November 18, 2025 • 32 mins
Learn how to build a focused, authentic author platform to connect with readers early, grow your visibility, and create lasting momentum for your book launch.
In this episode, I’m joined by Shelby Leigh, bestselling author of four poetry books (with over 60,000 copies sold!) and the founder of Marketing by Shelby, where she's helped more than 8,000 authors and creatives learn how to market their books with ease.
Shelby and I talk about how to start building your author platform before your book launches, what to post when you don't have a book out yet, and how to market in a way that fits your personality (even if you’re introverted or allergic to salesy marketing).
Here’s what we cover:
[02:15] How Shelby went from anonymous poet to book marketing educator, and what helped her embrace book promotion as an introvert who once dreaded it.
[05:25] What an author platform actually includes (it’s more than social media!) and how early (or late) you should build one that works.
[12:30] The 3-Part “Show, Sell, Story Tell” content framework for sharing your work online without feeling pushy or performative.
[18:15] The most common author-platform mistakes writers make and the mindset shifts that turn confusing marketing into genuine reader connection.
[20:40] How to set up your first email list, plan a low-stress book launch, and keep growing your readership long after release week.
Whether you're preparing to publish or just starting your first draft, you'll discover simple, sustainable ways to market your book and connect with readers who'll love it.
🔗 Links mentioned in this episode:
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (00:00):
And in those early days, lean into like that
(00:02):
exclusivity factor.
People love to be a part ofsomething that is special and
kind of like their own privatecircle, right?
So kind of lean into that.
Like maybe you share reallystate and you share the cover
reveal and all of those thingsfirst with your email
subscribers before they getanywhere else on your website or
social media or wherever elseyou're marketing.
And that really helps to make itfeel like more of an exclusive
(00:22):
space.
So really just picking yourplatform, setting up that opt-in
form, writing that welcomeemail, and then it's automated
and you can kind of be hands-offwith it while people are
subscribing.
SPEAKER_00 (00:33):
Welcome to the Fiction Writing Made Easy
Podcast.
My name is Savannah Gilbo, andI'm here to help you write a
story that works.
I want to prove to you thatwriting a novel doesn't have to
be overwhelming.
So each week I'll bring you abrand new episode with simple,
actionable, and step-by-stepstrategies that you can
implement in your writing rightaway.
So whether you're brand new towriting or more of a seasoned
(00:54):
author looking to improve yourcraft, this podcast is for you.
So pick up a pen and let's getstarted.
In today's episode, I have areal treat for you.
My guest, Shelby Lee, is here totalk about how to build an
author platform, whether youhave a finished book or not.
And Shelby isn't just going toshare run-of-the-mill marketing
tips.
To date, she's sold over 60,000copies of her four books and has
(01:18):
built an entire business aroundhelping authors market their
books in a way that feelsaligned and authentic.
Now, I mentioned that Shelby ishere to talk about how to build
an author platform.
And I know this is a topic thatcan feel overwhelming,
especially for those of us whoare introverted or who are new
to the marketing game.
And trust me when I say thatShelby's advice is both beginner
(01:39):
and introvert friendly.
So we're going to discusseverything from content
marketing strategies to theimportance of creating a
cohesive brand that trulyrepresents who you are as an
author.
Whether you're just starting outor looking to refine your
existing author platform,Shelby's insights are sure to
provide the clarity andmotivation you need.
So grab your notebook, settlein, and let's dive right into my
(02:01):
conversation with Shelby Lee.
Shelby, thank you so much forbeing here today.
I'm so excited to dive into allthings author platform with you.
SPEAKER_01 (02:09):
Thank you so much for having me.
I'm excited to chat.
SPEAKER_00 (02:11):
Before we dive into all the juicy stuff, can you
just introduce yourself in yourown words?
SPEAKER_01 (02:16):
Sure.
So I'm Shelby Lee.
I'm an author and also the ownerof Marketing by Shelby, which is
a marketing education company.
So I teach and consult withauthors and creatives on um how
to grow your own community ofreaders and sell your books.
Um, primarily content marketing.
So I focus a lot on like socialmedia, on email marketing, on
(02:37):
really like online marketing.
But I started off as an author.
Um it's been about 10 yearssince my first book was
published.
And I started sharing my workonline um anonymously.
So if you are listening andyou're scared of marketing or
very introverted, you are in theright place because I am also
that way.
Um and it took a lot of umpractice and growth and stepping
(02:57):
out of my comfort zone a bit tomarket my work.
Um, but yeah, I started offself-publishing.
I grew a community online andwith my sales and things, I had
opportunities for some bookdeals.
So I've also done sometraditional published books.
So I have experience with bothavenues um and I'm happy to talk
about both.
So that's a little bit about me,but my genre is uh poetry.
(03:18):
So I write poetry books.
Um, they're about mental healththemes.
So I always like to share thattoo, because people are
surprised that you can actuallysell poetry.
So if I can sell poetry, you cansell your genre as well.
So yeah, that's a little bitabout me, and I'm excited to
chat today about growing anauthor platform.
SPEAKER_00 (03:34):
I love that.
And so is all of that why youstarted teaching marketing to
writers?
SPEAKER_01 (03:38):
Yes, yeah.
So I actually have always lovedmarketing and I started, um, I
went to school for marketing andworked in marketing jobs for a
few years after college and thendecided that what I wanted to do
was start my own company andteach it to authors.
I was just getting questionsoften in the DMs um from authors
who were seeing what I was doingand you know, asking questions
and I was happy to answer, um,but figured I could help even
(04:00):
more people if I actuallycreated, you know, resources and
structure around it.
So that's what got me into it.
But I talk about marketing allday long now.
And you have to love it in orderto do that.
SPEAKER_00 (04:10):
So I do really love it.
That's so fun.
I love marketing too.
And it's interesting because asyou were saying that, I'm like,
it sounds like the introvertloved marketing, which is a
whole can of worms in itself.
Um, but also you kind of armedyourself with the knowledge of
how to make it work for you.
Absolutely.
SPEAKER_01 (04:26):
Yeah.
And I think that um this isgonna sound like very
complimentary toward myself, butpeople here like, I'm calm.
I'm typically not the crazy likemarketer that you see online
that's like, I don't know,considered like bro marketing or
whatever you want to call it.
It's just not my style.
Saying that connects with a lotof creatives who tend to be
introverted or just at least notreally wanting to put ourselves
(04:47):
out there.
We like writing and hidingbetween the book covers and not
necessarily being everywhere.
So it is something that I've hadto figure out what works best
for me, what avenues do I likebest with that little bit of
stepping outside of your comfortzone to get better.
Like podcasting was neversomething I thought I would be
comfortable doing.
And I do it all the time.
And I love it.
Um, so it's like taking thoselittle steps outside of your
(05:07):
comfort zone too.
But there are definitely ways tomake it more suitable to your
bandwidth and also to yourpersonality and not like super
salesy in your face, um, like wesometimes think of when we think
of marketing.
SPEAKER_00 (05:18):
Yes, because marketing is not one size fits
all, which I'm sure we're gonnatalk about.
Um, but can you start us offwith how you define an author
platform?
SPEAKER_01 (05:26):
Yeah, sure.
I think it's kind of hard tosummarize in one like phrase or
sentence.
It's really just how you show upin order to market your work, is
how I could summarize itquickly.
Um, and that doesn't have to beany certain platform.
Like we can talk about socialmedia, but we can also talk
about building your email listplatform or having a website and
all of this kind of comestogether to build an author
(05:47):
platform where your readers comeand they feel like they get to
know you as the author.
It's cohesive, it's familiarbecause you're utilizing a
brand.
So you have like maybe yourlogo, you have similar colors
and fonts and a vibe that itgives off that's cohesive across
anywhere that you're marketingyour work.
And that all creates an authorplatform together.
SPEAKER_00 (06:08):
Awesome.
And I love that you said it canbe social, it can be email, it
can be your website, it can be amix of so many different things.
So it's kind of like a grab bagfor anyone listening.
Like you can do which parts makethe most sense for you.
But I know that the number onething my audience probably wants
to know is what do we do aboutour author platforms when we're
writing our books?
Or if we're like thinking aboutwriting a book, when do we
(06:30):
start?
SPEAKER_01 (06:31):
Yeah, that's a great question.
I think I get that question, atleast weekly, if not daily.
Um, you know, I'm writing, I'mworking on a book.
When do I start?
Um, how early is too early, howlate is too late, all of that.
So for me, I think that there'sno such thing as too early.
Like maybe if you're like threeyears out, okay, it might feel a
little bit of a drag to bemarketing the same book for
(06:52):
three years.
But typically when we startworking on a book, it might be a
year, two years.
And I think that it's such agreat opportunity to get
involved in not only the authorcommunity, but also just the
reader community.
And, you know, you're likely areader as well.
So like sharing what you'redoing and all of that and what
you're reading can really helpyou grow an audience of readers.
(07:13):
Before you have something topromote, it actually is easier
to build an audience typically,um, because people are just
following along for reviews orlike, you know, relatable posts
that you're sharing about beinga reader.
So um I would say if you are sixmonths to 12 months out, that's
a really good time frame.
That's typically what Irecommend.
But again, if you are earlierthan that, that's totally fine
too.
Um, and if you're listening tothis and you're like, oh crap,
(07:34):
I'm releasing a book in threemonths and I haven't started
yet, start today.
Like it's never, you know, justget started and don't put it off
any further.
But that's typically a goodrange to um, you're excited
about the book, you have a lotof details about the book, you
can start talking about it,getting people excited.
Um, and then again, likeengaging with the reader
community that's already online.
SPEAKER_00 (07:54):
Yeah.
I love that.
And also thinking about thewriters I work with when they're
kind of bringing their book to aclose, they're working on those
final drafts and they're gettingthe line edits and things.
Um, it's almost like you do havemore time to work on the author
platform.
So, you know, I agree thatwithin that last six to 12
months is probably the sweetspot, but again, no right or
wrong time.
(08:14):
Um, but as you were saying that,I'm imagining our listeners kind
of thinking, okay, I need to beposting on social media, but I
would like you to back us up andremind us that an author
platform is beyond social media,right?
Absolutely.
Yes, yes.
SPEAKER_01 (08:27):
And I do like think it's a great spot, but it's not
for everyone.
So there's other options aswell.
SPEAKER_00 (08:32):
Yeah.
And so what would that look likeif you're six to 12 months out?
What would you do to start yourplatform?
SPEAKER_01 (08:38):
Yeah.
So if you want to explore socialmedia, because I think that it
is a great free option to reachnew people, I would be starting
with picking one platform.
I'm really someone whorecommends focusing on one max
two, especially when you'restarting out, because it's so
hard to learn what's working ifwe're spreading ourselves super
thin across so many differentplaces.
(08:59):
So start with one or two.
Ideally, if there's one that youlike, start there.
Um, because I think it's just somuch easier to stay consistent
whenever it's one that you dolike.
If you're not a big social mediauser to begin with, um, then do
some research.
You can Google like demographicsin your country if there's like
a target area that you want toreach.
But honestly, all the bigplatforms have billions of
users.
(09:20):
So you're likely to find yourtarget audience no matter which
one you choose.
Um, and then it's about kind oflike the format as well.
Like if you like video, if youlike more picture-based, if you
like text-based threads is agood option or blue sky.
Um, I feel like X people arekind of leaving, but that's
there too.
Um, and so kind of like pickingyour format.
And then you want to set up aprofile on one of these
(09:41):
platforms that's very clearabout your genre, what you do,
when your book's coming out.
Um, and just being very clearwith that, you'd be shocked by
how many authors, like, I'll goclick on their page and I
couldn't tell you what theywrite.
And that's something that areader wants to know right away.
Um, and then you'll start kindof posting and engaging with the
community, search for keywordsrelated to your genre, follow
(10:01):
accounts, follow readers, followauthors, take a look at what
content's performing well andwhat grabs your eye, and then
put your own spin on it and tryto replicate it.
So that's a very quick summaryof that.
Um, but other things for yourauthor platform, especially if
you don't want to do social, um,my recommendation would be a
website.
Um, I get asked this a lot like,do you think that that's
(10:22):
important?
Honestly, I think I think it'simportant.
I think it helps to establishyou as like a professional in
this space.
Um, you're putting in the effortto have a um place online that
is dedicated to you and yourbrand.
And it's a place that can growover time.
So, as a new author, youprobably won't have a whole lot
going on there.
You'll have like your homepagethat has about you, about the
(10:43):
book coming out.
Can they pre-order or how canthey learn more?
Um, and which leads me to thenext thing, which is going to be
an email newsletter.
Um, and I truly believe thatthis is such an important part
that I wish that I had startedwhenever I was a new author with
my first book that I delayed formultiple years, even though I
knew how important it was.
Um, and that's because if we'reselling on retailers like Amazon
(11:06):
or Barnes and Noble or wherever,we don't get that customer data
of who's buying our books.
We don't get their names, wedon't get their email addresses.
So the best place to do that isby having our own email list to
nurture our audience, ourreaders who are excited to hear
about our upcoming book.
So you can collect emailaddresses on your website and
then use that email newsletterfor monthly or maybe twice a
(11:30):
month or weekly as you'regetting closer to your launch
date, you'll want to increasethe number of emails you're
sending and really, you know,build and nurture that
community.
So that's a few quick places ofwhere I get started if I was a
new author.
SPEAKER_00 (11:44):
I love that.
And it's so funny.
I was just talking to a writerthe other day and she was like,
I hear everybody say I shouldstart an email list.
It's like everyone says it's thenumber one important thing, but
is it really?
And I'm like, yes, yes, it is.
It's so important.
That's why everybody talks aboutit.
Um, and everybody who haseventually built it said the
same thing you did, which is Iwish I had started it earlier.
(12:04):
So take it from us and take itfrom these writers who are like,
we wish we started earlier andjust start the email newsletter.
It'll save you time andfrustration in the future.
Um but okay, so I love that kindof like quick highlight reel of
what we can do.
And then I'm imagining peopleare like, okay, great, I get it.
Start an email newsletter, makea website, post on social or
whatever I choose to do.
(12:25):
But if my book isn't out, whatdo I talk about?
SPEAKER_01 (12:27):
Yeah, totally.
So this is our time to kind ofrelate to our audience and get
them to know us, like us, trustus before the book is out.
Um, and so there's kind ofthere's a lot of different types
of readers, of course, but I'mgonna kind of summarize into two
buckets of the readers who don'tnecessarily need to know about
the author.
They might see a book on socialmedia and love the cover or love
(12:49):
the synopsis and they're readyto buy that day.
But there's also another type ofbuyer who takes longer.
They might have a long TBR list,so your book isn't gonna happen
for a while anyway, right?
So they're trying to get to knowthe authors, they're following
along, following along, and theyneed multiple reminders about
this book before they are readyto purchase, which is a perfect
time frame before the book isout to warm those audience
(13:12):
members up.
So I teach this three-pillar uhcontent.
Um, it's called show, sell,storytell.
And the sell one, we're notreally doing quite yet if we
don't have a book out.
So we can focus on the othertwo, which are show and
storytelling.
And show is showing the readerwhy you're the right author for
them.
This is kind of understandingand showing them that you
(13:34):
understand your audience.
What is it that they love?
This could be like tropes andthemes of the book.
This could be sharing excerptsof the book, um, you know, that
you think that your audiencewould love.
This can also just be relatablecontent, like, hey, I'm a
romance reader too, and theseare some of my favorite romance
books lately, or this is a tropethat I really don't like,
(13:54):
unpopular opinion.
Do you agree or disagree?
So it's that type of thingthat's showing your audience
like this author gets me.
And so I'm sure that I'm gonnalike their book because they're
everything they're talking aboutis my brain, right?
Is exactly what I'm thinking.
unknown (14:07):
Yep.
SPEAKER_01 (14:07):
And then you also have the storytelling content
that is a little bit moretrust-building content.
Um, you may have heard otherpeople saying online that we're
kind of in like a trustrecession, and there's just so
much AI content and there's somuch automated content, and it's
just so noisy online that it'shard to build that same amount
of trust that people used to beable to do a little bit more
(14:29):
easily.
And then it's also taking peoplelonger to make the purchase
decision to buy.
And we're seeing that yes, eventhough a book is less costly
than other, you know, moreexpensive products, it still
does take a lot of reminders topurchase.
So the storytelling is reallythe trust building.
And that can be um, you know,your story of how you got
started as an author, or whenyou knew you wanted to be a
(14:50):
writer, or what was the firstbook that made you know you
wanted to write the genre thatyou write?
You could also take themes andstories from your book itself
and put your own personal kindof touch on it.
Like if family is a reallyimportant aspect of the book,
can you talk a little bit aboutyours without, you know, getting
as personal as you want to umabout your family and how that
connects?
Those types of things justreally help build the connection
(15:11):
with our readers.
So those are the two differentpillars I'd be sharing before
the book's out.
And you can rotate through thoseon social media as well as your
email newsletter.
I love that.
SPEAKER_00 (15:20):
And I think sometimes we forget that we are
interesting just because we'reourselves.
And I like to always flip thisback around to the writers that
I work with.
And like when they follow theirfavorite author, they want to
gobble up everything that thatperson puts out just because
they're interested, right?
They found kindred spirit, andit might be because of maybe
they followed that authorbecause they also have a dog,
(15:41):
like they have, you know?
unknown (15:42):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (15:43):
And so it's like we are so much more interesting
than we give ourselves creditfor.
And um, speaking of AI, thiscould be an interesting project
to work with AI on, like, ask mequestions that might help me get
this out of my brain or, youknow, give me ideas based on my
journey to talk about in mynewsletter, things like that.
SPEAKER_01 (16:02):
Totally, yes.
And I even like I'll just braindump things that happened to me
in the last like week or two andjust see like, what am I have,
what's happening that I've likeforgotten about that actually
could work well as content thatcould be inspiring to my
audience or could just be like arelatable fun moment that just
bridges that connection with um,with us a little bit further.
So yeah, I think that's a greatidea.
(16:22):
Um, and we definitely all havethose stories and those moments
that are more interesting thanwe think.
And even when you wrap upwriting for the day, go back and
highlight or like copy and pasteany like really great scenes
that are emotional or like areally good quote that could
stand on its own and do a goodjob of promoting the book for
when you're in that phase ofpromoting.
Um, you'll already have stuffpulled through and you don't
(16:43):
have to sit there and readthrough everything again and try
to look for those marketingmoments.
So that's really helpful too.
And it can be hard, especiallywhen we're new and we don't have
an audience yet, or we don'thave, you know, a reader who's
we're their favorite author yet,right?
So it can feel weird, buthonestly pretend like fake until
you make it is so real, um, youknow, and post with the
intention that like this isgoing to reach the right people
(17:06):
who are, you know, perfect formy book and they haven't found
me quite yet because it's we'rejust starting off.
We all start at zero, um, butthey will come.
SPEAKER_00 (17:13):
I actually heard someone, I don't remember who it
was, but they said when you'restarting from zero, it's
actually a great place topractice because the pressure's
not on.
So sometimes I like to thinkabout that too, is it's like,
you know, we put all thispressure to be perfect, and it's
like, well, if you have 13followers, it's going to be okay
if you're not perfect, you know?
You'll develop your voice,you'll develop your content and
(17:34):
things like that over time.
So I just like to remind us thatsometimes it's okay if we, you
know, if we're if we feel likewe're starting from scratch,
it's actually kind of a goodthing sometimes.
SPEAKER_01 (17:44):
Absolutely.
And I think a small, intimate,engaged community is so powerful
because you'll see typicallyyour engagement kind of drops
the bigger your audience gets,and you'll recognize those names
that keep coming up, you know,over and over that are
responding to your emails orcommenting on your posts, and
you know that they're, you know,a real fan.
And that's so fun whenever youhave a smaller, tight-knit
(18:05):
community, you really feel thatengagement back.
So don't skip over that for thesake of trying to grow, grow,
grow.
And it's actually is a reallygood phase to be in.
SPEAKER_00 (18:12):
So can I ask you, what are some, like if you had
to boil it down to the top twoor three mistakes you see people
make with their author platform,what do you think those are?
SPEAKER_01 (18:21):
That's a good question.
I think one of them is notreally having like a cohesive
vibe.
And that's something that candefinitely come over time, but
it is really helpful at thebeginning if you do sit down and
just think, where do I seemyself kind of going with this?
Am I sticking with the samegenre for a while?
Are there certain colors thatmatch maybe the cover or kind of
fit the vibe of my genre that Ican be cohesive with?
(18:44):
Same with a couple fonts andusing this across your platforms
um just helps really create thatfamiliarity and just that
cohesive vibe.
And then I kind of alreadyalluded to this, but just not
being afraid to be specific withwho you're speaking to.
I think a lot of us have thatfear early on that we're writing
this book and we're like, wewant it to be for everyone.
Like I know just everyone, ifthey read this, they're gonna
(19:05):
love it.
But it's harder to sell toeveryone if we're trying to
speak to every single person atonce.
Whereas, you know, we kind ofideally want a reader to see our
book and be like, this is forme.
And for someone who doesn't likeyour genre or isn't a big fan of
whatever it is you write, that'sokay.
And we don't need to force themto like it.
We just need to focus on thepeople who do already love our
work and our genre.
(19:26):
So don't be afraid to bespecific with that too.
Um, and you know, clearly statethat in your posts of what genre
you write.
Same with your homepage of yourwebsite.
It can have like a nice taglinethat summarizes, you know, what
you do, what you write.
Um, and that just really helpspeople know that they're in the
right place and helps thoseright people find you.
SPEAKER_00 (19:43):
I love all that.
And on the the you said earlierthat it's not like you have to
have your vibe and your stylekind of right on the first try.
And just to kind of throw thatquestion back at you, because
I'm sure your answer is the sameas mine.
How many times have you redoneyour personal branding and your
website and things like that?
Like it happens all the time,right?
SPEAKER_01 (20:03):
Many times.
Many times, yes, totally.
And don't, and also at the sametime, like if you are early on
and you're picking these things,don't spend months deciding
these little decisions that canchange.
Cause that's just kind ofprocrastinating and like, you
know, not really be superintentional.
Like there's way more importantthings we can be doing.
It's important, but don't let itlike take up all your time at
the same time because it candefinitely change and it has
(20:25):
many times for me as well.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (20:26):
I know.
And I'm so I love color stuff.
So I'm like, which is the rightshade of blue, you know, really
spend hours there.
But like you said, it'sunproductive.
Yeah.
Um, okay.
So do you have anything that youwant to add?
Because we did talk about emaillists earlier, and I know that
that can be kind of anoverwhelming topic too, because
we're both saying it's superimportant.
And then, you know, I'm a writerwho I might Google, how do I set
(20:49):
up an email list?
And it's like, you need a fiveemail welcome sequence and you
need a freebie, and you and thenit becomes really overwhelming.
Totally.
SPEAKER_01 (20:56):
Yeah.
So we can start with out awhat's called a reader magnet or
a lead magnet, which is like ourfreebie.
Um, it does help conversions ifyou have the time to do so.
And it can be something verysimple, like you mentioned a
playlist of music you listen to.
I've seen authors do that as areader magnet.
And it's like, here's the songsthat I love listening to while
(21:16):
I'm writing my blah, blah, blahbook.
And readers love listening tothings like that.
So it can be something reallyeasy to put together, it can be
a free chapter of the book orlike a little excerpt.
Um, there's lots of differentcreative ways we can go about
this.
So that is a next step, but Ithink the first step is really
just picking a platform to hostyour email list.
There's lots to choose from.
Um, and you can find lots ofdifferent like author
(21:38):
communities talking aboutrecommendations.
Um, I use MailerLite personallyand really enjoy it.
Um, and it has a good free planup until a certain number of
subscribers.
And um, it's fairlystraightforward.
Once you set it up, um, you'llcreate like an opt-in form,
which is just how you're goingto collect their email address.
I like to collect first nametoo, just so I can personalize
my emails and say, like, hey,Savannah in the email.
(21:59):
Um, so I do that.
You'll add it to your website.
And then the last step is justwriting that welcome email.
A sequence can definitely belonger down the line.
It does not have to be beforeyour book's even out.
Focus on the book for now.
But some sort of welcome emailjust saying, like, hey, thanks
so much for writing mynewsletter.
Here's a little bit about me,here's what to expect.
(22:20):
I like to set those expectationson how often you're going to
hear from me, what you're goingto get.
And in those early days, um,lean into like that exclusivity
factor.
People love to be a part ofsomething that is special and
kind of like their own privatecircle, right?
So kind of lean into that,especially if you don't have
another freebie quite yet.
Um, and that really helps.
Like maybe you share releasestate and you share the cover
(22:43):
reveal and all of those thingsfirst with your email
subscribers before they getanywhere else on your website or
social media or wherever elseyou're marketing.
Um, and that really helps tomake it feel like more of an
exclusive space.
So really just picking yourplatform, setting up that opt-in
form, writing that welcomeemail, and then it's automated
and you can kind of be hands-offwith it while people are
(23:03):
subscribing.
SPEAKER_00 (23:03):
Yeah.
And I love that you said there'skind of a version one, which is
the bare minimum.
And then you can build on itover time.
And I think that's what stressesso many people out is they're
like, if I do this five emailwelcome sequence, what do I talk
about?
And it's like, you'll have stuffto put in there later.
Just get it set up.
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
So I love that.
unknown (23:21):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (23:22):
Okay.
So let's kind of fast forward alittle.
Let's say that uh people havetaken action on some of the
things you've said in today'sepisode, and then they're like,
all right, it's now the time.
I'm ready to launch my book.
What are some tips you have forthat?
SPEAKER_01 (23:34):
Yeah, definitely.
So we've talked a little bitabout how we're going to like
kind of warm up our audience.
So take it a few months out.
You've already been buildingyour audience and talking about
the book somewhat, but kind ofput this into a true launch
campaign where you're going todo, you know, your title reveal,
do your cover reveal, therelease date reveal, um, and or
(23:55):
announcement, not really reveal.
Um, and kind of use these aslike big, exciting announcements
where you kind of bring yourenergy, you show your excitement
for it because that emotionreally does translate um online
and helps, you know, people getexcited for you too and to
support you.
Another thing you can considerdoing is building a small team
to help you with the launch, um,where, you know, there's people
(24:18):
on social media or your emaillist where you know that they're
really excited about the bookand they might be a really good
person to read an early advancedcopy.
They might leave a review onAmazon on launch day.
They might post about it totheir own audience on social
media, or maybe they have areader group on Facebook or
wherever where they can shareabout your book launch.
So making those connectionsearly in addition to just
(24:39):
posting or sending emails isalso really helpful.
So you have people tocollaborate with that can
support your launch and you cansupport, you know, their launch
if they're an author as well inthe future.
So I like to do that as well inmy launches.
Um, and then, you know, leadingup to launch, increase what
you're doing a little bit,really make sure that your
content's being seen with socialor you're sending more emails
(25:01):
than usual, and then continuethat through launch week and
beyond and just really keep thatexcitement going.
Make sure again that it's soclear what the book's about, um,
that you're bringing yourexcitement, you're sharing any
early reviews that you mighthave gotten or early feedback
from beta readers, things likethat.
Um, and then experiment.
Like this is really your time tonow, now that it's available for
(25:22):
purchase, to see what is gettingpeople clicking, what are, you
know, what is leading to sales,what email did I send that has,
you know, created the most salesout of any of them?
This is like the time to reallycollect that data and experiment
with um, you know, how you'resummarizing your book.
Are you, you know, making thehook exciting enough and
engaging enough for people towant to go by?
So yeah, use that data and usethat time to experiment.
(25:45):
Um, and then use it.
Go back and look at that dataand help that um let that help
you with future launches or evenjust the ongoing marketing of
this book.
SPEAKER_00 (25:54):
Yeah.
I think we put a lot of pressureon our launch and like for good
reason, right?
We know that it's kind of theunveiling of our book, Baby to
the World.
But I think sometimes we forgetthat it's okay if not everything
happens during that week becausethe book has a lifetime and we
need to market it throughoutthat entire lifetime.
So I love what you said aboutkind of iterating on what you're
learning and, you know, usingthings from the launch.
(26:15):
And think about too, like whenyou're post-launch, how much of
that can go back in that welcomesequence you're trying to build
or on your website, things likethat.
Um, what can you put in yourstory bank that you're gonna
talk about in the future?
So, you know, it's kind of allinfo in a good way, right?
Absolutely, absolutely.
SPEAKER_01 (26:32):
And at the end of the day, like, yes, launch week
is exciting, but readers don'treally care all that much about
when a book comes out.
Like they'll read it if itsounds good years down the line.
Um, and so I was the same way,like my first book, I didn't
really know what I was doing.
Um, and it didn't start sellinguntil a couple of years later.
And I just interviewed an authorwhose book has sold like 300,000
(26:53):
copies and it didn't startgaining traction until like
three years in.
And she kept marketing itthrough those three years and
then it took off.
So that's not to say that mighthappen for you.
It could be, you know, thislaunch week is great.
Um, but just don't getdiscouraged from continuing to
go.
And please, please, please don'tgive up on your book if launch
week doesn't go as expected andjust kind of switch to the next
(27:13):
one.
You have plenty of time to findyour readers for that book.
SPEAKER_00 (27:16):
Yeah, and it's like you said, it could be just the
mismatch between the way you'retalking about an aspect of it
and what your ideal readerreally wants.
So imagine making one tweakinstead of giving up, and then
imagine your book skyrocketing,which I've seen happen too.
So absolutely I agree.
Don't give up.
Um, but okay, so one of thethings you said was like
connecting with your readersbefore launch week.
(27:39):
And then also think about likeduring that launch week as a
reader yourself for anyone who'slistening, you kind of get
excited for those writers youfollow and you like being a part
of the hype, right?
So you're kind of just creatingthat for the people that you've
connected with.
And it doesn't have to be like,um, because this is a thing I
hear all the time is well, Idon't just want to talk about
myself and my book, right?
(27:59):
And so it's kind of like if youcan step out of that and just
come along with me for thisjourney, you're gonna get the
same result, but you're gonnafeel better about it.
You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_01 (28:09):
Yeah, absolutely.
I love this, yeah.
And just thinking about the factthat your audience is opting in
to hear from you.
I think that's another thingthat people are like, oh, I'm
like shoving it down their face,like whatever when they're
marketing.
No, if people hit follow,they're following you for a
reason, or if they opt into yournewsletter, they want to hear
from you.
So don't be afraid to let themhear from you and actually give
(28:31):
them, you know, the content.
But I think it does help too tolook at other creators that you
might enjoy um following onlineand seeing what they're posting.
Cause there are times where I'mlike, no one wants to see, you
know, what I'm working on today.
And then like I'll be clickingthrough my favorite authors,
like, oh, this is so exciting.
Like I love, and I'm respondingto them about how excited I am.
So the same thing will happenwith you as well.
(28:52):
Um, so yeah, don't be afraid toget, you know, a little bit
personal or just feel likesharing the behind the scenes is
is very exciting and notsomething that a lot of readers
get to see.
I think it's really cool that,you know, the online world has
made it so that they can get ataste into what it's like to be
an author throughout your dayand like what you're working on
and putting together and all ofthe hard work that goes into
creating a book as well, becauseit's a lot.
SPEAKER_00 (29:12):
Yeah, it is a lot.
So again, the things that you doare very interesting, whether
you realize that or not.
Exactly.
I love that.
Yeah.
But okay, so this has been sogreat.
Um, I know you have a freebiefor everybody.
Can you talk about that a littlebit?
SPEAKER_01 (29:27):
Absolutely, yes.
And I think it's uh perfect forwhat we were talking about.
So I have a list growth starterkit that's really great for
people just starting off withtheir email list.
Um, it'll walk you through howto create it, how to grow it in
numerous different ways.
Um, so that's a really helpfulone.
And then I also have multiplesocial media freebies on my
site, like a um postingchecklist if you want to get
(29:48):
started on social and a templatepack as well.
So they're all just on mywebsite at marketing by
shelby.comslash freebie.
That's where you can find all ofthem.
SPEAKER_00 (29:56):
Yeah, we will put that link in the show notes and
then you can all go and collectall the freebies.
From Shelby because they aregreat.
But any last um, like partingwords of wisdom on an author
platform that writers need tohear?
SPEAKER_01 (30:07):
I think just you know, we covered a lot today.
It was like condensed into 30minutes.
So, of course, these things aregonna take longer than you know
what I was able to share here.
And it also, if it's feeling alittle bit overwhelming, please
start with one thing.
Like I said in the verybeginning, one platform, focus
on that for you know, 60 days,90 days.
Don't be afraid to kind of putthat energy into one place
(30:28):
versus feeling like you need tohave all of this perfect for
your launch or you know, evenbeforehand.
Um, because it's it takes timeto set up.
And like I said, like there'sauthors who wait years to have
some of these things.
And I didn't start my email listfor years.
And so it doesn't need to beperfect on day one.
Um, take, you know, thebandwidth and time that you have
to take small steps toward yourgoals, you know, each day that
(30:48):
you can.
And that's the best that we cando.
SPEAKER_00 (30:50):
Yeah.
And, you know, small steps equalbig results sometimes too.
So you'll be glad you startednow, no matter where you are in
your book launching or writingjourney.
But I love that.
Thank you so much, Shelby, forcoming on the show.
And I already want to have youback like 40 different times to
talk about 40 different topics.
SPEAKER_01 (31:07):
So I would love that.
I would love to come backanytime.
But thank you so much for havingme and thank you, everyone, for
listening.
I hope you found some tipstoday.
SPEAKER_00 (31:15):
All right, so that's it for this episode of the
Fiction Writing Made EasyPodcast.
Head over to savannagilbo.comforward slash podcast for the
complete show notes, includingthe resources I mentioned today,
as well as bonus materials tohelp you implement what you've
learned.
And if you're ready to get morepersonalized guidance for your
specific writing stage, whetheryou're just starting out, stuck
(31:36):
somewhere in the middle of adraft, drowning in revisions, or
getting ready to publish, takemy free 30-second quiz at
savannagilbo.com forward slashquiz.
You'll get a customized podcastplaylist that'll meet you right
where you're at and help you getto your next big milestone.
Last but not least, make sure tofollow this podcast in your
podcast player of choice becauseI'll be back next week with
(31:56):
another episode full ofactionable tips, tools, and
strategies to help you become abetter writer.
Until then, happy writing.
And in those early days, lean into like that
(00:02):
exclusivity factor.
People love to be a part ofsomething that is special and
kind of like their own privatecircle, right?
So kind of lean into that.
Like maybe you share reallystate and you share the cover
reveal and all of those thingsfirst with your email
subscribers before they getanywhere else on your website or
social media or wherever elseyou're marketing.
And that really helps to make itfeel like more of an exclusive
(00:22):
space.
So really just picking yourplatform, setting up that opt-in
form, writing that welcomeemail, and then it's automated
and you can kind of be hands-offwith it while people are
subscribing.
SPEAKER_00 (00:33):
Welcome to the Fiction Writing Made Easy
Podcast.
My name is Savannah Gilbo, andI'm here to help you write a
story that works.
I want to prove to you thatwriting a novel doesn't have to
be overwhelming.
So each week I'll bring you abrand new episode with simple,
actionable, and step-by-stepstrategies that you can
implement in your writing rightaway.
So whether you're brand new towriting or more of a seasoned
(00:54):
author looking to improve yourcraft, this podcast is for you.
So pick up a pen and let's getstarted.
In today's episode, I have areal treat for you.
My guest, Shelby Lee, is here totalk about how to build an
author platform, whether youhave a finished book or not.
And Shelby isn't just going toshare run-of-the-mill marketing
tips.
To date, she's sold over 60,000copies of her four books and has
(01:18):
built an entire business aroundhelping authors market their
books in a way that feelsaligned and authentic.
Now, I mentioned that Shelby ishere to talk about how to build
an author platform.
And I know this is a topic thatcan feel overwhelming,
especially for those of us whoare introverted or who are new
to the marketing game.
And trust me when I say thatShelby's advice is both beginner
(01:39):
and introvert friendly.
So we're going to discusseverything from content
marketing strategies to theimportance of creating a
cohesive brand that trulyrepresents who you are as an
author.
Whether you're just starting outor looking to refine your
existing author platform,Shelby's insights are sure to
provide the clarity andmotivation you need.
So grab your notebook, settlein, and let's dive right into my
(02:01):
conversation with Shelby Lee.
Shelby, thank you so much forbeing here today.
I'm so excited to dive into allthings author platform with you.
SPEAKER_01 (02:09):
Thank you so much for having me.
I'm excited to chat.
SPEAKER_00 (02:11):
Before we dive into all the juicy stuff, can you
just introduce yourself in yourown words?
SPEAKER_01 (02:16):
Sure.
So I'm Shelby Lee.
I'm an author and also the ownerof Marketing by Shelby, which is
a marketing education company.
So I teach and consult withauthors and creatives on um how
to grow your own community ofreaders and sell your books.
Um, primarily content marketing.
So I focus a lot on like socialmedia, on email marketing, on
(02:37):
really like online marketing.
But I started off as an author.
Um it's been about 10 yearssince my first book was
published.
And I started sharing my workonline um anonymously.
So if you are listening andyou're scared of marketing or
very introverted, you are in theright place because I am also
that way.
Um and it took a lot of umpractice and growth and stepping
(02:57):
out of my comfort zone a bit tomarket my work.
Um, but yeah, I started offself-publishing.
I grew a community online andwith my sales and things, I had
opportunities for some bookdeals.
So I've also done sometraditional published books.
So I have experience with bothavenues um and I'm happy to talk
about both.
So that's a little bit about me,but my genre is uh poetry.
(03:18):
So I write poetry books.
Um, they're about mental healththemes.
So I always like to share thattoo, because people are
surprised that you can actuallysell poetry.
So if I can sell poetry, you cansell your genre as well.
So yeah, that's a little bitabout me, and I'm excited to
chat today about growing anauthor platform.
SPEAKER_00 (03:34):
I love that.
And so is all of that why youstarted teaching marketing to
writers?
SPEAKER_01 (03:38):
Yes, yeah.
So I actually have always lovedmarketing and I started, um, I
went to school for marketing andworked in marketing jobs for a
few years after college and thendecided that what I wanted to do
was start my own company andteach it to authors.
I was just getting questionsoften in the DMs um from authors
who were seeing what I was doingand you know, asking questions
and I was happy to answer, um,but figured I could help even
(04:00):
more people if I actuallycreated, you know, resources and
structure around it.
So that's what got me into it.
But I talk about marketing allday long now.
And you have to love it in orderto do that.
SPEAKER_00 (04:10):
So I do really love it.
That's so fun.
I love marketing too.
And it's interesting because asyou were saying that, I'm like,
it sounds like the introvertloved marketing, which is a
whole can of worms in itself.
Um, but also you kind of armedyourself with the knowledge of
how to make it work for you.
Absolutely.
SPEAKER_01 (04:26):
Yeah.
And I think that um this isgonna sound like very
complimentary toward myself, butpeople here like, I'm calm.
I'm typically not the crazy likemarketer that you see online
that's like, I don't know,considered like bro marketing or
whatever you want to call it.
It's just not my style.
Saying that connects with a lotof creatives who tend to be
introverted or just at least notreally wanting to put ourselves
(04:47):
out there.
We like writing and hidingbetween the book covers and not
necessarily being everywhere.
So it is something that I've hadto figure out what works best
for me, what avenues do I likebest with that little bit of
stepping outside of your comfortzone to get better.
Like podcasting was neversomething I thought I would be
comfortable doing.
And I do it all the time.
And I love it.
Um, so it's like taking thoselittle steps outside of your
(05:07):
comfort zone too.
But there are definitely ways tomake it more suitable to your
bandwidth and also to yourpersonality and not like super
salesy in your face, um, like wesometimes think of when we think
of marketing.
SPEAKER_00 (05:18):
Yes, because marketing is not one size fits
all, which I'm sure we're gonnatalk about.
Um, but can you start us offwith how you define an author
platform?
SPEAKER_01 (05:26):
Yeah, sure.
I think it's kind of hard tosummarize in one like phrase or
sentence.
It's really just how you show upin order to market your work, is
how I could summarize itquickly.
Um, and that doesn't have to beany certain platform.
Like we can talk about socialmedia, but we can also talk
about building your email listplatform or having a website and
all of this kind of comestogether to build an author
(05:47):
platform where your readers comeand they feel like they get to
know you as the author.
It's cohesive, it's familiarbecause you're utilizing a
brand.
So you have like maybe yourlogo, you have similar colors
and fonts and a vibe that itgives off that's cohesive across
anywhere that you're marketingyour work.
And that all creates an authorplatform together.
SPEAKER_00 (06:08):
Awesome.
And I love that you said it canbe social, it can be email, it
can be your website, it can be amix of so many different things.
So it's kind of like a grab bagfor anyone listening.
Like you can do which parts makethe most sense for you.
But I know that the number onething my audience probably wants
to know is what do we do aboutour author platforms when we're
writing our books?
Or if we're like thinking aboutwriting a book, when do we
(06:30):
start?
SPEAKER_01 (06:31):
Yeah, that's a great question.
I think I get that question, atleast weekly, if not daily.
Um, you know, I'm writing, I'mworking on a book.
When do I start?
Um, how early is too early, howlate is too late, all of that.
So for me, I think that there'sno such thing as too early.
Like maybe if you're like threeyears out, okay, it might feel a
little bit of a drag to bemarketing the same book for
(06:52):
three years.
But typically when we startworking on a book, it might be a
year, two years.
And I think that it's such agreat opportunity to get
involved in not only the authorcommunity, but also just the
reader community.
And, you know, you're likely areader as well.
So like sharing what you'redoing and all of that and what
you're reading can really helpyou grow an audience of readers.
(07:13):
Before you have something topromote, it actually is easier
to build an audience typically,um, because people are just
following along for reviews orlike, you know, relatable posts
that you're sharing about beinga reader.
So um I would say if you are sixmonths to 12 months out, that's
a really good time frame.
That's typically what Irecommend.
But again, if you are earlierthan that, that's totally fine
too.
Um, and if you're listening tothis and you're like, oh crap,
(07:34):
I'm releasing a book in threemonths and I haven't started
yet, start today.
Like it's never, you know, justget started and don't put it off
any further.
But that's typically a goodrange to um, you're excited
about the book, you have a lotof details about the book, you
can start talking about it,getting people excited.
Um, and then again, likeengaging with the reader
community that's already online.
SPEAKER_00 (07:54):
Yeah.
I love that.
And also thinking about thewriters I work with when they're
kind of bringing their book to aclose, they're working on those
final drafts and they're gettingthe line edits and things.
Um, it's almost like you do havemore time to work on the author
platform.
So, you know, I agree thatwithin that last six to 12
months is probably the sweetspot, but again, no right or
wrong time.
(08:14):
Um, but as you were saying that,I'm imagining our listeners kind
of thinking, okay, I need to beposting on social media, but I
would like you to back us up andremind us that an author
platform is beyond social media,right?
Absolutely.
Yes, yes.
SPEAKER_01 (08:27):
And I do like think it's a great spot, but it's not
for everyone.
So there's other options aswell.
SPEAKER_00 (08:32):
Yeah.
And so what would that look likeif you're six to 12 months out?
What would you do to start yourplatform?
SPEAKER_01 (08:38):
Yeah.
So if you want to explore socialmedia, because I think that it
is a great free option to reachnew people, I would be starting
with picking one platform.
I'm really someone whorecommends focusing on one max
two, especially when you'restarting out, because it's so
hard to learn what's working ifwe're spreading ourselves super
thin across so many differentplaces.
(08:59):
So start with one or two.
Ideally, if there's one that youlike, start there.
Um, because I think it's just somuch easier to stay consistent
whenever it's one that you dolike.
If you're not a big social mediauser to begin with, um, then do
some research.
You can Google like demographicsin your country if there's like
a target area that you want toreach.
But honestly, all the bigplatforms have billions of
users.
(09:20):
So you're likely to find yourtarget audience no matter which
one you choose.
Um, and then it's about kind oflike the format as well.
Like if you like video, if youlike more picture-based, if you
like text-based threads is agood option or blue sky.
Um, I feel like X people arekind of leaving, but that's
there too.
Um, and so kind of like pickingyour format.
And then you want to set up aprofile on one of these
(09:41):
platforms that's very clearabout your genre, what you do,
when your book's coming out.
Um, and just being very clearwith that, you'd be shocked by
how many authors, like, I'll goclick on their page and I
couldn't tell you what theywrite.
And that's something that areader wants to know right away.
Um, and then you'll start kindof posting and engaging with the
community, search for keywordsrelated to your genre, follow
(10:01):
accounts, follow readers, followauthors, take a look at what
content's performing well andwhat grabs your eye, and then
put your own spin on it and tryto replicate it.
So that's a very quick summaryof that.
Um, but other things for yourauthor platform, especially if
you don't want to do social, um,my recommendation would be a
website.
Um, I get asked this a lot like,do you think that that's
(10:22):
important?
Honestly, I think I think it'simportant.
I think it helps to establishyou as like a professional in
this space.
Um, you're putting in the effortto have a um place online that
is dedicated to you and yourbrand.
And it's a place that can growover time.
So, as a new author, youprobably won't have a whole lot
going on there.
You'll have like your homepagethat has about you, about the
(10:43):
book coming out.
Can they pre-order or how canthey learn more?
Um, and which leads me to thenext thing, which is going to be
an email newsletter.
Um, and I truly believe thatthis is such an important part
that I wish that I had startedwhenever I was a new author with
my first book that I delayed formultiple years, even though I
knew how important it was.
Um, and that's because if we'reselling on retailers like Amazon
(11:06):
or Barnes and Noble or wherever,we don't get that customer data
of who's buying our books.
We don't get their names, wedon't get their email addresses.
So the best place to do that isby having our own email list to
nurture our audience, ourreaders who are excited to hear
about our upcoming book.
So you can collect emailaddresses on your website and
then use that email newsletterfor monthly or maybe twice a
(11:30):
month or weekly as you'regetting closer to your launch
date, you'll want to increasethe number of emails you're
sending and really, you know,build and nurture that
community.
So that's a few quick places ofwhere I get started if I was a
new author.
SPEAKER_00 (11:44):
I love that.
And it's so funny.
I was just talking to a writerthe other day and she was like,
I hear everybody say I shouldstart an email list.
It's like everyone says it's thenumber one important thing, but
is it really?
And I'm like, yes, yes, it is.
It's so important.
That's why everybody talks aboutit.
Um, and everybody who haseventually built it said the
same thing you did, which is Iwish I had started it earlier.
(12:04):
So take it from us and take itfrom these writers who are like,
we wish we started earlier andjust start the email newsletter.
It'll save you time andfrustration in the future.
Um but okay, so I love that kindof like quick highlight reel of
what we can do.
And then I'm imagining peopleare like, okay, great, I get it.
Start an email newsletter, makea website, post on social or
whatever I choose to do.
(12:25):
But if my book isn't out, whatdo I talk about?
SPEAKER_01 (12:27):
Yeah, totally.
So this is our time to kind ofrelate to our audience and get
them to know us, like us, trustus before the book is out.
Um, and so there's kind ofthere's a lot of different types
of readers, of course, but I'mgonna kind of summarize into two
buckets of the readers who don'tnecessarily need to know about
the author.
They might see a book on socialmedia and love the cover or love
(12:49):
the synopsis and they're readyto buy that day.
But there's also another type ofbuyer who takes longer.
They might have a long TBR list,so your book isn't gonna happen
for a while anyway, right?
So they're trying to get to knowthe authors, they're following
along, following along, and theyneed multiple reminders about
this book before they are readyto purchase, which is a perfect
time frame before the book isout to warm those audience
(13:12):
members up.
So I teach this three-pillar uhcontent.
Um, it's called show, sell,storytell.
And the sell one, we're notreally doing quite yet if we
don't have a book out.
So we can focus on the othertwo, which are show and
storytelling.
And show is showing the readerwhy you're the right author for
them.
This is kind of understandingand showing them that you
(13:34):
understand your audience.
What is it that they love?
This could be like tropes andthemes of the book.
This could be sharing excerptsof the book, um, you know, that
you think that your audiencewould love.
This can also just be relatablecontent, like, hey, I'm a
romance reader too, and theseare some of my favorite romance
books lately, or this is a tropethat I really don't like,
(13:54):
unpopular opinion.
Do you agree or disagree?
So it's that type of thingthat's showing your audience
like this author gets me.
And so I'm sure that I'm gonnalike their book because they're
everything they're talking aboutis my brain, right?
Is exactly what I'm thinking.
unknown (14:07):
Yep.
SPEAKER_01 (14:07):
And then you also have the storytelling content
that is a little bit moretrust-building content.
Um, you may have heard otherpeople saying online that we're
kind of in like a trustrecession, and there's just so
much AI content and there's somuch automated content, and it's
just so noisy online that it'shard to build that same amount
of trust that people used to beable to do a little bit more
(14:29):
easily.
And then it's also taking peoplelonger to make the purchase
decision to buy.
And we're seeing that yes, eventhough a book is less costly
than other, you know, moreexpensive products, it still
does take a lot of reminders topurchase.
So the storytelling is reallythe trust building.
And that can be um, you know,your story of how you got
started as an author, or whenyou knew you wanted to be a
(14:50):
writer, or what was the firstbook that made you know you
wanted to write the genre thatyou write?
You could also take themes andstories from your book itself
and put your own personal kindof touch on it.
Like if family is a reallyimportant aspect of the book,
can you talk a little bit aboutyours without, you know, getting
as personal as you want to umabout your family and how that
connects?
Those types of things justreally help build the connection
(15:11):
with our readers.
So those are the two differentpillars I'd be sharing before
the book's out.
And you can rotate through thoseon social media as well as your
email newsletter.
I love that.
SPEAKER_00 (15:20):
And I think sometimes we forget that we are
interesting just because we'reourselves.
And I like to always flip thisback around to the writers that
I work with.
And like when they follow theirfavorite author, they want to
gobble up everything that thatperson puts out just because
they're interested, right?
They found kindred spirit, andit might be because of maybe
they followed that authorbecause they also have a dog,
(15:41):
like they have, you know?
unknown (15:42):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (15:43):
And so it's like we are so much more interesting
than we give ourselves creditfor.
And um, speaking of AI, thiscould be an interesting project
to work with AI on, like, ask mequestions that might help me get
this out of my brain or, youknow, give me ideas based on my
journey to talk about in mynewsletter, things like that.
SPEAKER_01 (16:02):
Totally, yes.
And I even like I'll just braindump things that happened to me
in the last like week or two andjust see like, what am I have,
what's happening that I've likeforgotten about that actually
could work well as content thatcould be inspiring to my
audience or could just be like arelatable fun moment that just
bridges that connection with um,with us a little bit further.
So yeah, I think that's a greatidea.
(16:22):
Um, and we definitely all havethose stories and those moments
that are more interesting thanwe think.
And even when you wrap upwriting for the day, go back and
highlight or like copy and pasteany like really great scenes
that are emotional or like areally good quote that could
stand on its own and do a goodjob of promoting the book for
when you're in that phase ofpromoting.
Um, you'll already have stuffpulled through and you don't
(16:43):
have to sit there and readthrough everything again and try
to look for those marketingmoments.
So that's really helpful too.
And it can be hard, especiallywhen we're new and we don't have
an audience yet, or we don'thave, you know, a reader who's
we're their favorite author yet,right?
So it can feel weird, buthonestly pretend like fake until
you make it is so real, um, youknow, and post with the
intention that like this isgoing to reach the right people
(17:06):
who are, you know, perfect formy book and they haven't found
me quite yet because it's we'rejust starting off.
We all start at zero, um, butthey will come.
SPEAKER_00 (17:13):
I actually heard someone, I don't remember who it
was, but they said when you'restarting from zero, it's
actually a great place topractice because the pressure's
not on.
So sometimes I like to thinkabout that too, is it's like,
you know, we put all thispressure to be perfect, and it's
like, well, if you have 13followers, it's going to be okay
if you're not perfect, you know?
You'll develop your voice,you'll develop your content and
(17:34):
things like that over time.
So I just like to remind us thatsometimes it's okay if we, you
know, if we're if we feel likewe're starting from scratch,
it's actually kind of a goodthing sometimes.
SPEAKER_01 (17:44):
Absolutely.
And I think a small, intimate,engaged community is so powerful
because you'll see typicallyyour engagement kind of drops
the bigger your audience gets,and you'll recognize those names
that keep coming up, you know,over and over that are
responding to your emails orcommenting on your posts, and
you know that they're, you know,a real fan.
And that's so fun whenever youhave a smaller, tight-knit
(18:05):
community, you really feel thatengagement back.
So don't skip over that for thesake of trying to grow, grow,
grow.
And it's actually is a reallygood phase to be in.
SPEAKER_00 (18:12):
So can I ask you, what are some, like if you had
to boil it down to the top twoor three mistakes you see people
make with their author platform,what do you think those are?
SPEAKER_01 (18:21):
That's a good question.
I think one of them is notreally having like a cohesive
vibe.
And that's something that candefinitely come over time, but
it is really helpful at thebeginning if you do sit down and
just think, where do I seemyself kind of going with this?
Am I sticking with the samegenre for a while?
Are there certain colors thatmatch maybe the cover or kind of
fit the vibe of my genre that Ican be cohesive with?
(18:44):
Same with a couple fonts andusing this across your platforms
um just helps really create thatfamiliarity and just that
cohesive vibe.
And then I kind of alreadyalluded to this, but just not
being afraid to be specific withwho you're speaking to.
I think a lot of us have thatfear early on that we're writing
this book and we're like, wewant it to be for everyone.
Like I know just everyone, ifthey read this, they're gonna
(19:05):
love it.
But it's harder to sell toeveryone if we're trying to
speak to every single person atonce.
Whereas, you know, we kind ofideally want a reader to see our
book and be like, this is forme.
And for someone who doesn't likeyour genre or isn't a big fan of
whatever it is you write, that'sokay.
And we don't need to force themto like it.
We just need to focus on thepeople who do already love our
work and our genre.
(19:26):
So don't be afraid to bespecific with that too.
Um, and you know, clearly statethat in your posts of what genre
you write.
Same with your homepage of yourwebsite.
It can have like a nice taglinethat summarizes, you know, what
you do, what you write.
Um, and that just really helpspeople know that they're in the
right place and helps thoseright people find you.
SPEAKER_00 (19:43):
I love all that.
And on the the you said earlierthat it's not like you have to
have your vibe and your stylekind of right on the first try.
And just to kind of throw thatquestion back at you, because
I'm sure your answer is the sameas mine.
How many times have you redoneyour personal branding and your
website and things like that?
Like it happens all the time,right?
SPEAKER_01 (20:03):
Many times.
Many times, yes, totally.
And don't, and also at the sametime, like if you are early on
and you're picking these things,don't spend months deciding
these little decisions that canchange.
Cause that's just kind ofprocrastinating and like, you
know, not really be superintentional.
Like there's way more importantthings we can be doing.
It's important, but don't let itlike take up all your time at
the same time because it candefinitely change and it has
(20:25):
many times for me as well.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (20:26):
I know.
And I'm so I love color stuff.
So I'm like, which is the rightshade of blue, you know, really
spend hours there.
But like you said, it'sunproductive.
Yeah.
Um, okay.
So do you have anything that youwant to add?
Because we did talk about emaillists earlier, and I know that
that can be kind of anoverwhelming topic too, because
we're both saying it's superimportant.
And then, you know, I'm a writerwho I might Google, how do I set
(20:49):
up an email list?
And it's like, you need a fiveemail welcome sequence and you
need a freebie, and you and thenit becomes really overwhelming.
Totally.
SPEAKER_01 (20:56):
Yeah.
So we can start with out awhat's called a reader magnet or
a lead magnet, which is like ourfreebie.
Um, it does help conversions ifyou have the time to do so.
And it can be something verysimple, like you mentioned a
playlist of music you listen to.
I've seen authors do that as areader magnet.
And it's like, here's the songsthat I love listening to while
(21:16):
I'm writing my blah, blah, blahbook.
And readers love listening tothings like that.
So it can be something reallyeasy to put together, it can be
a free chapter of the book orlike a little excerpt.
Um, there's lots of differentcreative ways we can go about
this.
So that is a next step, but Ithink the first step is really
just picking a platform to hostyour email list.
There's lots to choose from.
Um, and you can find lots ofdifferent like author
(21:38):
communities talking aboutrecommendations.
Um, I use MailerLite personallyand really enjoy it.
Um, and it has a good free planup until a certain number of
subscribers.
And um, it's fairlystraightforward.
Once you set it up, um, you'llcreate like an opt-in form,
which is just how you're goingto collect their email address.
I like to collect first nametoo, just so I can personalize
my emails and say, like, hey,Savannah in the email.
(21:59):
Um, so I do that.
You'll add it to your website.
And then the last step is justwriting that welcome email.
A sequence can definitely belonger down the line.
It does not have to be beforeyour book's even out.
Focus on the book for now.
But some sort of welcome emailjust saying, like, hey, thanks
so much for writing mynewsletter.
Here's a little bit about me,here's what to expect.
(22:20):
I like to set those expectationson how often you're going to
hear from me, what you're goingto get.
And in those early days, um,lean into like that exclusivity
factor.
People love to be a part ofsomething that is special and
kind of like their own privatecircle, right?
So kind of lean into that,especially if you don't have
another freebie quite yet.
Um, and that really helps.
Like maybe you share releasestate and you share the cover
(22:43):
reveal and all of those thingsfirst with your email
subscribers before they getanywhere else on your website or
social media or wherever elseyou're marketing.
Um, and that really helps tomake it feel like more of an
exclusive space.
So really just picking yourplatform, setting up that opt-in
form, writing that welcomeemail, and then it's automated
and you can kind of be hands-offwith it while people are
(23:03):
subscribing.
SPEAKER_00 (23:03):
Yeah.
And I love that you said there'skind of a version one, which is
the bare minimum.
And then you can build on itover time.
And I think that's what stressesso many people out is they're
like, if I do this five emailwelcome sequence, what do I talk
about?
And it's like, you'll have stuffto put in there later.
Just get it set up.
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
So I love that.
unknown (23:21):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (23:22):
Okay.
So let's kind of fast forward alittle.
Let's say that uh people havetaken action on some of the
things you've said in today'sepisode, and then they're like,
all right, it's now the time.
I'm ready to launch my book.
What are some tips you have forthat?
SPEAKER_01 (23:34):
Yeah, definitely.
So we've talked a little bitabout how we're going to like
kind of warm up our audience.
So take it a few months out.
You've already been buildingyour audience and talking about
the book somewhat, but kind ofput this into a true launch
campaign where you're going todo, you know, your title reveal,
do your cover reveal, therelease date reveal, um, and or
(23:55):
announcement, not really reveal.
Um, and kind of use these aslike big, exciting announcements
where you kind of bring yourenergy, you show your excitement
for it because that emotionreally does translate um online
and helps, you know, people getexcited for you too and to
support you.
Another thing you can considerdoing is building a small team
to help you with the launch, um,where, you know, there's people
(24:18):
on social media or your emaillist where you know that they're
really excited about the bookand they might be a really good
person to read an early advancedcopy.
They might leave a review onAmazon on launch day.
They might post about it totheir own audience on social
media, or maybe they have areader group on Facebook or
wherever where they can shareabout your book launch.
So making those connectionsearly in addition to just
(24:39):
posting or sending emails isalso really helpful.
So you have people tocollaborate with that can
support your launch and you cansupport, you know, their launch
if they're an author as well inthe future.
So I like to do that as well inmy launches.
Um, and then, you know, leadingup to launch, increase what
you're doing a little bit,really make sure that your
content's being seen with socialor you're sending more emails
(25:01):
than usual, and then continuethat through launch week and
beyond and just really keep thatexcitement going.
Make sure again that it's soclear what the book's about, um,
that you're bringing yourexcitement, you're sharing any
early reviews that you mighthave gotten or early feedback
from beta readers, things likethat.
Um, and then experiment.
Like this is really your time tonow, now that it's available for
(25:22):
purchase, to see what is gettingpeople clicking, what are, you
know, what is leading to sales,what email did I send that has,
you know, created the most salesout of any of them?
This is like the time to reallycollect that data and experiment
with um, you know, how you'resummarizing your book.
Are you, you know, making thehook exciting enough and
engaging enough for people towant to go by?
So yeah, use that data and usethat time to experiment.
(25:45):
Um, and then use it.
Go back and look at that dataand help that um let that help
you with future launches or evenjust the ongoing marketing of
this book.
SPEAKER_00 (25:54):
Yeah.
I think we put a lot of pressureon our launch and like for good
reason, right?
We know that it's kind of theunveiling of our book, Baby to
the World.
But I think sometimes we forgetthat it's okay if not everything
happens during that week becausethe book has a lifetime and we
need to market it throughoutthat entire lifetime.
So I love what you said aboutkind of iterating on what you're
learning and, you know, usingthings from the launch.
(26:15):
And think about too, like whenyou're post-launch, how much of
that can go back in that welcomesequence you're trying to build
or on your website, things likethat.
Um, what can you put in yourstory bank that you're gonna
talk about in the future?
So, you know, it's kind of allinfo in a good way, right?
Absolutely, absolutely.
SPEAKER_01 (26:32):
And at the end of the day, like, yes, launch week
is exciting, but readers don'treally care all that much about
when a book comes out.
Like they'll read it if itsounds good years down the line.
Um, and so I was the same way,like my first book, I didn't
really know what I was doing.
Um, and it didn't start sellinguntil a couple of years later.
And I just interviewed an authorwhose book has sold like 300,000
(26:53):
copies and it didn't startgaining traction until like
three years in.
And she kept marketing itthrough those three years and
then it took off.
So that's not to say that mighthappen for you.
It could be, you know, thislaunch week is great.
Um, but just don't getdiscouraged from continuing to
go.
And please, please, please don'tgive up on your book if launch
week doesn't go as expected andjust kind of switch to the next
(27:13):
one.
You have plenty of time to findyour readers for that book.
SPEAKER_00 (27:16):
Yeah, and it's like you said, it could be just the
mismatch between the way you'retalking about an aspect of it
and what your ideal readerreally wants.
So imagine making one tweakinstead of giving up, and then
imagine your book skyrocketing,which I've seen happen too.
So absolutely I agree.
Don't give up.
Um, but okay, so one of thethings you said was like
connecting with your readersbefore launch week.
(27:39):
And then also think about likeduring that launch week as a
reader yourself for anyone who'slistening, you kind of get
excited for those writers youfollow and you like being a part
of the hype, right?
So you're kind of just creatingthat for the people that you've
connected with.
And it doesn't have to be like,um, because this is a thing I
hear all the time is well, Idon't just want to talk about
myself and my book, right?
(27:59):
And so it's kind of like if youcan step out of that and just
come along with me for thisjourney, you're gonna get the
same result, but you're gonnafeel better about it.
You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_01 (28:09):
Yeah, absolutely.
I love this, yeah.
And just thinking about the factthat your audience is opting in
to hear from you.
I think that's another thingthat people are like, oh, I'm
like shoving it down their face,like whatever when they're
marketing.
No, if people hit follow,they're following you for a
reason, or if they opt into yournewsletter, they want to hear
from you.
So don't be afraid to let themhear from you and actually give
(28:31):
them, you know, the content.
But I think it does help too tolook at other creators that you
might enjoy um following onlineand seeing what they're posting.
Cause there are times where I'mlike, no one wants to see, you
know, what I'm working on today.
And then like I'll be clickingthrough my favorite authors,
like, oh, this is so exciting.
Like I love, and I'm respondingto them about how excited I am.
So the same thing will happenwith you as well.
(28:52):
Um, so yeah, don't be afraid toget, you know, a little bit
personal or just feel likesharing the behind the scenes is
is very exciting and notsomething that a lot of readers
get to see.
I think it's really cool that,you know, the online world has
made it so that they can get ataste into what it's like to be
an author throughout your dayand like what you're working on
and putting together and all ofthe hard work that goes into
creating a book as well, becauseit's a lot.
SPEAKER_00 (29:12):
Yeah, it is a lot.
So again, the things that you doare very interesting, whether
you realize that or not.
Exactly.
I love that.
Yeah.
But okay, so this has been sogreat.
Um, I know you have a freebiefor everybody.
Can you talk about that a littlebit?
SPEAKER_01 (29:27):
Absolutely, yes.
And I think it's uh perfect forwhat we were talking about.
So I have a list growth starterkit that's really great for
people just starting off withtheir email list.
Um, it'll walk you through howto create it, how to grow it in
numerous different ways.
Um, so that's a really helpfulone.
And then I also have multiplesocial media freebies on my
site, like a um postingchecklist if you want to get
(29:48):
started on social and a templatepack as well.
So they're all just on mywebsite at marketing by
shelby.comslash freebie.
That's where you can find all ofthem.
SPEAKER_00 (29:56):
Yeah, we will put that link in the show notes and
then you can all go and collectall the freebies.
From Shelby because they aregreat.
But any last um, like partingwords of wisdom on an author
platform that writers need tohear?
SPEAKER_01 (30:07):
I think just you know, we covered a lot today.
It was like condensed into 30minutes.
So, of course, these things aregonna take longer than you know
what I was able to share here.
And it also, if it's feeling alittle bit overwhelming, please
start with one thing.
Like I said in the verybeginning, one platform, focus
on that for you know, 60 days,90 days.
Don't be afraid to kind of putthat energy into one place
(30:28):
versus feeling like you need tohave all of this perfect for
your launch or you know, evenbeforehand.
Um, because it's it takes timeto set up.
And like I said, like there'sauthors who wait years to have
some of these things.
And I didn't start my email listfor years.
And so it doesn't need to beperfect on day one.
Um, take, you know, thebandwidth and time that you have
to take small steps toward yourgoals, you know, each day that
(30:48):
you can.
And that's the best that we cando.
SPEAKER_00 (30:50):
Yeah.
And, you know, small steps equalbig results sometimes too.
So you'll be glad you startednow, no matter where you are in
your book launching or writingjourney.
But I love that.
Thank you so much, Shelby, forcoming on the show.
And I already want to have youback like 40 different times to
talk about 40 different topics.
SPEAKER_01 (31:07):
So I would love that.
I would love to come backanytime.
But thank you so much for havingme and thank you, everyone, for
listening.
I hope you found some tipstoday.
SPEAKER_00 (31:15):
All right, so that's it for this episode of the
Fiction Writing Made EasyPodcast.
Head over to savannagilbo.comforward slash podcast for the
complete show notes, includingthe resources I mentioned today,
as well as bonus materials tohelp you implement what you've
learned.
And if you're ready to get morepersonalized guidance for your
specific writing stage, whetheryou're just starting out, stuck
(31:36):
somewhere in the middle of adraft, drowning in revisions, or
getting ready to publish, takemy free 30-second quiz at
savannagilbo.com forward slashquiz.
You'll get a customized podcastplaylist that'll meet you right
where you're at and help you getto your next big milestone.
Last but not least, make sure tofollow this podcast in your
podcast player of choice becauseI'll be back next week with
(31:56):
another episode full ofactionable tips, tools, and
strategies to help you become abetter writer.
Until then, happy writing.
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