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Welcome to Season 6 of The Book Marketing Action Podcast with Becky Robinson, where we give you information you can immediately implement to increase your influence and market your books more successfully.
In the first episode of Season 6, Becky is joined by Alison Fragale—bestselling author, research psychologist, award-winning professor, and international keynote speaker—who talks about the remarkable journey of launching her debut book, Likeable Badass. Alison discusses key strategies and initiatives behind her launch, the experience of working with a “Big Five” publisher, and how being proactive and consistent played pivotal roles in her success.
Key Points From This Episode:
[01:51] Alison shares about herself, her background, and her work in the world.
[03:17] Alison reveals what it was like working with a “Big Five” publisher and what went into achieving that.
[05:54] Discover some of the perks that come with working with a “Big Five” publisher and some of the misconceptions people have about it.
[08:00] Alison explains her understanding of what it means to be “killing it” with her release so far. Then Becky shares her perspective.
[12:51] Alison shares some of the most impactful approaches that she has implemented on the path to selling nearly 50,000 books and seeing her speaking fees rise.
[17:49] (AD) Schedule a call with Becky Robinson to discover how Weaving Influence’s custom strategies can support your book launch.
[18:45] What has been the most fun part of the journey for Alison? She reflects.
[21:38] Alison reveals what she learned about mobilizing her network through the process of launching her book.
[26:09] Alison concludes by talking about how she grew her audience on LinkedIn and how having that engaged audience early on helped when it came time to market her book.
Action Steps:
- If you’re an aspiring author or are in between projects, think about how you can grow your audience during this time. Take advantage of the opportunity to give and connect with people without asking for any support in return.
- Challenge yourself to be more consistent. Think about where you can show up with value the way Alison has through her LinkedIn presence over the past five years.
Resources:
- Explore Alison’s website.
- Get a copy of Alison’s debut, bestselling book, Likeable Badass.
- Subscribe to Alison’s newsletter The Upper Hand on Substack.
- Follow Alison on LinkedIn and Instagram.
Key Quotes:
If you do not decide it’s going to be your life’s work to sell books, no one else—including the biggest publisher in the world—is going to do it for you. —Alison Fragale
If you do speak or want to speak, it provides a huge advantage in moving books. —Alison Fragale
I think building your social channels is important. Get on social early and don’t have it be only about your book. —Alison Fragale
I got the luxury of saying, “If I’m going to do this, it’s going to be as fun as it can possibly be.” —Alison Fragale
It doesn’t matter who likes you. It matters who likes people who like you. And you can utilize that in books as well as everything else. —Alison Fragale
The easiest time to build a relationship is when you’re brand new and when you don’t need anything from people, because then your reputation is a blank slate, and you can just focus on what you give. —Alison Fragale
Consistency leads to growth. —Alison Fragale
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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.