Happy September. How was last month for you?
I was on an absolutely magical family holiday with my parents and children for 2 weeks of it. We went to Trinidad (where I am originally from), Tobago, and one of the islands just off the coast of Trinidad, where there are no cars or shops - just a few houses sitting on the water. It was hot, the water was warm, we saw friends and family, got to see so much incredible wildlife, and generally had a wonderful time.
I shared some of my photos here:
I’ve also shared a blooper photo of me in my amazing PRESCRIPTION GOGGLES (£9, Decathlon - I could snorkle AND SEE, what a revelation) at the bottom of this email, so if the email is too long for your reader, please click through to Substack to read the full thing!
Usually, when I visit Trinidad, I have a great time, but I don’t feel very connected to it. I was born there, and lived there until I was 9, but that means I have not lived there for 34 years. This time, we weren’t seeing the same friends and family as usual (one set of friends has moved to Canada, one was away visiting a new grandchild, and my grandmother and her siblings have sadly all passed in the last year). So I fully expected to feel even less connected.
Instead, for some reason, I felt more at home there than I have for many visits. Seeing it through my children’s eyes and spending more time in relaxation mode (vs rushing from place to place visiting people) meant I could just sink in and enjoy it.
I had dinner with two of my childhood friends and it felt so easy and as if we hung out every weekend.
I saw the more artistic and creative side to the island, and got to visit places I haven’t been to in years.
All in all, it was a beautiful trip. I still can’t quite see myself moving back, but it did make me think I should put ‘get Trinidad passport’ higher up on my to-do list. It was also a good reminder that life is not the news (never subscribe to a Trinidadian news channel on Instagram, because let me tell you - it is all bad).
Are you feeling the ‘back-to-school’ energy yet? My kids are officially back TOMORROW and as much as I have actually loved having them around this summer, I am ready for them to go back. Prior to being away, it was a serious juggle managing everything, and it’ll be great to get back into routine again.
How has your summer been?
We interrupt this email for a message from our sponsors:
Ok I don’t have a sponsor. But this is a membership I love, that I’m an affiliate of, that is reopening its doors.
If you’re a solopreneur, or treating your publishing liks a small business, and are FEELING the back-to-school energy, and want to build some momentum, this is for you. If not, skip ahead to the next section.
I wanted to share the best thing I no longer spend any money on (because of their lifetime membership pricing): the Wandering Aimfully coaching programme, and it is open again for new members. I signed up to this in 2020, and it has changed how I run my business in so many helpful ways:
The monthly coaching is always hugely valuable, and the way they communicate ideas around running an online business is so easy to understand and actionable. Prior to finding Jason and Caroline, I was mostly coming across people whose recommendations were overwhelming and not designed for people doing things on their own. When I work with authors, I always try to make sure I suggest things that are actually manageable, and I love that this duo does that for me.
I use their Notion starter pack to manage pretty much every aspect of what I do - from client management to my to-do list to my Christmas shopping list. I love pen and paper for all sorts of reasons, but for getting stuff done, moving to Notion has been a game-changer, and their templates and tutorial videos got me completemy set up on it.
Their marketing bridges coaching video really helped me to visualise what I do every day in a completely different way, which helps me to help you get clearer with your marketing.
The slack group is full of SO MANY creative and supportive solopreneurs, and I have gotten so much advice from them - both from the questions I’ve shared and had answered, and from reading the support people are giving to one another in there.
I also use Teachery for all of my digital product sales, and it is included for free as part of the membership, which means I now feel like I’ve saved £30 per month on my previous provider (meaning I’ve saved over £700 since I finished paying off the membership).
And they’ve just launched the Calm Launch Formula. I’ve been thinking a lot about launching, and how it relates to both authors and to me as a self-employed person who runs them occasionally, so this programme of theirs is incredibly timely. I’ve just started working through it and it is SO HELPFUL.
Anyway - I’ve found it super useful. If it sounds like something you would be interested in, you can find out all about it here. That’s an affiliate link. I don’t often share affiliate links for things outside of books I’ve read, but this is a membership I have gotten SO much value from. If you think you would too, sign up! Or pop me a question if you have any and I’ll do my best to answer.
Coming up this month:
This month I am working on yet more publisher work, continuing on with my ongoing author client, doing a small new project for a former client, and have one one-off call booked in.
On the newsletter front, you can look forward to posts about
What the Big Book Marketing Plan can teach you, even if you don’t have a big budget or a team behind you.
Running ads (paid) - when to run ads, best practice suggestions and what to avoid.
A week-long series about professional jealousy. This is something I hear a lot about from authors, and think it’s something that everyone can relate to, whether they’re an author or not!
I’ll also be announcing a new name for the newsletter and the paid strand within it.
In case you missed it, paid members now get access to weekly email office hours with me (send in your marketing question, topic to brainstorm, content you’d like feedback on, and I’ll get back to you by the end of the week), as well as 1-2 exclusive emails per month. Right now, the membership is £7 per month, but this will be going up to £12.50 at the end of September, when I launch the new name. If you want to develop your marketing skills AND get personal marketing support for the price of 2 coffees, now’s the time to sign up.
Articles I wrote for paid members last month:
Help! My book isn’t selling - Some suggestions to help you boost sales.
Beyond social media - It’s not the only marketing route.
What’s coming up - Plans for September and beyond.
Recent testimonials:
I had two *lovely* testimonials last month, both of which I’ve shared below. Thank you so much for these kind words, Laura and Hayley!
, author of Chasing Fog (aff link)“Katie’s book marketing advice was invaluable and inspiring. Thanks to her, I now have a clear marketing plan for my book that I am excited to put into practice on my Substack and social channels.”
Laura and I had a one-off call to help Laura plan out the launch of her book, and it has been so rewarding to see her implementing the recommendations over on her Substack and Instagram pages.
, forthcoming author of a book I cannot wait to share because I read it before it was submitted and love it so much.“Got a book coming out but feel all at sea about how – and where – to talk about it? So did I! Luckily, I knew Katie could pull me back to shore, and that’s exactly what she did with an incredibly useful audit and report of my existing online channels, as well as detailed pointers on what to do between now and publication. Katie’s guidance is clear, thoughtful and imaginative and I always love working with her. Thank you!”
Hayley wanted an insight into how she could set up her online profiles to set herself up for publication, as well as some launch marketing ideas. She wanted something close to the mini audits I used to offer, rather than a full deep dive, and I was thrilled to accommodate!
Want to work together on your marketing?
Become a paid subscriber.
Get regular, exclusive posts to help you improve your book marketing and to spark new ideas, as well as weekly office hours sessions, where you can ask questions, get feedback, and troubleshoot any issues you encounter as you execute your plans.
I am also taking on one-to-one clients from October onwards. If you’d like to get a clear and actionable marketing plan to take forward, you can:
Book in a one-off call.
90 minutes where we talk about what you are doing in their marketing, and where to focus your attention going forward. I take notes during this call, and follow up our conversation with a detailed email of action points. After my notes, I am on hand for the following week to offer support.
Get a personalised marketing roadmap.
I will review the activity you have been doing, make clear recommendations and give you a marketing roadmap to work from. This roadmap will tell you what to do in every area of your marketing, and give you a timeline of activity to follow. Following delivery of the report, I will then be on hand for 6 accountability sessions, delivered over 6 weeks (one a week), 12 weeks (one each fortnight) or 6 months (one a month). These are designed to offer support over email and to help you make progress, answer questions and brainstorm ideas.
If you’re struggling with your marketing or want to take your success to the next level, this is the perfect way for you to gain clarity and direction in your promotional efforts.
See you soon! But before I sign off, as promised: THE GOGGLES.
Welcome back, Katie! Glad you had such a great and valuable time and big hugs from me! xx