With a background in writing, editing, and publishing, Ashleigh works closely with authors to help them share their stories and connect with readers. She’s passionate about guiding authors through the marketing process and finding creative ways to bring their books to life.
Let’s get to know more about her journey and her role at Tellwell!
As an author, you may already be aware that the hard work of writing a great book is just the beginning, and promoting it effectively can be quite a real challenge.
This is where Lesley Morrison, a book-marketing consultant for Tellwell, can help you! With years of experience working with authors, Lesley knows how to develop marketing strategies that work and can assist you in standing out in a competitive market. In this meet-the-team interview, we will chat with Lesley about the art of book marketing and how you can use her expertise to promote your book.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your background? How did you become interested in book-marketing consulting?
As a published author, I realized the importance of knowing how to market a book in a saturated and competitive market. Having some insider knowledge prompted me to find ways I could help others on the same literary journey and overcome the same challenges I faced.
What does a typical day in the life of a book-marketing consultant look like? Can you walk us through your daily routine?
My day always starts with emails! I like to ensure no one is left hanging for answers. Typically I prioritize tasks that will have the greatest impact for authors in getting marketing underway. I keep close communication with my authors to let them know where things are at, and to get feedback on services I am working on if necessary. I save the most creative tasking (like promotional material design) for the evening when I do my best visual work.
When meeting with author Irony James about her upcoming inspirational novel #imatter: Unicorns Live Here, she posed the question of not only what resources were available to her as an author, but also what resources were available to her as an author of colour. Irony is passionate about being a black, female author, and wanted to connect with fellow POC creatives within the industry to share her story.
This conversation prompted a deep dive into festivals, organizations, and platforms that pride themselves on giving black authors a voice, and allowing them to make connections with other POC creatives.
We wanted to share some of our awesome findings with you!
APPLICATIONS
The StoryGraph
The StoryGraph is an up and coming virtual library platform! Created by Nadia Odunayo in late 2019, The StoryGraph prides itself on being ethnically diverse with it’s authors and content, instead of focusing on only mainstream books. Similar to Goodreads, The StoryGraph provides readers with a place to find great new reads, and review their favourite books.
When signing up for the website, readers are prompted to fill out a survey discussing their reading preferences including favourite genres, favourite book characteristics, genres that they would be uninterested in, and what they don’t like about certain books. The StoryGraph uses these preference tags to recommend different books to users across the platform, so readers can request to see books that only feature POC Characters, LGTBQ Characters, books written by POC authors, etc.! Readers are also prompted to rate books based on criteria like themes, moods, pace, and the characters themselves (such as character development, how diverse the characters are, whether or not the characters are loveable, or if their flaws are on display, etc.), so the ratings can’t be skewed or biased.
Similar to Goodreads, The StoryGraph provides users with the option to create reading challenges that are accessible to the whole community. They have a a whole section of these challenges dedicated to reading #OwnVoices, with challenges such as 100 Black Novelist You Should Read, Inclusivity Reading Challenge, and Reading Writers of Colour 2021, among others.
The StoryGraph is definitely a platform to keep an eye on, as it’s going to be one of the most important virtual libraries around!
Physical distancing, self-isolation and quarantines during the coronavirus pandemic have completely altered our lives. We’ve all had to reimagine the ways we connect and engage with each other. With so much fear and uncertainty circulating during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a great need for breaks from the news cycle. We are also spending more time at home now than, perhaps, ever in our lifetime. Indulging in a good story is one of the oldest and most enjoyable forms of escapism. Hopeful, cheerful, funny or just straight-up weird and quirky content can lighten our mood and make us feel so much better.
For authors, it’s a great time to promote and market your book. While holding book launches, book tours, book signings and school visits are not possible in a physical setting, you can take these activities online. Authors are using social media, and platforms like Zoom, to hold live events, digital book tours, and Q&As. They are partnering with other authors, book bloggers, booktubers and influencers in their space to share their stories and engage with their audiences.
Here are some ideas and strategies to consider on how to market and promote your book during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Considering using Facebook live to launch your book. It’s free and relatively easy to setup. Almost everyone has a Facebook account together and it’s likely the people you would invite to a physical book launch event will already be your Facebook friend. Facebook Live can also accommodate another person which is great if you would like a co-host, emcee or someone to introduce you.
