© 2022 Joy Neal Kidney

So much of marketing is about connections. At first, I was uncomfortable with the idea of “selling myself,” but I had a story that needed sharing. I’d been on social media long enough to make that easier.

I’d learned my way around Canva, which is a great asset, and my memes had improved. Pairing the book cover with someone else’s short quote in a meme made for delightful “soft marketing.” It was also a way to be generous to another author, noting what they’d written.

This year, God nudged me (during journaling) not to think of marketing the way the IRS does, as money spent, but as a way to bless individuals and small businesses. Is it worth it? Maybe not monetarily, but in spiritual ways, which God is in charge of, it’s been a joy! 

Suggestions:

• Make connections—on social media, local radio and TV, and podcasts about books or your specific subject. People appreciate your positive feedback.
• Make your own memes using Canva. Quote other authors, noting their books.
• Create goodwill. Where does it make sense to donate your book? A museum, school, or                   library?
• Where can you bless someone by buying an ad that will benefit an indie bookstore or other             small business?
• Pray for doors to open and they will, sometimes in surprising ways. 

When God is invited into your writing and marketing, you’ll be a blessing to someone else and you’ll be blessed as well.
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Joy Neal Kidney is an author, historian, and story-teller from central Iowa. Her first book is Leora’s Letters: The Story of Love and Loss for an Iowa Family During World War II, the story behind the brothers on the Dallas County Freedom Rock. All five served. Only two came home. Her new book is Leora’s Dexter Stories: The Scarcity Years of the Great Depression. Joy is also a regular contributor to Our American Stories.