Reflections on a Craft Class: Hanging with Mary Buckham

Morgan says: Like we've said before and we'll say it again, the best form of marketing is writing a GREAT book! And many of the best authors are perpetual learners. With these thoughts in mind, I followed Gina Fluharty's lead and enrolled in Mary Buckham's Power Plotting Workshop. This two-day class was a working session based on the book she co-wrote with Dianna Love titled: Break Into Fiction. We spent two-days working through the templates in the book and meeting one-on-one with Ms. Buckham on our individual plots and stories. To say that she was a HUGE help to me would be the understatement of the year. (I now have a plot for my third book in my YA Steampunk series, a story arc for my five book series, and key series points for each of the five books.)

What does all of this have to do with marketing?

Well, you all know that I am perpetually on the hunt for marketing done right and well. Here are a few marketing things Mary Buckham executed extremely well:

1. She teaches classes. Not only are her classes an awesome way to share her knowledge and 'pay it forward,' it is also a great way to network and sell books. The class was based on a text she co-wrote. Most of us purchased or owned copies of the complete text prior to attending the class.
2. POP-up banners were in the room silently advertising her books. In the picture below you can clearly see one of the two banners she had in the room in the background. Notice that even in this picture her name is large enough to be read, as well as the header "Writing Active" for her series of books on settings.
3. Her books were on display and available for sale. Behind us in the picture below was a table that displayed both her fiction and nonfiction books. Signs clearly stated the prices and discount if you bought more than one. (Yup - I bought four of her books on the spot.)
4. Promotional pieces, bookmarks, and free takeaways were available. Even if you didn't buy a book, promo pieces and bookmarks were also on the book table free for anyone to take. Maybe someone didn't have the money to make a buy on that day; now they have a professionally printed and produced promo piece so that they can make a buy later or pass it on to a friend.
5. Mary Buckham was wonderfully personal and fun! Heck - she made such a strong and positive impression on me, I am now writing a blog post about her! Talk about buzz marketing...now our audience knows about her class and her BOOKS. You never know who you are going to meet in a writing craft class or at a conference. Certainly, you'll meet other authors...but remember, authors are readers, bloggers, podcasters, etc., too. Use these personal interactions to make a lasting positive impression and allow your persona to shine.

C. Morgan Kennedy & Mary Buckham - Notice the POP-up banner on the left.

It is often the subtle forms of marketing that are the most powerful and effective.

Points to Ponder:

• What skills do you have that can be shared? 
• How can you leverage these sharing opportunities to market your books?