131. Trust-Your-Heart Marketing (Step 6)

“It helped me see that marketing is really about you offering your gift, your book, which is your gift.“


In "Trust-Your-Heart Marketing (Trust Your Creative Heart Roadmap, Step 6)" podcast host Beth Barany explores how sharing your story can create meaningful change, provides tools to help clarify your values, and examines the emotional impact you want to have on readers.

This episode is part of a mini-series based on the “Trust Your Creative Heart Roadmap” where Beth Barany discusses the method she developed to help writers go from idea to published science fiction and fantasy novel.

Work the roadmap! Sign up and receive a copy of Trust Your Creative Heart Roadmap workbook: https://bethbarany.com/trust-your-creative-heart-roadmap-workbook/


ABOUT THE HOW TO WRITE THE FUTURE PODCAST

The How To Write The Future podcast is for science fiction and fantasy writers who want to write positive futures and successfully bring those stories out into the marketplace. Hosted by Beth Barany, science fiction novelist and creativity coach for writers. We cover tips for fiction writers and get curious about the future of humanity.


ABOUT BETH BARANY

Beth Barany, an award-winning fantasy and science fiction novelist, teaches novelists how to write, edit, and publish their books as a coach, teacher, consultant, and developmental editor.

RESOURCES

GET HELP WITH YOUR WORLD BUILDING - START HERE

Free World Building Workbook for Fiction Writers: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/world-building-resources/

Sign up for the 30-minute Story Success Clinic with Beth Barany: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/story-success-clinic/

Get support for your fiction writing by a novelist and writing teacher and coach. Schedule an exploratory call here and see if Beth can support you today: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/discovery-call/

• SHOW PRODUCTION BY Beth Barany
• SHOW CO-PRODUCTION + NOTES by Kerry-Ann McDade

c. 2024 BETH BARANY

https://bethbarany.com/

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CONNECT
Contact Beth: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/podcast/#tve-jump-185b4422580
Email: beth@bethbarany.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethbarany/

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Transcript

131. Trust-Your-Heart Marketing (Step 6)

[00:00] Introduction to How To Write The Future Podcast

BETH BARANY: Hi, everyone. Beth Barany here with How To Write The Future Podcast. I created this podcast because I want to create stories and I want to support other writers who are creating their stories, that stories can actually have a positive impact, both on yourself and on the world because stories are powerful. 

[00:22] The Power of Stories

BETH BARANY: Stories are so powerful. We are immersed in stories all the time. And if we want to make big changes out in the world, like I would like, maybe you would like, then story is one of the most powerful ways we can do that. And I love writing immersive science fiction and fantasy stories. That is my jam. 

And I have been doing it for a long time, several decades. And I've been helping writers do it also for almost two decades. 

[00:51] Trust Your Creative Heart Roadmap: Step Six

BETH BARANY: So I am coming to you today with another episode in my Trust Your Creative Heart Roadmap Series. Today, we're going to talk about Step Six. I call it Trust Your Heart Marketing. 

[01:06] Heart-Centered Marketing

BETH BARANY: I am very much into heart oriented direction finding. Meaning instead of just listening to logic, I'm actually listening to heart. And by heart, I mean the emotional side of you. And actually I've observed in my 50 plus years on the planet, that our heart is actually running the show. 

Our emotions are running the show. How we feel about something. Is really what for most people is what's running the show in terms of making decisions. 

And stories and art and music and dance and painting and all the things that we call art that deeply, deeply influences and helps shape our emotions. 

So here we are at step Six at Trust Your Heart Marketing. And my goal with this roadmap, the Trust Your Creative Heart roadmap is to really help you go from idea to finished, published, polished science fiction or fantasy novel that you are super proud of. 

And I created this roadmap to document the process that I had been helping writers with and myself with for a very long time, like I said, over two decades.

So in this episode, I'm going to go over some of the key points about Trust Your Heart Marketing. And for you to keep in mind as you focus on your marketing. 

Now marketing is something that can start as early as in the story development phase. 

If you go back to that episode, you'll see, I talk about my book Plan Your Novel Like A Pro, which includes an exercise that helps you think about your story in a very short format, which is something that you can adapt later on when you're ready to start thinking about the marketing of your book. Because marketing can be really challenging and very scary for creative people. I too am in that camp. I built in the very early phases of story development some marketing tools that you are doing as you plan your story so that when you come to marketing, you can revisit that and move forward. 

And there's some additional tools that I teach in my heart-centered marketing material for fiction writers. 

[03:24] Clarifying Your Values

BETH BARANY: And the first one is: clarify your values. And by that, I mean: what is really important to you?

If you could narrow it down to three things or even ideally to one thing, what would you say is your most important values? 

And that could be family. It could be fun. It could be integrity, honesty, activism, safety, pleasure, enjoyment, adventure.

It could be all kinds of things. It could be taking care of the next generation. It could be taking care of the planet. It could be showing up and doing your best every day. 

So however you frame, what is really important to you, I encourage you to take some time and clarify your values and see if you can end up with three and then even narrow it down to one. 

[04:14] Emotional Impact on Readers

BETH BARANY: The next thing is why as you look at your manuscript while you're in the editing process, and even earlier in story development and in, in first drafting, is think about-

What emotional impact would you like your story to have on your readers? 

And I brainstormed this a little bit in this story development phase. And while I'm writing the first draft, it's there in the back of my mind. It's when I'm editing that I'm really thinking about this because this is shaping all my decisions. What is the emotional impact that you would like to have on your readers? 

Do you want them to be thrilled? Scared? Fall in love, have adventures, that upliftment of adventures. Wonderment of travel to amazing places. Do you want them to feel touched deeply in their heart? And just have a transformative experience and a relief. 

There's a lot of different things that you could say about what is it that you want your readers to feel. It's very specific and it's tied to your stories and it's tied to your characters. 

[05:21] Building a Community of Peers

BETH BARANY: And the last thing I want to say about marketing is, as you think about marketing your novel, think about building and don't just think about it, but do it, look for your peers, be in community, be in different groups of your peers.

And who are your peers? 

Other people who write similar or same kind of novels that you're writing. It's really important to be in a community of your peers. And there could be overlapping communities. You could be in a group that has all kinds of writers and that's a community of writers. You can be in another group that is very genre focused, which is also very helpful. Or it could be in a group where everyone has the same value set. And that you can also be looking for as well. And you can have multiple communities online and in-person.

It's really important to develop a community, I call it of like-hearted peers. So you want to feel safe. You want to feel respected and supported and that it's mutual. So everyone is supporting each other and being professional about it. 

So as you deepen into your marketing and your. Trust Your Heart Marketing phase of your story-building process of writing your novel, editing your novel and looking towards publishing, I want you to think about these two questions that I ask at every step, which is: what is working for you?

Maybe what's working is that you're curious about marketing, even if you've never done it. And then the second question is: what would you like more of? 

[06:47] Overcoming Marketing Fears

BETH BARANY: I know when I first started out, marketing felt very daunting, very scary, actually. And so what I wanted more of was to feel comfortable with marketing because I knew intellectually that marketing was important, but I really felt scared. So I got some support. around how to feel more comfortable with marketing. And some coaching and some guidance and that was so helpful.

It helped me see that marketing is really about you offering your gift, your book, which is your gift. 

Offering that to the world. That's all it is.

 And so our job in the marketing phase is to find ways that are enjoyable. 

In my book, there is no "shoulds". There's no "have-to's". There's what do you like to do? 

Because if you find activities about sharing your work that you like to do, Then it's fun, then it's sustainable. Once you do what is comfortable, then as you get more- more and more comfortable with that and more practiced at that, then you can start to stretch into areas that might be unfamiliar and a little bit more risky to you and start learning those.

[07:52] Start with your strengths

BETH BARANY: So I really believe in starting with your strengths. And moving from there. Honestly, this is a topic I could talk so much more about. I teach a big workshop on it. And, I have so much to say about this because I've really grown in this area. I totally went from afraid to market my first novel to way more comfortable now in marketing. It's always looking for new ways and expanding them and continuing what I do that I like to do. 

[08:17] Workbook

BETH BARANY: And just so you know, there is a little workbook that comes with the series. 

So be sure to check that out in the link, or go ahead and put into the comments, if you're listening to this on YouTube and say, "Send me the workbook." There is a workbook that comes along with this roadmap. 

[08:34] Conclusion and Next Steps

BETH BARANY: All right, that's it for this week, everyone. 

Next week, we're going to talk about launching and publishing your novel.

So that's it for this week on Step Six for the Trust Your Creative Heart Roadmap for science fiction and fantasy novelists. Write long and prosper.