My 18-Month Book Marketing Round-up
How a hundred little things added up to a successful marketing campaign
Welcome to the new subscribers—there are quite a few this month. Thanks to those of you who have shared or recommended this ‘stack. I appreciate your enthusiasm.
Back in April of last year, I published a post entitled 15 Months in This Author's Life: The best and hardest year, detailed in an illustrated list. In it I discussed the year-plus-three-months since I had signed a contract to have Re:Books (of Toronto, Canada) publish my memoir. In that list, I covered a lot of marketing and promotional events but I also listed things like “finalized the book cover and moved subtitle,” “turned in final copyediting corrections” and even “turned in the final, final copyediting corrections” (made to the printers galleys, which is not advised).
Today, as this week marks 18 months in the published life of Honeymoon at Sea: How I Found Myself Living on a Small Boat, I sat down to figure out how many individual actions I’ve taken towards marketing this book since I began.
I’m not counting from the day when the first book testimonials (blurbs) came in, though that was a huge day of celebration which I’ve written about here before.
I’m also not starting with all the super-important things my wonderful publisher did before that, like listing my book’s data in all the important online locations and pitching it to Ingram, the big book distributor that can make or break a book’s sales.
With all that said, I can’t start this list on the book’s pub date because marketing started much earlier than that for me. In fact, the first two official marketing events happened in June of 2023, and included starting this Substack newsletter.
Most all of the podcasts I did in the first three months were set up by the tireless Sasha Stolz Publicity, hired by my publisher. Sasha was creative and insightful and persistent; she almost got me onto Canada’s “Today Show” though they decided they wanted me in studio, not virtually, so I had to pass on flying to Toronto for that. She never forgets an author, and recently booked me on a podcast for next month!
I’ve surely missed a few things—especially pitches to podcasts and reviewers, because so many of those don’t get captured if there’s no reply received. I could have been better about capturing every email I sent when I was exploring book award sites and checking out book reviewers, but I think you can get the idea from the pitches and submissions I did include. Basically, for every appearance I did, someone pitched me to that venue/publication—whether it was Sasha, Re;Books, or me. To avoid writing “me” a bunch of times, I will henceforth be known as JSR, and the book itself will be abbreviated as HatS.
Here we go:
2023 (37 events/activities)
June 28, the book got a five-star review from Reader’s Favorite Book Reviews
June 29, JSR started this HatS Substack newsletter
June 30, Latitude 38 published JSR’s sailing article
July 26-29 JSR recorded the audiobook at Mirror Sound in Seattle
July 30, JSR did her first podcast: Jake’s Take.
Aug 9, JSR on podcast: Real Life Matters with D’Boss
Aug 10, JSR on podcast with Lisa Angle: Literary Gumbo
Aug 15, pitched myself to August McLaughlin of Girl Boner Radio
Aug 25, JSR radio show interview for Positive Talk Radio
Sept 1, JSR featured in She Is Magazine
Sept 5, JSR on podcast: Too Opinionated
Sept 7, JSR on podcast: Chatter that Matters
Sept 8, JSR on podcast with August McLaughlin: Girl Boner Radio
Sept 10, Medium’s Authority Magazine runs interview with me as a “marriage expert”
Sept 13, JSR on podcast: Finding Your Bliss on Zoomer Radio
Sept 13, JSR appearance on Positive Talk Radio
Sept 15, Discover Baja Article about HatS comes out online
Sept 16, JSR’s Baja book list went live on Shepherd.com
Sept 16, JSR virtual appearances at Southern California Writers Conference
Sept 19, Pub day—JSR posted on A Mighty Blaze
Sept 22, JSR on podcast: Words and Pictures, from the UK
Sept 23, JSR taught San Diego Writers, Ink class online about writing memoir
Sept 24, Posted local event notices for PT Library event in Oct
Sept 26, Zoom interview with Carmel for Keepin’ it Real
Sept 29, JSR on Positive Talk Radio show live Seattle KIXI
Sept 30, JSR did phone interview with Port Townsend Leader
Oct 2, Baja Traveler video and photos posted online
Oct 4, JSR Port Townsend library book launch slideshow 7pm
Oct 7, JSR did write up for PT Yacht Club newsletter
Oct 10, JSR on book marketing podcast with Marla Miller
Oct 16, JSR on Zoom Meeting with Northwest Women Who Sail
Oct 17, JSR on a podcast: Author Wheel (Greta and Megan)
Oct 19, JSR did live recording for a podcast: The Boat Geeks (YouTube)
Oct 23 HatS entered in the 2024 Southern California Book Festival awards
Oct 26, Small Craft Advisor online HatS prologue was live
Nov 14, JSR and RR did an in-person slideshow at PT Yacht Club meeting 7pm
Dec 3, JSR’s Best 3 books of 2023 list went live on shepherd.com
2024 (56 events/activities)
Jan 2, Zoom interview with Alicia Dara of WomanCake Mag
Jan 24, WomanCake Mag interview published today
Jan 26, Attended Local Authors event at Library downtown San Diego
Jan 27, Book launch & book-signing event at La Playa Books
Jan 31, JSR at meeting with Writers of Substack Live in SD
Feb 2, JSR Book-signing event and reading at SDWI/Liberty Station First Friday
Feb 3, JSR on Zoom event with Int’l Memoir Writers
Feb 3, JSR and RR person-Oceanside YC slideshow
Feb 10, JSR taught in person Editing for writers class at SDWI
Feb 12, HatS submitted to Next Generation Indie Book Awards
Feb 14, JSR in person slideshow with RR for A-16 at Helix brewery
Feb 15, JSR slideshow for SWYC and Women who sail 7pm-9pm
Feb 16-18 JSR was SCWC Friday night speaker plus taught 4 classes plus book signing
Feb 21, JSR Book signing and talk at Small World Books in Venice CA
March 7, JSR Launch Pad appearance on Facebook Live on Bookish Road Trip
March 12, HatS reviewed on Story Circle Network Book Reviews site
March 21, JSR online author appearance and slideshow for Discover Baja
March 21, HatS submitted for a National Indie Excellence Award
March 25, Signed up to do a Zoom class on Scribophile
March 25, JSR pitched to Latino Book Chat podcast
March 26, JSR marketing afloat feature on SoNovelicious went live today
March 30, Medium Authority Magazine runs “5 Things I wish someone had told me”
March 31, JSR wrote up Oldster Author Questionnaire and submitted it
April 7th Submitted HatS for a SW Regional Book Festival award
April 17, JSR on book marketing podcast interview with Marla Miller
April 21 Signed up to do a virtual class for Story Circle Network
April 24, “I Will Survive” essay on
mag went liveMay 10, Taught a Zoom class on Scribophile
May 21, JSR short story is chosen as best 20-word short story at SDWI
May 24, JSR and HatS featured on The
May 29,
featuring JSR’s Author Questionnaire went liveMay 30, HatS glowingly reviewed by Pat Rains for The So Cal Log newspaper
June 9, JSR attended local Women’s Fiction Writing Association meeting in PT
June 12, JSR’s first travel column “Two States of Mind” runs in
June 13, HatS wins National Indie Excellence Award for Latinx Nonfiction
June 17, New essay accepted for Sunshine Noir III collection at CityWorks Press
June 18, Signed up for author Book Boost on shepherd.com
June 25, HatS and JSR are featured on
Nuevas PaginasJune 30, HatS added to Authors XP listing in ebook/Audio for Audiobook August
July 10, HatS won the memoir category of the Great Southwest Book Festival
July 25, HatS is a silver medal finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards
July 26, Travel Column for
about visiting Central CaliforniaAugust 17, JSR short story submitted to SD Writers and Editors Guild anthology
Aug 30, JSR’s Travel column for
on sailing and marriage-saversSept 10, HatS is Memoir runner-up in 2024 Southern California Book Festival awards
Sept 25, Travel Column for
is a Venice, California, love letterOct 11, SCWC JSR and Judy Reeves interview posted on SCWC.com on YouTube
Oct 12, JSR interview posted on Indie Authors site and image on Carousel of Authors
Oct 17, JSR accepted for Author Guild membership
Oct 18, Sent sample book to Watermark Book Company in Anacortes Washington
Nov 2, Short story (from HatS) accepted in Gilded Pen anthology SDWEG
Nov 13, JSR did webinar on editing for Story Circle Network
Nov 14 JSR submitted My Library Story to LA County Library Foundation site
Nov 26, JSR My Top Three Books list submitted to shepherd.com
Dec 8, JSR memoir class taught online at SDWI
Dec 10, JSR Bold Journeys interview goes live
2025 (10 so far)
Jan 17. JSR is the guest on Adam Greenfield’s San Diego-based Written Scene podcast
Jan 22, JSR Travel column for
is an essay excerpt from HatSJan 30, Canvas Rebel JSR interview written
Feb 11, pitched HatS and JSR to Bookish Buddies interview series
Feb 14-16, Presented workshops at SCWC, with book signing
Feb 17, Canvas Rebel interview goes live
Feb 17, JSR Travel Column for
(a Baja/La Paz love letter)Feb 18, Well Read Magazine accepts JSR article about writing and editing
March 10, Sasha set up JSR interview for the Sherard Show in Los Angeles
March 14, Two classes on marketing/editing pitched/accepted for SDWI in April
That makes over 100 “little things”!
Some days it felt like a thousand, due to the preliminary research and the other “leg-work” that each of these actions required, but I can only say that the book keeps selling and the 5-star reviews keep coming in.
And yes, we are up to 61 reviews. Thank you.
hasta pronto!
WOW what a marathon! Congrats on your continued success, Womancake is so lucky to have you as our monthly Travel Columnist :)
OMG! Jennifer, next to the word 'tenacious' in Webster's, there's a photo of YOU! Good grief! This is simply amazing! And I love how well you've documented all, though you are a journal-er, right? And that's how you created bits of your memoir bc you could actually go back to the journals and recall certain times. Did you start out keeping a separate notebook specifically FOR your marketing campaign? or did it just evolve as it went. And BIG congratulations on doing so many fun podcasts, radio interviews, print campaigns. I salute you!