Author
Three self-published children's books, sold in 15 countries, raising awareness for causes I care about.
My Process
The big moments at a glance. For the full story behind each one, with photos, see the Book Blog below.
Lessons Learned
Each book became an experiment in a different way of reaching readers: door-to-door and in-person for the first, digital and online for the second.
Goal: use direct community engagement to raise awareness about Alzheimer's and dementia while learning how to sell, advocate, and scale a mission-driven book.
What I didWalked door to door throughout my community selling the book directly to families, personally explaining the story, its purpose, and its connection to Alzheimer's and dementia.
ResultsSold many books, with peak days reaching around $300, and built strong connections with community members.
What I learnedHow to confidently approach strangers and clearly explain a product, how to read people, adapt messaging, and respond to objections in real time. Sales is fundamentally about trust and communication.
ChallengesExtremely time-consuming and not scalable long-term despite strong results.
What I didParticipated in two community outreach events, including one at an elementary school engaging teachers, parents, and students.
ResultsGenerated strong sales and meaningful conversations, and received positive feedback and ideas from teachers, parents, and children, increasing awareness of Alzheimer's and dementia through storytelling.
What I learnedIn-person outreach leads to deeper engagement than online promotion. Schools are powerful spaces for mission-driven work, and feedback from educators helped validate the book's impact on children.
ChallengesRequired significant preparation and time, and impact depended heavily on physical presence.
What I didReached out to local and national stores, both in-person and online, through cold-calling and cold-emailing to carry the book.
ResultsIncreased accessibility and visibility within the community, and the book was established in Barnes & Noble. Some stores were wary because of the self-published title.
What I learnedPersistence and clear communication matter when pitching a self-published book, and having a proven history is very important for stores to trust you.
ChallengesBeing self-published makes distribution more difficult, since store owners are cautious without a proven sales history.
What happenedTwo local newspapers became interested in featuring the book, and I'm currently in the process of having articles written and published.
What I learnedMedia builds credibility faster than self-promotion, and story-driven projects attract attention when the mission is clear.
What I didContacted numerous online and in-person libraries and visited local libraries to get the book placed there.
ResultsMany libraries were hesitant because the book is self-published and not widely established.
What I learnedInstitutional spaces prioritize traditional publishing credentials.
What I didConnected with educators through outreach events and began conversations about placing the book in classrooms.
Current progressExploring placement in a preschool, local elementary schools, and schools in India.
What I learnedNetworking and making connections is very important. Relationships open doors more effectively than cold outreach, and schools value books that address emotional and social topics for children.
Final reflection: this book showed me how powerful direct, in-person engagement can be when people genuinely connect with a mission. I learned strong people skills, sales fundamentals, and how to advocate confidently, but also saw how time-intensive these methods are and how difficult they are to scale. This experience taught me the value of community-based impact while pushing me to think more intentionally about sustainability and reach.
Goal: after seeing how time-consuming in-person outreach was with my first book, I wanted to try online strategies like social media, Amazon tools, and digital networking to see what actually drives engagement and sales.
What I didPosted consistently on TikTok and Instagram for 5 months, creating 43 different posts and spending roughly 30 total hours on captions and short-form content. Tested static posts before switching to reels, with content initially targeting other authors.
ResultsPosts reached up to 50 likes with encouraging comments, and viewers came from 27 different countries. The book briefly became a #1 Best Seller in its Amazon category, driven by views rather than purchases, but despite the engagement, there were no conversions into sales or reviews.
What I learnedEngagement doesn't equal demand: likes and comments didn't translate into purchases, and reels didn't outperform posts (engagement actually decreased). I was marketing to the wrong audience: other authors weren't buyers. Parents and teachers are the true consumers, not fellow writers.
DecisionPivoted audience targeting from authors to teachers and parents, set a 5-day experiment window to test the shift, and decided to stop posting if no traction appeared so I could reallocate time to higher-impact work.
What I didContacted a large number of individuals and organizations requesting reviews, following up consistently over time.
ResultsReview acquisition was extremely slow. Eventually received my second official review, a major milestone, where a reviewer noted their kids enjoyed the book and repeatedly asked to reread it.
What I learnedReviews are a bottleneck in the entire publishing ecosystem, since most advanced marketing tools depend on social proof. Persistence matters, but results aren't proportional to effort.
What I consideredExplored Amazon Ads as a way to increase visibility.
Why I didn't proceedAds require reviews to perform effectively, and advertising a product without demand only increases spending, not sales. Paying to promote a book people aren't searching for is inefficient.
What I learnedAds amplify existing demand, they don't generate it. You can only market a book that already has demand.
What I didResearched and contacted a wide range of children's book clubs with personalized outreach messages explaining the book and its themes.
ResultsMost book clubs didn't respond. The few that replied said they only feature more established books with higher visibility or review counts.
What I learnedBook clubs function as curated platforms, not discovery tools. They prioritize proven traction over potential, so outreach without prior validation has limited leverage.
ConclusionBook clubs are effective only after a book has established demand and credibility, reinforcing the importance of building proof (reviews, readership) before scaling outreach.
What I didReached out to numerous authors through Instagram and direct messages, created a podcast called From Draft to Done, and invited authors to share their journeys from idea to publication.
PurposeLearn directly from experienced authors, share insights with other writers and aspiring authors, and build a knowledge-based platform rather than focusing solely on promotion.
What I'm learningAuthors are more willing to engage around shared learning than direct promotion, and conversations provide deeper insight into publishing realities than online tutorials alone. Creating educational content builds long-term value, even when immediate sales are limited.
Why this mattersThe podcast reframed rejection into research. Instead of pushing a product, I built a space to collect insight, community, and experience, strengthening my understanding of publishing from multiple perspectives, not just my own.
What I foundAffiliate programs require existing traction and reviews, and without reviews, affiliates had no incentive to promote the book.
DecisionDetermined affiliates weren't viable at this stage. Learned that affiliates amplify demand but cannot create it.
Final reflection: this book taught me that marketing cannot create demand, it can only put a product in front of people who already want it. Moving forward, I will use data, trends, and market research to identify where real demand exists before I begin writing. This experience reshaped how I approach future books and pushed me to make decisions based on evidence rather than effort alone.
The story of a young girl who learns to overcome her fear of public speaking. Personal to me, since I was shy growing up. I'm testing a combination of strategies for this one: