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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. In this episode, we are joined by Stephanie Landsem and Rachel McMillan, two fiction authors with years of experience in the publishing industry.
This episode focuses on what authors can do to utilize cross-promotion and reach a larger audience for their work. Stephanie and Rachel define cross-promotion and its benefits, outline the different forms of cross-promotion, provide examples of how they have used it for their own work, and describe the ways it can increase an author’s online presence. Both Stephanie and Rachel emphasize the importance of building a community of support, rather than competition, with other authors.
Key Points From This Episode
[01:22] Stephanie and Rachel introduce themselves and share about their work in the world.
[02:52] Cross-promotion is a great way for authors to reach new readers. Stephanie and Rachel define cross-promotion and its benefits.
[03:54] Unlike many industries, there is no competition amongst authors. Stephanie and Rachel explain why.
[05:39] What does cross-promotion look like in its simplest forms, and its most complex forms? Stephanie and Rachel share examples of how they have invested in cross-promotion with other authors.
[12:19] Stephanie and Rachel explain the online growth an author might see when they cross-promote with other authors.
[15:02] Both authors discuss the benefits and limitations of more formalized opportunities for cross-promotion.
[17:31] Stephanie and Rachel share the potential downsides to promoting the work of other authors.
[19:29] How can you tell when your cross-promotion efforts are working? Stephanie and Rachel reveal the key signs.
Action Steps:
- Be a reader. Read a lot to discover the authors you love, then promote those authors through your social media accounts.
- Consider whether an event might be a great way for you to cross-promote other authors. If you’re interested, reach out to Becky, Stephanie, or Rachel to learn more about those opportunities.
- If you’re ready to jump into the publishing world, try reaching out to one of your favorite authors. Even the most popular authors love seeing a positive email about their work.
- Use the 80/20 rule on social media. Spend 80% of the time promoting other people’s books and 20% of the time promoting your own.
Resources:
- Explore Stephanie’s website and her books.
- Follow Stephanie on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
- Discover Rachel’s website and her work.
- Follow Rachel on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
Tweetables and quotes:
If you choose to share on Twitter, don’t forget to tag @stephlandsem and @rachkmc so they know you enjoyed this episode!
We’re not competing for the readership so much as we’re keeping people reading, and then supplying good reading for them when they’re not reading our books. – Stephanie Landsem
There really is room for everybody, and I think that’s such an important part of this world to remember. – Rachel McMillan
I think authors should be readers first and writers second, and then they automatically have the community thing going. – Rachel McMillan
I used endorsements for my last book launch, and I think it was really effective, almost as effective as having a launch team. – Stephanie Landsem
You need to have an authentic relationship with other authors before you can work on a marketing business endeavor together. – Stephanie Landsem
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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.