Writing While Waiting by Kathy Harris

Don’t ever pray for patience, because God just might give it to you. At least that’s how the old saying goes.

Who hasn’t been frustrated occasionally when things don’t happen as quickly as we had planned? I don’t know about you, but there are times when I even start doubting that they will happen.

Let’s take the elusive dream of publication, for example. I think writers are particularly vulnerable to impatience. The road to publication is a long one. Throw in a few stop signs, roundabouts, dangerous curves, and detours, and it’s easy to become discouraged.

Unfortunately, discouragement is the number one enemy of productivity, and if we’re going to be published, we have to write. So, how do we avoid the vicious cycle of discouragement vs. writing?

Deadlines.

Just as discouragement is the enemy of productivity, deadlines are the nemesis of doubt, discouragement, and impatience. Deadlines are an act of faith. When we set a deadline, we’re telling ourselves that we can. We’re committing ourselves to the task. We’re showing ourselves to be faithful that God will deliver. In His timing.

In April of this year, I wrote a blog post on deadlines for the ACFW Blog outlining why I think deadlines are one of the best ways we can move ourselves forward as writers. In fact, I believe that self-imposed deadlines can keep us ahead of the game, putting us in a place where we don’t have to scramble when opportunity knocks. And it will.

All in God’s timing. 

Just as discouragement is the enemy of productivity, deadlines are the nemesis of doubt, discouragement, and impatience. via @DevineDetour #SeriouslyWrite #amwriting

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Kathy is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Christian Authors Network, MCRW, and RWA. She is the former publicity chairman for her local writer’s group and a member of The Book Club Network Volunteer Board of Directors. Follow Kathy on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/KathyHarrisAuthor), Twitter (https://twitter.com/divinedetour), and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/kathyharris_author).

Cross-Promotion Marketing

When it comes to marketing our writing, we can all use new ideas. So I asked Kathy Harris:

"You know promotion well. What is one tip for marketing a book we may not have thought of?" - Sandy

Kathy: Although I’ve worked in marketing for more than twenty-five years, I’ll be the first to tell you that I have a lot to learn. The marketing bulls eye is a moving target, especially with the many challenges—and opportunities—of new media. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and other social networking tools have changed the face of contemporary marketing. Still, many of the time-tested strategies can apply to a successful campaign. One of those is cross-promotion.

A number of years ago I had the opportunity to meet and work briefly with Kathryn Falk, the founder and CEO of Romantic Times magazine. That was 1994, and I had a keen interest in cross-marketing music and books, a conversation shared with Kathryn, who seemed to be as intrigued by the idea. 

At that time, brick and mortar record stores were thriving. As were the major bookstore chains. However, neither routinely shelved the other’s products. Amazon went online the following year, in 1995, taking that very concept (http://ti.me/bJdPLq) to the nth degree. Even with that, almost two decades later there are still very few books and CDs marketed together.

Cross-promotion is utilized by Hollywood, fast food chains, and sports teams—who work together on a regular basis. But music and literature are rarely paired, one reason I wanted to utilize the concept when Abingdon Press released my debut novel, The Road to Mercy, last fall.

Because of limited advance time—we’re talking only a few weeks—we weren’t able to create a multi-layered campaign, which might have included joint in-store placement and signage, cooperative ad buys, and mutual on-product mentions. But we did pair story and music via a book trailer (http://bit.ly/RR4JBN), a project conceived and produced only about three weeks prior to the release of both the book and the CD.

Several weeks later, when Contemporary Christian singer-songwriter, Karyn Williams, and I were able to match up our schedules, we held a joint signing event at a Nashville area Family Christian bookstore. Karyn signed copies of her debut CD, Only You (Inpop Records), and I signed copies of The Road to Mercy. It proved to be a successful event, with a unique appeal to consumers—and it was a lot of fun!

As you begin to put together the marketing plan for your next book, try to utilize cross-promotion. Music may not be the perfect match for your book, as it was for mine (my lead male protagonist is a Contemporary Christian Music artist). But there’s a natural connection within your story. Find that . . . and you may very well create a cross-promotion made in heaven.

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Kathy Harris is an author by way of a “divine detour” into the Nashville entertainment business. Her debut Christian novel, The Road to Mercy, was released in September 2012 by Abingdon Press. Find her online at www.kathyharrisbooks.com or www.divinedetour.com. Follow her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/KathyHarrisAuthor or on Twitter at https://twitter.com/DivineDetour.

Have you tried cross-promotion with someone who has a different project? What was your experience? Has this given you ideas for ways in which you can cross-promote your work?