Above the Fold With Jessica Ann Morris

As a self-published author, promoting your book can be difficult. Above the Fold with Jessica Ann Morris takes the mystery out of Marketing and PR. You will learn fast and easy ways to generate results and boost your book sales. In this new blog series from Aviva Gittle eBooks, Jessica will teach you to think like a Communications Strategist.

Slow to motivate at the turn of the New Year? Well, here’s your reminder: Make 2014 the time you advance your Marketing and Public Relations initiatives — and start selling more books!

Having published a book, you’re familiar with sourcing a creative hunch, giving 110 percent and relentlessly pursuing a goal. Now, let’s redirect that energy and talent into skills that empower you to become your own Communications Strategist.

Simply Stated, Stating is Difficult
Whether you’re starting out or have some experience under your belt, a clear focus of who you are, what you do, and your target audience is the backbone of a successful Marketing and Public Relations strategy.

Your Assignment (You Should Definitely Choose to Accept It!)
Take 15 minutes and complete the following framework. (The time constraint will streamline prose: editing comes later.)

1. Your brief biography/description (50 words or less).
2. What you do (I write/publish x, y and z).
3. My audience/s is/are (include ages, geographic location, gender, personality, purchasing power, and other demographics).
4. I’m qualified to be an author/self-publisher of x because y and z.
5. My competition (individuals, institutions, etc.).
6. My differentiators are (up to three things that make your book unique).
7. List published works (including those in production.).

Next, take one read-through and make baseline edits.

Walk Away
Then, put this away for 24 hours. Seriously, detachment is a great strategy. Lock it in a drawer, or tuck it into your kid’s pillowcase. Allow yourself some time to think freely, without the limitations of paper, dictation or keyboard. Upon review, you’ll see room for improvement and/or confirm you were on mark.

In the next column, Perfecting the One-Pager, Above the Fold will provide a quick way to easily turn what you’ve done into a powerful communications tool.

Jessica Ann Morris is a Communications Strategist with 20 years of cross-industry experience. Trusted by the C-suite to the front line for Marketing and Public Relations counsel, Jessica makes integrity and enthusiasm key components of her proactive service philosophy. A Boston College alum, Jessica is also a published author and journalist. Follow Jessica via Twitter @JAMPRLLC and LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jessicaannmorris/