Do you see what I see?

A few months ago I got up the courage to pitch a podcast idea to Tim Grahl. Tim is a book marketing expert—the kind of expert who charges a king’s ransom to run one book launch and who puts authors on the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. The gods must have been on my side that day because he said yes and now our weekly coaching calls have become the Book Launch Show podcast. 

Recently, Tim challenged me to (1) find out where my readers hang out online, starting with which book-related podcasts they listen to, and (2) get myself booked as a guest.

Now, when I was growing up, writers were people from another place or time. They were rare, magically gifted people like Charles Dickens or Jessica Fletcher. They certainly didn’t live on a little island in the North Atlantic; an island with a notoriously low literacy rate.

Imposter syndrome kicked in.

How could I convince perfect strangers to have me on their shows? Then again, how could I go back to Tim and say that I didn’t even try?

I took an extra dose or two of positive self-talk and forged ahead. I’m happy to report that I’ve booked myself on four podcasts so far and one of them has already aired. So, if you’re curious, here’s my interview with the lovely Rachael Herron (interview starts at 7:25).

The day after it aired, my Instagram feed popped up with an image of my words staring up at me. One of Rachael’s listeners had pulled a quote from the interview and had begun using it as inspiration.  

Very cool, right? 

While I was busy doubting myself, someone else was busy quoting me. 





About the author 

Valerie Francis

Valerie Francis is a bestselling author, literary editor, and podcaster with a passion for stories by, for and about women.

Each month, Valerie recommends books from literature’s best female authors. Selections come from every genre because women write, and read, in every genre. The Women’s Fiction category offers up some terrific novels, but these days there’s a strong female presence in thriller, horror, crime, and other genres traditionally dominated by male writers. No matter what the publishing companies may think, in the 21st Century, Women’s Fiction is whatever we want it to be.

stories for women, by women, and about women

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