This week, I was a guest on a lovely podcast for female entrepreneurs (more on that later). As part of the interview, I was asked how I managed to successfully promote my first book and how I’m looking to publicise my second.
It’s something I get asked all the time by prospective authors who are thinking about going down the self-publishing route.
My answer is – there is no quick win with any of this.
You simply have to be unafraid of putting yourself out there.
Accept rejection and move on.
Learn from how someone reacts to your pitch and improve it.
And keep going.
From the above, the keep going part is the hardest, especially when it’s in the face of criticism or rebuttals.
But it is with persistence that doors eventually open.
I didn’t just land 15 school visits last year whilst working full-time.
I rang and emailed every single primary school, sending in a suggestion of what could work, how I could look after different year groups and what I would bring to each various visit.
I didn’t just wait for opportunities to land on my lap.
I actively went out there and visited libraries and gave free talks, and copies of my book to them to help spread the word.
And I didn’t just land all of the publicity around the first book because I was lucky.
I actively sought out each and every journalist and pitched to them accordingly. It’s how I ended up as a Huffington Post blogger and featured in Woman & Home, Daily Mirror and Female First to name but a few.
So maybe you’re reading this as a parent who is thinking about writing a book, or maybe you’re just interested in what I do. But either way – please don’t be afraid of what people will think of you.
It’s just the fear talking.
And you’re so much better than that.
Seize the day and live your dreams – for we have just one life, so let’s live it the best way we can… x
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