Books

How to Market Your Self-Published Book

How to Market Your Self-Published Book — that was the theme of the 2022 Local Author Expo at the Birmingham Public Library, which I was a part of yesterday.

The event gave me the chance to sell some copies of my book Find Your Way Back and tell local authors about See Jane Write. And three local authors offered their top marketing tips for independent authors.

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3 Things You Should Know About My Book, Find Your Way Back

Sharing my debut essay collection Find Your Way Back with the world will definitely go down as one of the most joyous moments of my life.

Not only are folks buying the book but they’re reading it, too! (Don’t pretend you read every book you buy. I know I don’t!)

What has made me happiest is that several people have said my book makes them want to write. That’s exactly what I hoped it would do.

If you’re still not sure if Find Your Way Back is a good book to add to your TBR list, allow me to share 3 things you should know about my book.

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3 Ways to Honor Black History Month

Black History Month is here and while Black history is honored all year long at See Jane Write headquarters, I thought February would be a good time to share 3 ways you can honor Black culture, too. 

In the picture above I’m holding my Black History Month TBR stack. And I realized that each of these three books is a great example of something significant we can do this month to support Black women. 

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Tech executive Martha Underwood adds ‘children’s book author’ to her resume

Martha Underwood had always dreamed of writing a children’s book. But as a senior technology executive who leads large software teams, Martha is busy. Really busy.

But Martha has finally made room for her passion for writing to pen a new children’s book series just in time for Christmas.

Parkers’ Elf and Paiyton’s Elf, which feature Black children and Black elves, were inspired by Martha’s sons’ love of Christmas and the challenges they’ve faced dealing with the heaviness of current events. The books help children explore diversity, self-esteem, and emotions all through the magic of Christmas.

The children in the stories are excited about Christmas but worry that their struggles with managing their emotions might ruin their holiday. Fortunately, with the help of a magical elf, the children learn how to communicate their feelings. Parents and teachers will appreciate how the stories guide children through different scenarios to help them conquer fear, deal with disappointment, and manage frustration.

Martha’s series also includes the books Ethan’s Elf and Emma’s Elf.

We had a chat with Martha about her new book series, the importance of diversity in children’s books, and more.

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