Category Archives: Writing Musings

Musings from author Denise Turney on writing, including freelance, marketing, self-help, nonfiction and journal writing. Here you will find book marketing tips as well as advice on places where you can go to sharpen your craft and network with other writers, including novelists. You’ll also find places where you can network with readers, editors, publishers and literary agents.

7 Podcasts Marketing Tips to Help You Grow Your Podcast Audience

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By African American Books Writer Denise Turney

photo of gold colored podcast microphone
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Want to grow your literary podcast listener base? Check out these 7 podcasts marketing tips. These marketing tips can work whether your aim is to create audio only or video podcast shows. Even more, these marketing tips work if you’re promoting books, book marketing services or publishing products during podcasts interviews. Just know that you have to distinguish yourself from a growing crowd. Why?

Early Podcast Days

Gone are the days when you could attract hundreds, if not thousands, of listeners simply by firing up a microphone, switching on video and starting a podcast. Celebrities, entertainers, news stations, media outlets and radio stations are launching podcasts today, some pulling in millions of daily and weekly listeners.

To stand out, attracting attention calls for more than a good interview, humor and sharing valuable information. It’s not the way it was in 2004, when Adam Curry and Dave Winer started their podcast “iPodder”. Their background, one a VJ and the other a technologist, made for a successful launch.

If you want to build your listener audience, you’re going to have to get the word out about your podcast. With this goal in mind, start by finding a good podcast directory.

Podcast Directories are a Must for Podcasts Marketing Tips

iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and RadioGuesList.com are podcasts directories. Other podcasts directories include iHeartRadio, Overcast, Pocket Casts and Google Play. Of course, you could start a YouTube podcast. Podcast directories are great places to distribute your show episodes. More about that later in this article.

Also, have a focus for each show. For example, if you’re interviewing an author about her nonfiction books, focus on the specific points you want to share with listeners. What do you want listeners to walk away thinking after they catch your podcast interviews?

How do you want listeners to feel and what do you want them to focus on? Not sure? Here are interview focus ideas:

  1. Kick off the interview by asking guests to share their name and the titles of their books, book marketing products or publishing services.
  2. Build rapport by asking guests where they are from and what inspired them to do what they do, including write the books they write.
  3. Tell listeners what your guest’s website URL is. This way, listeners can visit the website and learn more about your guests.
  4. Share a funny or insightful fact about yourself. Even more, you could share insight on how or why you created your podcast, one or more of your books, products or services.
  5. Repeat customer testimonials that focus on specific elements of your podcast you want listeners to pay attention to.
  6. Be natural. Remember, you’re about to share valuable information with podcast listeners.

Recording Audio Matters

Relax, and remember you can edit and polish the show after it ends. But do make sure you and your guests use a good microphone. Fortunately, a computer mic is generally sufficient.

Regarding your responsibilities as a podcast host, have back-up questions on hand should you need to fill empty space or brief instances of silence. Here are seven more podcast marketing tips that are good to remember:

  1. Use a good sound system while recording audio for podcast shows. As a tip, if you’re using a telephone, consider going with a land line phone. Why? A land line phone may come in clearer than a cell phone. And you can get a podcast recording system like a USB microphone for a computer. Take this route, and you won’t need a telephone.
  2. Before you start recording audio, do a walk-thru with guests. Let guests know how the podcast intro will go. For instance, tell guests if there are ads or music at the top of the show. Also, let guests know if there will be breaks during the show and how long breaks are. Whether or not there is live Q&A with listeners is another area to cover with guests before the show starts.
  3. Sounds simple, but this is important among the podcast marketing tips. Slip up here and you could spend hours editing each show. Conduct podcast interviews in a quiet place. Tell everyone in recording space that you’re recording audio. Let them know you can’t be disturbed while interviewing. If you’ve ever seen someone bomb a Zoom recording, you know how distracting it can be to hear an unexpected voice cross the line.
  4. Even if you use exciting background visuals, you have to make the interview interesting. Relax and be conversational. Coach guests to expand on their answers, steering them away from one-word answers. Also, interject humor into the interview. As an example, you could read a funny excerpt from a guest’s book.

More Podcasts Marketing Tips

As an extra tip, listen to popular podcasts to pick up intro, closing, background and Q&A ideas. Here are additional tips to produce better podcasts, potentially attracting more listeners:

  • For added visual appeal, if in addition to being a podcast host, you’re also a book author, sit in front of a background that highlights your books. Regardless of the recording system you use, test the camera. Make sure you come across clearly on the video from your shoulders up. (If you’re short like me, you might have to sit on a pillow.)
  • Allow sufficient light inside the space where you’re recording video podcasts.
  • Repeat the titles of guests’ books, book marketing products or publishing services at the end of the podcast, especially if guests paid to be on your show.
  • Edit shows and send a downloadable link to each guest. But don’t just share the link with guests, encourage guests to promote the show at their social media accounts. Also, share the link with your supporters via email, etc. The more traffic your podcast gets, the better. Traffic is a good way to attract advertisers and great podcast guests.

Professional Podcast Production

If you’re recording audio for podcast as a show host, familiarize yourself with video podcast hosting companies like Vimeo, Wistia, Burbrry, Simplecast and Wave before you create video podcast shows. Check out professional podcast production features like distribution channels, web player analytics, pricing, number of downloads you get each month, demographics and other listener metrics.

Also, see if you can get professional podcast production features free of charge, especially if you are only going to create video podcast once a month. Keep promoting and marketing your literary podcast shows. As with other items in this article, this applies whether you interview on podcasts or host your own podcast.

If you’re looking for another way to market your podcasts, create a website for your literary podcast show. Ways to increase the website traffic includes writing blogs that link to topics your guests cover during their interviews. Additionally, you could write and distribute press releases.

What’s at the Heart of Healthy Romantic Relationships – Is It Love?

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By Freelance Writer and Books Author Denise Turney

man and woman in love and happy romantic relationship holding hands and running on a field
Photo by Maksim Goncharenok on Pexels.com

What if much of what you believe about love, especially as it regards healthy romantic relationships, is wrong? Could the core of what you believe about healthy romantic relationships apply to something else, not to romance at all?

Healthy Romantic Relationships Rooted in Personal Experience

Based on personal experiences, you may believe that love is kind. You also might believe that love is patient. Foundation for this belief is 1 Corinthians 13:1. The scripture states that, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.”

Whether or not you grew up in a religious home, for you, love might have to prove itself. Transfer this to a romantic relationship, and you might push your partner to go to extremes to prove that they love you.

Should you have spent years witnessing your parents argue or inflict psychological or physical harm on each other when their emotions were strong, you might think that people get loud and violent when they love each other a lot. Try as you may, it’s impossible to make a complete break from what your childhood taught you about healthy romantic relationships.

Love Quotes and Healthy Romantic Relationships

On top of that, we all want love, especially to feel loved. But no one is always kind, always patient? No one is only one-way. Sometimes you and your lover are frustrated, angry, discouraged. This is where love appears to come up short. And this is when relationships can seem like too much of an investment.

Statements about love, including the oft spoken “love you to the moon and back” and inspirational love quotes like “Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within” by James Baldwin and “The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in” by Morrie Schwrtz, require action.

Uttering love quotes doesn’t create magic. Love itself isn’t a form of magic.

Creating and sustaining healthy romantic relationships is not easy. It’s not a snap. Perhaps part of the reluctance to take the actions necessary to give and to receive love consistently has to do with how you define love. It’s these definitions that are explored in the 5 love languages. (https://www.5lovelanguages.com/)

Impact of Your 5 Love Languages on Your Healthy Romantic Relationships

For this reason, it may be worth exploring your particular love language. Just know, the results of your 5 love languages survey may surprise you.

But those surprises can be good, especially if you’re open to exploring new ways to give and receive what you believe to be love. Additionally, results of your 5 love languages survey might reveal why you feel frustrated, unheard or unappreciated by your romantic partner, even as they work to express their love for you.

Knowing how you define or see love could help you to get to the heart of what’s keeping you away from good relationships, including healthy romantic relationships. Also, the way that your parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles defined love could be a key factor in how you try to get (or stay away from) to love.

Advice on Love and Relationships

Their relationships could also be impacting whether or not you believe that love is even at the heart of good relationships. Admittedly, a childhood filled with parental unkindness, impatience and cruelty can serve like a roadblock to love.

Yet, childhood trauma doesn’t shut off the desire for love. To recover, you might make an illusion of love. You might end the person you care about (and who you want to love you) flowers, love quotes and love letters, hoping it will spark a sustainable romance.

Or you might convince yourself that this give and take means you’re in a healthy romantic relationship when, in actuality, you’re not. If this happens, years could pass before you recognize that you’re in a troubled relationship.

Knowing What Love Is

This is why it takes at least one person who has truly experienced love to be in the relationship. Experience real love firsthand, and you will know what love is. You’ll also know when love is missing from romance.

If you think about couples who have given and received love from each other for years, you witnessed this happening. This witnessing is beautiful. Yet, it doesn’t mean you’ll convince your partner to release their trauma and let love in.

couple facing each other
Photo by RODNAE Productions on Pexels.com

Love in Action as Part of Healthy Romantic Relationships

Yet, patience and kindness are more than ideas. They are a choice, an action. And, as with all choices and actions, you have to believe that the reward you’ll receive for taking an action is equal to or more than what you think you give up (invest) by taking that very action, by making that very choice. Which brings us back to childhood.

Isn’t that the best place to witness love? If not in childhood, definitely during early adulthood.

Considering this, imagine what life would be like if each person made witnessing love a priority. You’d turn away from abuse, not investing a second in rationalizing as you tried to convince yourself that witnessing love’s opposite was a good way for you to learn about love. Instead, you’d feel attracted to those who are patient, kind, caring, loving and working to awaken. And you’d want to be empowered by witnessing true love in action.

Witnessing Love In Action

Raymond doesn’t make witnessing love a priority. Like you, especially if you had a challenging childhood, he makes surviving a priority. After he gets to college, this changes. It’s at college where he meets Brenda, someone who truly loves him. Theirs is a complicated romantic relationship. Yet, despite its complications, their love truly does take them to the heart of a very good romantic relationship.

It’s not sudden. It happens over time, a long time. But, once you arrive at the heart of love, there’s no turning back. As happens with Raymond and Brenda, you won’t want to go back.

Researching love is not enough. Talking about love is not enough. Knowing your 5 love languages can’t fully prepare you for this experience.

Getting to love from where you are right now is the point. At times, reaching true love may seem impossible, like too difficult a task. Yet, giving up on getting to love is the one thing that you don’t want to do. After all, getting to love is getting to the real you. As it is for Raymond, there are many people and many experiences to help you get there.



3 Ways Authors Land Book Marketing Radio Interviews to Discuss Their Books

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By Books Writer Denise Turney

marketing radio interview silver and black microphones
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Performing book marketing radio interviews is an effective way for authors to introduce their rare books, print on demand books and contemporary fiction to more book buyers. Yet, success with radio interviews for writers isn’t always a slam dunk. Of course, the larger a radio station’s listening audience, the better. But, even then, authors may have to conduct five or more interviews on the same radio station before they see their book sales increase.

Highlighting Benefits of Book Marketing Radio Interviews

This brings up the first way that authors can land radio interviews to get more book sales. First, writers can listen to their favorite radio stations. Get to know which radio stations and radio DJs appreciate the types of books they write. It’s these radio stations authors should seek interviews on, as these radio stations attract the demographic that buys the types of books the authors write.

Then, authors can reach out to those DJs. But they shouldn’t just request a radio interview. Instead, they should outline specific ways that their books benefit readers. For instance, does the book teach readers about financial investments, how to save for college or save thousands when buying a house? Or perhaps, the book inspires or features strong women who demonstrate the worth embedded in breaking longstanding societal rules?

If the book is fictional, does the story focus on a real-life event or does the novel share a story that parallels a popular real-life romance? It’s these elements that offer history, education and entertainment, all which could interest radio listeners and book buyers.

Authors Serious About Landing Book Marketing Radio Interviews

Authors shouldn’t go light on highlighting benefits their books offer readers. In fact, they should make these benefits the centerpiece of their requests for book marketing radio interviews.

Next, create a request template for book marketing radio interviews. This is a time saver, especially for authors serious about landing a dozen or more radio interviews a month.

A plus about developing a radio interview request template is that the most authors should have to do before they email out interview requests, is to change the radio station call numbers and the DJ’s or radio station owner’s name. Use a spreadsheet to track radio stations that are contacted, including DJ and station owner names, radio station website URLs, telephone numbers and the dates that stations are contacted.

In addition to tracking progress, this spreadsheet creates a contact list. It’s this list that authors can return to after they finish writing and publishing more books, reaching out to radio stations to schedule new radio interviews. To continually grow book sales, authors should keep reaching out to more radio stations, landing even more radio interviews.

Working With Radio Directories

Here are two more ways authors land book marketing radio interviews. Both ways require tenacity and persistence. Follow radio station influencers on social media. After developing relationships with these influencers, authors can send a private message to radio station DJs, again sharing benefits that their books offer readers.

A third way that authors land radio interviews is to subscribe to directories like RadioGuestList.com. Directories like iTunes Radio, Tune In, Filter Music and Radio Tower also list radio stations, with contact details, that authors can contact to land more interviews.

During actual interviews, authors should prepare to respond to questions with more than yes and no answers. They are encouraged to share an intriguing bio with DJs after they land interviews.

Include tidbits in author bios that could evolve into engaging questions about children’s books, motivational books, rare books and coffee table books that radio listeners may want to buy and read. Another tip for writers, is simply – do not hold back. Once on the radio, authors benefit from being open and candid.

Getting More from Author Book Marketing Radio Interviews

Here are a few more tips for authors who are ready for radio:

  • Focus on offline and online radio stations
  • Seek out nonpaying radio interviews to introduce book buyers to your titles (there are lots of online radio stations that interview authors for free)
  • Post links from the interviews at social media accounts

Keep at it. After all, the more authors talk about their books, the more book buyers will learn about the books, a necessary step toward increasing book sales.

How Historical Fiction Offers Great Education

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By African American Fiction Writer Denise Turney

woman in black crew neck t shirt sitting on historical fiction books
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Historical fiction offers more than reading entertainment. Due to the depth of research authors invest in historical novels, these books offer a brief history of time. They educate, introducing bits of history that readers might otherwise not explore. If you’re an avid book reader, you may have noticed how much you’ve learned from reading fictional history books.

Much to Learn from Historical Fiction

No wonder historical fiction is popular. As host of the literary radio show, Off The Shelf Books Talk Radio, I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing dozens of historical fiction authors. These interviews are among the most listened to Off The Shelf Books Talk Radio shows. When I ask these writers how much time they devote to researching material for their historical fiction, I’m almost always surprised at the amount of time the authors devote to gathering material for these novels.

In fact, it’s not uncommon for these writers to spend weeks, sometimes months, at the library researching fashion, business trends, dietary choices, social behaviors, religious practices, gender roles and lifestyle habits that occurred during periods their books are set in.

And, if they’re not scouring through books, newspaper articles and magazines at the library, they’re digging through history facts online at home. This is what I did before I started writing on the suspenseful historical fiction novel, Spiral.

Spiral as Historical Fiction

Did I ever learn a lot about Memphis, Tennessee while researching for Spiral. I definitely learned how influential Beale Street was to the city, talk about a happening place. From being the home of the blues to Southern politics to nightlife to old time religion — it’s all in Memphis. Who knows? Maybe even authors gain when we research and write books that lean on real life events, rich history.

And, there are so many great historical fiction books. Among the best historical fiction are books like The Book Thief, Little Women, The Book of Negroes, The Red Tent and The Tutor.

It’s through these books that you can learn what it was like to live as far back as the 1600s. Other historical novels take you back to a pivotal time in world history. For instance, books like The German Midwife, The Secret Orphan and All We Left Behind take you to the heart of the unimaginable struggle children and adults experienced during the vicious war.

Skillful Fiction Authors

Also, the skillful way that authors of historical fiction weave humor, faith and personality into their characters keeps you turning the pages, keeps you learning. And it might not be until you reach the final page and put the book down that you realize just how much you learned about family traditions practiced during the period the story took place.

In fact, you could pull out key facts buried within historical fiction, including historical romance, and place those facts alongside dates, analytics and trends noted in nonfiction history books and see clear parallels. This brings up an interesting point. Are writers of historical fiction unsuspected history buffs?

Think about your favorite novels. How many of them share rich history? How many of your favorite novels, including books that don’t center around key history events, teach you about modern history as well as ancient history? Don’t you love reading these books? After all, there’s so much to gain and learn from these stories, not to mention the entertainment that you can walk away with.

7 Habits of Successful People Who Love Their Life

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By African American Books Author Denise Turney

success habits motivational quote
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The 7 habits of successful people who love their life are practical actions, surprisingly easy steps you could incorporate into your daily life. To start, successful people understand that success is never owned. When you think about it, pursuing success is similar to pursuing happiness. Both goals keep you pressing, moving forward.

Success Is Not Final

Yet, you will never reach a point where you can hold onto success. You will never have “enough success stockpiled”. So, it’s important to accept that success is not final. Also, as part of the psychology of achievement, know the specific type of success that you want. For example, do you want to reduce your sugar consumption until your body is inflammation free?

Or perhaps you want to increase your small business revenues by 25% over the next 12 months. Starting a community arts education center, graduating with a degree that sets you up for a promotion and writing books that land on the New York Times bestseller list are other types of success you may want. As a tip, breakdown the steps you will take to achieve these goals. In fact, steps-to-goal-achievement is an integral part of the success mindset.

Developing a Success Mindset

Don’t rush this process. And consider setting goal deadlines. After all, each fulfilled goal serves as a success motivation. Each time you achieve a goal, your confidence builds. You show yourself that you can go from failure to success or from success to success. Other aspects of the success mindset include:

  • Relationships are your top priority. In other words, you’re not willing to ignore family, friends, colleagues, etc. so you can complete a goal step. If you do take that route, you may have a fulfilled goal and no one close to share your success with long term or, perhaps, even short term. And it’s amazing how much sweeter success is when you share it with people you trust and love.
  • Not only do you know what you want to succeed at, you know why you want to accomplish something.
  • You’re at peace with your goal and the actions needed to achieve the goal.
  • As it regards your health, you accept that success is a choice. Therefore, you make smart diet choices. You definitely understand that good health and high energy levels are going to play a key role in your success motivation and your belief that you can achieve the goals you set for yourself.

7 Habits of Successful People Who Love Their Life

Now, let’s look at the 7 habits of successful people who love their life. This first habit is one that I continue to practice. Even more, the first of the 7 habits of successful people saved me loads of money when I published my first book, Portia. Check out the habits. See how many you already have. Also, notice which of the 7 habits you want to develop:

  1. Research the industry you want to work in. As previously mentioned, before I published Portia, I researched and studied the book publishing industry. That research helped me to quickly spot good printing prices, how to get the most out of book signings and speaking events, which book printers to work with and book marketing actions that yield results.
  2. Map out the actions and decisions you need to make to get what you say that you want.
  3. Forgive and let go of past mistakes. I’ve never met a person who thinks that she/he has never failed. In fact, you might have a perception that you have stumbled more than you have succeeded. Therefore, it’s very important that you forgive yourself for past mistakes you have made. In this forgiveness, you can start to go from failure to success.

More Habits of Successful People Who Love Their Life

  • Keep learning. Oh, is this habit important. Think about it. The world, including technology, how we relate to each other as humans, societal laws, etc. change. So, you need to keep learning to stay aware of technological advances, revised industry  regulations, changing communication styles, new marketing opportunities and more.
  • Count your blessings. Appreciation fuels a success mindset. In fact, there may be no better success motivation than to count your blessings which shifts your focus to the good in your life.
  • Start your day by completing one action that you’ve been feeling nervous about. For example, you might set up meetings with three major retailer book buyers by 10am or you might submit your 501c3 paperwork if you operate a nonprofit.
  • Never quit. Of the 7 habits of successful people, this one is a must. The good news is, if you did your research and got clear about what you want and why you want what you want, you should easily have the success motivation to keep going until your experience your goal fulfilled.

Daily Success Habits

As with the success mindset and the psychology of achievement, to live a peaceful, joyous and rewarding life, you need to practice the 7 habits of successful people who love their life every day. Consider making the habits part of your daily lifestyle.

Also, try new things. Why? You don’t want to get bored. Challenge yourself. If you start to feel stuck or overwhelmed by the emotion of fear, add affirmations for success to your morning and before bed routines. For instance, positive affirmations for success that you could speak to yourself while you’re standing in front of a mirror include “success is a choice that I am making today,” “I deserve success,” “I am an extension of love and I deserve the best” and “It is my will to live a victorious life”.

Book Authors Gain Big from Attending Virtual Book Events

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By African American Writer Denise Turney

writer attending virtual book events showing face on laptop screen
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To grow their reader base, authors might want to start attending more virtual book events. After all, virtual events are growing in popularity, thanks to advancing technology and more people working from home. In May 2021 alone, there were more than a dozen virtual book events. The next month’s numbers were higher with June having more than 14 virtual events.

Authors Networking at Virtual Events

While attending virtual book events, new writers as well as seasoned authors, can network absent travel time constraints and pricey booth costs (you can easily shell out $250 for a booth at an in-person book festival). Even more, writers who speak at virtual literary events can showcase their books, introducing their titles to new readers. They can also get their websites in front of book buyers.

Yet, it’s not all upside. In fact, as with offline book events, actually selling books at virtual events takes work, commitment, patience and tenacity. As an author, you might have to get creative to get your name and your book titles in front of readers, literary agents, publishers and editors who attend virtual events.

For starters, get the word out about virtual events you plan to attend, especially if you’re a panelist or feature presenter. As an example, you could post the date, starting times and URL for the event at each of your social media accounts. Another step you could take is to boost a social media post.

Virtual Book Events Success

You could also email book clubs, letting them know you’re speaking at an upcoming virtual event. And don’t forget to invite neighbors and relatives who appreciate books. Let me tell you, as a podcast host (Off The Shelf Books Talk Radio), it shows when authors actively promote events they attend.

Other actions you can take to turn your attendance at virtual book events into success follow:

  • Ask event hosts if you can sit on a panel or serve as a keynote speaker (add the link to your website in your bio and highlight your book titles in your bio)
  • Post comments in private Twitter Rooms, Facebook Live events, etc.
  • Publish and answer questions
  • Also, respond to polls posted during the events
  • Message editors, publishers, literary agents and authors you want to keep in touch with
  • Conduct live book readings if it’s allowed
  • Upload images of your books with comments
  • Add links to your book order pages if coordinators allow links

Also, consider attending small, local book events to complement your virtual book marketing efforts. After all, combining in-person and virtual events helps keep you in front of book lovers which can, in turn, increase your book sales.

Deepen Literary Relationships

If you’ve attended six or more book festivals, you know that sitting behind a booth watching hundreds of people pass generally won’t get you book sales. The same goes for virtual events. So, instead of simply showing up at virtual events, take steps that will get you seen.

Post comments. Ask questions. Also, make sure that your author website URL is listed on your social media profiles.

Event coordinators may fields questions and take note of comments. If you’re posting questions, answering questions and adding comments, coordinators might notice you. And, you may find out soon, especially if coordinators of virtual book events reach out to you after the event. That, or you might start receiving messages from the organization’s Twitter feed.

Keep these conversations going and you could strike up a rewarding business venture. You could also tap into someone (e.g. influential book bloggers, book TV talk show host, writing magazine editor) who could open the door for you to enter a whole new world of readers who love the types of books that you write.

How To Land Book Marketing Radio Interviews

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By Books Author Denise Turney

bookstore building facade in city seeking book sales and retail sales
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Book marketing radio interviews are a path forward for authors. Conducting radio interviews, especially on the right stations, can differentiate new and seasoned books from the pack. See an increase in book sales and the effects extend beyond book rankings. For starters, it can take a lot of the struggle out of marketing books. It can also keep you encouraged.

After all, if you think writing a great book is tough, wait until you start the book marketing process. Part of the challenge has to do with the number of books published each year. It’s sobering. Each year, between 600,000 and 1,000,000 books are published. And this is in the United States alone.

Book Marketing Plan Ideas

Yet, as tough as it is, there are ways to distinguish your books from the crowd. To start, develop an effective book marketing plan. Here are items you could include in your book marketing plan:

  • Author biography – Include a professional photo with your biography. Also, add key public speaking events that you headlined, published articles and feature interviews.
  • Professional Website – Partner with an experienced website designer to design and build out your author website. Keep it simple, adding book excerpts and ways for visitors to easily purchase your books. Avoid adding too many links that lead away from your books and your book order pages.
  • Book catalog – Brief summaries or overviews of your books as well as ways to order your books are must-haves to add to your book catalog.
  • Book Blog – This may sound surprising. But a book blog is an effective way to attract readers. As a tip, add a new article or interview to your book blog at least once a week.
  • Social Media Book Marketing Strategies – Also, create a social media presence. This includes adding social media links at your author website and book blog.

Book Marketing Radio Interviews

But don’t just set up social media accounts as part of your book marketing plan. Post comments, questions, polls and upcoming book events at your social media accounts. Also, post information about a radio interview, including a live radio interview, that you’re scheduled to discuss your book on.

That’s right, radio interviews should be part of your book marketing strategy. If you’ve never done a live radio interview, the idea of doing a radio interview might seem intimidating. Fortunately, it’s not. In fact, you might end up loving doing radio interviews. But first you need to land a radio interview.

Here’s how you can do that. Save yourself time with a radio directory. There are online and print radio directories. Some of these directories include newspaper, magazine and television media contacts. If you’re book marketing locally, consider focusing on setting up radio interviews with local radio stations.

Track Live Book Marketing Radio Interviews Results

To track your results, set up a spreadsheet. On the spreadsheet, add the radio station call name, DJ at the radio station you want to interview with, website URL, telephone number and email address. Also, add three to four columns to track the dates that you reach out to a DJ to schedule a live radio interview.

Other steps you can take to land radio interviews are:

  • Email 5 to 10 radio stations a week – add the link to your website in your email signature
  • Send your author biography with the radio interview requests
  • Highlight specific benefits the radio station listeners will gain during your interview. It’s important that you let the DJ know how your book can improve the lives of the radio station’s listeners.
  • Follow up on radio interview requests within 5 to 7 days
  • Track each outreach and follow-up on the spreadsheet
  • Extend your radio interview book marketing plan to online and offline radio stations

Book Marketing Requires Ongoing Action

After you land your first radio interview, schedule another interview. To keep interviews engaging, expand your answers. Make radio interviews a lively conversation with the DJ. Yet, keep listeners in mind, continually offering tips, insight and entertainment as you respond to questions DJs ask you.

Another step you can take is to list radio interviews you’ve already done at your book blog and author website. Also, list upcoming radio interviews at your book blog and author website.

To continue to market and sell more copies of your books, consider reading manuals on eBook marketing, attending free book marketing webinars and taking advantage of guidance in content marketing books. Also, remember that book marketing, including landing radio interviews, is ongoing work. I’m rooting for you!

Fathers Raising Children as Single Parents

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By Books Writer Denise Turney

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Fathers raising children as single parents was nearly unheard of 50 years ago. I can still hear my father express how he wished there was someone he could talk with about raising daughters as a single parent. But there was no one he knew who could offer him guidance. So, my father turned to my aunts and grandmother, resources who, thankfully, turned out to be very good ones.

Fathers Raising Children as Single Parents

The thing is that since 1960, the numbers of fathers raising children as single parents has increased. According to the Pew Research Center, the numbers have increased nine-fold since 1960. As of 2011, 2.6 million households were led by single fathers.

Many of these single fathers live with someone. For example, these dads may have remarried or be living with a partner who they aren’t married to. On the other hand, about 52% of fathers raising children as single parents are divorced, widowed, not living with a partner or men who never married.

Also, becoming a single father happens to men as early as the teenage years. Additionally, fathers who are raising kids alone have a broad range of educational levels, from less than a high school diploma to a postgraduate degree.

Raising Children Alone

Fortunately, changing perceptions of what it takes to raise healthy children has removed some of the shock and lack of acceptance around fathers raising kids alone. Although raising kids alone offers challenges for both men and women, children raised by loving and caring men who are single parents may best know the value that these single parents offer.

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My father had a positive influence on me and my siblings. Our mother passing was his doorway into single parenthood. Despite pleas from other relatives, my father would not break us up, choosing the single parent route instead.

His courage, insight, guidance, leadership, active listening skills and business savvy were contagious. There were times when I swore that my dad was born for parenting. Looking back, I can see how his parents’ love, support, care and guidance had helped to prepare him for raising sons alone as well as raising daughters by himself.

Love of a Single Father

In spite of long odds, my father didn’t lose one child. Each of his children grew into a responsible, caring, giving and courageous adult. To this day, I wonder if I could have accomplished what he did while raising five children alone.

And again, his success as a single parent was, in large part, due to how he was raised. In fact, it’s easy to see the influence prior generations have on single parents. After all, we often repeat what was done to us until we forgive the past, let go, and change our thinking, choices and behavior.

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When Parenting Gets Hard

This is part of what’s illustrated in Love Pour Over Me, a book that spotlights the effects of raising a son alone when you’re not ready to parent. Adult children and older teens who grew up in families where single parents struggled may especially find strength, hope and healing while reading Love Pour Over Me.

After all, even if single parent fathers did receive an upbringing that prepared them to effectively operate a household, there are challenges. One parent can’t be everything to a child. Even with the best intentions, mistakes happen. Parents get tired. Life happens.

Love Pour Over Me

Love Pour Over Me is a book that follows a young man from high school well into adulthood, showing how, despite deep pain brought on from growing up under the guidance of a struggling father, it’s possible to keep progressing. Even more, Love Pour Over Me shows that it’s possible to grow in love with a soul mate after enduring an emotionally and physically hard childhood.

Yet, above all of these rewards, it’s witnessing the evolvement of the father’s and son’s relationship as the story unfolds that may indeed offer readers the most healing. After all, single fathers love their children deeply. They love their children even if they’re struggling with a personal issue which is why these fathers seek out and accept help.

Breaking Free from Suffering

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By Books Writer Denise Turney

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Breaking free from suffering takes more than desire. At its start, suffering is sharp, confusing. You don’t understand why someone is causing you pain. Or perhaps it’s an experience like an illness, abject poverty or a destructive storm that thrust you into a state of confusion. Regardless of the cause, if suffering continues for long periods, you could start to believe that pain is inevitable, simply a part of life.

Steps to Breaking Free from Suffering

The only experience that might shake that belief is witnessing someone who’s not suffering, to actually see someone who has learned to break free from suffering. This is when freedom from living in pain can really reward, not just you but, those around you. But, how to break free from suffering?

  • Understand that you have a True Self that rests in peace and joy.
  • To experience your right to freedom, practice watching your thoughts pass, similar to watching clouds float by. Keep your thoughts free of judgment. Instead, just watch them pass. Also, watch how your thoughts change. Eventually, you may observe that you aren’t the thoughts that pass through your brain. As a tip, you may find this to be a good exercise if your thoughts create the emotion of fear.
  • Pause before you take action if you feel off center or as if you’re giving into habit or an addictive way of thinking. This may not feel easy, especially if erroneous beliefs have been practiced a long time and seem like truth.

More Ways to Start Breaking Free from Suffering

  • Read books about people who have learned to break free of suffering from loneliness and other types of suffering. For example, you could read biographies, autobiographies and memoirs of people who had extremely challenging childhoods only to go on and experience joyous adult years.
  • To stay encouraged, engage in at least three activities each day that cause you to feel peace and joy. For example, you could enjoy a bike ride, work in a garden, walk outdoors, listen to music that you love or talk with a friend.
  • In a safe place, stand in front of a mirror naked and say “I love you” to yourself.
  • Accept gifts that are given to you sincerely.
  • Treat yourself the way you would treat your best friend.
  • Write in a journal to express concerns you’re having. As simple as it sounds, this is an effective way to remain free of mental and emotional blocks.

Right to Freedom

Depending on your beliefs and childhood programming, it could take years to break free from suffering. This may be because your own thoughts are the root of your suffering. Seek help if needed, especially if you’re experiencing psychological suffering.

Yet, remember that you are responsible for your thoughts, beliefs and choices. Keep your freedom of choice in all circumstances.

Also, continue to break free from suffering. Don’t give up. Never give up on freedom. So be it if this path to freedom includes meditating, sitting still, journaling, traveling, meeting new people, dancing or working with a professional. Keep loving yourself. And keep believing in your personal freedom, your true inner right to freedom.

If you want encouragement as you continue to break free, consider Mulukan’s story in the book, Long Walk Up. This young orphan girl’s fictional story may leave a lasting impression on you, the type of impression that propels you onward.

Books That Really Make You Think Aren’t Always Bestsellers

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By African American Author Denise Turney

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Books that really make you think aren’t always New York Times best sellers. In fact, if you’ve loved reading books for years, you’ve stumbled across lesser-known books that have had a deep impact on you. And it doesn’t take a long time to realize that you’re treating yourself to a powerful experience. You know how easily a masterful writer can pull you into a story, leaving you changed.

Powerful Books That Make You Think

Whether it’s an autobiography, memoir, book of poetry or great work of fiction, powerful books are easy to connect to. You come to love major and minor characters, refusing to put a book down because you have to know what’s going to happen to the protagonist.

Before you know it, your defenses are down. You don’t even think about becoming defensive after a character with a struggle similar to yours enters the story. It’s as if the challenge is no longer yours, as if it all belongs to the character and, in that, you’re set free.

Instead of becoming defensive as you examine a personal challenge through the eyes of a book character, you keep reading, enjoying the work that’s entertaining and enlightening. I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, Moby Dick, Go Tell It On The Mountain, To Kill A Mockingbird, Stamped From The Beginning, Awaken The Giant Within and The 5 Love Languages are books that have left a deep imprint on readers.

Deep Heart and Mind Work

Even more, these books have stood the test of time. Other books like Edgar Allen Poe’s, The Raven; Ann Petry’s, The Street and Sylvia Plath’s, The Bell Jar, leave a deep psychological imprint because of how the author exposes their own insecurities in their writing. You might feel sad for characters in the books, or you might feel a kinship with these characters.

Books that make you think offer the gift that strengthens your awareness that you belong. Even if you’ve only been reading books for a few months, you may be surprised at how much you have learned. Better yet, you may be surprised at how much you’ve grown since you started reading books.

diverse books that make you think

It’s part of the reason why books keep attracting new readers. Discover a new book and you can’t wait to share the story with friends. Good books offer:

  • Empathy or the ability to see a situation through someone else’s eyes
  • Deeper understanding of yourself
  • Better choices for ways out of struggle, failure or conflict
  • Appreciation for deep, life experiences
  • Early virtual abilities to travel to new places using your imagination
  • Stirring up of courage
  • Sharper inner vision
  • Hope in a time of trouble
  • Stories that help you heal
  • Pathway to understand different personalities
  • Insight into what could be driving you, a relative or a friend
  • Entertainment that excites, leaving lasting good memories

World of Books at Local Bookstores

If you’re looking for added impact while reading, consider listening to audio books. Why? Audio books engage more of your senses. With audiobooks, you can stimulate your visual and hearing as well as your emotional senses. You can also enjoy a good story while you’re driving, riding a train, in-flight or cleaning your home.

You might be surprised how many hidden gems are at bookstores near you. Local bookstores carry out-of-print and backlist books that you might not otherwise find. These local retailers invest in the communities their stores are located in, getting involved in youth events, literacy initiatives and social causes.

It’s easy to feel at home at these local retailers. Many local store owners are okay with you sitting on the floor, surrounding by a pile of manuscripts, reading a few pages from several of the titles. The Book Worm in Cranbury, New Jersey and Rare and Classics in Trenton, New Jersey are two local retailers that really make it easy to relax into a good story.

In fact, you might not be able to enjoy a similar experience at any other retailer. On the other hand, you could explore books to read online. But you might not find the best rare gems even at the largest online book retailers. And you certainly wouldn’t get that down-home feeling while you’re sourcing for new titles.

Also, whether you’re reading Love Pour Over Me, Long Walk Up or The Matter Is Life, open-up to receive what good books offer. You might find a long-awaited healing as you continue reading these and other good books.