Feature Speakers: Dave Kratzke and Craig Handel – Jumpstart your Marketing!
Thank you for another fantastic turnout at the GCWA Monthly August Meeting held at the Fairfield Inn in Fort Myers, FL and via Zoom. We are always pleased to welcome new attendees!
This month’s feature was an engaging and informative presentation, “How to Market Yourself and Your Book Like a Pro” by two published authors and veterans of the press, publishing, and advertising. Craig Handel and Dave Kratzke know how to get attention, jumpstart marketing, and spark sales!
Dave, owner of Big Kat Kreative, a publishing and marketing company, opened with a reminder that marketing preparation begins before your book is written. The first step is clarifying the goals you want to achieve through your writing: to entertain, inform, build your business brand, or achieve status. Then, knowing your target audience will guide your writing and marketing efforts.
Authors should take book cover design very seriously, since this is the one image that people will consistently see, in posts, web content, advertising, and on Amazon and other marketing and distribution channels.
With great visual examples, Dave noted that using a professional for cover design can be well worth the investment. There was a quick review of marketing basics and for building an online presence and author branding before discussing launches, advertising channels, customer engagement, and on-site and online sales. Craig provided pointers on publishing and distribution channels: Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, and Draft2Digital.
If you weren’t able to attend, the presentation will be available for members at GulfWriters.Org. To review the Zoom recording of the full meeting, members should email a request to Christie Zarria at czarria57@gmail.com.
Business Items
GCWA Annual Writers Contest – Winners were announced!
Find the winners and read their works on our website under Contest Winners. Judges reviewed 89 entries from around the world for the 2024 GCWA Annual Writers Contest across three categories: fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. A celebration is scheduled for the GCWA meeting September 21 where contest winners will have an opportunity to read their stories to the public. The 2025 GCWA Writers Contest will be moved up with a projected submission period of January through March.
GCWA Meeting Location
With our previous location, Word of Life Church, undergoing remodeling, we will experience some different meeting venues while finding the most suitable home for future meetings. Continue to check Gulfwriters.org for the most up-to-date information. The next meeting is September 21 at Lakes Regional Library, at 15290 Bass Road in Fort Myers.
Youth Writing Contest Judges Requested
Mary announced that D. J. Kristoff, “Dino Diane” has established an exciting Adventure Club for youth. Dino Diane’s Adventure Club will be having a writing contest in October. Diane is seeking volunteers to judge entries up to 800 words. GCWA members interested in volunteering could sign up at the meeting or may contact Diane directly to sign up or get additional information at djk@dinodianesadventures.com.
A Literary Titan Book Award Winner Among Us – John Siko
Award-winning author John Siko continues to garner great media success with his first book, “Anatomy of a Wrongful Death Lawsuit.” Since being published by Austin Macauley Publishers LLC, he has been interviewed for two podcasts in the last month, and the book will be featured by the Publishers Weekly, the week of August 19.
Other Member News
Brian Sluga briefly shared that he and his wife had just returned from Paris, having had the energizing opportunity to partake in the Summer Olympics and take in the town. Brian credits his running practice for its significant role in his cancer recovery (his work in progress). So, witnessing the U.S. men’s and women’s track and field finals at the Paris Games was particularly meaningful.
Website Update
Ed Donlin shared the Website continues to be a work in progress and encouraged members to try out the new chat/forum feature. If you are having difficulty logging in, or have feedback on the site, please email Ed directly at: boatguyed@gmail.com for assistance.
Community and Conversation
Tequila’s Mexican Bar and Grille was a spicy host for the 12 who came to lunch. A highlight was more time to pick the brains of our presenters, Dave Kratzke and Craig Handel. As always, there were 2-3 conversations simultaneously at the GCWA table.
