You wrote the book and now it’s time to be seen for your words! This is where so many authors shrink. Because being seen for your words can feel scary. But here is the harsh truth. No one will read your book if they don’t know it exists. Yet so many authors won't invest the time, money and energy to launch their book right. Instead authors often engage in hope marketing. Just hoping the book finds its audience. But I am here to tell you that doesn’t happen. There are 44 million book on amazon. The books that got seen and noticed, like our books at Soul Sparks Press, are the ones where the author is visible.You simply can’t hide and make an impact.
Hi everyone, it’s me Deepika Sandhu, the CEO of Soul Sparks Press here to get you into the right energy to launch and market your book and help you be more visible.
Look you spent the time to write what I am sure is a fabulous, well written, impactful story. But the only way for that book to impact anyone is for them to know about it, to buy it and to read it.
So how is that going to happen?
Well it happens with you.
You have to be visible.
Yes you can hire a great marketing team like our marketing agency at Soul Sparks Press, you can run ads, you can pay for reviews, there are hundreds of such services and honestly some scams too that promote getting you seen.
But without your face, your involvement,no amount of marketing will work.
So you have to become comfortable being visible for your words.
And I know this can feel very scary.
In the months leading up to the release of my debut book Hello universe, It’s me I was freshly divorced, not on any social media platform, had reduced my friend circle to maybe 3 or 4 people. I didn’t want anyone to know what was happening with me and was pretty much hiding from the world.
Yet I had written this book that I loved and knew in my heart this book would help so many.
But to put it out there was not just getting it up on Amazon. I needed to put in the effort to find the readers who needed my story.
And the only way to do that was to start talking about the book, allowing myself to be seen on social media as a writer, and telling my story.
I had maybe 100 followers on instagram when I started. I knew that this was going to be an uphill battle.
How would I grow my following?
How would I get people to read my book?
How would i get people to leave reviews?
How would I be seen for my story?
Like so many authors out there, I too had an emotional resistance to promoting my book. It felt a little like “look at me! Look at my book!” and that didn’t feel very comfortable to me especially since it was something I never did before.
But like anything new it required practice and consistency.
Take going to the gym. The first time you go you sort of roam around, you don’t know how to turn on a machine, you don’t really even know what to do. But the more you go, the more you practice, the more you show up, the better you will get.
I realized that I had to keep going at it. Not to get people to buy but to feel in every post, in every speech i gave, in every workshop that I conducted, that my story mattered and the more I told it, the more I shared my pains, my heartaches, my triumphs, the more it would connect with others.
And guess what, it did.
The more visible I allowed myself to become, the more comfortable with being seen, the more doors that opened for me.
Being visible led to my expansion.
Book tours to packed houses. A TV show in Australia. Corporate workshops. Translating the book into other languages. A movie coming soon and my own publishing house 105 authors strong and growing everyday.
But all oft this happened by connecting to readers and my story resonating with them. The way I connected was through social media - raw, authentic just sharing. And I shared a lot! I didn’t limit myself. Just like I could get inspired and in flow in writing my book, I used social media as story telling platform to draw readers to me and my story.
I treated my visibility and book launch like starting a new company. I hired the right people, I got the support. I allowed myself to be seen and the opportunities started to unlock.
I didn’t have to be the expert on visibility but I had to follow advice, guidance, and be comfortable with what was being suggested.
I had to let myself go there and I am so glad that I did.
Now, I support authors in increasing their visibility and being seen for their words. I did it, and trust me the beginning was bumpy, it was hard, I was uncomfortable and questioning what I was doing but that marketing and visibility worked.
It’s happening for our authors too.
They are spending the time, energy and resources to be seen for their words and it is paying off for them in new clients, new opportunities, new sources of income and so much impact.
Because your visibility, your book being in the hands of readers, your message being out in the world, is what sparks souls.
Let’s seal this new belief around visibility with the following mantra:
I show up boldly so my words can serve the hearts ready for them. My courage opens doors for others to step into their own story.
Say it on repeat. Write it over and over again in your journal. Put it on a post it and place it where you will see it every day. And allow visibility to be the gateway to all that is possible for you.
