Marketing Magic & Authors Roundtable Seminar

Rachel Sarah Thurston

Thursday, June 25; 1–3:30 PM Pacific Ballroom

Whether you’re a new or a seasoned writer, if you want your book to be seen, your platform to grow, and your marketing to finally make sense—this session is not to be missed.

Part I

“The Top 12 Magical Marketing Moves That Matter: Elevate Your Author Brand and Make Your Book(s) Sparkle, Stand Out, and Achieve Marketplace Success”

Build Your Author Platform, Grow Your Audience, and Turn Visibility into Book Sales

In today’s ever-evolving publishing landscape, one question rises above the rest:
How do I build an author platform that actually connects, gains traction, and sells books?

In this high-energy, multimedia, resource-rich presentation, Rachel Sarah Thurston shares her signature framework: The Top 12 Magical Marketing Moves That Matter—a powerful, proven roadmap to help authors at every stage build their brand, grow their audience, and position their books for real marketplace success.

Through her signature sparkly, dynamic presentation, Rachel breaks down what’s actually working right now in author marketing and platform-building—so you can stop guessing and start growing.

You’ll learn the importance of:
• Building a compelling, cohesive author brand and platform
• Creating a website and online presence that attracts your ideal readers
• Growing and nurturing an email list as your most valuable long-term asset
• Generating buzz through media, podcasts, and strategic visibility
• Optimizing your metadata (keywords, categories, descriptions) for discoverability
• Leveraging reviews, awards, and social proof
• Aligning your book cover and messaging with your genre and audience
• Choosing the right social media platforms (and letting go of the ones that don’t serve you)
• Developing sustainable, long-term marketing and advertising strategies

Rachel will also share the key traits she’s observed in successful authors—and how they leverage their unique strengths (“superpowers”) to stand out in a crowded marketplace.

Part I includes a live Q&A.

Part 2

In the second half, Rachel moderates a highly interactive round table featuring five standout authors who have each built powerful platforms by leveraging their unique strengths, voices, and real-world connections.

Spanning genres and publishing paths, these authors share a common thread: they’ve embraced creative, grassroots, and “guerilla-style” marketing approaches to amplify their visibility and connect deeply with their readers.

Rather than a one-size-fits-all strategy, this conversation highlights how different paths to success can be—and how authors can identify and activate their own “superpowers” to grow their platforms in authentic and sustainable ways.

Through a lively, audience-engaged discussion, Rachel will spotlight each author’s strengths and guide the conversation to explore how those strengths translate into effective marketing and platform-building.

You’ll discover:
• How to identify and leverage your unique strengths to grow your author platform
• Creative, grassroots marketing approaches that build real reader connection
• How speaking, teaching, and media appearances can expand your visibility
• Ways to turn personal and professional networks into powerful promotional opportunities
• How authors are using platforms like Substack, events, and live experiences to grow engaged audiences
• The mindset shifts that help authors stay visible, consistent, and resilient

This session also includes dedicated time for audience Q&A and live, coaching-style insights—giving attendees the opportunity to ask questions and receive personalized guidance on their own books and platforms.

This dynamic session brings the strategies from Part I to life—offering real-world examples, fresh inspiration, and actionable ideas you can adapt to your own author journey.

Part II includes a live Q&A

Rachel and the “Authors of the Round Table”

Rachel Sarah Thurston, founder of State of Sparkle, is a book marketing, author platform-building, and author branding coach—and a writer whose work centers on storytelling, travel, and the human journey—who helps authors go from invisible to irresistible. She guides authors at every stage in building visibility, growing engaged platforms, and creating compelling brands that connect with their ideal readers.

Through a blend of coaching, consulting, and hands-on strategy, Rachel helps authors develop effective marketing plans, grow engaged platforms, and create compelling brands—bringing their vision to life and turning ideas into real traction and visibility. Known by her clients as part mentor, part strategist, and part enthusiastic cheerleader, she brings both expertise and encouragement to every step of the journey.

During the conference, Rachel will also offer complimentary mini-consultations, providing personalized guidance on marketing, platform-building, branding, and connecting with readers.

Jeanine Kitchel is the author of four books—two non-fiction and two thrillers—and writes about Mexico, the Maya culture, and the Yucatán Peninsula on her weekly Substack newsletter, Mexico Soul, which has been featured in Substack’s “100 Rising in Travel.” She has written for publications including Fodor’s, Yahoo Voices, and The Miami Herald. Her love of Mexico led her to relocate to the Yucatán, where she founded Alma Libre Libros in a small fishing village south of Cancun—one of the largest English-Spanish bookstores between Mexico City and Guatemala—and developed a deep, self-taught expertise in Maya culture. Her work can be found at https://mexicosoul.substack.com/  and Jeaninekitchel.com.

Bee Bloeser is the author of the award-winning historical memoir, Vaccines & Bayonets: Fighting Smallpox in Africa amid Tribalism, Terror and the Cold War, a book praised by The Economist's Digital Editor and by Foreign Policy's Deputy Editor. Bee has lived in West Africa (with USAID), the Middle East, and Native American nations in support of her late husband’s global health work and in her own career in speech pathology. Bee regularly speaks about her experiences, highlighting the importance of global health and foreign assistance in bolstering America's friendships, influence and security in the world. BeeBloeser.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 23 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. MattPallamary.com.

Lisa Angle is a marketing consultant and author based in Santa Barbara, California. She assists writers in enhancing their online presence through services such as website development, newsletters, social media coaching, podcasts, and video production. Additionally, she offers developmental editing for novels and memoirs. As an author, Lisa self-published the historical novel Whiskey and Old Stogies, which became long-listed for the 2021 Mark Twain Book Awards for Humor and Satire. She holds a master’s degree in computer-based education from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Combining her technical expertise with a passion for storytelling, she focuses on helping writers build their author platforms. Ninety Degrees Media.

Sandy Pearl didn’t set out to be an author. A third-generation resident of Santa Barbara, she has lived an adventurous life. On a whim, she moved to Los Angeles, where an unexpected series of events launched her 23-year career in the entertainment industry working with companies such as Atlantic Records, Warner Bros. Studios, and Paramount Pictures. It took her just one year from writing her first word to holding a published book in her hands. Her debut memoir, Then the Phone Rang: My Journey from Hitchhiking Hippie to the Hollywood High Life, draws from these remarkable experiences. After returning to Santa Barbara, she spent two decades in hospitality as a corporate event coordinator and tour director, and has also written two screenplays inspired by true events. Sandy Pearl Author

Zoe Ghahremani, a 25-year participant of the Santa Barbara Writers Conference, is an author, speaker, and workshop leader, including presenting two workshops at the 2025 San Miguel Writers Conference. Her novel Sky of Red Poppies was selected for the 2011 One Book, One San Diego program, and The Moon Daughter won both the San Diego Book Awards and the Writer's Digest Awards for Best Literary Fiction in 2016. Zoe's children's books Memory Garden and Celebrate Nowruz, published by Macmillan Publishers, received starred reviews. Zoe is a member of San Diego Writing Women and has served as a past board member of San Diego Writers Ink, San Diego Writers and Editors Guild, and Friends of the San Diego Central Library. In 2019, she received the Community Leader Award from the San Diego Writers Festival, and more recently, the Mayor of Beverly Hills honored her with a certificate recognizing her Outstanding Contributions. Zoe Ghahremani