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Friday, January 28, 2022

Have you ever won tickets or tokens in an arcade and cried? I saw it many times. Avoid decision fatigue. Read, think, and ask for help.

I started working when I was fifteen. My band director was my manager, and we handled tourists at The Track in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. He ran the go-carts and oversaw my operations in the arcade (namely, the prize counter). Watching a pot boil is a joy compared to watching hundreds of children per day spend thousands of game tickets on trinkets that cost 1-100 tickets each. Choices. I recently learned about "decision fatigue." Those tourists certainly had decision fatigue, as the youngest ones often broke down in tears over spider rings vs. plastic parachute men. Duh, parachute men are the better choice!

Adults are busy and distracted, so never hesitate to ask me for information again and again. Now, my point is NOT to give you decision fatigue but to give you options. With all phases of the publishing process, my team and I want to help you.

Below, I have specifically outlined our book marketing services. There are ways to make book marketing fit any budget and schedule. Don't get tired. Just read and think. I'll meet you at the bottom of the list:)

OPTION A: Individual coaching.

You set a monthly budget, and we customize a plan. I teach. You learn. My team helps. You can start with only two hours/month and go from there. YOU can invest as much time as you like to keep costs down.

If you want more information, reply to this email and say, "Jody, I may need a coach. Let's talk time and money."

OPTION B: Group coaching through Book Boosters (monthly membership)

I'm building the list for this group now, so jump in if you are interested. Details will follow. The more members who join this first year, the lower I will price the membership (somewhere between my husband's Zips Car Wash and my Yoga6 bill:))).

For now, you can just get on the "I'm interested" list by emailing me and saying, "I want to be on the Book Boosters maybe list." The group will likely kick off in April or May.

OPTION C: One-Day (In-Person) Session and Off You Go

In one workshop (group/individual), we will create a marketing plan for the next twelve months. Again, the more students = a lower individual price. You will leave the workshop confident and energized with plenty of support materials. The first person who responds can pick the month of the workshop! (Since it's winter, I won't be in the mountains every Saturday, so a Saturdays are an option.)

If the workshop sounds good to you, email me and say, "I like the workshop idea. Put me on the list and keep me in the loop."

OPTION D: Author Brand Marketing Kit

My team and I create a thick file folder filled with press and retailer-ready items to help you build your brand, establish credibility, communicate with retailers, libraries, and bookstores, and grow royalties.

If you'd like to know what's in the kit and how much it costs (discounts are available), reply to this email and ask, "Jody, what's in the Author Brand Marketing Kit?"

OPTION E: Market Your Way to Readers and Royalties (online course taught by yours truly:)

February 1 (TUESDAY!), the cart opens again for Market Your Way to Readers and Royalties. February is the very first launch of this online course, so the 2022 version will of one-on-one components. I'll jazz up and deliver some web pages to cyberspace soon, but for now, read below and let me know (that rhymes!):

Does this describe you?

Your book is LIVE and available to the whole world to purchase. (By the way, congratulations!!!) You are excited to share your achievement with the world, but you may be disappointed in book sales. You are overwhelmed and confused when it comes to the book marketing process. You don’t know what you don’t know, worry you can’t afford the necessary steps and tools, rely too heavily on social media (or completely avoid it), or don't know where to even begin. Maybe you work full time and have a family or multiple obligations. You don’t have hours per day to focus on marketing tasks. You have appropriately invested hard-earned money in editing and book design and now want to at least break even. You value step by step guidance at your pace but don’t know where to find it.

My promise:

Step by step, with guidance and support at your pace, you will learn the foundational elements for book marketing success. Go from confused and overwhelmed to prepared and excited with an affordable and realistic plan in place! I will walk you through crucial foundations that authors should create, and I will explain how to save money at every step. With encouragement, examples, and resources, I will help you begin and plan all of the marketing pieces you will enjoy using. Follow my guidance to build your confidence as a published author and create a strong online presence that can increase your following and your book revenue.

The cart opens TUESDAY and closes February 17. If you want more information or to sign up, just email me and say, "Jody, tell me more about the course." Friend, the "content" is the same, the teacher is the same, the resources are the same, but the delivery is up to you. If you don't know which one makes sense, email me and say, "Help!" We can talk through pricing and scheduling and find a solution to help you.

Finally, OPTION F:

You don't have to anything at all. If book marketing isn't your thing, don't unsubscribe:) Just share this with a writer you know who may be interested in any of the above. Future e-newsletters will contain all kinds of tips that have nothing to do with marketing but everything to do with books:)

As promised, I've met you at the bottom!

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I hope that by describing decision fatigue I didn't actually create it. (Writers do love irony.) No worries. Just call me at (865) 414-4017. Thanks so much for your time and attention. I appreciate YOU!

XOXOXO

Jody

P.S. If you'd like to download a FREE copy of my book marketing planner (super simple and upbeat), .

Friday, January 21, 2022

DECIDE (like Dolly does).


I LOVE Dolly Parton. I mean, she practically raised me. She practically raises every child from Sevier County, Tennessee. Her confidence, artistic energy, and commercial success permeate the community but in an incredibly cheerful manner. Let's think about who she is: a self-proclaimed hillbilly who DECIDED to be a songwriter, musician, performer, actress, movie producer, employer, international philanthropist, and, according to my fellow Gatlinburg-Pittman High School marching band member, Danielle Parton, a dang good aunt.

Who doesn't love Dolly? Is it me, or do you feel like you actually know her? What I love most about Dolly is that she DECIDED her destiny. She's a Christian who embraces God's gifts while she also respects the need for hard work to realize those gifts. Hmmmm, maybe that would be a good song title: "Heaven and Hard Work"

What do you think? Have you ever DECIDED to be something? Happy? Free from worry? A writer? A published author? A published author who sells lots of copies?

Few of my clients are trained writers. I teach them a variety of skills, including brainstorming. They are amazed at what their brains produce in spite of their doubts. To demonstrate, I just set my timer to 60 seconds. Once I hit the start button, I'll type my clients'' professions until the buzzer sounds. GO!

  1. retired teachers
  2. attorney
  3. educational missionary
  4. tech specialist
  5. retired stewardess
  6. long-haul trucker
  7. entry-level insurance guy
  8. college student
  9. high school student
  10. housewife
  11. artist
  12. private school fundraiser
  13. apartment complex manager
  14. retired veterinarian
  15. dentist
  16. ob/gyn
  17. musician
  18. entrepreneur
  19. professor
  20. factory worker
  21. school principal
  22. science teacher
  23. yoga instructor
  24. nurse
  25. hospital administrator
  26. lieutenant colonel, Army
  27. retired DOJ professional
  28. teachers
  29. realtors
  30. consultant
  31. ecologist
  32. clinical social worker
  33. preacher
  34. astrophysicist
  35. insurance agent
  36. women's minister
  37. fireman and engineer
  38. outlaw biker (Yes, you read that correctly. I ghostwrote his memoir A Million Miles with Big Bad Good Bob.)

The timer sounded. Whew! I could list so many more professions.

What I do NOT see on that list is the word WRITER. Who cares? I don't, and you shouldn't either. All of those people are writers now. I love helping "regular folks" decide to be and actually become writers and published authors.

Now that you are a writer, I challenge you to write your definition of success in this industry. Your success could be helping struggling families, sharing your faith, teaching a skill, promoting a business, setting the record straight, leaving a legacy, making money, or something else. You decide. Today, I challenge you to apply the decision-making energy and attitude that made you a writer to drafting a plan that will help you find that success.

If reaching more readers is your goal, I have a simple but incredibly useful .pdf I call The Gift of Time, an annual book marketing planner.

If your goal is to grow a project from wherever it is (idea, rough draft, stack of sticky notes, whatever) and send it into the marketplace, I have the Step-by-Step Trail Guide from Idea, to Published, Profitable Book.

Click HERE to download the plannerClick HERE to download the guide. 

If you have a different goal and need a tool, tell me. My team and I will create it!

One of Dolly Parton's famous quotes is, “I’m not going to limit myself just because people won’t accept the fact that I can do something else.” Sometimes, I have to replace that word people with the word I. Dolly's mindset is admirable, and writers like you share it. You can apply that spirit to the next steps in your author journey, too. If you need help, the Crippled Beagle Publishing team is here.

XOXOXO

Jody

Look at the confidence in her expression!

Saturday, January 15, 2022

Do you daydream? What do you dream?

 Maybe I'm just a hillbilly who has traveled very few times for my age, but I LOVE to daydream about moving somewhere. I'm going to say something you've seen on TV, T-shirts, and signs FOR-EV-ER: I LOVE NEW YORK!

low angle photography of brown concrete building
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My cousin Annie has worked in Europe, South America, and Central America. Her husband is Scottish. They now live in New York City (East Village, to be precise), but they are happily moving back to her hometown of Seale, Alabama, population triple digits. Why? In her words: three nieces, farmland, horses, chickens, cheaper haircuts, and a mini mule named Peter Pan. I'm not going to lie. That mini mule is cute. He follows you around like a devoted dog.

Thankfully, I got to visit her in NYC in October before the big move. As my colleague Debbie says, "People there are always thinking." It's true. The energy and creativity are palpable, and I want to go back. But y'all, you have to walk blocks just to find a dog park, and in that dog park, there's hardly any grass left! A mini mule would never "make it there."

When I can't sleep, I love to daydream and plan out book scenes and dialogue. Often, my character relocates to New York City or some other "foreign" land and starts over. Aren't we lucky to be able to live through our characters? Through our books, we travel, learn, laugh, grieve, and go through experiences that one human life on earth can't mathematically accommodate.

If your goal is to publish a book in 2022, you have time. Daydream during housework and commutes. Keep a notepad with you at all times. Use voice recordings to rough draft ideas while you walk or grocery shop. If people stare, just tell them you are a writer. They may become fans! You don't have to wait to daydream until insomnia hits.

I try to teach my children to think beyond their circumstances and maximize every opportunity. I want them to daydream and eventually (asap) act on those creams. In this picture, Scotty (11) poses in front of a "tapestry" of NYC that I ordered on Amazon for $15 for his brother's dorm room. Like any little brother might, he swiped it for his own room. Why not play FortNite and shoot mini-hoops while also viewing the Empire State Building and Hudson River from your East Tennessee bedroom?

I wish you vivid daydreams!

XOXOXO

Jody

To stay in the Crippled Beagle Publishing loop and learn tips on writing, editing, publishing, and book marketing,

To download my Step-By-Step Trail Guide from Idea to Published, Profitable Book,

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Wednesday, January 5, 2022

The TOP 6 Fundamental Elements of Book Marketing

BIG NEWS!

The cart is open for early enrollment in my online marketing course: Market Your Way to Readers and Royalties. If you are interested and/or have questions, email dyer.cbpublishing@gmail.com or call me at 865-414-4017. If you decide not to enroll, that's okay. You may still use the list below to plan your marketing for the year. The modules in my course will cover these top 6 fundamental elements of book marketing.

Here's what the course includes now, but I will be adding more info as we go along:)

MODULES in Market Your Way to Readers and Royalties

Secure credibility in the marketplace.

Module 1: Author Brand Kit Packing List - What marketing items you should have on hand, always, and how to create and store them.

Module 2: Rev Up Reviews - How to generate reviews, write them, and use different kinds of reviews.

Help readers find you.

Module 3: Build Your Landing Page Website - This does NOT have to be a website, but you do need a landing page. We'll explore options.

Module 4: Social Media Essentials That Travel - We'll start with basics that make sense for your genre, your goals, and your audience.

Find and personally engage with your readers.

Module 5: Locate Your Readers Across the Physical and Digital Landscape - This will be fun. We will literally find your readers through brainstorming and quick research techniques.

Module 6: Secure Continuous Access to Readers Via Email - You will learn how to turn potential readers into followers, fans, and buyers.

Modules will also contain:

  • printable documents like checklists, cheat sheets, and resource guides
  • ways to save money
  • ways to delegate and/or automate tasks
  • real life examples that have worked for other authors

You are welcome to share this information with other writers! Remember, I teach these skills one-on-one, too, so if you see a particular subject you want to explore, let me know. THANKS SO MUCH!

XOXOXOXO

Jody and the Beagle team:)

CLICK HERE to learn even more and download a free annual book marketing planner!

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