How to Organize Your Marketing and Book Events

I have a day-gig, so most of my life is scheduled. I’ve tried a lot of different planners and programs over the years, and this is the method that works for me.

1. I have a monthly, four-year calendar (old school). It’s small enough to fit in my purse or laptop bag. But I can see each week and the entire month at one time.

2. When I know important dates (e.g. holidays, days off, deadlines, and publication dates), they go on the calendar.

3. When I apply or am planning an event, it goes on the calendar along with the location, contact, and time.

4. When an event is confirmed, I update it. (I also add the person’s email to my contact list in MS Outlook, and I save the correspondence in my email folder.)

5. If an event is cancelled or rescheduled, I change the date immediately to make sure I don’t double-book myself.

6. When I have publication dates, I reach out to my favorite book bloggers and super reviewers to see if they are interested in getting an ARC when they’re available. I make a list with their preferences, so when it’s time to plan the marketing, I have my list of early reviewers and blurb writers.

7. I also reach out to my favorite book tour organizers to get on their calendars for the book’s release.

8. I reach out to my favorite mystery Facebook group administrators to schedule book take-overs to coincide with my book launch celebrations.

9. Three to six months before publication date, I reach out to my favorite bookstores to schedule talks or book signings.

10. I have to be faithful and keep my calendar current so it’s useful.

What techniques and tools work for you?

How to Organize Emails

Between the day gig, my book emails, and my home stuff, I get about 300 emails a day, and I have to have a way to keep it organized. It’s overwhelming. Here’s what helps me tame the chaos.

1. All of my personal accounts are set to appear on my phone and my laptop. If I delete an email on a device, it deletes it in all places. If I want to keep it, I leave it in the inbox until I can put it in a folder.

2. I believe in folders and subfolders. I use MS Outlook, so I can create them with a right-click. I have main sections for personal correspondence (e.g. doctors, family stuff, and business emails), book events (sorted alphabetically), each book (edits, publisher correspondence, and marketing items), book business (for agent correspondence, royalties, key dates, etc.), and clubs/organizations.

3. I have subfolders under each to keep things organized. There are many folders and subfolders. It makes it easier to find things.

4. The search features are also valuable if you’re looking for a person or a key word. The sort tool is also helpful when looking for who sent it or the date sent.

5. You have to be diligent with maintaining your emails. If you skip more than a few days, it will be out of control, and it will take you more time to catch up.

6. Anything I need to address immediately stays in my inbox. When I’m done, it (the original and sometimes my reply) goes in the proper folder.

7. Each day when I log onto my laptop, I look at my inbox to make sure I’ve addressed everything I need to. I save newsletters and announcements that I want to review later in the inbox. If it’s spam or stuff I’m not interested in, it gets deleted immediately.

8. I delete my sent and deleted folders about once a week. That gives me a buffer of time in case I change my mind about something I deleted.

9. When I plan an event, the tentative date goes on my calendar. I update it with details when it’s confirmed. I use my calendar on my phone for reminders, but I use a monthly four-year calendar since a lot of my events are planned a year or so out.

10. Each November/December I do the great purge. Each folder gets a quick look, and I delete any emails or folders that are out of date or not needed.

These are some of the things that keep me organized in my work and book lives. What techniques work for you?

Organizing Your Website

Whether you’re creating your author website or overhauling your current one, here are some things you may want to consider.

• Determine what you want your visitors to see first.

• Decide on the number of pages that you need for your content.

• Figure out what you want on each page and where you want to put them. The easiest way to do this is to storyboard your pages. Sketch out your design on a whiteboard or a sheet of paper. It can be full of stick figures. This is a way to organize your thoughts and ideas.

• Use the site-builder’s templates. There are lots of designs that are already created. You can use these or modify them to fit your style.

• Use colors to match your branding. Figure out what you want to project and represent. Do you write dark thrillers or humorous cozies? Your colors and fonts should give your readers/visitors an idea of what to expect in your writing. To get ideas, look at other authors’ websites (in your genre).

• After you build your website, make sure to check all links and forms that you have on your site.

• Check your website on a variety of devices to see how it presents. Most web services will optimize your site for the device your visitor uses. It’s a good idea to make sure all the pictures and forms look correct. People who use a computer, will see a wider picture than those on a cell phone that tend to render websites in a tall format.

What would you add to my list?

Idea Banks - Time Savers for Writers

Authors are often asked to provide ideas or proposals for programs, workshops, and panels. These are some ways authors can create idea banks or files to help you save time and stay organized.

Program Proposals

• Many times libraries or other groups will ask for a workshop or program. I keep a folder on my computer with each topic. This make it easier when I have to put together a new proposal. (I file them by title and group, so I make sure I don’t repeat a topic.)

• You need a catchy title. It helps when you market the event. Just make sure people can tell what the subject is from your title.

• I also have a Word document that has a description of what will be covered and any key details like other speakers, what type of equipment is needed, etc.

• I keep any promotional flyers, social media posts, and pictures in my file, too. That way, I can use them on my website or on the socials.

Question Banks

• If you’re organizing or moderating a panel, you often need to create the questions.

• I have a Word document (filed by title and group) with the questions for each event. When I finish my question draft, I rearrange them in the order that makes sense for the flow of the panel discussion.

• In my Word document, I indicate which speaker the question is for or whether it’s a group question. (Not all panelists need to answer every question.)

• I review the draft with the panelists and get their input.

• Always have extra questions in case you have time to fill.

• You can often reuse some questions at future events.

Slide Decks

• I keep copies of all the classes and workshops that I teach. (These are also filed by title and group.)

• It is helpful to have a starting point when you’re creating a new class, and sometimes you can reuse some of the slides, handouts, or the content.

• I always brand my slides and handouts with my author logo and website.

Graphics

• I’m sure you’re seeing a pattern here. I keep a folder of graphics that I’ve created for my blog, newsletter, or social media sites. I file these by subject. I use these on the original post and on the socials to market it.

• Studies show that Facebook and Instagram posts that are noticed more have an eye-catching graphic or a video.

• I use BookBrush to create images for my books (especially seasonal ones).

• I use Canva to create images for my website, newsletter, blog, and social media sites.

Story Ideas/Names/Place Names

• I was drowning in little scraps of paper and sticky notes. I jot down ideas wherever I happen to be (and on whatever paper is handy).

• To get organized, I created giant idea spreadsheet. I have different workbooks for each topic, and I can sort them by any of the columns.

• I attend a lot of training and workshops and put my notes of and the source in my idea spreadsheet. I also add the contact information if the subject matter expert offered to answer questions after the training.

• I made a spreadsheet for my book promotions that includes bloggers, reporters, book reviewers, bookstagrammers, podcasters, librarians, bookstore contacts, and other bookish events and promotional ideas. Since I write multiple series, I have a workbook for each book in each series. When I start my launch planning, I look at what I did last time and update it with any changes or new ideas.

How do you keep yourself organized? Let me know what works for you.

It's That Time of Year Again...

Every December, I get in my Marie Kondo mode. Out with the old and in with the new. I always dread the cleanup, but it feels good to start the new year with a clean desk (even if it’s only temporary). Here are some of my organizational to-dos that help me get ready for the new year.

• I clean up my desk. It’s not as bad as the picture, but it’s cluttered. I always end up with tons of sticky notes all over the place.

• I put all the contacts in my database and all the appointments on my calendar.

• My photo collection always needs attention. I archive all of the current year’s photos to my external hard drive.

• It’s also time to clean up the email files and my saved documents. Don’t forget to clean out the Sent and Trash, too. The old stuff takes up space.

• And it’s tax time. I always procrastinate on the task of pulling all the tax information together. I set up files for the current year and close out the old one.

And if I’m still in an organizing mode, I might get around to the closets. (Or maybe not)

Happy New Year. I hope you have a safe and productive year.

What are you planning to do to get ready for 2024?

Kanban: An Idea for Organizing Your Work

Kanban is a methodology that focuses on continuous improvement and task management. It’s often used in technology as part of Agile development and also in manufacturing. It was originally developed as part of Toyota’s TPS (Toyota Production System).

It’s a board and a process of organizing and prioritizing your tasks. To learn more about its history and the methodology, check out this link. The goal is to move your tasks through the process to completion. There are lots of electronic Kanban boards that you can track your work. You can also create one on a whiteboard, in a spreadsheet, or on a poster for your wall. When we started, we used a long piece of craft paper. We added columns and used sticky notes to represent our tasks.

The column titles vary slightly, but the idea is to finish items you start before you start something else. When you add tasks to the “wish list” or backlog, you prioritize them according to importance or deadlines. The graphic above has “Ideas,” “To Do,” Doing,” and “Done” as the headers. I usually use “Backlog” for ideas, “Planning,” “In-Progress,” and “Done.” In my IT world, my team does Quality Assurance Testing, so we often have another column under “In-Progress” for Testing.

Each day or every few days, the teams meet for a short stand-up and update their progress. Writing is often not a team-sport, but you can still use the methodology to track your open and in-progress work. The electronic Kanban boards often provide metrics on how long it takes for you to do tasks. This is good for repeatable tasks. It should give you an idea of how long it will take next time, based on past history.

I like the organization that these boards provide. When you’re working on an IT project or software development, there are thousands of little tasks that are key, and you need to keep them in the right order because many have dependent tasks. (It sounds a lot like resarching, writing, editing, and marketing a book.)

Check it out. You don’t have to go crazy with buying an application. You can create a Kanban board in Excel or a Word table or on a large piece of paper. I like using sticky notes because you can easily move them from column to column. And there’s a great sense of accomplishment with that “Done” column is full.

Daunting Tasks - Tips for Writers

We all have tasks that cause us to procrastinate. For me, editing is the hardest writing task. I have to figure out ways to keep myself motivated and focused. It never fails. I’m supposed to be updating a manuscript with edits, and then I’m off watching llama or cute dog videos. Here are some ideas when for those pesky, daunting tasks.

• Break huge, hairy tasks into smaller chunks. That way, you can see progress when you finish the smaller milestones.

• Reward yourself when you finish. I take a social media break after five chapters of editing. I get to switch gears for a minute, but I know that I’m also working on what I’m supposed to.

• Make lists and prioritize items that need to be done first. That way, you can schedule things that don’t have to be done right away. It doesn’t feel as daunting when you realize everything doesn’t have to be done right away.

• When I’m doing my not-so-favorite tasks, I make sure that I’m super comfy…warm socks, favorite pen, awesome playlist, and my favorite drink.

• If I don’t pay attention, paper, sticky notes, and copies of things pile up on my desk. I try to keep the loose paper under control weekly. If I don’t, then there’s a mountain of clutter which becomes its own challenge.

• Try to make a schedule for things you need to do on a routine basis (e.g. updating your website, checking your social media sites, answering emails, etc.) If you know you have a timeslot for that work, it becomes part of your normal routine. And like the mounds of paper, it’s much easier to tackle a little at a time.

Once a Month Tasks for Writers

There are so many tasky things that we almost never get around to until they become big things later. I try to pick a day or two each month and go down my list of adminy tasks, so they don’t turn into a big, hairy beast later.

Here’s my check list to help keep me organized.

1. Make sure all your mileage, tolls, and expenses are recorded.

2. File all receipts for next year’s taxes.

3. Clean off the excess photos on my phone and laptop.

4. Check the analytics on my key social media sites to see what posts are working. Look for times that are good for my audience.

5. Look at your website. Does the content need refreshing? Check to make sure all the links (especially the contact me and your newsletter sign up) are working.

6. Update your author biography. Check your biography on your website and other sites to ensure it is current. Is your book list current? Don’t forget BookBub, Goodreads, Amazon,…

7. Look at your marketing plan and make sure you have all of the deadlines and due dates on your calendar.

8. Spend some time on your key social media sites adding followers.

9. Make sure your calendar has all deadlines, events, and important dates including due dates to your editor and publisher.

10. Think about creating files to help you get organized. I have one biography file with the book links and social media links. This gives me one place to go to get the most current information quickly.

The more time you can save on routine tasks, the more writing time you’ll have.