Photo by nanastudio / 123rf.com
Click here to listen on your device and subscribe!
Welcome to Season 3 of The Book Marketing Action Podcast with Becky Robinson, where we give you information that you can immediately implement to increase your influence and market your books more successfully.
This episode is about sustaining the energy to write and market your work, no matter how long it takes. Becky is joined by Martha Anne Toll—Novelist, Book Reviewer, Essayist, and Social Justice Advocate—who discusses her author journey, the challenges that come with trying to publish a novel, and how she has remained confident in herself and her work despite the setbacks.
Key Points From This Episode
[01:44] Martha talks about her background and how she’s gotten to this point as an author.
[06:15] Martha reveals how she sustained the energy and confidence in her book, Three Muses, across a 10-year period of revising, resubmitting, and waiting.
[08:55] Discover what Martha has done to market her book since its launch.
[10:46] Martha shares difficult barriers that she had to overcome when it came time to grow her online presence.
[14:24] When Martha talks about herself, she calls herself a writer more than she calls herself an author. Discover why.
[16:11] Martha reflects on her book launch experience.
[18:51] Curious about what’s working well for Martha when it comes to getting the word out about her novel? She shares her strategies.
[22:29] Martha discusses the feeling of not knowing what is working well—and what isn’t—once you have launched a book.
[30:00] Martha talks about the importance of lifting up the work of other authors and not being afraid to ask people to read your book.
[34:12] Get some out-of-the-box book marketing ideas from Martha.
Action Steps:
- If you are a reader of the types of novels that Martha has written, log into your library’s website and request that they buy her book, Three Muses. Also, make sure to request Becky’s book, Reach.
- Build long-term relationships. You never know who is willing to help you share your work with the world.
- Put love out into the world. Be a good literary citizen and lift other people’s work up.
- Get out of your comfort zone. Do the things that you’re afraid of, like asking people to buy your book.
- Think outside of the box. Get creative with events, social media content, asking for reviews, and more.
- Check out these books recommended by Martha: They’re Going to Love You by Meg Howrey, O Beautiful by Jung Yun, What Disappears by Barbara Quick, Loving the Dead and Gone by Judith Turner-Yamamoto, and Circa by Devi Laskar.
Resources:
- Buy Martha’s new book, Three Muses.
- Sign up for Martha’s newsletter.
- Register for one or more of Martha’s upcoming events.
- Explore Martha’s website to reach her directly, read her book reviews, listen to podcast appearances, and more.
- Follow Martha on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
Tweetables and quotes:
If you choose to share on Twitter, don’t forget to tag @beckyrbnsn and @marthaannetoll so they know you enjoyed this episode!
If we have any fiction writers listening, you will know that this is a field full of rejections. —Martha Anne Toll
For my mental health, it was incredibly important to be getting published somewhere, even though I couldn’t get my fiction published. —Martha Anne Toll
In today’s world, an author should present as an authentic person. We live in a time when we can talk about our whole selves, which is, of course, what we bring to our writing. —Martha Anne Toll
We all hear about the toxic parts of Twitter—and that is certainly true—but it’s kind of a writer’s paradise. —Martha Anne Toll
Anything that you can continue to say yes to that allows you to show up with new audiences will help you sustain momentum. —Becky Robinson
I just want to encourage the folks who are listening to be creative. —Martha Anne Toll
If you found value in today’s episode, we hope you’ll take a moment to share it with someone else who might benefit from it. If you have any questions or topics you’d like us to cover, please email Becky Robinson here.
Click here for our free resources.
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review.
Click here to tweet about this episode!
I am the founder/CEO of the Weaving Influence team, the author of Reach: Creating the Biggest Possible Audience for Your Message, Book, or Cause, and the host of the Book Marketing Action Podcast. I’m a wife and mom of three kids, and I enjoy running, reading, writing, coffee, and dark chocolate.