[00:00:00.190] - Alicia Kasen
Marketing is a lot of hard work, so I guess my advice is to pace yourself and be prepared for that and be ready once you get done writing, give yourself a little break, but then be prepared for a lot of hard work after that as well.
[00:00:22.050] - Clarissa Moll
Buckle your seatbelts, writer friends. We're going to gear up for a crash course in marketing. You've done the hard work of writing, and now it's time to send your words out into the world before you cringe that there's more hard work ahead. Never fear. This episode is sure to help you out. Hi, I'm Clarissa Moll. And welcome to the Writerly Life brought to you by Hope Writers, the most encouraging place on the Internet for writers to make progress. Here at the Writerly Life, we help you expand your creativity, explore new techniques and express your hopefilled words in a world that needs them.
[00:00:58.120] - Clarissa Moll
We'll help you learn to balance the art of writing with the business of publishing and learn to hustle without losing heart. You have words and your words matter, and as you write them, you can be you boldly, bravely, maybe even a little scared. Sometimes you can be you in your writing life. Welcome to the show, friends. Lean in. Grab a pen.
[00:01:21.180] - Alicia Kasen
Let's chat.
[00:01:27.250] - Clarissa Moll
Whether you're a firsttime author or you've been through this 100 times, you'll need to invest time and intention in marketing your work. Often, writers feel like marketing is a dirty word, like it's not the real stuff of the writing life. But here at Hope Writers, we know that the writing life includes both the art of writing and the business of publishing, which includes marketing and good. Marketing, is always reader focused. Our guest today, Alicia Kasen, is a pro when it comes to honoring your message and connecting it with the right audience.
[00:02:02.170] - Clarissa Moll
A veteran marketing director for a Big Five publisher, Alicia knows what strategies really work and how marketing can serve your reader best. Lean in as she tells us more in this Hope Writers Tuesday teaching with host Emily P. Freeman.
[00:02:18.490] - Alicia Kasen
The authors that I enjoy working with the most are the ones who are ready to collaborate with me and are ready to roll their sleeves up and do hard work and view me as a partner and somebody who wants to come alongside and push the message forward. And it's not the big, bad publisher that will only look at your book if you're somebody who's really big. No, we signed you up for a reason. The reason you're with our company is because we believe in you and leave your message and want to partner with you.
[00:02:51.910] - Emily P. Freeman
That's such a great. I'm so glad you said that such a great point, because I think a lot of our Hope writers find themselves in that space where maybe they don't have a deal yet, and so they're trying to work on their platform and build their audience. But I think a lot of times there's some confusion and some anxiety about what does that look like? And what does that mean? And if their end game is to publish a book, sometimes it can be hard to know. What is someone like Alicia at Zonerven looking for?
[00:03:20.970] - Emily P. Freeman
What should I be focusing on? And what is that like? Tell us for real, what numbers are you looking at, Alicia? When you look at these book proposals or think about an author platform?
[00:03:31.690] - Alicia Kasen
Well, and that's one of the things that has changed so much over the years that I've been working in book publishing for the last 25 years. So for us, in marketing and in publishing, we are looking at your unique platform. So I would really encourage people to not try to be like someone else, but really figure out who your unique identity is and lean into that need that embrace that. So figure out who is the audience that you're trying to reach, who will resonate most with your message and practice that content online.
[00:04:13.690] - Alicia Kasen
Share that content. We're looking at a social platform. How many people are interacting with you on Facebook or on Twitter? Instagram that's the latest. Everyone loves Instagram. But we're also looking at the engagement. So not just pure numbers of how many might be following you. There are ways you can get a lot of people following you and artificially inflate that number, but it's really the engagement that makes a difference. How much are people talking to you about your message? Not only does that show that you have people who might want to buy your book following you online, but it also shows the potential for a larger audience who might be interested in that topic.
[00:04:58.460] - Alicia Kasen
It shows interest level in what you're talking about.
[00:05:02.260] - Emily P. Freeman
So when you say engagement, how would you measure that engagement? Are you looking at, like, back and forth? Are you looking at commenting? Are you looking at shares for sure?
[00:05:13.220] - Alicia Kasen
In the Facebook environment, it's commenting and shares. Okay, so someone who is following someone in Facebook and likes it shows one level of engagement, but it's a far different thing if they take the time to post a comment or to share it. And so that's the kind of engagement we're looking for that will really show if somebody will put down cold, hard cash to buy a book.
[00:05:38.630] - Emily P. Freeman
So tell me this, because this is actually a question I have on behalf of the writers, but also kind of in my own head, how would you communicate engagement in a book proposal other than just like this is the number that I have on my Facebook page. Let's say for someone, it might be a small number, but their engagement is really high. Would they just say engagements high, or would they just think that you'll go look at that engagement?
[00:06:03.550] - Alicia Kasen
The more details that can be put into a book proposal, the better. And if you're on Analytical Geek or you have a spouse who may be an analytical geek. There are a lot of things that Facebook can show you behind the scenes to give you some statistics to support what that engagement is. And so dive into that and share those in your proposal, but also know we're going to go look at that ourselves. Company like Zanderbin, we have a senior marketer of digital. He focuses on digital all day long.
[00:06:37.430] - Alicia Kasen
That's his expertise. And so we really rely on Keith to help us out and look at those authors or potential authors who are causing discussion conversation engagement in the online space. And it's not just Facebook either. We will look more broadly too and see what kind of interaction there is on a blog on podcasts, what kind of conversations being developed around a topic? So the more details you can provide in a proposal.
[00:07:11.090] - Emily P. Freeman
The better what marketing skills do you recommend the writer learn about to begin to use and practice before they get to the stage of marketing their books. So in your experience, when you see a new author come in, you're like, oh, this is ideal. I'm so glad this new author is already doing this thing. Is there a this thing?
[00:07:32.930] - Alicia Kasen
This thing is practicing rolling up their sleeves, trying so engaging with their content, getting their content out to readers. So for some others, yes, it's a podcast or it's a blog. It's interacting with people on Facebook and Instagram. There's no one thing. Definitely. As a writer, the first thing you should be doing is sharing your writing with people, getting interaction. It makes for a better book, and it also helps you figure out how to market. I think some of the best writers who are also really good marketers are savvy about leading with their content, sharing their content, not holding it so close that they feel like you have to go buy my book.
[00:08:36.990] - Alicia Kasen
It's like the scarcity mentality. There should be an abundance of good material and good content. Ruth Ducav is very good at marketing, and she does a really good job of sharing her content in different formats. That may be through email. And she will set up a really strong email campaign that could be five days to X or ten days to X. It's a piece of her content from her book, and it's sharing a part of her book. But it's not the whole story. And so you give people a taste of that content and are confident that that is really good writing, good content.
[00:09:19.940] - Alicia Kasen
People are going to want more.
[00:09:21.730] - Clarissa Moll
People are going to want more. Doesn't that sound hopeful after all the investment of time and heart that you've poured into your words? Marketing your writing well makes your reader want more. One way to get your feet wet in book marketing is to join the launch team of another author. As a member of a launch team, you'll see what promoting a book looks like behind the scenes, which can help you market your own work. When the time comes. When Hope writers asked author and book launch manager Anna LeBeron about her secrets to launching bestselling books, she explained that her strength lies in authentic engagement with the people who join her launch teams.
[00:10:00.910] - Clarissa Moll
She creates a community for readers who all have the same goal in mind to rally behind an author and their work. The key to a successful launch is creating a community where members feel known, seen, and heard. Here's how Anna does it, and here's how you can do it, too. First, be inclusive. Book launch teams are United under a common goal to share their favorite authors work with others. This allows authors and book launch managers to be inclusive when inviting members onto their team. Reasons for joining the team may vary, but with the same goal in mind, members are already United in their purpose.
[00:10:42.130] - Clarissa Moll
They are set to be enthusiastic and purposeful contributors to the community. Second, engage authentically. It's important for the author to be engaged and excited within the group, even when they have the help of a seasoned book launch leader to manage the daily business. This is an opportunity for authors to connect directly with committed readers without the burden of doing all the heavy lifting for a launch. When choosing a book launch manager, Anna recommends choosing someone who has the skill set, know how and most importantly, the people skills to engage authentically with members.
[00:11:20.590] - Clarissa Moll
Third, keep it fun. A book launch is an opportunity to invite others into all of the fun happening behind the scenes. The purpose of a launch team is to spread the word about the author's book, but members quickly become lost in the minutia when the community is created solely for completing book launch tasks. If members aren't enjoying themselves connecting and having fun during the launch, then the team leader is missing the opportunity to create connection within the community. Anna says having fun is her motivating factor.
[00:11:54.030] - Clarissa Moll
She brings this enthusiasm to her work and creates a fun environment where others can participate. Fun is one key to the success of her launch teams and her authors know it. There are many aspects to running a successful launch team, but by focusing on the people in the group, an author has the opportunity to create a unique experience for readers who are already fans of their work. When participants feel known, seen, and heard, the tasks associated with launching a book become less burdensome and instead become an opportunity to support the author.
[00:12:28.730] - Clarissa Moll
They love to read and community with others. No doubt. Marketing your words takes a lot of work. You work on social media and in your email list. Behind the scenes, you gather a support team and work with your publisher to land important endorsements and publicity opportunities. But through it all, you'll always want to keep in mind what you're doing and who you're doing it for. You're amplifying your message because you have important words to share and you want to serve your reader well. That kind of work is what real writers always want to do.
[00:13:03.610] - Alicia Kasen
Stay true. Stay strong to your message. And those core readers who love that message will do the hard work of spreading the message. That's one thing that has not changed in marketing over 22 years. When I first started, a lot of research was done to say, how do you find out about a new book and the number one way people find out about a new book was recommendation from a friend, and that still holds true today.
[00:13:33.310] - Clarissa Moll
If this episode was helpful to you, just imagine how helpful the entire hour long interview with Alicia Kasen would be every week. Hope Writers members have access to a new 1 hour Tuesday teaching with agents, publishers, social media strategists and marketing gurus like Alicia Kasen. Hope Writers helps you make progress in your writing life, whether you're writing blogs or articles on social media or in a book. If you want to be serious about your words and your reader, we're here for you for writing tips and encouragement.
[00:14:07.240] - Clarissa Moll
Find us on Instagram, at Hope Writers or at our public Facebook page. Hope Writers Community Last a final word from entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk. The best marketing strategy ever. Care you write because you care deeply for your reader. You put pen to paper because you have a message to share and hope filled words that will serve others well. As you gear up to marketing your work. Remember that marketing and writing go hand in hand together. They form a writing life that can last as you hustle without losing heart.
[00:14:42.860] - Clarissa Moll
Working to get your book into the hands of those who need to read it. Thanks for listening, writer Friends as you step into this week, remember to keep writing your words matter, we can't wait to read them. If you found this episode of the Writerly Life helpful, be sure to hit subscribe and tell your friends rate and review the show and like and comment. If you're tuning in on YouTube, your reviews help others know you've found the content helpful. See you next week.
