I have spent the lovely months of June and July with my grandchildren. I have heard it said that you can’t push through on your forward golf swing, unless you bring the club back to rest behind your head. Those two months were my backswing. I am hoping for a long powerful drive this Holiday Season.
Although it is only the first of August, work has now begun on my marketing campaign for the upcoming holiday season. Last year our book was barely out of the box before Christmas was upon us. I hear from the professionals that this is a big time for book sales. Please keep our book in mind when planning your gifts this Holiday Season.
The month has started out with a bang; I learned that The Year of the Cicadas has been accepted in the book festival, Books By The Banks in Cincinnati, Ohio, October 12, 2013. I am really excited about this. Unless you have recently tried to get a self-published book into a book festival, you cannot begin to understand how monumental this is! Most professionals in the business say they have seen too many poorly written and bound books to give self-published books a second glance. They assume that if the book were a quality work, a publisher would have picked it up. Things are changing in the publishing world and there are many of us “Indie” authors out there with enough savvy and drive to compete in their traditional publishing world. If you have read my book, The Year of the Cicadas you are familiar with just how much drive I have.
Many new blog/websites have popped up over the past six months that feature self-published books, I am signing up for as many as possible. We are also taking our book on a National Campaign by working with a publicist who will hopefully take our book to the next level. I have no idea where this is going, or how to get there, but I am enjoying the ride.
Speaking engagements are still the energy that drives our journey. Every time I speak with a group there is always someone in the room who holds the key to help me make my next move or connection. If you know of a book club, or any group that we can speak at, please let me know. My goal is to get our story into the hands of the people that it will speak too. We have surpassed every goal and expectation that I had for our book. Everything else is icing on the cake and we all know how much I love icing…
Catie
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Our marketing plan is driven by one person at a time, and you play an integral role in helping this book find it’s way into the hearts and the minds of the people it was written for.
Want to help? Here are some of the things you can do:
Write a review on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or our website www.theyearofthecicadas.com
Tell a friend about our book or purchase a copy for them as a gift.
Take our book to your or your friends book club, church group, or start a small group to read the book together. We have study guide questions on our website to help guide you through conversations about the book. You can get a discount through our website for multiple books purchased.
Write your local newspaper book reviewer and tell them how much you like our book.
Send a copy of our book or write to one of your favorite shows, like the Ellen Show, Oprah, The View or Kathie & Hoda, tell them what you think about it. It only does so much if I say my book is good, you the reader carry a lot more weight than I do with the outside world.
Pray for our message, that our story will reach the hearts and minds of the people who can help us to open the doors. Pray that our story will help to inspire people who are in need and that our story finds a way into their lives.
Without you, the readers of The Year of the Cicadas, this story would be in a shoebox in the top of my closet waiting for my grandchildren to discover it after my passing. Thank you for letting me see it find the light while I am still here. You rock.
The Year of The Cicadas 
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