A fine example of how to get involved in all elements of your book, from research and networking locations, down to identifying your target demographic.

Here's what Gail had to say about the Holistic Ways Festival where her book got the most publicity:

I chose this event because those who attend are my target audience. It is also a very useful way to make connections with other people who work in holistic therapy.

The day was hectic; I spent a lot of time talking to people about the books and thus generated a lot of interest. I’m finding that aspiring writers seek me out to ask about my experience, and this event was no exception. My talk was last on the schedule, and my room was in the attic of the building. As I said in my email below, I was concerned that not many people would turn up, but all the seats were taken.

 

During the talk, I gave the audience an outline of the stories and a little biography. I spoke about the research I’ve carried out, the themes of the novels, my slightly unorthodox method of writing, and what drove me to write in the first place. There’s an interesting story behind both book covers, so I included this information. The books are about a woman who discovers a past life, and this was the perfect platform for discussing the concept. In short, I geared the talk towards the possible interests of my audience. Naturally, I sprinkled the presentation with some humorous anecdotes too.

 

I gave a presentation at the Edinburgh Holistic Ways Festival on November 1, and was quite nervous about it. People arrived late and this threw me a little. At Glasgow, however, I felt more at ease once I got started and didn’t lose the flow when people came in late. I had written the talk and studied it religiously for weeks beforehand, but on the day I went ‘off script’ several times and it was all fine. People really seemed to listen, and I answered many  questions afterwards. And thankfully I sold some books.

 

It was a great event, and I plan to do more festivals next year. I’ve also been invited to talk at the Theosophical Society in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

 

I’ve donated some copies of the books to a couple of Edinburgh libraries. I often check their availability on the Edinburgh libraries website and they are out on loan nearly all the time. I’ve attached a picture of the books on the shelf in my local library. My name is on the talk list at both libraries.

 

I continue to maintain a profile on social media; I have Twitter followers who are film makers, which is interesting. The Facebook page (www.Facebook.com/ASecondPath) also sees a lot of traffic. A follower from the Netherlands recently asked if the books could be translated into Dutch.

 

The books continue to receive very positive feedback and have received numerous 5-star reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.

 

I’ve written some articles for the review website www.TravelFreakUK.com under the pen name ‘Mrs ControlFreak’.

 

While writing the books, I carried out a lot of research on Egyptology and archaeology. I’ve been fortunate enough to meet researchers and archaeologists who have been enthusiastic about my work and happy to share their knowledge. Last year I was invited on a research trip to Amarna in Egypt (‘Lost Guardian’ is set in Amarna) by a researcher from the Netherlands, but the trip was cancelled due to security issues. The researcher gave a lecture in Glasgow in October, and he invited me to attend. It was a fascinating lecture, and very educational.

Hopefully you can take something away from this as an Author yourself, and get to understand the impact of meeting people yourself, making connections and following up emails to get those all-important publicity moments! Thanks for the inspiration Gail!