We’ve Always Done It This Way…or Not

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Hi, all – Ava Pennington here, with a note about shaking things up. The publishing industry is moving faster than Doc Brown’s DeLorean, but not always in a good way. Stagnant sales, corporate restructurings, e-publishing, people reading less…the news can be discouraging. So what’s an author to do? One thing we should not do is approach our writing careers with an “I’ve always done it this way” attitude.

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Speaking of Writing…

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Hi, all – Ava Pennington here, with the monthly installment on what I’ve been doing to market my first release, One Year Alone with God: 366 Devotions on the Names of God. I’ve already described a variety of activities, but one thing we haven’t touched on is speaking…

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Handling Rejection

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Welcome to the third Thursday in May from Ava Pennington! Have you ever seen an unattractive baby? Even if you think the baby is ugly, his parents would never agree. That baby is part of them. He carries their DNA. More than that, he carries their hopes and dreams for the future.

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Grateful Marketing

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Hi, Ava Pennington here, with another installment in my marketing journey. It’s been seven months since One Year Alone with God: 366 Devotions on the Names of God was released by Revell, and each month I’ve described the activities I’ve engaged in to help market this book. Today, I’d like to speak about something we can all do to market our books…something we learned in kindergarten.

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Different Routes – Same Destination

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Hi, Ava Pennington here, with an observation about the routes we take in our writing. One of the most helpful gifts I’ve received is a GPS for my car. Helpful, because if there’s a way to get lost, I’ll find it. So I’m dependent on that little voice that says, “In fifty yards, turn right.” When I program my GPS for a long trip, I’ve noticed that it often gives me options. I can avoid toll roads, but the trip may take longer. I can choose the shortest route, but it may cost more. I can travel by freeway or…

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Don’t Just Read a Blog – Comment!

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Hi, all! Ava Pennington here, to talk once again about additional ways we can market our books. Marketing isn’t restricted to convincing people to make a purchase. Good marketers will tell you that successful marketing is dependent upon relationships – building them and keeping them. One way to build relationships is to participate in the blogging community.

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Pay It Forward

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Hi, all. Ava Pennington here again! Once upon a time I was the Vice President of Human Resources for an international insurance company. The corporate rat race consumed all my energies. Writing for publication was a vague dream that belonged to another life – a life far removed from my reality.  

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Marketing and Writers Conferences – Update

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  Hi, all – Ava Pennington here, back from the Florida Christian Writers Conference (FCWC). While I was at the conference last week, I blogged about the relationship between marketing our books and attending writers conferences. If you missed it, here’s the link. This week I’d like to compare that post with my actual experience.

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Marketing Through Writers Conferences

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  Hi, all – Ava Pennington here writing from sunny Florida. This time I’m at a location a little farther north in Florida than I’m usually found. For the next several days, I’ll be attending the Florida Christian Writers Conference (FCWC). What does attending a writers conference have to do with marketing your book? Quite a bit!  

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Spread the News…in a Newsletter

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  Hi, all – Ava Pennington here. Happy Valentine’s Day a few days early! February is the month of hearts, flowers, and love notes. Whether or not you write love notes to that special someone in your life, every author should be writing love notes…to their readers! Okay, maybe not love notes, but we should be keeping in touch with our readers on a regular basis, and email newsletters are an effective, low-cost way to do it.

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