How I Became a Bestselling Author in under 9 months | Children's Picture Books
TLDRIn this inspiring video, Vicki Weber shares her journey from a dream to becoming a best-selling children's picture book author within nine months. Starting with a secret release of her first book, 'Aurora's Organ', to the successful launch of 'Rhythm Rescue', she details the importance of marketing strategies and reaching the right audience. Weber's story emphasizes the power of passion, persistence, and learning from each book's release to achieve success in the competitive world of children's literature.
Takeaways
- 😀 Vicki Weber always dreamed of becoming a children's picture book author but initially thought it was a pipe dream.
- 👨🏫 Her husband encouraged her to pursue her dream by asking what she always wanted to do but hadn't, leading her to decide to write a children's book.
- 🔎 Vicki spent months researching and learning about the publishing industry, eventually deciding to self-publish her books.
- 🎨 Her first book, 'Aurora's Organ', was published as a secret release on Christmas Eve in 2019, which she later realized was not the best strategy for success.
- 📚 'Laszlo Learns Recorder' was her second book, published in February 2020, but its sales were affected by the pandemic and its impact on music education.
- 🌸 'The Song Garden' was her third book, where she started implementing more marketing strategies, leading to increased sales compared to her previous books.
- 📈 With her fourth book, 'Rhythm Rescue', Vicki created an extensive marketing plan and a launch team, which resulted in significant sales and visibility.
- 💰 'Rhythm Rescue' was particularly successful, selling 400 books on the first day and thousands within the first month, earning her a profit of about $18,000.
- 🏆 Vicki's success with 'Rhythm Rescue' led to her making Amazon's bestseller list and gaining representation from literary agencies, showing that persistence and strategic marketing can lead to success.
- 🚀 The importance of how a book is released and marketed was emphasized, as it lays the foundation for its success and visibility in the market.
Q & A
What was Vicki Weber's initial perception of her dream to become a children's picture book author?
-Vicki Weber initially thought that becoming a children's picture book author was a pipe dream, something she would look back on with regret for not having pursued when she was older.
What prompted Vicki Weber to start pursuing her dream of writing a children's book?
-Vicki Weber's husband asked her about something she had always wanted to do but hadn't, which led her to express her desire to write a children's book. His response to figure it out together motivated her to start researching and working towards her goal.
How did Vicki Weber approach the process of learning about children's book publishing?
-Vicki Weber spent months researching, reading articles, and watching helpful videos sent by her husband. She read during her lunch breaks and gathered a lot of information about the publishing process.
Why did Vicki Weber decide to self-publish her first book?
-Vicki Weber decided to self-publish because she felt it was the right choice for her after considering various publishing routes.
What was the title of Vicki Weber's first book, and when was it published?
-Vicki Weber's first book was titled 'Aurora's Organ' and it was published on Christmas Eve in December 2019.
Why did the initial release of 'Aurora's Organ' not lead to significant sales?
-The initial release of 'Aurora's Organ' was a secret release given as a Christmas present to her father, which did not involve marketing or informing the public. This laid the foundation for the book's lack of visibility and sales.
What was the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sales of Vicki Weber's second book, 'Laszlo Learns Recorder'?
-The COVID-19 pandemic led to a decline in sales of 'Laszlo Learns Recorder' as many schools were closed or had concerns about using recorders, which affected the demand for the book.
What was the title of Vicki Weber's third book, and how did she change her approach to marketing for this book?
-Vicki Weber's third book was titled 'The Song Garden'. She started implementing more marketing strategies and refining her existing ones to reach a wider audience.
What was the title of Vicki Weber's fourth book, and how did she approach its marketing and launch?
-Vicki Weber's fourth book was titled 'Rhythm Rescue'. She created an extensive marketing plan, a launch team, and used paid advertisements and email marketing to ensure a successful release.
How did the release of 'Rhythm Rescue' impact Vicki Weber's career as an author?
-The release of 'Rhythm Rescue' was highly successful, leading to it being an Amazon bestseller and propelling Vicki Weber's career. It also increased the visibility and sales of her other books.
What advice does Vicki Weber give to aspiring authors based on her experience?
-Vicki Weber advises aspiring authors to treat writing like a business, create a marketing plan, and ensure their book release strategy is effective. She emphasizes the importance of reaching the right audience and being persistent in marketing efforts.
Outlines
📚 Journey to Becoming a Best-Selling Children's Author
Vicki Weber shares her inspiring story of becoming a best-selling children's picture book author within nine months. Initially, she thought her dream was unattainable but after a conversation with her husband, she embarked on a research journey to learn how to write and publish a book. She decided to self-publish and faced the challenge of choosing the right path for her book. Her first book, 'Aurora's Organ,' was a secret release on Christmas Eve 2019, which she later realized was not the best strategy for success. Despite being a best-selling author with Disney and a literary agent, 'Aurora's Organ' only sells a few copies a month. Vicki emphasizes the importance of a strategic book release for success.
🎼 Overcoming Challenges and Finding Success in Self-Publishing
In this paragraph, Vicki discusses the challenges she faced with her second book, 'Laszlo Learns Recorder,' which was affected by the pandemic and concerns about aerosols. Despite initial interest, sales did not meet her expectations. She then wrote 'The Song Garden,' implementing more marketing strategies, which led to increased sales compared to her previous books. Vicki stresses the importance of treating writing as a business, creating a marketing plan, and refining communication strategies to reach the right audience. Her fourth book, 'Rhythm Rescue,' was launched with a comprehensive marketing plan, resulting in significant sales and profits, and it led to increased visibility for her other books.
🏆 Achieving Best-Selling Status Through Passion and Strategy
Vicki concludes by sharing her belief that becoming a best-selling author is possible with hard work and passion. She dispels the myth that one needs special connections or prior writing experience to succeed. Vicki encourages aspiring authors to start researching and learning about marketing, as it is crucial for success. She offers resources through 'At Home Author' to assist authors in their journey, including YouTube playlists, blog posts, and coaching courses. Vicki's story serves as a testament to the power of determination and strategic marketing in achieving one's dream of becoming a successful author.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Best-selling children's picture book author
💡Self-publishing
💡Marketing strategies
💡Book release
💡Passion
💡Investment
💡Target audience
💡Visibility
💡Literary agent
💡Amazon's best seller list
💡Music education
Highlights
Vicki Weber shares her journey of becoming a best-selling children's picture book author within nine months.
She had always dreamed of writing a children's book but considered it a distant 'pipe dream'.
Her husband's encouragement prompted her to pursue her dream and start researching how to write a children's book.
Vicki's first book, 'Aurora's Organ', was published as a secret Christmas gift to her father.
The silent release of 'Aurora's Organ' on Christmas Eve inadvertently set the book up for failure.
Her second book, 'Laszlo Learns Recorder', faced challenges due to the pandemic and concerns about aerosols.
Despite initial interest, 'Laszlo Learns Recorder' did not achieve the sales Vicki had hoped for.
Vicki realized the importance of marketing and began to implement more strategies with her third book, 'The Song Garden'.
With 'The Song Garden', she saw a significant increase in sales compared to her previous books.
For her fourth book, 'Rhythm Rescue', Vicki created a comprehensive marketing plan and a launch team.
She used paid advertisements, email marketing, and a detailed 28-page release plan for 'Rhythm Rescue'.
Vicki sold 400 books on the first day of 'Rhythm Rescue's release and thousands within the first month.
The success of 'Rhythm Rescue' led to Vicki making Amazon's best-seller list and gaining visibility in the industry.
Vicki emphasizes that reaching the right audience is crucial for a book's success and word-of-mouth can create a domino effect.
She advises authors to treat writing like a business and create a marketing plan to get their work in front of the right people.
Vicki's success with 'Rhythm Rescue' led to representation by East-West literary agency and becoming an associate literary agent.
Despite her success, her initial books still sell the least, illustrating the importance of the book release strategy.
Vicki encourages aspiring authors to pursue their passion, start researching, and utilize resources like 'At Home Author'.
Transcripts
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