of Marketing and Promotions at Sheaf House, and an author coach. In these areas, I’m my own marketing manager. I didn’t start out enjoying this part of the process and preferred to ignore it. The thing is, I wanted readers, listeners, and coaching clients. Somehow I had to get my work in their line of vision.

I’m not the biggest selling author you’ll ever meet. I don’t draw crowds like far more famous speakers. I don’t have client list with names you’d recognize.

So why trust me to lead you in marketing?

I used to dread marketing. I believed it conflicted with my more dominant creative side. To learn more, I purchased dozens of books and plans. I found myself overwhelmed by methods that worked for others. I bought their promises with my hard earned writing money and spent writing time trying to get my plan right. I compiled impressive game plans – all designed by someone else for someone else.

Until I started talking to other authors I thought I was the only person who had files full of impressive plans and no energy left to work them. Every plan fizzled because I was too tired after reading them to address a single postcard and get it in the mail! Worn out by all these go-getters, trend-setters, and success-sellers, I gave boxes of books and tapes away to the Salvation Army. I shredded my plans and prayed for a new marketing attitude. I examined every strategy I’d learned about and asked myself a single question: How can I apply this principle in a way that is authentically me?

From that moment on, I knew I had to work on a plan I could also plan on working. I could learn from the marketing books and conference speakers . . .  but in order for what works to work for me, it had to fit me.

Your success is a greater triumph when it’s defined by you.

We’re going to focus on this more later, but I hope you’ll let it linger in your mind as you consider what it might mean for you. For me, this is where it starts to get exciting. You get to define your own success and design a plan to get help you live your definition.

Tomorrow, we’re going to jump in to the deep end of the marketing pool – whose job is it anyway? You might want to open a file on your computer or keep a notebook handy – ideas are going to be coming your way – not just from me. Once we’re on the road to living out our publishing dreams, if we are aware, we will notice opportunities and ideas in places we least expect them.

I hope you’ll stay tuned . . .

Joy

First, a little bit about me.

On the personal side, I was a 15 year old seeker when the Lord found me and saved me. I was also 15 when I met the other love of my life (Jesus being the first) – a fifteen year old guy in my youth group. I dated a couple of other boys, keeping my eye on the tall, quiet, red head who was sometimes keeping an  eye on me too! We’ve been married for 32 years.

We now live on 35 acres just south of a small Minnesota town called, Pine Island. We have about 20 acres of fields a local farmer rents. The rest is woods and prairie flowers we love to explore.

We were deeply disappointed when early in our marriage God made it clear we would not be having children. Led to pour our lives into our nieces, nephews, and the children of friends, we can now say we have more than one quiver full of kids we love and who love us back. We love dogs and after many years of having big dogs  (the last was a shepherd mix and he was 130lbs!), we found and fell for a little brother and sister team. Sophie and Tucker are Yorkie and Havanese. They weigh in at around 20lbs.

For a few years we rode Honda Gold Wing every opportunity we got. Then, after I experienced a bad fall in a local restaurant, taking that risk was more difficult. So, we sold the Honda and bought an RV! We now travel around in comfort. The RV is a 2003 38ft Fleetwood Discovery. We got a great deal at Cranky Ape – it’s a repo.

On the Writing Side: When I was a little girl, I discovered words long before I could write them. I spoke early. My dad says, “We taught her to talk and she hasn’t stopped.” Lots of truth there. In my kid’s book, I loved the words more than the pictures. I’d trace them and tape the pages together before I could read. I wanted to write my own words on pages someday. A teacher in high school said awful things about my writing and I burned the hundreds of poems and essays I’d written. I beg you, please be careful what you say to the kids under your influence! Jon came to me one day and handed me two writing magazines (The Writer & Writer’s Digest). He said, “Go follow your dream.” I said something mean and threw, them on the floor. Tears still come to my eyes when I remember him picking up the mags and handing them back to me saying the same words as before. His grace got me. The next day he encouraged me to quit my job and to back that up, he had a desk and word processor delivered to our home. I had no idea the writing life included so much hard work but I was ready to learn and do whatever it took.

I went to writer’s conference, and found some success. At the Florida Christian Writer’s Conference, I sold my first article to Decision magazine and met a woman who would later put some devotionals I’d written into a book titled, Under His Wings. It was accepted by Barbour and sold 25,000 copies – not bad for a no-name author.

I’ve been published in Focus on the Family and other print magazines as well.

Later, I followed the Lord’s leading and wrote a novel I resisted writing – Rain Dance. After tons of rejection and at the advice of an agent and two big name editors (whose houses were not willing to take a chance on the book) Jon and I decided to use POD to get the book on the market.

The book was doing okay – I am also a speaker and that helped my sales. I’d been thinking  about starting my own publishing house and decided to email a friend in an online writers group to ask her to teach me the ropes. What I typed was something like, “Do you need a partner?” In the second it took to type those words, I knew my dollars were best invested in Sheaf House. I’d also sent Rain Dance to the authors in this group for a new round of endorsements to kick my sales up a notch. Imagine my delight when Joan told me she wanted to publish it. In mutual obedience, we came together at both a heart level and at a deeper level – the one where we both said yes to God and then to each other.

I do enjoy some POD publishing. I have two children’s book completed and a third will be done this month. I will release them all in a couple of months.

The POD experience has taught me a lot about marketing and somewhere along the line, a passion for it grew in my heart.

I mentioned wanting to start a publishing house of my own. That dream included a desire to publish writers no one had a vision for – authors and novels that didn’t color inside the lines. As Joan and I got to know each other better in a flurry of excited emails and 2 face to face meetings before we joined forces officially, I saw that very dream being lived out at SH under her visionary leadership.

It is my privilege and great joy to be working for you on behalf of SH. I am excited about working with you to get your books into the hands of readers. Right now, I’m in the trenches getting Rain Dance ready for release. The desire of my heart and goal of this blog is to keep you updated on what we’re doing and what you can be doing. We believe in your talent and your stories! We are praying we can work together in effective ways to make a difference in this world for the Lord. We believe there are people out there waiting to read what you have to say.

It’s a constantly changing marketing world out there. I am working diligently to find interesting, creative, efficient, and effective marketing tools for all of us. The publishing world is impacted by the economy and a generation of readers who want more from their authors. It’s not so full of publishing houses like SH who are willing to do deliver them those books. Small stores are cautious. Big stores don’t know us. Joan and I are working to change that.

Well! That’s a long intro – I just wanted you to know where I’m coming from. I’d love it if you sent me your writing story. I want to know you all better and I hope you will email me at: joydekok@pitel.net  I look forward to getting to know you.

Joining you on the journey,

Joy