Marketing Your Book: Starting Conversations

Hello, Writer! I hope you had a beautiful week! Today, we’re going to revisit the holy grail of writing, which is…marketing.

Marketing has intimidated writers for years. But here’s the thing. Every marketing effort begins as a seed that grows steadily in definition and scope as we master one aspect of the process at a time. Often the biggest hurdle to marketing is getting started, and everything starts with our mindset. So, let’s talk about a marketing mindset…

First and foremost, true marketing springs from a desire to love your readers, from the conviction that your story will change their lives, and from your ability to articulate why your story will transform their lives. If you are struggling with any of those steps, I encourage you to visit our “why” posts to gain some clarity about what makes your story unique.

You see, the first step to excellent marketing is knowing your story and your readers. Once those elements are in place, the second step is simply to go where your readers are and start a conversation…

Starting a Conversation in History

Mother Cabrini, the Italian Catholic missionary, was one who understood this simple step of starting a conversation. She boldly approached bishops and then the pope himself to ask for their favor in her missionary efforts to start an orphanage in east Asia. Through those conversations, Mother Cabrini was directed to go, not east to Asia, but west to New York to reach the growing population of suffering Italian immigrants. Cabrini heeded the direction she was given and went to New York. The work she did there not only transformed the lives of an entire people group but also paved the way for the ministry in Asia she’d dreamed of.

You see, writer, learning how to have conversations is half the battle. But the other half is learning to listen and to allow those conversations to inform your efforts to reach your readers.

Starting a Conversation in the Bible

Philip the Evangelist is another who grabbed hold of the opportunity to engage in conversation. Following the Lord’s direction to go to the desert, Philip came upon an Ethiopian eunuch. At the Holy Spirit’s prompting, Philip went over to the man’s chariot and overheard him reading the book of Isaiah. Without hesitation, Philip asked the eunuch if he understood what he read. The ensuing conversation led to the eunuch’s salvation and sparked the spread of the Gospel into the nation of Africa.

You see, writer, part of marketing is about sharing our book, but another often overlooked part of marketing is meeting your reader where they are and taking a personal interest in their lives, interests, and needs.

Starting a Conversation in Life

I’ve started many conversations in my life with friends, family, and complete strangers. One of the most powerful was when I felt led to ask a girl jogging down a trail if she wanted prayer. That prayer led to a five-hour conversation with her family at a nearby restaurant and relationships that grow deeper every year. And here’s the interesting thing. God has birthed many things through that relationship, including the origin of the Experience Writing Conference. All because I followed the Lord’s prompting to start a conversation.

Starting a Conversation in Your Life

You see, writer, as we begin to engage in conversation, we may be surprised to discover unexpected allies. People who care just as much about the message God gave us as we do. Those relationships are invaluable. And, they almost always spring from a willingness to start a conversation. Let me show you…

• • Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. – Hebrews 13:2
  • How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? – Romans 10:14
  • And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. – Hebrews 10:24-25

You see, writer, engaging in conversation with potential and current readers is actually an act of love. It’s caring about them personally and then asking the Lord for wisdom and grace to build connection and relationship based on who they are and what they need. Sometimes that conversation will go exactly as we hoped. Sometimes, it will open whole new realms of understanding and direction or possibility that we’d never imagined. Sometimes it will seem to have failed, but may have planted seeds that will grow in unexpected ways. 

Whatever happens, through the process we will inevitably gain wisdom and insight about who our readers truly are and aren’t and how best to reach them.

Where to Start with Starting a Conversation

So are you ready to start engaging in conversation with potential or current readers? Here are a few tips we hope will help…

1. 1. Be Open. As you engage with readers, stay open. Don’t try to force conversations toward a certain outcome. See where the Lord is opening doors and walk through, but recognize and respect where doors are shut. Sometimes the most powerful thing we can do as writers is to love on people who have no intention of buying our book. While selling books is wonderful, don’t be surprised if there are moments when the Lord uses your book to draw someone to you who has a deeper need.
   2. Listen Well. As you begin to engage with readers, make an effort to listen well. Don’t listen for what you want to hear, but for what they’re actually saying. Take a genuine interest in their input, whether it’s a compliment, a comment, a question, or a critique. Sometimes a fear of engaging in conversation springs from the idea that we have to “be” something specific to our readers—clever, witty, brilliant, etc. But the best thing we can do for others is to be genuinely interested in who they are and what they are saying. When we shift our focus from us to them, conversation can become as natural as it is with a good friend.
   3. Pray. Ask God for wisdom, favor, and grace to find and connect with the readers He has for you. After all, He is the one who’s given us our stories, and He is the one who has created the hearts and minds of those that need to hear them. Asking God for divine appointments and sensitivity to His leading can do amazing things, because sometimes, we won’t find our readers on Facebook or at a book table. Sometimes, we’ll meet them at the gas station or the dentist’s office. And sensitivity to the Lord’s prompting to simply start a conversation could lead to encouragement given, a prayer prayed, or a book sold. Because here’s the real deal…

Marketing for the Christian writer is really about learning to recognize and steward the opportunities and moments God places before us and to walk with courage through the doors He opens. Sometimes, it’s even to knock on doors that seem shut. Because here’s the final thought: when we are courageous enough to take the first step, it opens channels for His love to flow through us and our stories in the most unusual and unexpected ways.

Just like His love flowed through Mother Cabrini’s boldness and touched—not just the people in New York—but in nations across the globe until she reached Asia. Just like His love flowed through Philip’s question to a stranger and touched not just the eunuch but sparked the spread of the Gospel in Africa. Just like His love flowed through my prayer for a stranger and touched not just that family but countless others through the Experience Writing Conference. If you’ll notice, writer, Cabrini, Philip, and I each began with an act of obedience that opened the door for the conversation the Lord wanted to take place.

So I encourage you, today, if you’ve felt anxious about reaching out to readers, ask the Lord for His wisdom and direction, then simply follow His leading as He prompts you to engage. And I challenge you not to fear what seem like failures, because here’s the wonderful thing. 

As we walk through this process with Him, we will learn to more clearly recognize and discern His leading not just in our marketing efforts but in every area of life. And His love will flow more freely not just to our readers but to everyone we meet.

#marketing #conversations #listening #EveryWriterWriting