I noticed your book has low visibility and isn’t reaching a wider audience yet. What marketing strategies are you currently using to improve its performance?
I am focusing on in-person sales through talks and events at the moment. I am building a dedicated readership locally where the series is set. I will have six books in this series, so building a solid foundation is critical to success.
I'm Judith Hermann, I love connecting with fellow writers it’s always fascinating to hear how others found their way into storytelling. How did your writing journey begin?
My journey began when I was a child, and I managed to find time for most of my writing while working and spending time with family. When my wife passed away last year, I switched to writing full-time. I write what she loved to read.
Hey Bill! Your work really caught my attention there’s such a powerful energy in the way you tell your stories. It’s clear you write with purpose and heart. I’d be genuinely interested to hear more about what fuels your creativity!
Does creativity need fuel? I just sold my book to a teenage girl who wanted to read it and have her grandma read it too. The book is targeted at a senior audience, but she is excited to read it. Imagine that!
I had created a cover I liked for my debut novel using AI tools, and people told me they liked it. Then I hired a production manager and book designer who pointed out that my book is the first in a series, so we should have cover art that people would recognize. I hired a professional artist who did an excellent job on the cover. The title was a non-starter for me. I knew it was too long and people might have trouble remembering it accurately, but some things I just won't budge on.
Publishing is an entirely different job from writing. Once the book is published, half of your time is now spent on promoting, marketing, and selling the book. So, that time I used to spend writing now goes to that, meaning I need to carve out time for both each day. I thought I could break up the week, writing on some days and doing everything else on other days, but that doesn't work when you start visiting book stores, scheduling and attending book talks and book signings, and dooing all that is involved in managing that part of the business.
Write, write, write, wherever you are, whenever you can. Don't be so critical of your work. I found that giving myself permission to write my first draft without thinking about editing or fixing anything works best. Everyone has to go back and read it over, adding what needs to be added and deleting what needs to be deleted. Getting a professional editor is critical.
I have always felt good when people mention my work, whether that was the work I did feeding the hungry, my work as a deacon, or now as a published author. It is humbling and exciting at the same time.
