RNA Learning are delighted that one of our most beloved and highest rated tutors, Anna Caig,  will be presenting a suite of workshops and a month long course in 2024, with the them of ‘Marketing with Heart’.

I’m passionate about book marketing with heart and creativity for two very important reasons. It is enjoyable for writers, and it works.

Most writers want to find and connect with readers for their work at some point, and that’s where marketing comes in. But misconceptions abound – often we feel like marketing is awkward or even ‘selling out’. We can also have preconceived ideas about what marketing should look like – polished and professional, oozing with confidence and dare we say it, maybe more than a little fake.

The truth is though, good marketing is all about understanding who has a reason to love your writing, how to find them, and how to encourage them to sit up and take notice. And it is possible to choose marketing activity that feels authentic to your creative values, drawing on the inspirations behind your writing itself.

Your books come from your heart – we write about the things that inspire, fascinate and preoccupy us the most. How else could we dedicate months and years of our lives to conversations with these imaginary people in our heads? Chances are, the people who’ll enjoy reading your work will be fascinated and preoccupied by the same things – you can use the same topics and questions that inspired you to write the thing in the first place to make the right readers sit up and take notice.

When you embrace your individuality – the unique set of motivations and passions that inform your work, what George Saunders calls a writer’s ‘iconic space’ – this is the key to engaging your people. When you get information about your work in front of these potential readers, it will be clear to them why this book is their cup of tea. You won’t have to be ‘salesy’, you’ll just have to share your enthusiasm for your subject matter.

I’ve found the key to book marketing success is combining strategic marketing – following that structure and framework – with really tailoring your approach to include the things you’re interested in, and what you enjoy doing. Avoiding the dreaded ‘chore factor’ will not only make your marketing more fun, it will be effective because you’ll engage the right audiences, people who’ll want to know about your work rather than the hordes who’ll just keep scrolling.

I’m running an evening masterclass for The Romantic Novelists’ Association on Thursday 28 March where we’ll look at how to market your work with heart and creativity. We’ll explore different tools to tap into the interests and sparks that prompted you to write about the things you do, and plenty of ideas for applying these in a practical way to finding and connecting with readers.

I love working with writers in this way, not only because it turns marketing into something fun, but also because it’s tremendously empowering to understand you don’t need to be anything other than exactly who you are in order to find people who’ll enjoy reading your books. Please do come along and join us if you can.

All about Anna
Anna Caig has worked in communications for 19 years, specialising in media relations and strategic marketing campaigns, and is an experienced and engaging public speaker.

Anna also writes historical crime fiction and her debut novel was shortlisted for the CWA Debut Dagger prize. She reviews books for The Sheffield Telegraph and on her blog.

The former Head of Communications at Sheffield City Council and tutor on The University of Sheffield MA Journalism course, Anna began her training business to support writers to build their brand and reach more readers. She now works with traditionally, indie and self-published writers, as well as helping creatives in any discipline find a wider audience.

https://www.annacaigcomms.co.uk/

Twitter @AnnaCaig