Author Interview with #1 Amazon Bestseller of the Daughter-in-Law Rules

Author Interview: Sally Shields

Today’s author interview features Sally Shields, whose book The Daughter-in-Law Rules: 101 Surefire Ways to Make Friends with Your Mother-In-Law!became a #1 Amazon.com bestseller. I’m a strong believer that authors can learn from each other. In this interview, Sally touches upon the things she did to help her self-published book become an Amazon bestseller.

1. How much help did your publisher give you in the marketing of your book?

Originally I went the traditional route, and contacted over 100 literary agents. As the process evolved, I realized just how hard it really was. I eventually garnered the interest of a NY literary agent through a well-crafted query letter, and within a few weeks, I was signed. But soon I learned that a proposal was required, which, I found out, was even more difficult than writing a book in the first place! I had to do market research and statistical comparisons . I was jumping through hoops, and it was a process that I never want to repeat! However, I got over that hurdle and finally, after several round of editing said proposal, the agent began to submit my manuscript.

Months went by. 15 rejection letters later, I slowly realized that even if I was lucky enough to get a publishing deal, it would require signing over my rights and editorial control, and allowing the agency and publisher to decide on my book cover, interior layout, formatting, pricing, release dates, all which could take between 1-2 years, maybe more.

One day, I walked into a Barnes and Noble, and found some information on the subject of self-publishing.

2. Did you hire a publicist, or did you work on marketing and promotion on your own? If you hired a publicist, what types of things did they do for you?

I heard about a course that taught authors how to get free publicity on their own through zero-low cost strategies. This was a very attractive idea since hiring a PR firm can cost up to $8,000/month! What I learned in this class, is that there is nothing that can help you build credibility and increase sales faster than having the distinction of “Bestseller Status” So, through an online email blast strategy, I brought my book to the #1 spot in Wedding Showers, on Amazon.com. And that, I must say, was a fundamental factor that afforded my book an essential credibility boost. Indeed I was elated to add the bestseller distinction to my nameand I was thrilled to sell a few hundred books in one day! However… I soon realized that bestseller day was exactly thata launcha jumping off point. Now, how to effectively leverage my new Bestseller Status to its utmost advantage? How to use this distinction to catapult from selling a few hundred books on Amazon to becoming a true, 6 figure-income author? Back to the drawing board.

I embarked on a journey to learn as much as I could about selling through non-traditional methods that had little to do with bookstore sales, since that wasn’t an option anyway. I learned that corporations are often interested in using books as premium incentives to give to their customers or simply as gifts to their employees. I got 1-800-flowers to give me a coupon code via a full page add in the back of the book. I contacted several corporations and currently have interest from major players such as David’s Bridal, JC Penney and Bed Bath & Beyond. Over many months, I studied the top gurus ranging from authors and publishers, to media trainers, agents, radio hosts, producers, distributors and more. By this time, I was getting more and more interested in [cough] [obsessed with] book marketing, so I decided to take a leap of faith, and signed up to attend very costly 4-day event in New York City. (My husband was sweating bullets!) However, at this event, I met producers from over 100 national TV and radio shows, and over 50 book marketing agents, distributors and publishers. Here’s what I learned at the conference:

The biggest hurdle is not writing a bookit’s what you do after the book that is what is the most significant.

…But having a book doesn’t mean people are going to buy it!

I began to understand the reality that aside from authors such as Deepak Chopra, Wayne Dyer and the like, very few people get rich from simply selling their book. Rather, it is the back-end products and services that are created from the book that can make the difference between a struggling writer and a million-dollar author. So, how does a regular person make a living from their book? The secret that successful authors know is that they understand how to use their book as a tool to build their business.

3. What kind of marketing activities did you handle on your own?

Here are just a few things that I did to leverage my authorship:

I use my Book as a networking tool

I sell my book to organizations and corporations in bulk.

I use my book to attract customers for my coaching business as I am now perceived as an expert.

The book has helped me get media coverage. Whenever there is a high profile story going on, I pitch myself and provide my expertise

I publish a newsletter. I can send out email blasts to opt-in subscribers,, and if I have something of value to offer them, I instantly generate sales. An ezine and a book can do that and I have built a list of trusted followers.

I became a speaker! There are countless organizations who are looking for speakers everyday. I speak at seminars, workshops, conventions, churches, universities, etc. Having a book gives you expert status. (Of course you need to understand that you really want to have a desire to give and to teach and not just sell.)

I write articles and create lots of traffic to my site. As I position myself as an expert, I submit articles to countless places on the web and gain a buzz about the book.

4. Which marketing activities have been the most helpful in selling your book?

Contacting bloggers with the same audience as mine has been tremendously helpful. I ask them if they’d like to review my book, or do a Q&A, or I offer them content in the form of an article and offer to do a giveaway with either a book or an eBook in the form of a contest.

5. Which marketing activities have not worked for you at all?

Book signings at traditional bookstores have proved to be the biggest disappointment. However, when I set up a book signing at bridal showers and bridal boutiques, this was much more targeted and I found a lot more success.

6. What was the biggest misconception you had before you started promoting your work?

I thought that every bride in the world would want a copy of the book and that I would sell a million books in a year. LOL!

7. How vital is social media such as blogs, Facebook, Twitter, etc. to your marketing?

VERY vital. I use twitter daily, and do an RSS feed to my FB page. Everytime I get a writeup in a blog or a media hit, I’ll post it and get several hits on my website or a few sales on Amazon.com.

8. How vital is niche marketing to promoting your work? How did you identify and reach out to your book’s niche audience?

Niche marketing is key! For example, someone once said, “Try to please everyone and you please no one.” And like I mentioned before, book signings at traditional bookstores have proven to be the biggest disappointment. However, when I set up a book signing at bridal showers and bridal boutiques, this was much more targeted and I found a lot more success. I found I could sell between 20-50 books as opposed to 1-3 at bookstore signings.

In order to identify my book’s audience, I figured I was my own target market, a bride, a wife, and a mom with young kids!

9. Other than sales, what benefits have you experienced as the result of becoming a bestselling author?

All the publicity I created has helped me create a money-generating brand, worth thousands and thousands of dollars!I now have a speaking career. I am a workshop and teleseminar leader, radio host and creator of a potential reality-show. I make corporate sales and am working towards accomplishing a lot of things such as fundraising and executing events with the big wigs such as the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and 1-800-flowers.com.

10. What advice do you have for new authors when it comes to marketing and promoting their books?

You are now in the business of marketing. However, you have to have a clear vision and a strong desire to genuinely help people. And never give up on your dreams. You don’t have to know the how, but focus on the why. Don’t set limits and reach for the sky. Do positive affirmations morning and evening, and you will see your thoughts transform into things. You can manifest your desires by focusing on the things that you want. Don’t give up because it takes a while for the universe to prepare the meal that you’ve ordered, but know that it is in the oven back there so make sure you don’t leave the restaurant!

Sally Shields is an award-winning pianist, composer, speaker, author and radio personality. Co-host of the exciting new BlogTalkRadio show, “Blurb!” Shields is a frequent contributor to various magazines, and has been featured in Star Magazine, Obvious, My Day, Girlfriendz, For the Bride and many others. Endorsed by Dr. Laura Schlessinger and Martha Stewart, she has appeared on Fox and Friends, Rachel Ray, The Tyra Show, and is a repeat guest on the nationally syndicated The Daily Buzz with her Wedding Showers #1 Amazon.com bestseller, THE DAUGHTER-IN-LAW RULES!