The Lessons on Church Folk Advertisement in the Lexington Herald-Leader

Dear Readers,

I hope that your day is going well. I just wanted to let you know that advertising is important to marketing your book to your city and the world. People all over the world should know about your book and the best place to begin marketing is in your local newspaper. Please click on the link so that you can see the Lessons on Church Folk advertisement in the Lexington Herald-Leader newspaper.

Lexington Herald-Leader advertisement

If you want to market your idea, you need to get out and market it to the masses! Success is in your hands!

The Author Journey continues................

The Lessons on Church Folk Interview with Joey Pinkney.com

Good Morning Readers,

Please click on the link to view the Lessons on Church Folk interview that was done with JoeyPinkney.com. This interview gives greater detail on why this book was written and how readers can benefit from the books. Please feel free to leave comments.

Lessons on Church Folk Interview with JoeyPinkney.com

If you have any questions or if you would like to purchase an autographed copy of the book/books, please email me at woodsdavis1@yahoo.com. Thank you again for reading this blog!

The Author Journey continues...........

Networking 109: Who are your greatest supporters?

Good Evening Everyone,

I hope that your weekend went well. I was just thinking about networking and I thought that I would write a blog post on support. Who are your greatest supporters? Who are the people that make you strive to be the best person that you can be? Who pushes you to be king of the hill? Who makes you feel like the woman that can accomplish anything that she sets her mind to?

Well, here is a list of tips that you can utilize so that you can see who your greatest supporters are:

1. A supporter is someone that is there through thick and thin situations. Not someone that is always providing lip service, but a person who really listens to you. Even when disagreements happen, you know that that person still has your back no matter what.
2. A supporter is a person that is bold enough to tell you about yourself when you start to get full of yourself. No matter what you accomplish, you should always maintain a humble perspective in life.
3. Sometimes, your supporters may have to walk away from you when you do not treat them fairly. People cannot support you when you are always negative and you put them down all the time. Remember that your actions speak louder than your words so be careful of how you treat others. The person that you put down is the same person that you will need to come back to and ask for help in the future.
4. Your supporters are in your corner, but there are times when they will suggest things that you do not agree with. Even if you don't agree with it, find a way to kindly tell them that you appreciate their suggestion. Never shoot down a suggestion because you don't agree with it. Respect other people's opinion and move forward.
5. A supporter could be someone who loves you for who you are and not for who you claim to be. You can fool a lot of people but the person that loves you will know the difference. Even when a person loves you, you have to be mindful of how you treat them. A harsh word could turn their love into pure anger. Be mindful of what you say.
6. A supporter or group of supporters could be your friends, family, or church family. These are people who have seen you grow up over the years. Be kind to them because they are in your corner. If they are not in your corner, let God handle them and you push on!
7. There are times when there are silent supporters. These are people who support you and they don't expect praise from you or anyone else. Even if you don't know who they are, make it a point to speak to everyone that you see. Your kindness could be a way to bring others closer to Christ.
8. Some supporters come in the form of fake friends. These people weren't in your corner in the first place but you couldn't see it because you thought that they would support you just because your grew up with them. My father always said "Everybody is not out for your benefit." Be careful of the people that you call friends. Everyone does not deserve that title.
9. You have to be your own supporter. If you don't support your product, it will not sell. You have to be willing to go to the high and low places so that you can tell other people about your product. If you birthed the product, you need to make sure that you "show off" your product to everyone that you know.
10. Your greatest supporter is Jesus Christ. Even when no one is in your corner, you know that God has your back. He brought you into this world for a purpose. Now you just need to follow HIS purpose and not your own. Following your own purpose is the quickest way to derail and delay your future success. Run towards your purpose. If you have to drop some people along the way, do it. Success doesn't come in numbers.....it comes with hard work and determination.

My family is my greatest supporters. From the beginning of Lessons on Church Folk Volume 1 and Volume 2, my family has provided me with the tips and tools that I need to be successful. While I am marketing and selling books in my city, my parents and my sister are marketing and selling books in their cities. When you are trying to sell your product, you need people in your corner who will support you. If they are not supporting you, you need to draw closer to people who are going to help you to launch your product.

If you want to be as big as Oprah, you need to start thinking bigger and working harder!

                              (We are the Davis family and we support each other!)



The Author Journey continues................

Networking 108: Are you honest when you market your book?

Good Evening Everyone,

I hope that your evening is going well. I was thinking about integrity and honesty after I completed my homework. Too often, people are not honest in their dealings and that could signal the end of their business. Being honest is an important trait to have when you are trying to market your book.

Here are some honest tips to follow as you market your book:

1. Be honest when people ask you about your book. No one should know your book better than you. I repeat, no one should know your book better than you.

2. Be honest when people ask you for the cost of your book. If you are selling a book that has an online price of $21.95, you need to make sure that you tell people that you are selling your book for $21.95 or a price lower than that. Never inflate your book price above what is listed online.

3. Be honest when your market your product. If a customer ask you if your book is available as an e-book and you have not made an e-book, you need to tell them that the book is not available in an e-book yet. Tell them that you are in talks with your publisher to get the book created as an e-book. But if you do not have plans to turn your book into an e-book, do not led your customers to believe that an e-book is coming when you don't plan to make one.

4. Be honest when you say that you are selling books out of car. This means that you actually have to have some books in your trunk in order to say that. Do not say you have books and then people are lining up at your car and your trunk is empty. (You should be ashamed and utterly embarrassed if you actually do this!)

5. Be honest when you say that you are a first-time author or a seasoned author. Don't try to be something that you are not. Embrace the title that you have and move forward.

6. Be honest when you say that you are having trouble marketing your book. When you are honest, you are able to get assistance for others who can help you.

7. Be honest when you tell others about your publishing process. Don't act like your publishers treated you like gold when you know that you have to ride the necks of some people to get your book done on time. Keep it honest and say that you had a tough time but you made it through even in the midst of your storms.

8. Be honest when you say that you say that marketing your book is hard work. Between radio advertisements, newspaper ads, magazines articles, and television appearances, your life as an author is not a bed of roses. It is hard work.

9. Be honest when you talk about your inspiration for your book. Tell people who or what gave you the mindset to write the book that you have written. Keep it honest because you will be asked this question in other venues. You have to be consistent in what you say because people will call you out if you are telling two different stories. Again, be honest no matter what.

10. Lastly, honesty can increase your sales. But lies can decrease and close down your book sales. Invest in honesty so that people will know that they can trust your word when you speak it. You don't have to over think anything when you are honest. When you are honest, your words will flow naturally.

Run after your dreams until they are fulfilled. No matter what happens, keep it honest and keep it real!

The Author Journey continues..................

Networking 107: Sharing what you have learned with others

Good Morning Readers,

I hope that you are having a bright morning. Today, I will discuss ways that you can share your knowledge of writing/publishing with others. Too often, people enter the publishing process and they do not have a clue as to what they are getting themselves into. As new authors and "seasoned" authors, we have to pitch in and help those who are about to publish their work. If you can share your expertise with someone else, you are helping them so that they don't make the same mistakes that you did.

Here are some tips on how you can share your information with others:
1. Be willing to tell other people your writing/publishing story so that they will know what you have experienced as you started looking for publishers.
2. Explain to others that they need to do their research when it comes to picking a publisher. No matter what publisher you choose, you will have to live with your decision.
3. Please tell others that marketing (in most cases) is the responsibility of the Author. Unless you have a publishing deal where your publisher does the marketing, you will need to be prepared to hit the ground running.
4. Tell others that they need to compare the prices and services of each publisher so that they can ensure that they are getting their money's worth.
5. Be honest in telling people how long it took you to complete the publishing process. People need to know that you will not be able to turn out a good product if the proper time is not taken to catch the errors or mistakes in your work.
6. Show others your finished book. From the front cover to the back cover, they need to see that your hard work has resulted in a product that you are proud to show off.
7. Be willing to take people with you as you conduct your book signing, radio interview, or your magazine interview. Some people will not know what to expect unless they see it first-hand by shadowing you.
8. Encourage other people to join Literary Groups on FaceBook, Twitter, and other social networking sites. You can market your book from anywhere if you are a member of these sites.
9. Please note that everyone will not be willing to take your advice. You can give advice until you are black and blue in the face and some people will still take the road less traveled by others. Don't stop giving advice.....just be selective in who you give advice to.
10. Above all things, you can share what you have learned but do not share everything with them. In the game called life, you cannot tell people where ALL of the rocks are. You can tell them about some of them, but you must allow them time to travel the road that you have traveled. Life is all about learning and as soon as the learning stops, your life will be controlled by everyone else.

No matter what, it is always good to share what you know with others. But do not forget to market your OWN product to others. I love sharing my information with others but I have to keep my eyes on the prize: getting my book into the hands of people who will read my book. In marketing, you have to be on top of your game at all time. Remember, no one's book is better than yours. You should applaud the work of others but your main endorsement is your book.

Don't let any dust grow under your feet today. Market, Market, Market!

      (My sister Andrea (left) has shared lots of advice with me as I wrote these books)


The Author Journey continues!!!!!

My Brand New Advertisment for an E-Newsletter

Dear Readers,

I hope that your evening is going well. I just wanted to share my new advertisement with you all. This morning, I called a marketing agency because I was interested in their rates so that I could advertise in their E-Newsletter. As I inquired about their services, I knew that I was going to advertise with them. The business partner was very kind and friendly. She designed this advertisement in less than an hour. I was shocked because the turn around time was so quick. I am thankful that I am able to advertise with this Marketing Agency. This advertisement was designed specifically for Lessons on Church Folk Volume 1 and Volume 2. I hope that you all enjoy it!

Market thyself......advertise thyself!

The Author Journey continues...............

Networking 106: Are you confident in your product to market it to others?

Good Morning Readers,

I hope that today will be an exciting day for you. Today, I am going to speak with you about self-confidence. This term is basically the amount of confidence that you have that your book will sell. Confidence begins within you and if you are not confident, you will believe that someone else's book deserves more credit than your book does. Well, if you are not confident, your book will be stagnant FOREVER. When you are marketing your book, you have to think and know that your product is the best product out there.

Here are some tips that you can use in order to increase your self-confidence:
1. You must know that you were created by God for a purpose. Never think that you were a mistake. Your creation is proof that you need to make your existence known to other people.
2. Each morning that you wake up, you need to look at yourself and say "Today, I accept myself. Even if other people do not accept, God accepts me".
3. When it comes to confidence, you need to look at yourself only. Comparing yourself to other people will cause you to lose confidence. Accept your strengths and weaknesses and move forward!
4. Take some time to look at your book/books. The finished copy is an example that you have completed a project that you have started. When you look at your book, you should be proud that you have finished a book that will be read by others.
5. If you are a shy person, you need to find ways to come out of your shell. You will not be able to sell books if you never talk to anyone.
6. If you are a talkative person, you need to know that there is a time to talk and a time to listen. Talking too much could cause you to lose out on important information from prospective businesses.
7. Confidence plays a big role in your marketing campaign. If you don't think that you should market your book, you will not market it. But that will give other books a chance to fill in the gap where you could have been.
8. Stop listening to other people as they say that your book will not sell. Only YOU can determine if your book will sell or not. If you surround yourself by too many negative people, they will drown your dreams just like they drowned your own dreams.
9. Each day, market your book to any and everyone that will listen to you. It is your product so you need to convince people that they will not be able to live a happy life unless they buy your book.
10. Surround yourself by positive people who will encourage you towards greatness. Stagnant people are just what they are....stagnant. In due time, you will be just like them if you continue to feed in to their lack of motivation. Make friends with people who know who they are and where they are going. As time goes on, their positive attitude will rub off on you. With the proper encouragement, you could be bigger than Oprah. You decide......a stagnant dream or a dream fulfilled and the whole world knows about it? I would choose a dream fulfilled any day.

Today is a brand new day. You need to be confident within yourself before anyone else can be confident about your product. No matter what happens, your success is in your hands. Do not allow obstacles to stand in the way of you achieving your dreams. If you know a person that can help you as market your product, ask for help. You never know, the new partnership could propel you towards greatness.

Know thyself......be confident in thyself!

                                      (My parents and I at my 1st Book Signing)




The Author Journey continues............................