I was bricking it...

(AKA, I was extremely nervous)

The sun is out here in the Lake District, and OH MY GOODNESS it feels good.

Can you remember when January felt like it was three years long and now we’re speeding into April like we’ve got rollerblades on?
Time is whipping by and the paperback publication date for Closer Than She Thinks is getting closer and closer!

It’s out in June and after a really good meeting with the marketing team at my publishers, I’ve been trying new things that I’ve never done before to publicize it and just get a little more visible.

One of which was take my book into the local indie book shops.

To be honest, I was bricking it.

And if you’re reading this outside of the UK, that term generally means I was extremely nervous and filled with the fear.
I’ve heard horrendous tales of authors approaching bookshops unannounced and getting really frosty results.
That morning I messaged my bestie writing friends and asked if they’d done it. The answer was ‘yes’ and ‘OMG good luck.’

But here’s what happened - the booksellers WERE JUST LOVELY.
One of them asked me to sign the book I was leaving with them, one wanted a picture of me outside the shop and all of them were really friendly.

They were warm and welcoming, really interested in my book, and although I was just some random writer walking in off the street, they were just so nice.

But here’s the thing, it wasn’t just about getting my book stocked.

I knew that the whole ‘walking into a book shop and introducing my book’ might not go as planned, but it was still an opportunity to have some in-person connection, build up my personal brand and yep, it was also about content.

I made a short film that I posted to my socials, and the response has been great.
After I’d had a chat with the bookshop sellers, I then told them I was doing a social media post about it and wanted to feature their shop, and it went from being something a bit cringe, to something that was really fun. Here’s the finished reel if you want a look how I did it.

The other thing I wanted to share with you, is the Book Club Pack I made for Closer Than She Thinks.
I’m also using this as a lead magnet for my author newsletter, and so far, it’s getting really great results.

I wanted something that would make reading the book more of an experience and that would capture the in-person element, and the Book Club Pack was the answer.

It was super easy to create and includes themed recipes for cocktails and mocktails, a few silly games, themed bookmark, and if you want to take a look at how I did it, you can find it here.

Want some help creating a Book Club Pack for your book? Just let me know.

Here’s some other off line marketing strategies that I’m planning in the upcoming weeks, as I think with AI content flooding the platforms, this in-person branding is more powerful than ever. And also makes for great, scroll stopping content!