Painless Promotion: Session 2 Workbook

Painless Promotion: STRATEGY Session 2 Workbook

Cathy Yardley

Session 2 Workbook 2

Part I. Targeting Your Audience

Look at your Session 1 answers for what your readers can consistently expect from your work, and what emotional needs those things serve. Write them here.

1. ______

2. ______

3. ______

4. ______

5. ______

Look at the genre(s) you write. Who are some comparative authors in your genre? (Try looking at bestselling authors first, then those that match your subject matter specifically.) ______

______

Next, read some titles by a few authors, and see which ones satisfy at least one or two of the emotional needs listed (above.) ______

______Session 2 Workbook 3

______

Look at the “also bought” listings for those titles and authors. List five more authors/titles here.

______

Narrow down your comps to three to five authors/titles. Then, look at the five-star comments under Goodreads or Amazon for those titles. What sort of praise is specifically called out the most often? Do they compliment the characters, for example, or the plot, or the pacing? Do they like that it’s part of a series? These likes and dislikes are the things your super-fan most desires – and the most important thing you need to pay attention to. Jot down notes. ______

______

___ Session 2 Workbook 5

Pretend you’re writing a character sketch. If you were to create one idealized super-fan, what would he or she be like? ______

______

Part II. Your Foundation Checklist

Your Book.

 Is your book written to satisfy your super-fan?

 Do you have a series, perhaps?

Your Cover.

 Is your cover appealing?

 Does it match genre expectations (can someone tell what genre it is by looking at it?)

 Does it still draw the eye when shrunk to thumbnail size?

 Are books in a series connected visually?

 Do the covers reflect your brand?

Your Title.

 Will your title appeal to your target audience?

Your Book Description. Session 2 Workbook 7

 Is the protagonist (or protagonists) emphasized? (Who the reader is rooting for)

 Is the goal emphasized? (What the reader is rooting for)

 Is the conflict stated clearly? (Why it’s going to be a challenging struggle to root for)

Your Testimonial Quotes.

 Do you have bigger authors in your genre in mind to target?

 Do you have any contacts that you might be able to ask?

 Have you sent out queries?

Your Bios.

 Have you written a short (120 character) bio?

 Have you written bios for all your social media profiles?

 Do you have a guest post bio?

 Do your bios include CTA (Calls To Action?)

 Are you tailoring your bios specifically for your super-fan?

Your Author Photo.

 Do you have a professional author photo?

Your Name/Pseudonym Session 2 Workbook 8

 Are you publishing under your own name, or a pen name? Have you chosen one?

Your price.

 (For self-pubs.) Have you decided what price you’re going to use, and for what reason?

Your category/key words.

You’re generally allowed two categories and seven key word/search terms. List them here.

Category:

Key Words:

7. Session 2 Workbook 9

Your Front Matter

 Does your front matter list your other books, preferably in series order? Are there buy links to each if it’s digital?

Your Back Matter

 Do you have an “about the author” page? Is there one Call To Action?

 (If self-published) – have you taken advantage, and perhaps added an excerpt of your next novel?