On Shelley Hitz, the Self-Publishing Coach

I met Shelley virtually on Facebook several months ago.  She usually posts either links or simple tips to help the new author get exposure to the masses of readers.   As new authors, we all know that writing is the difficult; exposure is more difficult.

Next I joined her newsletter on email.  About every week, she’d list a line of helpful tips and webinars to keep us newbies educated about the use of amazon, and social networking to promote our work.  For those using Promotion ala Carte, she recommends checking it out, as well as BookBuzzr.

With short on time and long on the love of reading/writing, I couldn’t do all the great recommendations Shelley was trying to teach me.  As I’ve said about copy-editing, they’ll always have at least one job from me.  So after emailing back and forth over the months, she offered a “promotion package.”

Now “promotion package” in the past made me want to scream, run, throw my laptop in the pool, all sorts of bad things because of my experiences similar to what John Locke describes in his book about sales.  Some people will take you to the cleaners, and don’t bat an eye to ask, “Why not spend on $10K more?”  Grr!! 

With Shelley, high-dollar packages were not a worry; as she’s been sending me advice for free.  The problem was that I didn’t have the time it takes to really dig into the low cost or free outlets out there.  So she set up a package, I chose one (like before, a Diet Coke compared to the promotion of “Act of Redemption”) and we spoke over the telephone a while.  She’s very nice, and very thorough, making sure she addresses the points she planned to make, instead of filling up my/her time with small talk (which I’m prone to do). 

I’m not suggesting that all new authors spend money on Shelley Hitz.  Actually, the better advice is to check her out, get her free newsletter, and see if she offers something you’re not already doing.  And as I’ve said about finances, look at your responsibilities, and think carefully before you spend on book promotion.  I found a few ways she’s helped me already, and I’m continuing to learn.  Between Shelley and “The Blog Farm,” I’ve come a long way from my lizard-warrior video (but I still love it!).