One Mom's Journey

Becoming a self-published writer seems easy enough in today's online world.  We write, edit, find a printer or create an ebook...but then what?  With access to the Internet, this task is openly available to anyone with the finances to self-publish, however, most authors are indeed just writers and are not prepared or don't know where to start when tackling the marketing side of self-publishing.

I want to offer up 5 simple strategies to marketing your book online.  I had to do just this recently and am currently working on building my own online strategy, so it will be fun to grow and learn together.  It is important to remember that social media is a very saturated place, so it is not as easy as you think to grow a huge following - it takes perseverance, great content, and regular posting to achieve a following.  So hint number one when diving into your online strategy - work at it - everyday.

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About a year and a half ago, I made the conscious decision to write and illustrate a children's book.  It took months, but a lot of fun, a lot of editing and some experimenting with printing.  Finally, I ended up with a finished product to wrap and give to my daughter on her third birthday.  The plan was always to have it ready for her, because she was in dire need of assistance to get rid of her darn soother attachment.  Having tried other methods, I came up with Susy the Soother Fairy - who to this day - she tells everyone about.  In our home, the Soother Fairy is as popular as Santa, Toothfairy and the Easter Bunny.  It is pretty cool.

This story is not about my book, but about how I published my book and the women that have inspired me, guided me, and helped me promote.  I wanted to write about these women, because I want to inspire and help others like they have for me.

Last June I met a woman named Jacqueline Dinsmore. An entrepreneurial woman who gave up law to follow her brilliant and successful venture.  Teaming up with her very own mother, she came up with Luvali Convertibles.  It started with a reversible toque design for children, one toque could flip inside out and become another. You will have to check out her website for more details and see the breadth of product they now offer.  Now their product line is available at retailers throughout North America and to the world online.

Jacqueline Dinsmore

Jacqueline and her mom ran into my mom and my girls at the mall.  They wanted to try out one of their cute toques on my girls to make sure the sizing was right for distribution.  I said yes - and then followed up by asking for her card so that we could chat about how she grew her business into retailers North-America wide.  Having exchanged information, I followed up with her.  She was so accommodating, answered all my business questions and then passed me on to 2 other women.  One who was published and another who self-published.  Those women were Laura Berg of My Smart Hands and Meredith Deasely a self-published Pediatric Nutritionist and author.