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The Strategic Path to Book Launch

Behind the “Seens” with Burnout Prevention and Resilience Expert Paula Davis

Paula Davis knows firsthand about burnout. As a successful lawyer she burned out. But she didn’t initially recognize what was happening. Stress caused her to begin having panic attacks almost daily and when she ended up in the hospital, she knew things had to change.

So begins Paula’s journey into becoming burnout prevention and resilience expert and ultimately the author of Beating Burnout at Work: Why Teams Hold the Secret to Well-Being and Resilience. 

After attending the University of Pennsylvania’s Applied Positive Psychology program and starting her work in helping others, she knew she wanted to write a book. She was approached to write proposals several times, to subsequent “no thanks” or “not right now”. 

That ended up being a good thing. She explains that originally, she saw her book being in the “self-help” section. As she did more research, gained more experience, and saw how she was helping people and organizations, she realized that she was a business writer and she wanted to write a business book. 

“. . . if you want to be a successful business owner you have to be willing to ask the right questions, you have to be willing to listen to the type of feedback that you are getting from your clients, you have to really start to dig into their challenges about become very curious about the world that they are experiencing.” 

When Paula listened, the thing she was often asked was how do we address burnout from a leadership perspective. It was clear that this was the deeper, better conversation and it informed the direction of the book. 

Once this direction was clear, it changed everything. Her business name, her website, and the content she was creating were all focused on teams and leadership in the business world. 

She credits this focus (and her online presence) with another request for a book proposal with Wharton School Press. This time, it was a yes! Timing is everything and she was notified on November 6, 2019, that she would actually be writing her book. 

You don’t know what you don’t know, and Paula knew she needed help. Here’s the team (of which I am honored to play a part) she assembled over time to help her with the book. 

  • Agent 
  • Editor 
  • Website team
  • Marketing content team 
  • Virtual assistant
  • PR support around launch time 

Paula knew that she didn’t just want to write a book that no one read. That’s why creating a promotion and publicity plan was key. She credits finding the right PR person as a big part of the success of her book launch. 

Paula explains how getting the team coordinated was the critical support she needed. She was intentional so that everyone understood what steps were being taken, and how all the moving parts worked together. 

The book launched March 16, 2021 – with burnout quickly becoming a trending topic. It continues to be at one of the most important issues companies are dealing with in a post-Covid world. Beating Burnout at Work was chosen as a “Next Big Idea” book club nominee and was the #1 best seller in 2021 for Wharton School Press. 

Paula continues to do interviews about the book, about burnout, and about building resilient teams.  

Post book launch – now what? Paula is back to doing workshops, giving keynote speeches and working with her corporate and legal clients around the globe. The book has become an integral part of her curriculum and work. If you are interested in beating burnout and creating resilient teams in your organization, reach out to Paula and check out Beating Burnout at Work.

Connect with Paula:

LinkedIn

Stress and Resilience Institute

Interested in exploring where you are in your expert journey? Let’s chat! If you want to learn more about how to be seen, be found, be heard, please connect with me on the socials or let’s set up a call to chat.

3 Key Marketing Strategies for Self-Publishing Your Book

Behind the “Seens” with Amanda Miller from My Word Publishing

Deciding to become a published author is no small decision – for many it’s a dream come true, for others, it’s a calling and for others it is a way to share their expertise, experience or their point of view with the world.

After committing to your book, the next major decision is how will you publish book? If you are thinking that the traditional publishing route might not be for you then considering the self-publishing option could be a good idea

My guest in this episode is Amanda Miller, is a self-publishing consultant with My Word Publishing. In our brief time together, she runs down several tips and strategies you can use to self-publish your book.

If you’re considering self-publishing your book, then this episode will help you figure out how to do it successfully.

Things to consider when self-publishing

  • Review different publishing models
  • Money, time, and control are major points
  • Key players to involve in the publishing process

Amanda explains why it is so important to understand the different publishing models and the full spectrum of options available to you. You can go the traditional route and submit multiple queries, or you can try the other extreme and keep it really basic by uploading a PDF copy.

The main thing to remember is that you have options and they vary based on your individual needs and tolerance.

Money and time are both major factors to consider when you think about all of the key players involved in the self-publishing space. There are things you can do for yourself that may take time and effort to research, learn and implement. While other things such as hiring an editor and a book designer ideally require more money than time.

“If you want to keep your rights and royalties, you want to make a good book, you want to get it out into the world in a timely manner, self-publishing is a really good option for you.”

Key Strategies

  • Watch out for overwhelm
  • Optimize your sales page
  • Get the foundational marketing done well

Amanda touches on the importance of avoiding overwhelm. Publishing a book through any route can feel overwhelming, but it comes at you even harder when you’re not sure what to publish, where to start or how.

Know what needs to be done when. Things like getting your ISBN before or after the cover design matters. Having a consultant like Amanda to help guide you through self-publishing can really relieve overwhelm and give you peace of mind. 

Another major part of self-publishing to consider and plan for is how you will optimize your sales page. This includes Amazon and the book page on your personal author website

Amanda shares tips and about where and how you want to optimize the blurb on the back of your book and your Amazon sales page.

Making marketing foundational from the beginning of your journey as an author will be a huge benefit once your book is published. 

PRO TIP: Work on two book marketing tasks every week for a year.

Reach out to Amanda with any questions. She is amazing with the execution of strategy and figuring out the marketing to strengthen your brand and improve recognition for your self-published book.

Also, check out Amanda’s upcoming author platform marketing classes on email marketing. 

Connect with Amanda:

Website

Email

Interested in exploring where you are in your branding journey? Let’s chat! If you want to learn more about how to be seen, be found, be heard, please connect with me on the socials or let’s set up a call to chat.