March 15, 2025 • 39 mins
In this episode of the Smith Publicity All Things Book Marketing Podcast, Sandy Smith, CEO of Smith Publicity interviews Ashley Zink, founder of Higher Ground Consulting, about her expertise in helping authors turn their books into profitable ventures. They delve into the crucial steps for successful book marketing, including early planning, identifying clear goals, capturing reader data, and using lead magnets. Ashley also emphasizes the importance of building an email list, leveraging an author's network, and integrating revenue-generating opportunities like online courses. This comprehensive discussion offers invaluable advice for authors aiming to maximize their book's success and long-term impact.
For more insights, authors and aspiring writers can explore Ashley Zink’s services on LinkedIn or through Higher Ground Consulting’s website. Listening to the full podcast episode can provide additional nuances and practical tips for taking your book marketing strategy to the next level.
For more insights about book publicity and book marketing, visit Smith Publicity and subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated on upcoming podcast episodes.
Sandy Poirier Smith on LinkedIn.
For more insights, authors and aspiring writers can explore Ashley Zink’s services on LinkedIn or through Higher Ground Consulting’s website. Listening to the full podcast episode can provide additional nuances and practical tips for taking your book marketing strategy to the next level.
For more insights about book publicity and book marketing, visit Smith Publicity and subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated on upcoming podcast episodes.
Sandy Poirier Smith on LinkedIn.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to the Smith Publicity All Things Book Marketing podcast,
offering tips, insights, and advice from the best in the
publishing industry.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Welcome everyone to this latest episode of the Smith Publicity
All Things Book Marketing podcast. And today we have a
special guest, Ashley Zinc, founder of Higher Ground Consulting. And
I met Ashley as we shared a wonderful client, Mary
(00:34):
Olsen Menzel, author of US Today bestseller What Lights You Up?
And I'm holding up a copy of Mary's beautiful books.
And as we were doing publicity for Mary, I said
to her, Mary, who is helping you with your marketing,
your content, your social because whoever is doing it, I
(00:59):
wish every author used this person this method because it
is it was outstanding. So then Mary said, Sandy, meet Ashley.
Her as her aunts was Ashley Zinc. And we have
Ashley here today and she's a creative, results oriented marketing
leader with a passion for serving heart centered brands. Her
(01:22):
clients include New York Times and USA Today best selling authors,
thought leaders, and many other clients. Just over a decade
of experience developing and managing sixty marketing strategies. And what
I really liked about Ashley she leans into KPIs and
(01:44):
UH which which is often the kind of squishy part,
but it's so important. And she helps her clients attract
leads and turn these leads into super fans, which of
course for authors especially you know, and investing in your
community and building your own network and brands is your
number one asset. Ashley helps people develop their brands with
(02:09):
creative direction, does online influencer email database, automated marketing solutions
and reporting, does online courses and creative work with copywriting,
design websites, and on the data side she does SEO
organic paid social media. So everything author really needs to
(02:31):
have that beautiful foundation to make themselves, their books and
their business go to the next level. And again, the
key concept that I loved when I first met Ashley
and one that resonates here with us at Smith is
the financial side to writing a book. How are you
going to make money? Why are you doing this? So
(02:52):
welcome Ashley. I know that was a very long introduction,
but you've got such a beautiful background.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
Thank you so much for that glowing introduction and for
having me today. It is a pleasure to be here,
and I'm excited to share just a bit of my
knowledge with you and your listeners today excellent.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Excellent, And so Ashley, tell me when you start, when
authors are referred to you and you have that first
conversation with them to see if you are the right
fit to help them, what do you talk to them?
What's the first question you asked them?
Speaker 3 (03:29):
My first question is often how can I help you
achieve your goals? And then the next question is and
what is that goal? And it typically like to try
to narrow it down to the number one right, And
we talk a lot about blockers along the way, what
are their challenges and it really helps me get to
know what's at the foundation of their business and where
(03:55):
they really need the most support.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Right and tell me and we hear on our end
on the publicity side, one of the most common reasons
you're hearing that people are writing books, what do they
hope to get from it?
Speaker 3 (04:11):
Yes, many of my clients are best selling authors, as
you mentioned, and it's writing a book is a big task.
It's not just you know a lot of people like
writing the book is the you know, the first big milestone,
and then it's marketing, publishing and marketing in the book.
It's it's massive it's a massive effort and very exciting. Yes,
(04:33):
I work with a lot of people who are like
at first call it, well, they want all of the things.
I want to get on the bestseller list. I want
to use this book to drive revenue. I want to
you know, solidify my brand in this online space, be notoriety,
amplify my networking that I'm already doing. And some folks also,
(04:56):
I just want this out there, my ip out there
in this book for my lif see long term. Yes,
there's so many ways and reasons. A lot of times
in DAN I should cause that I want all of
those things, and typically to achieve just one or two
of them, really well, you got to really stay focused
on those. So I help maximize their time and resources
to do that.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
Excellent. And that's again on the publicity side. It's the
same when people say I want to use my book
to increase my speaking fees or to build my speaking profile,
or I really want to hit a bestseller list because
that opens more doors in my you know, my genre
and my air of expertise. And the answer that I
(05:39):
personally don't like hearing is my book is for everyone,
and so yes, and I do hear that from time
to time, everyone should read my book. And while that
might be true, maybe it is a great book that
has mass appeal. I go back to what is your
business plan and who are the people that you want
(06:01):
to work with? And then that kind of gets that
a hum moment of oh. And the example I always
use is lawyers. It's like, lawyers could use my book,
but I don't want to work with lawyers. Sorry, if
anyone else there is a lawyer, but they'll say like
they they're too busy. They know they need it, but
they don't want to invest in my X y Z concepts.
(06:25):
Like then, lawyers are not no longer part of your
target audience, which, again from a publicity perspective, we're not
going to be going after legal services or you know that,
because we can go into a lot of niche areas.
But understanding who your ideal client is, who you want
to work with, who you want how are you going
to monetize the book? Because let's face it, you get
(06:47):
a few dollars for every book sale, right and loyalties
perhaps a little bit more if you self publish or
a hybrid. But most of our authors are not making
significant money on book sales.
Speaker 3 (07:01):
Right, yes, and it's something that not a lot of
authors think of until later later on in the process.
But it's it's critical to me, how is this book
manufacture into your overall business plan? How much do you
want to invest into it in terms of time and
money to launch it? Well? And I mean it has
(07:24):
there's so much power in writing, in writing and launching
a book that it's all the little details that add
up to make it a big success. So I have navigated,
you know, there's earlier on in my career, one of
the folks I was working with, you know, really just
wanted that bestseller list, and they lost sight a little
bit of the how I'm making money afterwards, and then
(07:45):
the bestseller list didn't have them that they really want
it right, and then it's like, well, never doing that again.
How do I know? How do I get the in
terms of focusing on only the bestseller list right? Right?
You need to look at all the other components.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
Right When people come to us and say my only
go goal is bestseller, we really have those hard conversations
based on what you said. It's a lot of time, energy,
and sometimes money goes into the effort to build street teams,
to get you know, bulk book orders processed properly, and
you can do everything right and even hit the numbers
(08:25):
and not make a bestseller list.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
Yes, a specific one, yeah, I mean that, Yes, multiple
multiple lists.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
So tell me Ashley, what are some other ways that
you work with clients to authors and thought leaders to
help them monetize their book? And I love the expression
you used make your book work for you?
Speaker 3 (08:50):
Yes, so I have. There are multiple components, right, There's
one main thing that I recommend authors and corporate in
their launch because it's a catalyst or and I use
the word I use in my online market I launched
publishing a book launched just kind of in my vocabulary. More,
(09:13):
there's one catalyst that I really recommend because it can
serve multiple purposes and it allows people to drive revenue.
And I can talk about that a little bit. But
how do you use a book to drive revenue?
Speaker 2 (09:24):
Uh?
Speaker 3 (09:25):
If you are a keynote speaker, you can sell it
at events. If you are a visit in an executive coach,
you can use that book with your clients. If you
are there's so many ways. If you have online courses,
then you can drive people in, right, But capturing who
are your readers and your ideal customers, and then building
(09:50):
out the pathways to drive business in all of the areas.
So those a few people that I work with, I
help them really look at all of the components of
their business and how it can drive revenue in all
of those areas and more.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
And ideally, when would you like to start talking to
an author to brainstorm their potential paths and what makes
sense for them and their audience and where they are
in their career In brand building.
Speaker 3 (10:19):
I mean ideal such a relations I'm talking to someone
about a year out because of publishing, because I'm talking
to them when the book is still being created, yes, written,
and there are some really wonderful things we can do there,
and then really crafting it takes a while to do
(10:41):
you have the right website? Do you have branding that
is consistent and targeting your ideal customer and messaging to
go along with it. Do you have the lead magnets
that are in place to capture people and build your
email list to be able to market your book or
your social media falling following, do you have a network
(11:05):
of partners that can talk about your book and promote
finding a great publicist, to get the news of your
book out there and get you placements in places, finding
the right person to process bulk sales, because something that
not a lot of authors think about is critical to
selling the kind of numbers that would get onto best
(11:27):
selling lists is bulk buys. And there are really creative
ways and fun ways to be able to do that
and get those but all of those things, I mean,
I work with people who they're running a business. Their
time is precious, and so as it is, writing a
book takes so much of that time and launching it
(11:50):
and getting it just it takes having them a longer
runway is really makes the difference. It can't be rushed,
especially of people who don't him, who may not have
the email ust or the social following that they ideally
want to you.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
So right right, we are actually pitching a panel to
the US Book Show coming up this year and it's
on exactly that topic of day one. You have an agent, editor, publisher,
and you know, twelve months before publication date, what is
your plan like, what is your not just I'm going
(12:28):
to promote my book. We want specifics and one thing
that we say is special for authors who have quote
friends in high places, they've got a network. Okay, that's great,
let's organize your network. What are they? What is the ask? Right?
The ask could be a blurb, it could be a
social media post. They could have a podcast, they could
(12:51):
have a vibrant newsletter list. There's all different ways that
you know your friends in high places can help support
your book. What is the ask? And then what's the
timing of the ask? What are the assets they're going
to need? And is this a real true pre order
strategy where you're trying to get as many books sold
(13:12):
before launch date because of course all those book sales
count the first week of book sales open. And knowing
that and having that plan in place months and months
before the book comes out is just a gift to
to you know, the investment that you're making financially and
(13:34):
with your time, and you know your name's on this book,
so you want it to be as give it a
chance to be successful. And as we all know that
publishing teams, you know, the people who work for the publishers,
they're stretched so thin that authors can't rely on them
to do the heavy lifting. They're hopefully there for good
support and guidance and to champion your book within their team.
(13:59):
But it's really the author who has to have these
conversations along in advance. It's a business plan.
Speaker 3 (14:06):
Yes, that is definitely the reality of publishing these days,
and it's something that really needs to be planned well
in advance, as you said, Yeah, and all of the
different components you have to have ready.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (14:19):
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
And if an author could only do one thing, what
would you have them focus on Between let's let's let's
say they have a good, solid brand website. Okay, what
is the one non negotiable marketing initiative that you would say,
(14:41):
if you only have the funding, the time, the energy
to do one thing, what would what would you say
it would be or at least the top.
Speaker 3 (14:51):
It's so hard for me to say because it would
be based My answer would be based on what their
goal is, ok and what or what their unique circumstances.
So if they have a robust network, my number one
would be organizing all of those people in one place.
Who are they what you know, what resources can you
tap into? What are the asks that you can implement
(15:15):
with them? Because organizing all of that and really having
a good handle and then you can do so much.
Whether that's asking someone to email out about a book,
getting an article placed, having a really great bulk buy
of books for a group of people. Organization.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
Organization is key.
Speaker 3 (15:37):
It's key, and you know, there's so many other things
that I would yeah, okay if you.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
Were organized Number two and three, keep going, keep going.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
I mean the second thing is having a plan for
revenue generation. So whether that's you know, if you're an
executive coach and you want to plan to get more
into keynote speaking or run workshops, you know, how are
you implement it? How are you capturing your readers and
(16:08):
then talking to them, keeping them informed about what you're doing,
sharing your thought leaderships that then they're saying and sharing
what services you offers that you can then a book
out workshops and events. If you are a you know,
a health and wellness leader and you have an online course,
how are you capturing people letting them get to know you?
(16:32):
Uh and also some of the things that people don't
think as much, how do you How are you building
reviews for your book? Are you getting your your super
fans and your readers to share more about with their
I love the book, share about it on social media
and tell their friends and family, Like you're creating super fans.
If you're getting someone to read your book, then capture,
(16:53):
get to know them, get them on your email list,
and then tell them all about you, and you know,
just really generate those supervans because that's how especially brands
online and companies grow, right right.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
I love that review part because as we know reviews,
especially on Amazon, I think the algorithm every twenty five,
So at twenty five, at fifty, at you know, seventy five,
one hundred, it just feeds the SEO, the search engine
algorithms so that Amazon starts recommending your book.
Speaker 3 (17:29):
Yes, those milestones are critical, and yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
What are some ways and if it's too specific, that's okay,
But do you have any phrasing for the ask for
you know, some authors are shy or they're self conscious
about asking people to do things for them, and we say,
you have to do the ask right and people are
(17:55):
I think if they if they like you and respect
you or want to support you, they're looking for a
way to do so. So so what are some phrasing
or what are some ways that you help your fans
become super fans and fans of your book to or
reviews are sharing through different ways.
Speaker 3 (18:17):
Yeah, So I like to encourage authors that I work
with to have a what's the mission? Why did you
write this book? What's the positive impact that you want
to have on the world by writing this book. I
Mary who you mentioned on the call on this call earlier,
she wrote that the book What Lights You Up because
(18:39):
she wanted to help people find their dream job and
actually do work that they love in the word that
lights them up and then they're having such a ripple effect.
So she was on a mission to help as many
people do that as possible, especially in today's climate. It's
more important now than ever. And as you share more
(19:02):
more personal stories about why you wrote the book what
that mission is, you are activating readers to really want
to help you. So mission oriented, authentic messaging, sharing your
personal stories will help build that relationship and a lot
of that. I mean, it's why a book is so
wonderful because you can communicate that in a book already.
(19:27):
So in terms of getting reviews, I like to ask
have authors send out a very straightforward email, I'm on
that mission and will you help me. Here's why sharing
a review is so important. So many people don't just
leaving a review. But there's the algorithms on Amazon. You
(19:53):
just people take only a few seconds on an Amazon
book page right to see how do I want to
buy this thing? And they're making a judgment called quickly.
Those stars and those review and accounts matter. Oh this
thing must be really popular, right, I want to really
hear right. They build your building trust quickly with reviews.
So I like to actually have authors send out an
email really straightforward and giving very specific instructions about how
(20:18):
to go and leave that review so that there are
no questions or hesitancies to do. So that's what I
found works the best.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
I love that with sharing the why and the mission
and inviting people to join you, and especially ones who
have already found such value in the books, the concepts,
the ideas that the author is talking about, and it's
a way to for them to have some power and
share what's working for them too. Sol I like that
(20:49):
that that framework. Something else that we talked about was
some tips to have to drive busy about capturing reader
lists using this. This is the key talk about that. Yeah,
so you may be asking, how do I know who's
(21:12):
reading my book? How am I sending them that email?
Speaker 3 (21:16):
And you can do that in a variety of ways.
There's in your kind of free launch period of the book,
you can offer incentives so people who are here, they're
more likely to oh, hey, I'm getting a copy of
the book. I'm going to get this bonus thing. Let
me send share my email, right, So that's an important
way to capture that. Another key thing that I think
is often overlooked is the opportunity to include a lead
(21:40):
magnet in and of itself in your book, a resource
for your readers. So as you're crafting that book, what
would your readers ideally want to accompany the book to
help them implement what you're sharing to go to the
next level and really be help help with accountability and succeed.
(22:01):
And this can look like an assessment, quiz journal, a
access to an online course, or like a preview video teachings.
There's so many different things that you can offer, and
the audio recordings, whatever is really going to help your
(22:26):
readers get to the next level. And I recommend integrating
it throughout the book. Example, again Mary who wrote the book,
she has a light journal that you can get and
a companion workbook to the book, so you can go
and fill out on her website. You know, there's a
simple link in her book and go to a website
(22:50):
quickly fill it out and then you can pronounce this PDF.
And it's a huge, huge value add I mean, it's
something that people would it, so it's a really provide.
I encourage you to write a lot of value. And
again it's about creating those super fans who are reading
the book. And email address is gold, even amidst overflowing inboxes.
(23:12):
You know, social media having a million followers is fine,
but you're beholden to the app and the algorithm, and
there are certain nuances with having an email list, like
the Gmail and tabs that you can get lost and
sometimes but it an email address is gold and you
can communicate with someone and really get them, let them
(23:34):
know about your brand, get those reviews, and to educate
them on what other kind of service offerings you have.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
I couldn't agree more. I always say to authors that
your email list is one of your biggest assets because
you control it. I talked to an author yesterday who
has one hundred and forty thousand followers on Twitter. She
hasn't posted once since twenty twenty or you know, their
own reasons there's one hundred and plus thousand people who
(24:08):
are now kind of locked into X, which you know,
it's like you want to own that, and even LinkedIn,
which we love especially many of our nonfiction authors to
be active on people do you follow or you know
are connected with and you never see their posts because
the algorithm just isn't friendly to your connection. So having
(24:32):
your email list is gold. And publishers look at this too.
They want to know what your email lists are when
they're considering your book and considering what type of advance
you might get and your loyalty and the engagement with
these people, because let's face it, Ashley, most authors are
not just writing one book. I know we've talked about
(24:55):
like Mary her next book. So this email list you're
building for future opportunities as well. So that's really exciting.
But going back to something you said, when you have
the luxury of time, when you've got twelve months, you
can work with Ashley someone like Ashley to talk through
(25:17):
what can I do in my book that will encourage
opt ins, which will encourage what kind of tools can
I create that will help people know me, like me,
trust me, and really give them value. So these are
the kinds of things that you guide and advise on
and help execute as well.
Speaker 3 (25:39):
Yes, and that book goes to print early on, so
if we can work together at that twelve month mark,
we should have time to be able to plan out
what that who your ideal customer is, what they need
alongside of the book, and maximize that timeline right right.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
And for those authors who might be passed or they're
book has come out last year, there are still beautiful
ways to offer these kind of assets on your website
even if it's not in the book correct it just.
Speaker 3 (26:11):
Absolutely if you're a thought leader and publishing content and
have followings then or if you have a newsletter list,
you know I high likelihood that you've got readers in there,
so you can start that you can say, hey, I've
received feedback from readers and they really need some help
here and there. I've created something for you and it
(26:32):
gives you another reason to talk about your book after
you've published, which you know creates another wave of publicity
for it and sales. And then you're activating and curating
who really is still following me and who's read the
book and it's reads so many benefits and then you
can the other thing about really curating your I mean again,
(26:55):
think about in a busy world, so many things to
get somebody who's in your book reading it, really consuming
it and going through something like this. Those people that
opt in for some I mean get to know them,
they are going to tell you so much about what
(27:15):
else you can offer in your business that could lead
to other books, that could lead to other service office
or offers, and really help you optimize and scale your
business in an exciting way and hone in your messaging
and all of that.
Speaker 2 (27:29):
Because if they like and know and trust you for
one aspect, they have other headaches and problems and are
looking now to you for unique solutions. And it doesn't
have to be kind of rocket science, you know, but
it's your perspective, your framework that really makes a difference
(27:50):
in these people's lives. And so it doesn't we always
say here when we're pitching the media, the topics that
we're pitching don't always have to be within the pages
of a book of your book. If you have expertise
and you know advice that's related tangent to and it's
(28:12):
coming up in the news or it's a seasonality, and
you you were qualified to talk about it, and again
it's related to your your brand and your concept that's
valuable too. And then that often can be the foundation
of your next project in the project book, you know,
(28:33):
an online course because a lot of the times when
when we speak with authors, they're writing a book because
maybe up until this point their impact has been one
to one and now they want to be one to many,
and the people who buy their book often can't afford
(28:54):
them one to one or to hourly rate or such.
So that's why these online courses are just beautiful income generators.
When I talk a little bit about the power of
having an online course that goes with your book, and
and please don't launch a year after your book, I
(29:16):
mean you can, but ideally right.
Speaker 3 (29:19):
Within a few months of the book launching. Its ideal
give people some time to hear about it, for the
buzzs to build, for them to read it, and then
to want to take the next step. Absolutely, I love
online courses. It's been a you know, I've worked with
a lot of personal brands over the course of my
career and it is a pretty well known way, right
(29:43):
A lot of people have them, so probably have taken
one of yourself or familiar with them and they've evolved
over the years in terms of what's working. But it
is an excellent way to engage your community and generate revenue.
Whether that's you know, for an executive coach. Again, your
(30:05):
time is only if you have so much of your time.
So if you can capture your IP and some of
your core teachings in a way that is easy to
use and accessible with an online course, then you're going
to get people who may not have been able to
afford working with you before to be able to go
(30:26):
through that. And there are a lot of things that
are really important if you're choosing to launch an online
course to engage them very well and create those super
fans even more. And then you can also create communities
and offer you can have membership offerings as well. There's
so many different things that you can offer in the
(30:47):
online marketing space as you build your brand, and so
online courses are paramount. It's a time saver, it's a
revenue general e generator. They're wonderful super fan generator. Uh
and some other examples. You know, I've had executive coaches
there and so when I work with is a performance
(31:09):
coach and keynote speaker, and so she offers access to
an online coach, online course that can often accompany h
a workshop or a in person uh kind of an
experience to keep the keep learning. Or if they're working
with someone a corporate corporate group, then they can buy
(31:34):
seats into that. So again it may it just gives
you so.
Speaker 2 (31:36):
Many options and flexibility depending on your time, your audience,
So you can be a standalone from one on one,
or it can be an entree to organizations and businesses
for bigger let's face it, more money monetizing your your
expertise and and your and your thought leadership and whether
(31:59):
and again that book then becomes one part of a
bigger ecosystem that is exactly driving a return on investment.
And we were part of the Business Book ROI survey
with a group of publishing professionals who spoke with over
(32:21):
three hundred or surveyed more than three hundred business book
authors and really tried to find out who was making
the money and what they were doing, what they can
try to get all this data together. And probably the
number one differentiator there were a few was having that
(32:42):
the business how are you're making money? In place long
before the book comes out that I can't remember the
exact number, but mightybe ten plus time the investment. When
you had that that business plan in place, I was happy.
I was had to hear that people who invested in
publicity it was like a seven time multiplier and return
(33:04):
on investment. And also working with a good ghostwriter or
a professional editor was key. And crafting the right type
of book that was a beautiful multiplier as well. But
what was also interesting is when looking at the financials,
(33:24):
these authors weren't looking at it at one or two
or three months past publication date. They were looking at
it one or two even three years past publication date.
And the value have to flat my arms because my
lights go off. And the value that those that a
(33:46):
book can do for a business long after its launch.
Speaker 3 (33:52):
The keynote speaker and performance coach and evention that I
work with, she launched that book with me in twenty
twenty one, and that book is still People are still
opting in for her resource library. People are still getting
to know her, joining her email list. She's got over
five hundred reviews on Amazon.
Speaker 2 (34:13):
It is it's a machine.
Speaker 3 (34:16):
It's powerful. Yes, well only plan and structure things.
Speaker 2 (34:19):
Well, if you plan it it will come. Yes, well wonderful.
I know we're kind of running out of time here,
but Ashley, as we kind of wrap up here, are
there any summary of best practices or things you wish
every author knew about their brand and really preparing for
(34:45):
the most successful book launch. Things you wish that every
author knew shout it out.
Speaker 3 (34:51):
But planning in advance, having planning in advance, having the
it's some kind of opt in or way to capture
your readers quality branding, organize, organize and activate your network. Yes,
(35:14):
plan for revenue generating opportunities. Yes, and it really just
give yourself the runway and the grace throughout the process.
It's such a investment. It is such a huge It's
like it's it's you're launching this beautiful book into the world.
That is it's just don't undercut yourself. Yes, on the.
Speaker 2 (35:40):
Important pieces, Yes, the value it can bring to you.
On the organization. Note, when we have our meetings here
at Smith and say okay, what authors really did well
and why and one of them are are publicists, said
we wish all of our authors had an assistant and
(36:00):
to keep them organized, because, as you said, these authors
are busy, they're traveling the world, they're doing but they
need someone to say, Okay, here's your schedule, here's your
to do list, and to help keep them focused and organized.
We can only do so much from the outside. We
do have systems in place to help them. But when
our authors are organized and often means having someone they're
(36:23):
right hand person, who is you know, feeding them their
next steps while they're out changing the world and doing
all their great stuff. That I can't say, I can't
agree enough about that organization piece.
Speaker 3 (36:36):
I completely agree. It's yes, yes, if you have an
assistant protecting to their time or get one to be
able to support you. And I just spoke with pending
author and she was taught. I was like, well, how
much time do you have set aside over the next
nine months to how much time do you have in
(36:59):
your schedule to be able to commit to planning and
executing the marketing for this book launch? And her response was, well,
you know, most of my time is committed into my
business already, and whatever I need to do, I'll do it.
I can tell you that does not go well, You're
(37:20):
going to burn out. Yes, you're going to burn out
and not be able to execute really well. So carving
out that little bit of time. This is an investment.
You invested the time to write the book, invest the
time to market and launch the book really really well.
Get the assistant, get the marketing advice, get the PR's
like it's maximize the work you put in on the investment.
Speaker 2 (37:42):
And that business book. ROI research absolutely supports that those
plans making an enormous difference in the success of a book.
And again it goes so if book sales is like
the drop in the bucket and that most success, Yes,
looks so well. Great, Well, Ashley, thank you for your time.
(38:04):
How can people reach you?
Speaker 3 (38:07):
You can find me on LinkedIn, Ashley zinc and Higher
Ground Consulting dot com is my website. I would if
you're launching a book and need some advice, I'd be
happy to shall with you.
Speaker 2 (38:18):
Yeah, and it's Ashley Zinc with a K for those
people who are thank you, Gus listening is C I
N K And I always say Sandy with a Y.
It doesn't have an I.
Speaker 3 (38:28):
With like yes, yes, not the element z I n
K Yep, yes.
Speaker 2 (38:36):
Yes not the element. Well, well, thank you and thank
you all for listening to our latest podcast, and we
welcome you to listen to other episodes or come to
our website with Publicity dot com for our newsletter and
a whole host of resources to help authors understand the
(38:56):
power a book can do and give you some tips
and guys on that. So thank you for your time,
and Ashley, thank you so much. It's been a pleasure
speaking with you again. And I think again I wish
every author had you with their side and leading the charge,
because I'll tell you it makes an enormous difference.
Speaker 3 (39:19):
Thank you so much for having me and it's a
pleasure and I'm very grateful to be here.
Speaker 1 (39:24):
Thanks, thank you for listening to this episode of the
Smith Publicity All Things Book Marketing Podcast. To reach us
and learn about our many services, visit Smith Publicity dot
com or send us an email to info at Smith
Publicity dot com.
Welcome to the Smith Publicity All Things Book Marketing podcast,
offering tips, insights, and advice from the best in the
publishing industry.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Welcome everyone to this latest episode of the Smith Publicity
All Things Book Marketing podcast. And today we have a
special guest, Ashley Zinc, founder of Higher Ground Consulting. And
I met Ashley as we shared a wonderful client, Mary
(00:34):
Olsen Menzel, author of US Today bestseller What Lights You Up?
And I'm holding up a copy of Mary's beautiful books.
And as we were doing publicity for Mary, I said
to her, Mary, who is helping you with your marketing,
your content, your social because whoever is doing it, I
(00:59):
wish every author used this person this method because it
is it was outstanding. So then Mary said, Sandy, meet Ashley.
Her as her aunts was Ashley Zinc. And we have
Ashley here today and she's a creative, results oriented marketing
leader with a passion for serving heart centered brands. Her
(01:22):
clients include New York Times and USA Today best selling authors,
thought leaders, and many other clients. Just over a decade
of experience developing and managing sixty marketing strategies. And what
I really liked about Ashley she leans into KPIs and
(01:44):
UH which which is often the kind of squishy part,
but it's so important. And she helps her clients attract
leads and turn these leads into super fans, which of
course for authors especially you know, and investing in your
community and building your own network and brands is your
number one asset. Ashley helps people develop their brands with
(02:09):
creative direction, does online influencer email database, automated marketing solutions
and reporting, does online courses and creative work with copywriting,
design websites, and on the data side she does SEO
organic paid social media. So everything author really needs to
(02:31):
have that beautiful foundation to make themselves, their books and
their business go to the next level. And again, the
key concept that I loved when I first met Ashley
and one that resonates here with us at Smith is
the financial side to writing a book. How are you
going to make money? Why are you doing this? So
(02:52):
welcome Ashley. I know that was a very long introduction,
but you've got such a beautiful background.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
Thank you so much for that glowing introduction and for
having me today. It is a pleasure to be here,
and I'm excited to share just a bit of my
knowledge with you and your listeners today excellent.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Excellent, And so Ashley, tell me when you start, when
authors are referred to you and you have that first
conversation with them to see if you are the right
fit to help them, what do you talk to them?
What's the first question you asked them?
Speaker 3 (03:29):
My first question is often how can I help you
achieve your goals? And then the next question is and
what is that goal? And it typically like to try
to narrow it down to the number one right, And
we talk a lot about blockers along the way, what
are their challenges and it really helps me get to
know what's at the foundation of their business and where
(03:55):
they really need the most support.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Right and tell me and we hear on our end
on the publicity side, one of the most common reasons
you're hearing that people are writing books, what do they
hope to get from it?
Speaker 3 (04:11):
Yes, many of my clients are best selling authors, as
you mentioned, and it's writing a book is a big task.
It's not just you know a lot of people like
writing the book is the you know, the first big milestone,
and then it's marketing, publishing and marketing in the book.
It's it's massive it's a massive effort and very exciting. Yes,
(04:33):
I work with a lot of people who are like
at first call it, well, they want all of the things.
I want to get on the bestseller list. I want
to use this book to drive revenue. I want to
you know, solidify my brand in this online space, be notoriety,
amplify my networking that I'm already doing. And some folks also,
(04:56):
I just want this out there, my ip out there
in this book for my lif see long term. Yes,
there's so many ways and reasons. A lot of times
in DAN I should cause that I want all of
those things, and typically to achieve just one or two
of them, really well, you got to really stay focused
on those. So I help maximize their time and resources
to do that.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
Excellent. And that's again on the publicity side. It's the
same when people say I want to use my book
to increase my speaking fees or to build my speaking profile,
or I really want to hit a bestseller list because
that opens more doors in my you know, my genre
and my air of expertise. And the answer that I
(05:39):
personally don't like hearing is my book is for everyone,
and so yes, and I do hear that from time
to time, everyone should read my book. And while that
might be true, maybe it is a great book that
has mass appeal. I go back to what is your
business plan and who are the people that you want
(06:01):
to work with? And then that kind of gets that
a hum moment of oh. And the example I always
use is lawyers. It's like, lawyers could use my book,
but I don't want to work with lawyers. Sorry, if
anyone else there is a lawyer, but they'll say like
they they're too busy. They know they need it, but
they don't want to invest in my X y Z concepts.
(06:25):
Like then, lawyers are not no longer part of your
target audience, which, again from a publicity perspective, we're not
going to be going after legal services or you know that,
because we can go into a lot of niche areas.
But understanding who your ideal client is, who you want
to work with, who you want how are you going
to monetize the book? Because let's face it, you get
(06:47):
a few dollars for every book sale, right and loyalties
perhaps a little bit more if you self publish or
a hybrid. But most of our authors are not making
significant money on book sales.
Speaker 3 (07:01):
Right, yes, and it's something that not a lot of
authors think of until later later on in the process.
But it's it's critical to me, how is this book
manufacture into your overall business plan? How much do you
want to invest into it in terms of time and
money to launch it? Well? And I mean it has
(07:24):
there's so much power in writing, in writing and launching
a book that it's all the little details that add
up to make it a big success. So I have navigated,
you know, there's earlier on in my career, one of
the folks I was working with, you know, really just
wanted that bestseller list, and they lost sight a little
bit of the how I'm making money afterwards, and then
(07:45):
the bestseller list didn't have them that they really want
it right, and then it's like, well, never doing that again.
How do I know? How do I get the in
terms of focusing on only the bestseller list right? Right?
You need to look at all the other components.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
Right When people come to us and say my only
go goal is bestseller, we really have those hard conversations
based on what you said. It's a lot of time, energy,
and sometimes money goes into the effort to build street teams,
to get you know, bulk book orders processed properly, and
you can do everything right and even hit the numbers
(08:25):
and not make a bestseller list.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
Yes, a specific one, yeah, I mean that, Yes, multiple
multiple lists.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
So tell me Ashley, what are some other ways that
you work with clients to authors and thought leaders to
help them monetize their book? And I love the expression
you used make your book work for you?
Speaker 3 (08:50):
Yes, so I have. There are multiple components, right, There's
one main thing that I recommend authors and corporate in
their launch because it's a catalyst or and I use
the word I use in my online market I launched
publishing a book launched just kind of in my vocabulary. More,
(09:13):
there's one catalyst that I really recommend because it can
serve multiple purposes and it allows people to drive revenue.
And I can talk about that a little bit. But
how do you use a book to drive revenue?
Speaker 2 (09:24):
Uh?
Speaker 3 (09:25):
If you are a keynote speaker, you can sell it
at events. If you are a visit in an executive coach,
you can use that book with your clients. If you
are there's so many ways. If you have online courses,
then you can drive people in, right, But capturing who
are your readers and your ideal customers, and then building
(09:50):
out the pathways to drive business in all of the areas.
So those a few people that I work with, I
help them really look at all of the components of
their business and how it can drive revenue in all
of those areas and more.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
And ideally, when would you like to start talking to
an author to brainstorm their potential paths and what makes
sense for them and their audience and where they are
in their career In brand building.
Speaker 3 (10:19):
I mean ideal such a relations I'm talking to someone
about a year out because of publishing, because I'm talking
to them when the book is still being created, yes, written,
and there are some really wonderful things we can do there,
and then really crafting it takes a while to do
(10:41):
you have the right website? Do you have branding that
is consistent and targeting your ideal customer and messaging to
go along with it. Do you have the lead magnets
that are in place to capture people and build your
email list to be able to market your book or
your social media falling following, do you have a network
(11:05):
of partners that can talk about your book and promote
finding a great publicist, to get the news of your
book out there and get you placements in places, finding
the right person to process bulk sales, because something that
not a lot of authors think about is critical to
selling the kind of numbers that would get onto best
(11:27):
selling lists is bulk buys. And there are really creative
ways and fun ways to be able to do that
and get those but all of those things, I mean,
I work with people who they're running a business. Their
time is precious, and so as it is, writing a
book takes so much of that time and launching it
(11:50):
and getting it just it takes having them a longer
runway is really makes the difference. It can't be rushed,
especially of people who don't him, who may not have
the email ust or the social following that they ideally
want to you.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
So right right, we are actually pitching a panel to
the US Book Show coming up this year and it's
on exactly that topic of day one. You have an agent, editor, publisher,
and you know, twelve months before publication date, what is
your plan like, what is your not just I'm going
(12:28):
to promote my book. We want specifics and one thing
that we say is special for authors who have quote
friends in high places, they've got a network. Okay, that's great,
let's organize your network. What are they? What is the ask? Right?
The ask could be a blurb, it could be a
social media post. They could have a podcast, they could
(12:51):
have a vibrant newsletter list. There's all different ways that
you know your friends in high places can help support
your book. What is the ask? And then what's the
timing of the ask? What are the assets they're going
to need? And is this a real true pre order
strategy where you're trying to get as many books sold
(13:12):
before launch date because of course all those book sales
count the first week of book sales open. And knowing
that and having that plan in place months and months
before the book comes out is just a gift to
to you know, the investment that you're making financially and
(13:34):
with your time, and you know your name's on this book,
so you want it to be as give it a
chance to be successful. And as we all know that
publishing teams, you know, the people who work for the publishers,
they're stretched so thin that authors can't rely on them
to do the heavy lifting. They're hopefully there for good
support and guidance and to champion your book within their team.
(13:59):
But it's really the author who has to have these
conversations along in advance. It's a business plan.
Speaker 3 (14:06):
Yes, that is definitely the reality of publishing these days,
and it's something that really needs to be planned well
in advance, as you said, Yeah, and all of the
different components you have to have ready.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (14:19):
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
And if an author could only do one thing, what
would you have them focus on Between let's let's let's
say they have a good, solid brand website. Okay, what
is the one non negotiable marketing initiative that you would say,
(14:41):
if you only have the funding, the time, the energy
to do one thing, what would what would you say
it would be or at least the top.
Speaker 3 (14:51):
It's so hard for me to say because it would
be based My answer would be based on what their
goal is, ok and what or what their unique circumstances.
So if they have a robust network, my number one
would be organizing all of those people in one place.
Who are they what you know, what resources can you
tap into? What are the asks that you can implement
(15:15):
with them? Because organizing all of that and really having
a good handle and then you can do so much.
Whether that's asking someone to email out about a book,
getting an article placed, having a really great bulk buy
of books for a group of people. Organization.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
Organization is key.
Speaker 3 (15:37):
It's key, and you know, there's so many other things
that I would yeah, okay if you.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
Were organized Number two and three, keep going, keep going.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
I mean the second thing is having a plan for
revenue generation. So whether that's you know, if you're an
executive coach and you want to plan to get more
into keynote speaking or run workshops, you know, how are
you implement it? How are you capturing your readers and
(16:08):
then talking to them, keeping them informed about what you're doing,
sharing your thought leaderships that then they're saying and sharing
what services you offers that you can then a book
out workshops and events. If you are a you know,
a health and wellness leader and you have an online course,
how are you capturing people letting them get to know you?
(16:32):
Uh and also some of the things that people don't
think as much, how do you How are you building
reviews for your book? Are you getting your your super
fans and your readers to share more about with their
I love the book, share about it on social media
and tell their friends and family, Like you're creating super fans.
If you're getting someone to read your book, then capture,
(16:53):
get to know them, get them on your email list,
and then tell them all about you, and you know,
just really generate those supervans because that's how especially brands
online and companies grow, right right.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
I love that review part because as we know reviews,
especially on Amazon, I think the algorithm every twenty five,
So at twenty five, at fifty, at you know, seventy five,
one hundred, it just feeds the SEO, the search engine
algorithms so that Amazon starts recommending your book.
Speaker 3 (17:29):
Yes, those milestones are critical, and yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
What are some ways and if it's too specific, that's okay,
But do you have any phrasing for the ask for
you know, some authors are shy or they're self conscious
about asking people to do things for them, and we say,
you have to do the ask right and people are
(17:55):
I think if they if they like you and respect
you or want to support you, they're looking for a
way to do so. So so what are some phrasing
or what are some ways that you help your fans
become super fans and fans of your book to or
reviews are sharing through different ways.
Speaker 3 (18:17):
Yeah, So I like to encourage authors that I work
with to have a what's the mission? Why did you
write this book? What's the positive impact that you want
to have on the world by writing this book. I
Mary who you mentioned on the call on this call earlier,
she wrote that the book What Lights You Up because
(18:39):
she wanted to help people find their dream job and
actually do work that they love in the word that
lights them up and then they're having such a ripple effect.
So she was on a mission to help as many
people do that as possible, especially in today's climate. It's
more important now than ever. And as you share more
(19:02):
more personal stories about why you wrote the book what
that mission is, you are activating readers to really want
to help you. So mission oriented, authentic messaging, sharing your
personal stories will help build that relationship and a lot
of that. I mean, it's why a book is so
wonderful because you can communicate that in a book already.
(19:27):
So in terms of getting reviews, I like to ask
have authors send out a very straightforward email, I'm on
that mission and will you help me. Here's why sharing
a review is so important. So many people don't just
leaving a review. But there's the algorithms on Amazon. You
(19:53):
just people take only a few seconds on an Amazon
book page right to see how do I want to
buy this thing? And they're making a judgment called quickly.
Those stars and those review and accounts matter. Oh this
thing must be really popular, right, I want to really
hear right. They build your building trust quickly with reviews.
So I like to actually have authors send out an
email really straightforward and giving very specific instructions about how
(20:18):
to go and leave that review so that there are
no questions or hesitancies to do. So that's what I
found works the best.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
I love that with sharing the why and the mission
and inviting people to join you, and especially ones who
have already found such value in the books, the concepts,
the ideas that the author is talking about, and it's
a way to for them to have some power and
share what's working for them too. Sol I like that
(20:49):
that that framework. Something else that we talked about was
some tips to have to drive busy about capturing reader
lists using this. This is the key talk about that. Yeah,
so you may be asking, how do I know who's
(21:12):
reading my book? How am I sending them that email?
Speaker 3 (21:16):
And you can do that in a variety of ways.
There's in your kind of free launch period of the book,
you can offer incentives so people who are here, they're
more likely to oh, hey, I'm getting a copy of
the book. I'm going to get this bonus thing. Let
me send share my email, right, So that's an important
way to capture that. Another key thing that I think
is often overlooked is the opportunity to include a lead
(21:40):
magnet in and of itself in your book, a resource
for your readers. So as you're crafting that book, what
would your readers ideally want to accompany the book to
help them implement what you're sharing to go to the
next level and really be help help with accountability and succeed.
(22:01):
And this can look like an assessment, quiz journal, a
access to an online course, or like a preview video teachings.
There's so many different things that you can offer, and
the audio recordings, whatever is really going to help your
(22:26):
readers get to the next level. And I recommend integrating
it throughout the book. Example, again Mary who wrote the book,
she has a light journal that you can get and
a companion workbook to the book, so you can go
and fill out on her website. You know, there's a
simple link in her book and go to a website
(22:50):
quickly fill it out and then you can pronounce this PDF.
And it's a huge, huge value add I mean, it's
something that people would it, so it's a really provide.
I encourage you to write a lot of value. And
again it's about creating those super fans who are reading
the book. And email address is gold, even amidst overflowing inboxes.
(23:12):
You know, social media having a million followers is fine,
but you're beholden to the app and the algorithm, and
there are certain nuances with having an email list, like
the Gmail and tabs that you can get lost and
sometimes but it an email address is gold and you
can communicate with someone and really get them, let them
(23:34):
know about your brand, get those reviews, and to educate
them on what other kind of service offerings you have.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
I couldn't agree more. I always say to authors that
your email list is one of your biggest assets because
you control it. I talked to an author yesterday who
has one hundred and forty thousand followers on Twitter. She
hasn't posted once since twenty twenty or you know, their
own reasons there's one hundred and plus thousand people who
(24:08):
are now kind of locked into X, which you know,
it's like you want to own that, and even LinkedIn,
which we love especially many of our nonfiction authors to
be active on people do you follow or you know
are connected with and you never see their posts because
the algorithm just isn't friendly to your connection. So having
(24:32):
your email list is gold. And publishers look at this too.
They want to know what your email lists are when
they're considering your book and considering what type of advance
you might get and your loyalty and the engagement with
these people, because let's face it, Ashley, most authors are
not just writing one book. I know we've talked about
(24:55):
like Mary her next book. So this email list you're
building for future opportunities as well. So that's really exciting.
But going back to something you said, when you have
the luxury of time, when you've got twelve months, you
can work with Ashley someone like Ashley to talk through
(25:17):
what can I do in my book that will encourage
opt ins, which will encourage what kind of tools can
I create that will help people know me, like me,
trust me, and really give them value. So these are
the kinds of things that you guide and advise on
and help execute as well.
Speaker 3 (25:39):
Yes, and that book goes to print early on, so
if we can work together at that twelve month mark,
we should have time to be able to plan out
what that who your ideal customer is, what they need
alongside of the book, and maximize that timeline right right.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
And for those authors who might be passed or they're
book has come out last year, there are still beautiful
ways to offer these kind of assets on your website
even if it's not in the book correct it just.
Speaker 3 (26:11):
Absolutely if you're a thought leader and publishing content and
have followings then or if you have a newsletter list,
you know I high likelihood that you've got readers in there,
so you can start that you can say, hey, I've
received feedback from readers and they really need some help
here and there. I've created something for you and it
(26:32):
gives you another reason to talk about your book after
you've published, which you know creates another wave of publicity
for it and sales. And then you're activating and curating
who really is still following me and who's read the
book and it's reads so many benefits and then you
can the other thing about really curating your I mean again,
(26:55):
think about in a busy world, so many things to
get somebody who's in your book reading it, really consuming
it and going through something like this. Those people that
opt in for some I mean get to know them,
they are going to tell you so much about what
(27:15):
else you can offer in your business that could lead
to other books, that could lead to other service office
or offers, and really help you optimize and scale your
business in an exciting way and hone in your messaging
and all of that.
Speaker 2 (27:29):
Because if they like and know and trust you for
one aspect, they have other headaches and problems and are
looking now to you for unique solutions. And it doesn't
have to be kind of rocket science, you know, but
it's your perspective, your framework that really makes a difference
(27:50):
in these people's lives. And so it doesn't we always
say here when we're pitching the media, the topics that
we're pitching don't always have to be within the pages
of a book of your book. If you have expertise
and you know advice that's related tangent to and it's
(28:12):
coming up in the news or it's a seasonality, and
you you were qualified to talk about it, and again
it's related to your your brand and your concept that's
valuable too. And then that often can be the foundation
of your next project in the project book, you know,
(28:33):
an online course because a lot of the times when
when we speak with authors, they're writing a book because
maybe up until this point their impact has been one
to one and now they want to be one to many,
and the people who buy their book often can't afford
(28:54):
them one to one or to hourly rate or such.
So that's why these online courses are just beautiful income generators.
When I talk a little bit about the power of
having an online course that goes with your book, and
and please don't launch a year after your book, I
(29:16):
mean you can, but ideally right.
Speaker 3 (29:19):
Within a few months of the book launching. Its ideal
give people some time to hear about it, for the
buzzs to build, for them to read it, and then
to want to take the next step. Absolutely, I love
online courses. It's been a you know, I've worked with
a lot of personal brands over the course of my
career and it is a pretty well known way, right
(29:43):
A lot of people have them, so probably have taken
one of yourself or familiar with them and they've evolved
over the years in terms of what's working. But it
is an excellent way to engage your community and generate revenue.
Whether that's you know, for an executive coach. Again, your
(30:05):
time is only if you have so much of your time.
So if you can capture your IP and some of
your core teachings in a way that is easy to
use and accessible with an online course, then you're going
to get people who may not have been able to
afford working with you before to be able to go
(30:26):
through that. And there are a lot of things that
are really important if you're choosing to launch an online
course to engage them very well and create those super
fans even more. And then you can also create communities
and offer you can have membership offerings as well. There's
so many different things that you can offer in the
(30:47):
online marketing space as you build your brand, and so
online courses are paramount. It's a time saver, it's a
revenue general e generator. They're wonderful super fan generator. Uh
and some other examples. You know, I've had executive coaches
there and so when I work with is a performance
(31:09):
coach and keynote speaker, and so she offers access to
an online coach, online course that can often accompany h
a workshop or a in person uh kind of an
experience to keep the keep learning. Or if they're working
with someone a corporate corporate group, then they can buy
(31:34):
seats into that. So again it may it just gives
you so.
Speaker 2 (31:36):
Many options and flexibility depending on your time, your audience,
So you can be a standalone from one on one,
or it can be an entree to organizations and businesses
for bigger let's face it, more money monetizing your your
expertise and and your and your thought leadership and whether
(31:59):
and again that book then becomes one part of a
bigger ecosystem that is exactly driving a return on investment.
And we were part of the Business Book ROI survey
with a group of publishing professionals who spoke with over
(32:21):
three hundred or surveyed more than three hundred business book
authors and really tried to find out who was making
the money and what they were doing, what they can
try to get all this data together. And probably the
number one differentiator there were a few was having that
(32:42):
the business how are you're making money? In place long
before the book comes out that I can't remember the
exact number, but mightybe ten plus time the investment. When
you had that that business plan in place, I was happy.
I was had to hear that people who invested in
publicity it was like a seven time multiplier and return
(33:04):
on investment. And also working with a good ghostwriter or
a professional editor was key. And crafting the right type
of book that was a beautiful multiplier as well. But
what was also interesting is when looking at the financials,
(33:24):
these authors weren't looking at it at one or two
or three months past publication date. They were looking at
it one or two even three years past publication date.
And the value have to flat my arms because my
lights go off. And the value that those that a
(33:46):
book can do for a business long after its launch.
Speaker 3 (33:52):
The keynote speaker and performance coach and evention that I
work with, she launched that book with me in twenty
twenty one, and that book is still People are still
opting in for her resource library. People are still getting
to know her, joining her email list. She's got over
five hundred reviews on Amazon.
Speaker 2 (34:13):
It is it's a machine.
Speaker 3 (34:16):
It's powerful. Yes, well only plan and structure things.
Speaker 2 (34:19):
Well, if you plan it it will come. Yes, well wonderful.
I know we're kind of running out of time here,
but Ashley, as we kind of wrap up here, are
there any summary of best practices or things you wish
every author knew about their brand and really preparing for
(34:45):
the most successful book launch. Things you wish that every
author knew shout it out.
Speaker 3 (34:51):
But planning in advance, having planning in advance, having the
it's some kind of opt in or way to capture
your readers quality branding, organize, organize and activate your network. Yes,
(35:14):
plan for revenue generating opportunities. Yes, and it really just
give yourself the runway and the grace throughout the process.
It's such a investment. It is such a huge It's
like it's it's you're launching this beautiful book into the world.
That is it's just don't undercut yourself. Yes, on the.
Speaker 2 (35:40):
Important pieces, Yes, the value it can bring to you.
On the organization. Note, when we have our meetings here
at Smith and say okay, what authors really did well
and why and one of them are are publicists, said
we wish all of our authors had an assistant and
(36:00):
to keep them organized, because, as you said, these authors
are busy, they're traveling the world, they're doing but they
need someone to say, Okay, here's your schedule, here's your
to do list, and to help keep them focused and organized.
We can only do so much from the outside. We
do have systems in place to help them. But when
our authors are organized and often means having someone they're
(36:23):
right hand person, who is you know, feeding them their
next steps while they're out changing the world and doing
all their great stuff. That I can't say, I can't
agree enough about that organization piece.
Speaker 3 (36:36):
I completely agree. It's yes, yes, if you have an
assistant protecting to their time or get one to be
able to support you. And I just spoke with pending
author and she was taught. I was like, well, how
much time do you have set aside over the next
nine months to how much time do you have in
(36:59):
your schedule to be able to commit to planning and
executing the marketing for this book launch? And her response was, well,
you know, most of my time is committed into my
business already, and whatever I need to do, I'll do it.
I can tell you that does not go well, You're
(37:20):
going to burn out. Yes, you're going to burn out
and not be able to execute really well. So carving
out that little bit of time. This is an investment.
You invested the time to write the book, invest the
time to market and launch the book really really well.
Get the assistant, get the marketing advice, get the PR's
like it's maximize the work you put in on the investment.
Speaker 2 (37:42):
And that business book. ROI research absolutely supports that those
plans making an enormous difference in the success of a book.
And again it goes so if book sales is like
the drop in the bucket and that most success, Yes,
looks so well. Great, Well, Ashley, thank you for your time.
(38:04):
How can people reach you?
Speaker 3 (38:07):
You can find me on LinkedIn, Ashley zinc and Higher
Ground Consulting dot com is my website. I would if
you're launching a book and need some advice, I'd be
happy to shall with you.
Speaker 2 (38:18):
Yeah, and it's Ashley Zinc with a K for those
people who are thank you, Gus listening is C I
N K And I always say Sandy with a Y.
It doesn't have an I.
Speaker 3 (38:28):
With like yes, yes, not the element z I n
K Yep, yes.
Speaker 2 (38:36):
Yes not the element. Well, well, thank you and thank
you all for listening to our latest podcast, and we
welcome you to listen to other episodes or come to
our website with Publicity dot com for our newsletter and
a whole host of resources to help authors understand the
(38:56):
power a book can do and give you some tips
and guys on that. So thank you for your time,
and Ashley, thank you so much. It's been a pleasure
speaking with you again. And I think again I wish
every author had you with their side and leading the charge,
because I'll tell you it makes an enormous difference.
Speaker 3 (39:19):
Thank you so much for having me and it's a
pleasure and I'm very grateful to be here.
Speaker 1 (39:24):
Thanks, thank you for listening to this episode of the
Smith Publicity All Things Book Marketing Podcast. To reach us
and learn about our many services, visit Smith Publicity dot
com or send us an email to info at Smith
Publicity dot com.
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