When I published my first commercial book: Provocateurs, I knew that I will be its marketer extra-ordinaire. 

No other person can promote this book more than me.

No other agency can package, reformat, and reboot this more than I do.

So to start off, here are some of the lessons I've been learning since I launched it in 2022.


1. The book is a  good excuse to contact strangers

"Yes, I have a new book," an out-of-the-blue announcement from me to a stranger I want to connect with sounds a bit dubious. But it worked wonders for a lot of time. First, it stirs curiosity at least. Even if they don't take my offer, they will look for me and get to know who I am and what I do. Second, it reminds them that I am around and can help in areas of my expertise.  Third, we can be greatly connected and this will be useful later on, no matter what happens in the interim. 
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2. Promoting a book is never-ending, but it doesn't have to be a chore 

It's a good strategy to get your book in front of your target audience in the first few years. But as soon as it's no longer new, it's time to start writing again or repurpose its contents, in many ways to encourage more engagement. If you have a loyal readers, that's the audience to tap in terms of engagement, case studies, and applications of your book's insights. Continue to grow that audience because you will need them for the next books and launches. I always get a good dopamine after I get some good reviews out of it. It never ceases to make my day. 

3. Ready or not, market now!
I have a marketing plan when I wrote my book proposal. I had this very optimistic numbers to start with. Well, during the pandemic and the after-years, those numbers were just imaginings. Conferences and events were all virtual and you have to book them ahead to get on their radar screens. I had to use my marketing hat and be creative as to how I will get in front of my audience and those that already following and/interested in my work. No marketing plan ever survives contact with reality, just remember that. 


4. Don't forget your WHY?
Don't forget why did you have to write that book? The long game goal. So, when it's not the best-seller, it's just perfectly fine. Some negative comments perhaps. Your target audience will be the ones cheering for it and appreciating its value for a long time. Great outcomes can come in many ways and not just through book sales and royalties. It all accrues to what the business goals you set out at the beginning. Stay in that long game perspective. 


5. Love it but not obsess about it
You're the best person to appreciate and promote your book but it has to speak to the benefits for the reader/audience. They don't care about another book as there are millions of titles every single week that's being produced, if not self-published. But why you, why this book, and what gains will it bring to them with this one? As Seth Godin noted, there are less people who reads books nowadays, much less finish the book. Don't be those book authors who are obsessed about their books, that they forget the people behind why the book was created in the first place.


​6. Your last book will be revived with the new one 
Guess what? To revive an old book, you need to write a new one. If you're launching a new book, all your past work will be resurrected. You will see a resurgence in interest in your old books, old contents, past offering because you are back in the game of promotions and engagement and all that jazz. It will keep everything that you do fresh in the minds of your audience. That means, that we authors have to continue making original intellectual property to stay in our game. In the academic world, the 'publish or perish' mode operates. In this industry, it's 'create or die' that rules our existence. 

Whoever says being an author is super-easy, not if you want an excellent product that speaks for itself and sells on its own merits. Being an author is also about being a great marketer, in season or out of season. 

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I don't care about what others are doing but I'm simply driven to take the next definitive steps.

In any meeting or conversation, you are leaving so much opportunities on the table by not following-through.

I've heard many times for colleagues and those who walked in this shoes many years ago that, working as a consultant or advisor means taking the time o figure out what's the next reasonable steps to take to advance the work.

I had last time in my consulting project declined to meet several staff in the department who loves to talk but doesn't in anyway impact the project am working with them.

I told the manager and the supervisor of the project that I don't need to meet these people, let alone talk about it in-person when they can just send me the right project documents. 

You set the parameters of engagement and you also steer towards the next. 

If you don't follow-up, you'll never know.

Your email could have been lodged in the spam folder.

Your email did not reach the intended receiver because the address is no longer used/valid.

Your email is not attended to because of workload or just ignored because it wasn't seen as a priority.

Your email or conversation is parked in a parking lot when there's no date attached to it.

That so far is the worst of all, being put off for 'later use' until the idea becomes obsolete or redundant or events surpassed the need.

If you don't follow-up, you'll never know. 

Your job is to get your stuff front-and-centre. 

Get to the next step, and the next, and the next, until you reach a mutual agreement. 

That's the part you can control.

#getthingsdone!

We all have influence and yet some of us refuse to exert influence when it's important that we do so.

I have been in conversations with a prospective client who was just wanting to be heard and not sold.

By listening to what exactly was not being said, I offered to help out in their curriculum development of a course that was missing in their program.

I got an instant project.

The theme of my  short seminar for the year, became lo and behold, the theme of the annual graduation ceremony and culminating research convocation.

I'm very happy that it turned out well for them.

There are ways by just speaking out, (not complaining or blaming) for an issue or a concern, will create opportunities for others to speak out or move in that direction.

I was at a meeting one day. The chair of the meeting told us, "You're lucky you have a job. While others are being laid off, you have a paycheque every quarter." I said, "We are lucky that we have good jobs. We are here to ensure that everyone of us have a great working experience every time we come to the office." Heads nodding. 

Another meeting where Christian pastors asked: "What is this diversity project with the municipality all about? I responded that it's for building connections between the East and West side of our community and everything in between. Well, the rumors didn't match the reality. 

Recently I had a conversation with a Board Director for an interview to a Board position at a regional service organization. Mutually, we have arrived at a decision that I should defer my application after a few years when the organization had stabilized in its operation.

I also added that, "The way the current Board is doing all the work of organizational development is untenable. No self-respecting Board Member should carry all the work that the Executive Director should be able to perform." Silence.

You are influential to your family members, friends, and colleagues.

You are influential to your boss, supervisors, and managers.

You are influential to your service providers, your doctors, lawyers, staff, and the whole suppliers that you work with. They want to get your feedback, opinion in ways they can improve.

You are influential to your spheres of community. 

Don't cede your influence to an arbitrary set of ideologies, rules, and dogmas.

Don't be intimidated by the largeness of the room, the initials to the name, or the social media following, or anything exterior or externalized. 

Don't be the silent majority that takes the beating for everyone else and gets all the suffering.

Don't try to please people and be obsequious.

The opportunity to influence for good is always available, matter of fact, ubiquitous. 

Don't you see that I'm trying to influence you?

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