Your Breakout Book

Dig the well before you’re thirsty.

That is something that has been told to me several times over the years and is the perfect philosophy when it comes to creating a community.

We’ve all been in situations where someone from high school or a distant relative randomly reaches out under the pretense of re-connecting only to ask for a favor or try to sell us something. We’ve been in Facebook groups where people who never post or provide feedback suddenly surface around book launch to continuously post their promotional content. We’ve received random emails from fellow writers asking for a blurb, social media support, and so on.

None of us want to be those people, but we feel like we have to. It’s true, successful authors rarely do it alone. They rely on the support of fellow authors, super-fans, and their friends and family. But if you don’t want to leave a bad taste in people’s mouths, it’s necessary to nurture those relationships before asking for favors.

You must dig your well before you’re thirsty.

This is something today’s guest, Lainey Cameron, has truly embraced. Before she was published, she joined Women’s Fiction Writers Association and provided support for their events and social media channels. When she secured her book contract, she joined the 2020 Debuts, a group of traditionally published authors making their publishing debut in 2020. She also reached out to friends and family to join her launch team who not only helped her promote her novel, but provided morale boosts and encouragement as well.

In this episode, Lainey shares the power of online communities and the impact it has made on her writing career. If you’re an author looking to find your people, connect with readers, and create impactful online communities, then this one's for you!

Connect with Lainey

• https://www.laineycameron.com
• https://www.facebook.com/groups/BlueSkyBookChat
• https://www.bestofwomensfiction.com/podcast

Resources Mentioned:

• https://www.womensfictionwriters.org
• https://2020debuts.com/meet-the-authors
• https://www.instagram.com/2021debuts
• https://www.facebook.com/groups/Bloomwithtpw

When I speak with authors about the importance of creating a community, I’m often met with this reaction: "Oh great, one more thing I have to do!" You’re already creating social media content, writing newsletters, pitching yourself to review, and oh yeah, you have to write books too!

But what if your online community didn’t just serve your audience, it served YOU as well.

Today’s guest, Tasha Harrison, grew her community out of a person need: to get out of a writing rut with the help of fellow writers. She gave herself the challenge to write 20K words in 5 days, and in order to achieve her goal, she knew she needed accountability and comradery. So she put it out on twitter and encouraged fellow authors to take the challenge with her.

The response, was incredible.

What started as one twitter hashtag has grown into a vibrant online community that supports authors as they write their manuscripts, generates additional income, AND fills Tasha’s creative cup.

Tasha L. Harrison is a romance author, freelance editor and host of Wordmakers Writing Community. You can learn more about her latest novel, IF SHE SAYS YES, and the Wordmakers community at http://tashalharrison.com.

Resources mentioned:

• Being Boss
• Atomic Habits by James Clear
• Zoe York

This month, we’re focusing on communities: why we need them and what it takes to cultivate them.  Last week, I shared a few different ways authors like you to can cultivate a community of superfans that will not only buy your books, but tell their friends about them. This week, we’re taking a deeper dive into Facebook groups with publishing consultant and full-service book designer, Melinda Martin.

Melinda loves to work with authors who are process-minded, relationship-centric, and quality-driven. In 2008, she left Corporate America, became a stay-at-home mom to her two children, and started a blog as a means of developing community. In 2012, she transitioned from blogger to book designer and pursues living her best life on the daily. Her Facebook group, Self-Publishing Support Group is a place for authors to connect with service providers and collaborate with each other…and it has nearly 13K members.

If you’re ready to hear what’s working for Facebook groups, both as a moderator and as a participants, then start listening to this episode!

Resources mentioned:

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/selfpubsupportgroup
• https://melindamartin.me/

If you enjoy these conversations, I encourage you to join my membership community. As a member of Your Breakout Book, you’ll gain access to live trainings, roundtable discussions, plus plenty of templates and tutorials to help you launch your breakout book. You also have the opportunity to be paired with an accountability partner to ensure you stay on track. Visit http://kayepublicity.com/yourbreakoutbook for more info.

All month long on Your Breakout Book, we’re focusing on cultivating community: why we want to, how to do it, and what pitfalls to avoid. Today, I’m taking you on a deeper dive into online communities. First, I’ll address why online communities are so powerful and how they can impact your author career. Next we’ll explore the different types of communities you can create. And lastly, I’ll cover best practices for growing and engaging in your online community.

Resources Mentioned

• Your Breakout Book
• Mighty Networks
• Facebook Groups

It’s March 1st, which means it’s time to introduce this month’s theme: Cultivating Community. 

As humans, we all want to feel seen and understood. Whether it’s your monthly book club, moms group, professional organization, or religious community, commiserating with likeminded individuals around a common interest is important.

2020 truly punctuated the need for human connection. Even introverts like me, once sent to lock down, really missed visiting with friends and family. And that led to an explosion in online memberships, Facebook groups, and virtual meet ups.

So what does that mean for authors like you? It may mean creating a Facebook group for your superfans. It may mean organizing a virtual meet up for fellow writers or those in the publishing industry. Your community may be an online forum or a paid membership.

As you’ll hear from our guests this month, there are countless ways to cultivate a community.

All month long, we’re going to hear from authors and publishing pros on what it takes to create a vibrant and loyal community. We’ll discuss the things they wish they knew when they first started and the impact their communities have had on their careers, and their lives in general.

If you’d like to experience a supportive and vibrant community firsthand, I encourage you to become a member of Your Breakout Book. Your Breakout Book is where author like you come to write, publish, and prosper. As a member, you’ll gain access to live trainings, roundtable discussions, plus plenty of templates and tutorials to help you launch your breakout book. You’ll also learn and commiserate with a supportive community of savvy authors, which, I think, it the most valuable part of your membership. Finally, you have the opportunity to be paired with an accountability partner to ensure you stay on track.

Click here to learn more: kayepublicity.com/yourbreakoutbook

All month, we’ve heard from the experts about how to secure media coverage for your book. You’ve learned how to craft a pitch, find the right podcasts, work with editors and build relationships.

Today’s guest, E. A. Aymar, is not a media expert. He’s an author like you. He shares his windy path to publishing and how it was the connections that helped him establish his name in the crime fiction community and secure national media coverage for his books.

Ed didn’t have a PR background or a huge budget to execute his promotion campaign. Instead, he focused on nurturing relationships and cultivating a community.

Resources Mentioned:

• https://eaymarwrites.com
• https://eaymarwrites.com/noirbar
• https://thrillerwriters.org

Around 2009, book bloggers emerged as the next big thing in books coverage. Today, blogs may be taking a back seat to #bookstagram #booktwitter and #booktok, but the concept is the same: any fan has the potential to cultivate an online audience and make an impact with their platform.

And that’s just what today’s guest, Ashley Hasty, did.

Ashley is the book blogger behind HastyBookList.com, a site for reviews, features, and interviews with authors, audiobook narrators, and book jacket designers. She has a Ph.D. in fashion history so it’ll come as no surprise that her favorite genre is historical fiction, but she also enjoys mysteries, rom coms, and non-fiction. When not reading or blogging, she teaches college courses in marketing, merchandising, and fashion history.

Today, she shares how she started writing about books as a passion project and a way to escape her day job. She shares how she works with authors and publicists to amplify the voices of new authors and connect readers with great books.

 Resources Mentioned:

https://www.instagram.com/ashleyhasty/
https://www.hastybooklist.com/subscribe-hasty-book-list
https://www.facebook.com/hastybooklist
https://www.pinterest.com/hastybooklist/
https://twitter.com/AHastyLife

Conversations like these are happening every day in Your Breakout Book. As a member, you'll gain access to trainings, tutorials, monthly roundtable discussions, and a community of savvy authors. If you're ready to take your writing career to the next level by increasing your sales and expanding your name recognition, then you're ready for Your Breakout Book. Click here to get started!

Over the past few years, podcasting has exploded. According to a study by Infinite Dial, in 2019, 169 million people in the US alone, reported to have listened to a podcast in the past week. And those US podcast listeners are listening to an average of 7 podcasts per week. Since the pandemic, podcast downloads have increased by 40%. It’s clear that podcasts have officially entered the mainstream.

But that’s not all. 

50% of listeners say they listen to the entire episode. How often do you watch an entire YouTube video or read an entire article? I bet, not very often. But when it comes to podcasts, most people are staying engaged for the entire episode.

At Kaye Publicity, we pitch our clients to podcasts regularly, and we see the impact it can have. Podcast interviews build trust between listeners and hosts or interviewers in a way that other types of media don’t. If you’re looking to reach a new audience and quickly build trust with that audience, podcasts are the way to go.

That’s why I’m so excited to introduce today’s guest, Angie Trueblood.

As a podcast visibility expert and host of the Go Pitch Yourself podcast, Angie Trueblood knows that the only 'perfect pitch' is the one that leads with value and focuses on building a genuine connection. Whether she is teaching entrepreneurs how to pitch themselves or working behind the scenes to secure opportunities for others, Angie leverages her super-connector powers to grow businesses and build long-lasting relationships.

In this episode, she shares how authors can find which shows to pitch, secure interviews, and make the most out of each podcast appearance. 

Connect with Angie:

• Podcast Roadmap
• Website
• Podcast
• Instagram

Resources mentioned

• Racheal Cook
• Everyday Style School

Having a breakout book requires reaching people outside of your circle, and one of the best ways to do that is through media coverage. When you or your book are featured on podcasts, websites, or TV shows, you’re introduced to a whole new audience of potential readers.

But how do you start? Do you rely on your publisher to handle media outreach? Do you have to hire a publicity or marketing company to get the word out?

Not necessarily.

I know from my decade plus experience in book publicity that authors have the power to secure media coverage for themselves. In fact, editors and journalists like today’s guest say that often, authors doing  a better job of pitching themselves than most publicists!

That’s why this month, we’re focusing entirely on securing media coverage for your book, starting today with S. Zainab Williams, Book Riot's managing editor and co-host of the SFF Yeah! podcast. She shares her insight into making your pitch stand out, how to work with editors, and what authors should consider when pitching themselves to media.

If you’re new listener, you are just in time to join our 28-Day PR Challenge. Participants are learning how to create media lists, pitch themselves to journalists, and successfully secure media coverage for their book. You’ll receive training videos delivered straight to your inbox as well as weekly check-ins to ensure you stay on track. You’ll also gain FREE access to the Your Breakout Book community for the entire month of February. That’s one free month of Your Breakout Book included in your registration fee.

Are you ready to hear the challenge part? Any participant who secures a placement will have their registration fee refunded. That’s right. I know this process works, but I also know doing the work can be intimidating. So what better incentive than a full refund?

Click here to get started!


Resources mentioned:

• Book Riot
• SFF Yeah! Podcast
• Follow Book Riot on Instagram

Today is February 1st, which means it’s time to announce this month’s theme: In the Media. All month long, we’re exploring what it takes to secure book reviews, features and interviews in and on a variety of media outlets. I speak with S. Zainab Williams of Book Riot about how she considers what books and authors to feature on the popular website. I speak with Angie Trueblood about how authors can grow their readership through podcast interviews. I also talk with Ashley Hasty of the Hasty Book List about working with book influeners. And finally, I chat with Ed Aymar about how he was able to secure a slew of media coverage for his recent book.

If you’re ready to learn the ins and outs of launching your own publicity campaign, hit subscribe wherever you’re currently listening so you never miss an episode.

But that’s not all.

In addition to media-centric podcast interviews, today marks the first day of our 28-Day PR Challenge.  Participants are learning how to create media lists, pitch themselves to journalists, and successfully secure media coverage for their book. You’ll receive training videos delivered straight to your inbox as well as weekly check-ins to ensure you stay on track. You’ll also gain FREE access to the Your Breakout Book community for the entire month of February. That’s one free month of  Your Breakout Book included in your registration fee.

Are you ready to hear the challenge part? Any participant who secures a placement will have their registration fee refunded. That’s right. I know this process works, but I also know doing the work can be intimidating. So what better incentive than a full refund

It’s not too late to get in on the 28-Day PR Challenge. Click here to sign up!