Father-daughter team helps authors connect with readers
Just as readers are hungry for their next great read, authors are always seeking an audience for their stories. Writer and content marketing specialist Bill Belew and his 12-year-old daughter, Mia, understand this well. They were frustrated by what they found to be “a lack of books for preteens that challenge the young reader with new vocabulary and ideas worth thinking (about) but without diving into mature content.”
So, they decided to team up to create their own books. Together, they have co-authored three titles, “The Giant Forest,” “The Heliuna Academy” and “The LoGlas Theater,” which together make up the Growing up Aimie trilogy. Described as chapter books featuring realistic and thought-provoking situations that will appeal to middle school readers, these stories can also be enjoyed by their parents and grandparents.
The duo will be the featured guests at the next Writers of Kern Monthly meeting being held virtually on Saturday. Their presentation, titled “How to find and engage readers for your books,” will focus on the benefits of creating an author newsletter, and then building and growing the newsletter subscriber base.
Once the father and daughter had created their stories, they had to find the best way to get them into the hands of their intended audience. With little if any expense, but with some work and determination, they built an online platform to successfully launch their book series. Through the creation of an author newsletter, which they initially shared with only 20 friends and family members last March, the Belews started promoting their work. Since then, their newsletter subscriber base has grown to more than 3,500 subscribers and is expanding daily! The duo even reached the No. 1 ranking on Amazon in three separate categories, including children’s historical action and adventure. Their fourth title in the series, “The Floating City,” will be published soon.
Bill and Mia are eager to share what they know about matching your writing with eager readers. Through their presentation at the meeting, attendees will learn:
■■ How to get “eyeballs on your books.”
■■ How to choose an email client to help manage your mail. How to build a subscriber base. How to create an engaging newsletter all about you, your brand and your books.
■■ How to effectively promote and sell your books.
As a sought-after expert at content marketing for multinational companies as well as aspiring authors, Belew offers a wealth of experience. Additionally, his three professional blogs, RisingSunOfNihon, PanAsianBiz and TheBIZOfKnowledge, all found on KNOWMORE Media, have drawn millions of views.
Mia is a busy seventh-grader at a leading edge, project-based, self-paced public charter school located in Silicon Valley. Like her father, she is also a blogger.
If you want to help your readers to find you, don’t miss this
free online event!
Attendees must register for the meeting at writersofkern.com/ events.