{"id":22116,"date":"2023-05-09T20:23:46","date_gmt":"2023-05-10T00:23:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/?p=22116"},"modified":"2024-09-30T08:55:56","modified_gmt":"2024-09-30T12:55:56","slug":"how-to-leverage-book-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/2023\/05\/how-to-leverage-book-awards\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Leverage Book Awards"},"content":{"rendered":"
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On the heels of winning my fifth book award for The Joy of Writing Journal<\/em><\/a>\u2014the Silver Benjamin Franklin Award\u2014I thought it would be a good time to share how I’ve leveraged awards into book sales and visibility for my programs and services\u2014and how you can, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’d also love to hear your ideas as I look to leverage this latest award, the Ben Franklin Award, in the “gift book” category! Time to crowdsource ideas! But first, let me share what I did\u2014and learned\u2014that can also help you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting Local PR => Book Sales!<\/h2>\n\n\n
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After winning my first two awards, the prestigious Nautilus Book Award and Independent Publisher Award (IPPY), my colleague and friend Howard Van Es<\/a> suggested I send press releases to local media in Rhode Island. Howard wrote a press release and a script that we could use to follow up with these media contacts.<\/p>\n\n\n

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I hired a talented and entrepreneurial high school student, Julius Pieranunzi, to update our media list and contact info, customize and send out the press releases and follow up by phone. This can be much more affordable than hiring a PR company and doesn’t require a vast or ongoing investment. Plus, it gives you more control over follow-up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result of the press release, last August, HeyRhody Magazine<\/em> and their online Providence.com featured The Joy of Writing Journal<\/em><\/strong> with a large book cover image. They included a write-up along with five other local authors’ books, including Born Behind Bars<\/em>, a highly celebrated book by award-winning YA\/Middle school author and my friend Padma Venkatraman<\/a>. Here’s the feature: Rhody Reads: Six Selections to Inspire Your Inner Artist<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Rhode Island Monthly<\/em> reporter and editorial assistant Edelinda Baptista also responded and interviewed me for what was planned as an online article. But it ended up being a full-page (plus) article\u2014featured both in the magazine and online\u2014called Local Author Encourages You to Spark Your Creativity through Journaling<\/a>. As a subscriber and avid reader of RI Monthly<\/em>, it was an honor and joy to see this article in print! I bought extra copies to share with those who helped me, and then a few neighbors sent me their copies!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Almost Doubled my Amazon Book Sales<\/h2>\n\n\n
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The Rhode Island Monthly feature almost doubled my Amazon book sales that month, resulting in my first-ever surge of bookstore sales! Barrington Books saw the article and invited me to lead an evening program at their beautiful store. Not only did I get to reach new readers with my passion for journaling and my journaling methods and tips, but I got to see my beloved colleague and friend, the brilliant Sam Bennett, author of several fabulous books for creative entrepreneurs, including Get it Done<\/a> and Start Right Where You Are<\/a>, who had recently moved to the East Coast (thank you Sam!) and my dear friend Diana Donahue who had moved back to Rhode Island a few months earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reach Out to Companies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I’ve shared the PR I’ve received with colleagues, and as we neared the holidays, I realized that the Joy of Writing Journal<\/em><\/strong> could be a great gift for companies that work with writers. I wrote to the CEO of one of my favorite PR firms, Zilker Media<\/a>. I asked if they’d be interested in purchasing copies of the Journal<\/em> in bulk at a discount, offering to put beautiful awards stickers on the books and sign them with a personal note, leaving room for her to pen a personalized message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paige loved the idea; it was a win-win-win for their clients, the PR agency which sent a lovely personalized and relevant gift to their happy clients, and for me! \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While she may have said yes even if it hadn’t won awards, the awards certainly helped add cachet and credibility\u2014perhaps inspiring recipients to make the time to give it a whirl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You Don’t Always Know Where the Leads Come From<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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