Skip to main content

Black Writers' Guild Workshop - "Marketing Boot Camp for Writers" Presented by Kira Ming



On Saturday, October 5, 2019, the Black Writers' Guild of Maryland presented a workshop by Kira Ming titled “Marketing Boot Camp for Writers.”  The audience included writers working on creative projects and published authors like myself looking for new ways to market ourselves and our books.

Kira shared her background with us and how she started her magazine (Graffiti On The Wall) before graduating from Bowie State University. From then she has made strides as a writer, editor, author of Small Business, Big Business, contributor for Huffington Post, Entertainment Journalist and the list goes on.

The workshop was chock full of marketing strategies. Here are some that Kira talked about:
  • Branded emails (make sure folks know who you are and what you write).
  • Create flyers to advertise your books and events (Canva, etc.).
  • Create original quotes or use quotes from www.brainyquote.com.
  • Have an email list where folks opt in to follow you as part of your email marketing campaign (Aweber, Zoho, etc.).
  • Measure what’s working and what isn’t (look at statistics based on number of followers and engagement, etc.).
  • Learn how to keep notes and outlines (Evernote app, etc.).
  • Learn what to use for scheduling tasks and managing workflows (Outlook, etc.).
  • Importance of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Make sure to use hashtags and blog frequently so that your content can appear in searches.
  • Have a website which is your digital real estate (About page, Connect with You, etc.).
  • Create FB groups (keep people engaged, etc.).
  • Newsletters (Mailchimp, Constant Contact, etc.).
  • Power of personal branding (your best friend especially if you don’t have a traditional publisher).
  • Prepare lead magnets (freebies like a short story or a poem).
  • Know the difference between warm market (family and friends) vs. cold market (folks outside of family).
  • Social media (develop a schedule, create engaging posts, cross reference links, etc.).
  • Get offline and meet people (network, attend events, have readings, etc.).
Overall, it was a great presentation. Kira gave us valuable marketing tips and advice that could be implemented immediately. While I currently have a blog, a monthly e-newsletter, a website and I post on FB and other social media sites, I can still use some of these marketing tools to boost engagement.

Here are some photos from the workshop:










Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Interview with Jacqueline Seewald, Author of THE INHERITANCE

Author’s Bio: Multiple award-winning author, Jacqueline Seewald, has taught creative, expository and technical writing at Rutgers University as well as high school English. She also worked as both an academic librarian and an educational media specialist. Sixteen of her books of fiction have previously been published to critical praise including books for adults, teens and children. Her short stories, poems, essays, reviews and articles have appeared in hundreds of diverse publications and numerous anthologies. What inspired you to write your book? I enjoy writing romantic mystery fiction. The idea for this particular novel just seemed to evolve organically from my imagination. Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult? I would have to say reading the Bible was influential. As far as regular books go, I’m a big fan of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Is this your first book? How long did it take to start and...
20 comments
Read more

National Poetry Month’s Feature: Poet Cherrie Amour

Poet’ s Bio: Cherrie Amour aka Cherrie Woods is a Baltimore-based, award-winning poet known for her candid, narrative verse exploring love, identity, relationships, and the layered complexities of belonging. Her work is featured in her poetry collection, Free to Be Me: Poems on Love, Life and Relationships.   She is the creator of the Words, Wine & Wings Poetry and Open Mic Show and has been featured by FOX45 News, The Baltimore Beacon , and Baltimore City Paper . Her poetry has appeared in Paterson Literary Review , Understorey Magazine , Poet’s Ink , The Pen Woman , The Fire Inside: Collected Poems and Stories from Zora’s Den , America’s Future Anthology , Yellow Arrow Journal , and Maryland in Poetry .   She is currently submitting her new poetry chapbook manuscript, Sit Comfortably Elsewhere , to publishers—a deeply personal collection exploring her life and perspective as a double immigrant.   Deliah Lawrence: When did you first realize poetry was a p...
Post a Comment
Read more

National Poetry Month’s Feature: Poet Buddah Desmond

Poet’ s Bio: Buddah Desmond aka BDEZ (he / him / they / them) is an award-winning author, poet, artist, and singer based in the DMV. His writing shares lessons from adversity to triumph and offers messages of hope, love, faith, and persistence. He ’ s the author of multiple poetry collections, including the most recent releases  Everything I Miss(ed) At Home  (2023),  Coming Up From the Downside: Finding Joy in Our Song  (2024), and  Exotic Shifter: 11th Anniversary Edition  (2025).   His writing has appeared in  Creative Currents ,  Rebel ’ s Zeitgeist ,  Liquid Cat Quarterly ,  MelaNation ,  Mixed Mag , and  The Sound of the Collective Pen: A Poetry Anthology by Emerging Voices . He served as a healing leader in the DC-based arts + faith + social justice organization, The Sanctuaries. He ’ s currently a National Board of Trustees At Large Member (Beta Chapter) for the professional arts fraternity, Gamma Xi Phi. ...
Post a Comment
Read more