by Women in Publishing Summit | Jun 10, 2023
Join Alexa Bigwarfe for the how, why, and the key tools to sell your book from your website – or directly from a sales cart – bypassing third party sites and earning more + building your email list.
By the end of this webinar you'll know:
1 – Why you should sell a book direct
2 – What the process / steps are to sell a book on your website or directly from a sales cart
3 – What tools you need to do it
4 – Fulfillment options and post sale activities
5 – Ideas for how to get others to sell your book for you
If you can't join live, the replay will be available!
by Women in Publishing Summit | Jun 7, 2023
Do you want to write stories that inspire change and promote inclusivity? Are you eager to learn how to create engaging content that addresses social justice issues?
Sherry Paris never could have predicted the impact a group of high school students would have on her life. As an educator and author, she collaborated with these young leaders on sensitivity training for middle schoolers, delving into complex issues such as racism and sexism. What she found was a group of passionate, insightful individuals who would inspire her to create books that engage readers of all ages in these crucial conversations. Sherry's unexpected journey taught her the power of young voices in advocating for change and challenging societal norms. But what happens when we empower these young leaders? The answer lies within the pages of her inspiring books.
From the student leaders. Elise says, I think the basis of a lot of social justice is being compassionate towards yourself and others. Love and compassion are a really radical thing that people underestimate all the time. – Sherry Paris
Join Sherry in a quest for inclusivity and social justice as she shares her tips on empowering young people to create a better world through their writing, while navigating the challenges of ageism, marginalization, and polarized times.
About Sherry Paris:
Meet Sherry Paris, an experienced educator and author dedicated to promoting social justice and inclusivity through her work. For the past 20 years, Sherry has successfully collaborated with young individuals as a diversity trainer, helping create a culture of acceptance and allyship in various communities. She is the brains behind the creative workbooks You Can Make a Difference and Being a Super Trans Ally, inspiring a new generation of activists and allies. Sherry Paris' work focuses on uplifting voices from all backgrounds and encouraging positive change through self-expression and understanding.
In this episode, we covered:
- Why Sherry wrote You Can Make a Difference! A Creative Workbook and Journal for Young Activists and included interviews with four student leaders
- Why this book is needed now (all actions by people of all ages are more important than ever!)
- How to empower others through your writing
- How she created and sustains a supportive container for writing (making writing and illustrating a sanctuary space/ritual)
- Tips for authors who want to be more inclusive in their writing
- How to be the beacon of love for marginalized people
Creating a Supportive Container for Writing
Sherry shares her tips for creating and sustaining a supportive container for writing and illustrating, including creating a space and routine, practicing self-care, and collaborating with others. She emphasizes the importance of knowing your why and allowing creativity to flow. By creating a supportive container for writing and illustrating, authors can cultivate an environment that nurtures creativity, sustains motivation, and encourages personal growth. Sherry's tips emphasize the balance between discipline and self-care, collaboration and individuality, and purpose-driven creativity, all of which contribute to a fulfilling and productive creative journey.
Key Takeaways
- Delve into the power of inclusive writing and its impact on social justice.
- Explore the essence of encouraging ally action and cultivating a welcoming environment.
- Recognize the importance of self-preservation and drive in the realm of activism.
- Acquire knowledge on protecting oneself professionally in the fields of writing and consulting.
- Comprehend the necessity of empowering the youth to acknowledge and appreciate diversity for a better future.
Memorable Moments:
00:01:56 – Why the Book is Needed Now,
Sherry talks about the importance of the book and the need for young people to be affirmed in who they are and empowered to take action towards social justice. She shares quotes from student leaders who were interviewed for the book and highlights the importance of compassion, support systems, and motivation in making a difference.
00:12:33 – Marketing and Business,
Sherry discusses her marketing strategy for You Can Make a Difference, including co-presenting with student leaders at a queer and trans resource center and a book and business launch. She also shares her process for creating an LLC to protect herself as an author and educator in these polarized times.
00:18:05 – Tips for Authors,
Sherry provides tips for authors, emphasizing the need for writers to educate themselves by learning and unlearning about diversity topics, including sensitivity readers for their manuscripts. She also recommends paying marginalized people for their labor and being a beacon of love for marginalized communities.
00:23:11 – Where to Find Sherry's Books,
Sherry invites people to consider buying her books from bookshop.org, which is a public good company that donates or offers proceeds to independent booksellers. She also shares that her books, Being a Super Trans Ally and You Can Make a Difference, are creative workbooks sold anywhere books are sold and include affirming illustrations that she drew. She encourages people to get her books into the hands of schools, guidance counselors, and libraries.
by Women in Publishing Summit | Sep 3, 2021
TikTok is taking the book industry by storm, and retailers are taking notice!
#BookTok is a powerhouse for book sales and an amazing resource for reader engagement.
We're bringing in Cayce LaCorte, our resident TikTok expert for a workshop to learn all about BookTok and why authors should be using it.
by Women in Publishing Summit | Apr 21, 2021
Finding the ideal reader for your book can be the difference between a bad review and a good review. Bad reviews can be hard to accept as an author but they can also give you insight into your marketing and who is reading your book. They give you a chance to ask “am I reaching the right readers for my book?”
Every author gets bad reviews.
Imagine you’re a novelist looking through Goodreads at some of your new book’s latest reviews and this is what you come across:
This is not an epic, beautiful tale of a wonderful family’s trials, or whatever. It is a long, poorly written story of a family’s sex life.
How does this author take such an interesting and impactful topic and write it so bland, emotionless and boring?
Was this book well written? No. Did I still enjoy it anyway? Also no.
This is the book that made me ignore other people’s recommendations. I have no idea what anyone sees in this piece of trash.
Yikes. You can imagine how hard that feedback would hit a person. They might think the author should hang up his or her hat and find a nice job in a tea shop or selling timeshares.
What if I told you that these were reviews that were left on the recent critically acclaimed books, respectively, Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, a National Book Award Finalist; The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 2020; The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab, which made nearly every 2020 “best of” list; and The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, winner of the 2012 Orange Prize?
Showing up in front of your ideal reader matters.
Sometimes the wrong person stumbles on your book, and there are just going to be those people who don't like it. But sometimes these bad reviews come from bad marketing, along with targeting the wrong types of readers.
By ensuring you know exactly WHO your reader is, and making a concerted effort to market to that particular audience, you can make sure that reviews like this are far and few between. That they only happen when the wrong reader stumbles across the book.
And it makes sense that most of the reviews are good for these books. Not only are they all great books, they also all have major publishers lined up behind them with loads of expertise in audience targeting. That’s how you know that finding and showing up in front of your ideal reader matters – the big publishers are willing to spend big bucks doing it.
Authors have to know how an ideal reader.
But indie authors and new voices in writing don’t have that luxury. We have to know how to target our ideal reader on our own, and we need to start figuring it out as we are writing, and carry it through our marketing efforts. We need to dig in and do the work early, and constantly check our work! Otherwise, we’ll end up with readers like the ones above who just don’t “get” us. Readers who don’t know why we’re telling this story and hate the way we’re telling it.
I’ve seen reviews like the ones above on books that clients brought to me for relaunches. These books were well-written, urgent, interesting, powerful. And unfortunately, without proper reader targeting, they found an audience who just couldn't connect with them. They left salty reviews. They didn’t check out the back catalog. They didn’t tell a friend, unless it was to tell the friend to “skip this one.”
But when my clients make the small changes needed to their marketing to find and speak to their ideal reader? The great reviews roll in – “I felt like this book was written for me!” – and the sales come, too.
My clients often learn an important (and pretty encouraging) lesson: it wasn’t the quality of the book that was generating the lackluster reviews and sluggish sales. It was merely incorrect targeting in the book marketing.
Getting in Front of Your Target Readers
Click here to join an exclusive workshop with my friend, Belinda Griffin. She’s a book marketing expert who has mastered the art of audience targeting, and she’s coming to share her secrets with us! No matter what your publishing journey looks like, this is the workshop every author needs to connect authentically, leverage publicity and grow their platform! This workshop is now on demand, which means you can watch (rewatch) it anytime!
by Women in Publishing Summit | Jan 12, 2021
