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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.
What does it take to sell 60,000+ books in a year and keep the momentum going? In this final episode of Season 6, Alison Fragale returns to share the behind-the-scenes journey of writing her debut book, building a strong brand, and leveraging speaking opportunities to drive lasting impact. From navigating PR to engaging authentically on social media, Alison discusses practical, actionable strategies for author success. Stay tuned after the action steps to hear Alison answer some bonus questions from Threads!
Key Points From This Episode:
[01:33] Alison shares about herself, her work in the world, and how she started on her author journey.
[03:35] Alison reveals if the final idea for her book was the same idea she started with.
[05:52] Alison reflects on some of the feedback she has received that helped her realize the difference her book, Likeable Badass, is making in the world.
[07:14] Discover what has been the biggest driver of book sales for Likeable Badass and how Alison has sustained those sales for more than one year after launch.
[13:22] Alison discusses the value of having a strong and supportive PR team.
[16:54] (AD) Schedule a call with Becky Robinson to discover how Weaving Influence’s custom strategies can support your book launch.
[17:38] Alison reveals how she balances authenticity with visibility when showing up in online spaces.
[25:00] What advice would Alison give to any women leaders or authors who are still trying to find their unique value proposition? She shares her best guidance.
[30:52] Becky asks Alison some bonus questions that her followers shared on Threads.
[31:28] Alison talks about how she adjusted from writing the book to taking on the job of published author with speaking and media engagements, public events, and so many other responsibilities.
[32:46] Listen as Alison shares some of the best advice she has received from her agent and discusses the recent release of Likeable Badass in paperback.
[37:01] Alison dives into her experience as a speaker and her journey over the years.
[40:54] Discover how Alison honed her storytelling and writing skills prior to writing her book.
[46:27] Alison reveals the biggest contributors to her highest week in sales.
[48:51] Alison reflects on how her success as an author has impacted her relationship with her author community and network.
[51:03] The episode concludes with Alison talking about her experience running marathons and if she would ever run another one.
Action Steps:
- Start whatever it is you want to start. Post something that matters to you, write about something that interests you—stop putting it off.
- Keep a Google Doc or a note on your phone so you can capture new ideas for your book, content, blog, etc. Whenever an idea occurs to you, write it down immediately, because it’s easy to forget those ideas once the moment is gone.
Resources:
- If you haven’t yet, get a copy of Alison’s book, Likeable Badass.
- Explore Alison’s website, where you’ll find her speaking page, featured media, and even Likeable Badass merch.
- Sign up for Alison’s Substack newsletter, The Upper Hand.
- Follow Alison on LinkedIn and Instagram.
Key Quotes:
The book was an idea that came out of my research. It came out of my conversations with women. It came out of my teaching. —Alison Fragale
You have to write a book that resonates, because at the end of the day, most of the books that really catch fire—like 100 times more than mine—go through word of mouth. —Alison Fragale
I wrote a book that appeals to business audiences, and that means that I can include or sell books in conjunction with my speaking. —Alison Fragale
You, as the author, are the greatest source of marketing you have, and you cannot outsource that to anybody completely. —Alison Fragale
Look at books like yours and figure out where the authors have appeared, because those are audiences that are probably interested in what you’re doing. —Alison Fragale
One of the reasons I’m more successful on LinkedIn, I think, is that I already built rapport with an audience before I published a book. —Alison Fragale
If you want to post on social, just post on social. As you start to do trial and error, you’ll start to figure out your space. —Alison Fragale
I just try to embrace the fact that everything has stages. Being a parent has stages. Your job has stages. Being an author has stages, and the stages change. —Alison Fragale
You can keep your book really relevant and interesting for years, but you have to be out there talking about it. —Alison Fragale
Honing my writing was really about developing a commercial voice that is different from my academic voice. —Alison Fragale
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