Book Marketing & PR, Self Publishing Your Book

What is the ONE thing that has brought you more readers? Part 6 with Suzannah Windsor Freeman & Kathy Lynn Harris

In part 6 of this series, I talked to Suzannah Windsor Freeman & Kathy Lynn Harris about their self-publishing and promotional experiences. Both are busy Mothers, writers, and fantastic self-starting marketers. Enjoy!

– Laura

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Suzannah Windsor Freeman, The Busy Mom’s Guide to Writing www.busymomsguidetowriting.com

What do you wish you had known when you first started self-publishing?

The biggest problem for me was having a deadline. I discovered I was pregnant with twins just after I started the book, and we didn’t get to the launch until a couple of weeks before I gave birth. I was tired and sick through most of the process, and still had two other children to care for. Still, I knew I had to get it all finished before the twins arrived, otherwise I would be even busier!

I also ended up spending ages working with graphic designers to ensure the finished product looked as professional as it could be. It took us a few tries to get the look and layout we wanted, and I didn’t really anticipate how much time that would take. So, in the future, I’d make sure I wasn’t under any major time constraints before starting a project like this.

What is ONE thing that you have done that brought you more readers?

Shooting a promotional video was one strategy I used for my launch page. My book shares writing tips taken from my own lifestyle, so I wanted readers to get to know me and see what an average sort of person I am. That, in turn, shows them they can achieve the same things I have.

My husband and I set up a sort of mini-studio in our own dining room, and we spent a couple of days fiddling with lighting and camera angles until we had the effect we wanted. It took some time (and several bloopers), but it was worth it.

Kathy Lynn Harris, Blue Straggler & A Good Kind of Knowing (Coming Soon). www.KathyLynnHarris.com

What do you wish you had known when you first started self-publishing?

I truly had no idea how much time it would take on my part to promote my book. I had a small list of things I wanted to do, but then I started working with Publicist Extraordinaire (Laura Pepper Wu) and I had to take several deep breaths. It’s a lot of work to do publicity well. And the need to keep promoting doesn’t go away.

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What is ONE thing that you have done that brought you more readers?

The KDP Select Free Days. It generated tens of thousands of downloads and tons of reviews, and boosted my Amazon sales rankings. I hit #1 in my category! Of course, I also gave away a ton of books and worried that everyone who would ever WANT to read the novel now had a free copy, and I would never make another sale. Ha!

Enjoy the rest of the series!

Part 1: http://wp.me/p2EuKy-135

Part 2: http://wp.me/p2EuKy-13C

Part 3: http://wp.me/p2EuKy-13W

Part 4: http://wp.me/p2EuKy-17g

Part 5: http://wp.me/p2EuKy-19G