Welcome to The Writing Coach. On this podcast, I speak with the instructors, editors, coaches, and mentors that help writers and authors create their art, build their audience, and sell their work.

In episode 3 of The Writing Coach, I speak with author and book marketing expert Tim Grahl.

Tim is the head-honcho at Out:think, a marketing firm specializing in book promotion and author platforms. He has worked with hundreds of writers. His clients are New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-sellers in fiction and non-fiction, including authors like Hugh Howey, Daniel Pink, and Pamela Slim. He is also the author of Your First 1000 Copies: The Step-by-Step Guide to Book Marketing which has sold over 10K copies. Marketing and sales are often seen as a slimy task that writers hate, but Tim redefines what marketing is and shares how it can be a fun and exciting while also increasing profits.

During the interview, Tim describes:

• the influence bloggers like Seth Godin and Hugh McCleod had on his early work
• why he always maintains an experimental mindset
• how he was able to put his own advice into practice to reach the 10K sales mark with his own book
• the importance of building an audience that will cheer you on
• how everyone can be relentlessly helpful
• why he has decided to write a novel and what is was like working with a writing coach
• how authors need to review their options carefully when choosing traditional and indie publishing
• and much more!

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Show Notes

Common challenges faced by writers Tim works with:

• Most writers look at marketing or self promotion as inherently bad, evil, or icky. In response, Tim created a new definition of marketing for his clients: marketing is creating long-lasting relationships with people and then being relentlessly helpful

Out:think website

Tim’s book:

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