Author-Forward Marketing Lessons from 8 Authors

by Women in Publishing Summit | May 21, 2026

You Are the Platform: What Five Indie Authors and a University Press Panel Taught Me About Author-Forward Marketing

I moderated at the Piedmont Publishing Symposium and our topic was: author-forward marketing. The panel featured three nonfiction authors traditionally published through university presses—a cookbook author, a writer tackling race and religion inside the American church, and an environmental scholar—and every one of them had crossed 5,000+ print sales. Not ebooks. That’s a number most publishers would celebrate.

And here’s the thing: they took charge of their marketing. (Apparently part of the requirements of being published through a university press is providing your aggressive marketing plan. Seems smart!)

This is the part the “I’ll just go traditional so someone else can market me” crowd doesn’t want to hear. The author is the platform. Always. Whether you’re with one of the Big Five, a university press, or fully indie, the relationships, the expertise, the stage presence, and the willingness to show up year after year are what move books. Period.

The Lessons That Translated to Every Genre

What floored me as I sat between these three nonfiction authors was how exactly their tactics mirrored what I’ve spent years teaching indie fiction authors. One of them spent twenty years writing articles and speaking at churches before his book even existed — by launch day, those same churches were inviting him back to host events and buy copies. The cookbook author shows up at food and wine events, gets featured in Southern Living and on the Food Network, because she knows precisely where her readers already are. The environmental author negotiated his deal so royalties went to a humanitarian clinic, freeing him to stand in front of college students and pitch his book without flinching.

Different worlds. Same playbook.

Know your who.
Build relationships long before you need them.
Use every stage you’re given.
Anchor your marketing in something real, or it will always feel gross.

That last one is the bottom of the iceberg. The reason so many authors hate marketing isn’t because marketing is gross — it’s because they’re marketing a book they haven’t fully connected to themselves. The question to sit with is not “how do I sell this,” it’s “why am I writing this in the first place?” When you can answer that honestly, the audience becomes obvious and the selling stops feeling like selling.

Five Indie Authors Saying Exactly the Same Thing

The symposium panel sent me back to a conversation I had a year ago with five women from the Book Launch in a Box community — historical romance, YA dystopian, contemporary romance, post-apocalyptic thrillers, and historical fiction. Five wildly different genres. The exact same principles underneath. So I’m replaying that episode this week, because the message bears repeating and the new wave of authors in our community deserves to hear it.

Linda Needham sold 11 historical romances to HarperCollins back when her publisher told her not to market. Now she’s reissuing her backlist as an indie and just released her first nonfiction book — and the most useful thing she learned wasn’t a tactic, it was Pam Shepard’s positioning module, which finally helped her answer: what is this book actually about, and why would someone want it?

C.C. Robinson thought 50 reviews would be easy because she had 50 friends. She had to ask 150 people. She’ll be the first to tell you the first 20 to 30 reviews are the hardest part of any launch — and that an ARC team is not optional, it’s foundational.

Zariah L. Banks writes under a pen name, which means no Google history, no built-in trust, no easy proof of who she is. Her solution: a relentlessly maintained marketing profile that lives as a single source of truth for every bio, synopsis, link, and pitch — plus a virtual book tour on release day to widen the splash.

Tracy Myhre came to fiction from screenwriting during COVID. She’s done Book Launch in a Box three times because the industry keeps changing and her questions keep evolving. Her hardest-won lesson: launching is not the end. It’s the beginning.

Pat Black-Gould wrote The Crystal Beads with Purple Butterfly Press, then self-published a historical novel in a completely different genre. Her tip is one I rarely hear: think about marketing while you’re still writing. Your afterword, your back matter, your bonus content — those become the spine of every future panel, blog post, and presentation.

The Common Thread

Across both the symposium panel and the indie author roundtable, the same core ideas surface:

Start with audience, not aesthetics. Who is this for? Where do they already gather?
The second book multiplies the first. Social proof compounds. Series sell series.
Read in your genre. You can’t write competitively in a category you don’t actually consume.
Community is the unfair advantage. Whether it’s an academic department, a church network, or a Book Launch in a Box Facebook group, the people around you are your distribution.
Marketing is not the part that comes after. It’s the thing you’re doing every time you show up, write an article, speak on a panel, or send a newsletter — long before there’s a book to sell.

Listen to this episode here:

Alexa Bigwarfe

Founder & CEO of WritePublishSell & the Women in Publishing Summit

Alexa Bigwarfe is a publishing strategist and creator of Book Launch in a Box, where she helps authors simplify their marketing and build launches that actually work. She specializes in turning books into platforms for visibility, partnerships, and revenue through proven, scalable strategies.

LinkedIn

Meet the 2025 Sponsors at Live Exhibit Booths

by Women in Publishing Summit | Feb 18, 2025

The Women in Publishing Summit would not be possible without the support from all 38 of our sponsors. If you have a ticket to the 2025 Summit, you’ll get two opportunities to meet the sponsors, learn about the resources and offers they have for our community, and ask all your questions! The Sponsor Exhibit Booths will be open on day 0 and day 3 of the conference. At these events, you’ll have the chance to join Zoom breakout rooms and chat directly with expert book marketers, editors, publishing service providers, and more!

These events are exclusive to ticket holders, so if you haven’t gotten your ticket yet to the 2025 Women in Publishing Summit, get it now!

Live Sponsor Exhibit Booths

Summit Day 0: Tuesday, March 4, 1:00–2:30 PM Eastern/NY Time

Summit Day 3: Friday, March 7, 3:00–4:00 PM Eastern/NY Time

Meet all the sponsors and learn about their offers here: https://womeninpublishingsummit.com/sponsors/

Day 0 Sponsor Exhibit Booths

Tuesday, March 4, 1:00–2:30 PM Eastern/NY Time (Zoom Room A)

Publishing, Self-Publish Services & Printing: Lulu, PublishDrive, BookFunnel, MCRL & Board Book Printing, Warren Publishing, Luminare Press, Ingenium, Bublish, FriesenPress, Curios

Marketing & Promotion: Book Award Pro, Abundantly Social, Bublish, Children’s Book Mastery, Ingenium, Curios

Editorial & Coaching Services: ProWritingAid, Ignite & Write, Chanticleer, Heart of the Story Editorial & Coaching, Children’s Book Mastery, Your Book Is Your Hook

Audiobooks: The Audiobook Experience

Meet the Sponsors:

Book Award Pro is how authors find the perfect reviews and awards for their books. Trusted by authors and professionals around the globe, Book Award Pro operates the world’s largest database of legitimate reviews and awards. AI technology curates accolades specific to your book. The Free Plan ($0/month) finds review and award opportunities specific for your book. Learn more about Book Award Pro and take advantage of their special offer: https://womeninpublishingsummit.com/bookawardpro

Abundantly Social is an award winning Social Media Marketing agency for authors and small businesses. We specialize in every aspect of book publication, book promotion, digital marketing, and creating Amazon Best Sellers. Learn more about Abundantly Social and take advantage of their special offer: https://womeninpublishingsummit.com/abundantlysocial

Lulu is a self-publishing and print-on-demand platform that puts you in control. Since 2002, Lulu has empowered over two million authors, creators, educators, and businesses from all over the world to publish, print, and prosper. With Lulu’s global distribution network, direct sales solutions, and industry-leading print-on-demand technology, writers can share their stories while growing their brand, audience, and bank account. Learn more about Lulu and take advantage of their special offer: https://womeninpublishingsummit.com/Lulu

ProWritingAid is the essential toolkit for storytellers helping over 3 million writers craft their stories and bring them to life. Tell your story with ProWritingAid. We’re the always on, always helpful AI writing assistant. Learn more about ProWritingAid and take advantage of their special offer: https://womeninpublishingsummit.com/PWA

Your Book Is Your Hook is a full service consulting practice serving book writers, screenwriters, playwrights and wannabes as well as the entire publishing industry. Services include 1:1 consulting for writing, marketing, and getting published. https://womeninpublishingsummit.com/yourbookhook

PublishDrive helps you easily self-publish ebooks online, audiobooks, and print books to thousands of stores worldwide. One click, publish everywhere. Learn more about PublishDrive and take advantage of their special offer: https://womeninpublishingsummit.com/publishdrive

MCRL & Board Book Printing: Whether you’re printing your first or fifteenth book, MCRL’s offset printing team takes the time to answer questions, share recommendations, and manage the itty bitty details. Self-publishers will also appreciate our competitive pricing, high-quality standards, and environmental focus. Learn more about MCRL & Board Book Printing and their special offer: https://womeninpublishingsummit.com/mcrl

Warren Publishing is the number one indie publisher in the Carolinas, providing excellence in hybrid publishing since 1988. We specialize in providing a caring and vibrant publishing process where ideas are nurtured and authors receive personal attention. We accept submissions of trade fiction (thrillers, women’s fiction, historical fiction, romance, sci-fi/fantasy), literary fiction, nonfiction, memoir, self-help, poetry, children’s books, business books, and more. Learn more about Warren Publishing and take advantage of their special offer: https://womeninpublishingsummit.com/warren

Ignite & Write: Roxanne’s unique and multi-award winning method of storytelling has changed the lives of thousands of budding authors since 2007, allowing them to bring their messages to life in nonfiction books with structure, connection to the reader and potential profit. A prolific ghostwriter, author, workshop facilitator, writing mentor and former print journalist, Roxanne’s presentations are charged with powerful content and tangible tools that remove the mystery from storytelling and ignite a thought-provoking and emotion-evoking theatre within the mind. Learn more about Ignite & Write and take advantage of their special offer: https://womeninpublishingsummit.com/ignitewrite

BookFunnel is an eBook and Audiobook Delivery Service for Indie Authors and Small Publishers. Whether it’s delivering your reader magnet, sending out advanced copies of your book, handing out ebooks at a conference, or fulfilling your digital sales to readers, BookFunnel does it all. Learn more about BookFunnel and take advantage of their special offer: https://womeninpublishingsummit.com/bookfunnel

Children’s Book Mastery: Discover how to successfully plan, write, publish and market your children’s books and more! Publishing a children’s book can seem like a nightmare. Our expert video sessions make publishing books for kids a dream. Learn more about Children’s Book Mastery and take advantage of their special offer: https://womeninpublishingsummit.com/ChildrensBookMastery

Bublish is a one-stop solution for authors who want to self-publish high-quality books, distribute and market them effectively, and fully monetize their work. Learn more about Bublish and take advantage of their special offer: https://womeninpublishingsummit.com/bublish

Luminare Press offers a wide range of options for authors who want to publish professionally while keeping full control of their work and 100% of the royalty. They are a professional team of designers, editors, and publishing experts who help both first-time and experienced authors publish their books, offering personalized services for whatever level of help is needed. Learn more about Luminare and take advantage of their special offer: https://womeninpublishingsummit.com/luminare

Chanticleer Book Reviews offers editorial book reviews, manuscript overviews, editorial services, writing contests, book awards, an author conference, workshops, and book marketing opportunities to help authors achieve their publishing goals. Learn more about Chanticleer:

https://womeninpublishingsummit.com/chanticleer

Heart of the Story Editorial & Coaching Services: Book coach and editor Sara Letourneau works with fiction and nonfiction authors and writers to help them develop the skills, knowledge, and confidence they need so they can finish their manuscripts, polish them for publication, and stay focused and motivated as they reach for their writing goals and embrace their creativity. Learn more about Heart of the Story and take advantage of their special offer: https://womeninpublishingsummit.com/heartofstory

The Audiobook Experience at Voice over Vermont, LLC is a boutique audiobook production company providing a custom recording experience for authors. We work with authors who want to narrate their own books… and those who definitely do not! Learn more about The Audiobook Experience and take advantage of their special offer: https://womeninpublishingsummit.com/voiceoververmont

FriesenPress is a 100% employee-owned publishing services provider that offers editing, design, production, audiobooks, and promotional support to authors looking to self-publish. Their mission is to embrace each book as their own and empower their authors to share their best stories with the world. To date, they’ve partnered with thousands of authors and have published over 10,000 titles (and counting). Learn more about FriesenPress and take advantage of their offer: https://womeninpublishingsummit.com/friesenpress

Ingenium Books a hybrid publisher looking for stories that awe, inspire, enlighten, and challenge. Whether fiction or nonfiction, they are interested in stories that demonstrate our innate resilience, that transformation is possible. Their ideal authors are professional women who are writing crime thrillers, women’s fiction, or historical fiction. (Of course we’ll take a look at nonfiction, too.) Learn more about Ingenium and take advantage of their special offer: https://womeninpublishingsummit.com/ingenium

Curios is a direct sales and engagement platform where authors can sell/distribute ebooks and audiobooks directly to their readers while keeping 100% of the sale. Additionally, authors get access to readers’ email and contact information for any transactions so they can communicate directly with them. Curios has created a $1 MILLION creator fund that offers up to $12,000 to authors for joining the platform and distributing their books on the Curios Marketplace. We want to put the power back into the hands of the author! Learn more about Curios and take advantage of their special offer: https://womeninpublishingsummit.com/curios

Day 3 Sponsor Exhibit Booths

Friday, March 7, 3:00–4:00 PM Eastern/NY Time (Zoom Room A)

Publishing, Self-Publish Services & Printing: Lulu, PublishDrive, MCRL & Board Book Printing, Warren Publishing, Luminare Press, Ingenium, Old Mate Media, Curios

Marketing & Promotion: Book Award Pro, Bublish, Ingenium, Old Mate Media, Curios

Editorial & Coaching Services: Chanticleer, Heart of the Story Editorial & Coaching, Old Mate Media