Book Marketing Magic & Authors Roundtable
Rachel Sarah Thurston
Thursday, June 13
1 – 3:30 PM
Pacific Ballroom
Rachel Sarah Thurston offers the "Top 12 Magical Marketing Moves to Elevate Your Author Brand and Make Your Book(s) Sparkle, Stand Out, and Achieve Marketplace Success"
Part I: In the rapid expanse of the publishing industry, authors are plagued with a pressing question: "How can my author brand and my book(s) connect with my ideal readers, get traction, and be better seen in the world?"
This engaging and interactive marketing seminar offers a comprehensive roadmap for authors—both seasoned and newcomers—to craft their author brands and leverage the latest marketing tactics to propel their books and brands to sparkling success in the marketplace.
With her expertise as a marketing and author branding coach, Rachel Sarah Thurston has identified a distinct set of traits that set successful authors apart. These authors have been able to identify and utilize their individual strengths and superpowers while seeking support as needed to deftly navigate the dynamic publishing landscape. Because of this, they've been able to achieve remarkable book sales and visibility.
"State of Sparkle" book marketing pillars:
Crafting your branded website
Generating buzz in the media through newspapers, podcasts, and more
Building your email list and branded newsletter for your loyal fans
Unlocking the magic of metadata: choosing your ideal keywords, categories, and descriptions
Harnessing book awards and book reviews
Designing book covers that resonate with your genre
Understanding your genre and audience demographics
Developing long-term advertising strategies
Selecting the most effective social media platforms for your genre
Rachel's presentation will be followed by a Q&A and will segue into an "Authors of the Round Table" discussion which will touch upon the points of her marketing presentation.
Part II: Rachel will lead the "Authors of the Round Table" in a deep dive discussion with a panel of authors who represent a range of genres (thriller, mystery, true crime, YA historical fiction, nonfiction, memoir, etc.) and publishing pathways (self-published, hybrid, and traditional). These award-winning authors will share their hard-earned wisdom as well their most favored marketing strategies which have worked the most effectively for their brands and genres.
Attendees will learn how these authors have leveraged their personal superpowers to break through and their books are able to gain better traction and visibility!
Rachel Sarah Thurston is the owner of "State of Sparkle," an author branding, platform building, and book marketing coaching service. Her featured articles and photography have appeared in The Los Angeles Times, Women's Adventure Magazine, Food and Home Magazine, and Santa Barbara Magazine. Her travel humor stories have been featured alongside award-winning writer Tim Cahill and comedian Ellen DeGeneres in the award-winning Travelers Tales anthology series. She co-authored a coffee table book Beautiful Santa Ynez Valley with National Geographic photographer Chuck Place.
Rachel is a marketing consultant with the Santa Barbara Writers Conference and has been involved for the past 20 years with the conference in multiple capacities. She empowers her clients to establish their author brands, build robust platforms, and effectively market their books. https://www.stateofsparkle.com
*Rachel will also be offering marketing consults to authors throughout the conference week offering advice around their author brands, platforms, and book marketing.
"Authors of the Round" Table Panelists:
Paul Levine is the author of the "Jake Lassiter" and "Solomon vs. Lord" bestselling mystery/thriller novels. He has won the John D. MacDonald Fiction Award and the PenCraft Book of the Year Award and has been nominated for the Edgar, Macavity, International Thriller, Shamus, and James Thurber prizes. A former trial lawyer, he also wrote 20 episodes of the CBS military drama "JAG" and co-created the Supreme Court drama "First Monday" starring James Garner and Joe Mantegna. His "Solomon vs. Lord" novel series is currently being developed for television. https://paul-levine.com
Deborah Holt Larkin is the author of the acclaimed true crime memoir A Lovely Girl: The Tragedy of Olga Duncan and the Trial of One of California's Most Notorious Killers which received a Starred Review in Publishers Weekly and was named one of the best nonfiction books of the month by CrimeReads. Deborah, a board member of the San Diego Chapter of "Sisters in Crime," has made numerous presentations at conferences and book festivals. Her feature articles have appeared in Newsweek, Writers Digest, and CrimeReads. A Lovely Girl has been optioned for a limited series on a streaming platform. https://deborahholtlarkin.com
Matthew J. Pallamary is an award-winning author with over 40 years of experience in the publishing industry. With a near record of 36 years of involvement with the Santa Barbara Writers Conference, his "Phantastic Fiction" workshop is known for drawing writers across a span of genres. Matt has 20 books in print (genre fiction, nonfiction, and memoir) and has been a guest on numerous radio, television, and podcast shows, most notably as a returning guest on "Coast to Coast" with George Noory. https://mattpallamary.com/
Anita Perez Ferguson's YA historic fiction novels feature diverse Californians and have twice won the San Francisco Writers Conference YA Writers Award. Her nonfiction writing promotes under-represented 21st century communities and earned her the U.S. Hispanic Leadership 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award. Anita's weekly newsletter, "Diverse Voices - Bravo!" (anitaperezferguson.substack.com) celebrates other Latinx authors and stories. https://anitaperezferguson.com
Connard Hogan is an award-winning author of two memoirs Barbwire, Brothels and Bombs in the Night: Surviving Vietnam and Once Upon a Kentucky Farm: Hope and Healing from Family Abuse, Alcoholism, and Family Dysfunction. Currently, he's writing a mountain climbing adventure memoir, in which he explores his motivation to engage in that risky activity, and features his alter ego, Prim8. In addition, he blogs about his world travels on his website: http://www.connardhogan.com
