I had the privilege of crossing paths with Mimika at a Hope Writers meet up at the Pineville Barnes and Noble. I was inspired to listen to her podcasts and then was excited to be a part of this book launch!
Tell us a little about yourself and why you decided to write this book.
This book was born out of frustration. I’ve been a tortured creative for years! As a little girl I always dreamt of being a writer, and then I became an entrepreneur. For years I had this burning message brewing inside of me, but I thought being a full-time writer only happened to the “special ones” or those in the movies. To satisfy my creative outlet, I delved into being a professional photographer for 13 years. After years of chasing business ideas and what I thought grown ups did, I finally came back to the realization that I AM A WRITER!
After traditionally publishing two books and not enjoying the process, I put my pen away. Thinking I didn’t want to try book publishing again I gave up on the dream. But then the light bulb went off when I discovered self-publishing! No longer did I have to beat down doors or trawl through gatekeepers (hoping them would knight me honorable enough to be called a writer). Nor did I have to press my face against the glass, hoping someone would invite me into this elusive “VIP Writers Only Club”. Frustrated with the tedious old school method of book publishing, I realized I could make it happen on my own using my years of marketing experience and technological savvy.
After successfully self-publishing two books, I’m now so passionate and determined to help other inspirational authors tell their stories, share their message and impact the world through their words. You no longer have to wait years to feel the pages of your words in print, it CAN be done !!! Everything I have learnt I have learnt through the school of hard knocks. I love to help and teach others the skills that I’ve accumulated along the way. This book is a culmination of all those years packaged into an easy to read step-by-step guide.
Can you tell us what a “platform” is and who can find value in this book?
For writers we are accustomed to hearing the word ‘platform’ thrown out in publishing circles from editors, literary agents, and traditional publishers. If you’ve ever tried to pitch a book idea and were told you need a bigger platform, it can be heartbreaking if you have no clue how to achieve it. The problem lies in the misconception that once you sign a book contract then your work is done. Many writers mistakenly think that the publisher will do all the marketing for them and that the book will sell itself. Sorry darling but that is not how it works! Books don’t sell themselves, the author has to do the work to share about it.
Platform for writers refers to how people hear about you and your work and how they find you. It’s a way of elevating your voice above the crowd so people pay attention. By “building a platform” you are building the foundation to your house brick by brick, using tools like email, social media and marketing. Most writers I meet prefer to hide in their writing closets and never have to peer out unless absolutely necessary. The term “marketing” has got a bad wrap, especially amongst writers who think it means having to be salesy or slimy. But that is the furthest thing from the truth! Marketing and selling your book to the reader who is desperately seeking a solution to their pain is called SERVING. Without sharing about your book how on earth are readers going to find you? This book has been written for the writer who desperately wants to share their life’s work and passion for writing and sharing their message, but marketing is not their jam.
I love how practical this book is for the reader. You have covered several actions you can implement to build your platform. If you had to choose just one, what would you choose? Why?
If you’re starting from scratch and feel overwhelmed by all the options, I would focus your efforts on building an email list. Even if your book is just an idea, you can take your friends and fans along the journey. Every time you use social media or do any marketing activity, your efforts should be based on how you can better serve your future or current reader. Email opens the way for communication and building a relationship. The sooner you start building your email list the better because there are no guarantees that any social media platform will be around in the future.
What is your favorite giveaway you have ever offered and how did it help your platform?
I love to use giveaways for a book launch or as a way to build my email ist fast. However, you want to use their sparingly otherwise your readers will get trained to wait to get free stuff from you. The most useful way of leveraging a giveaway is to make sure the prizes offered are specific to your ideal reader. You don’t want to offer something everybody wants, like Amazon gift cards or a Kindle reader. Those prizes will attract time wasters who have no intention of becoming a loyal fan. Instead pick other books in the same genre of your future book and offer a bundle or other tools.
You talk about the importance of video on social media outlets, especially Facebook. How would you guide the person who find this incredibly scary (asking for a friend)?
Video is the quickest way for someone to get to know, like and trust you. It’s the closest thing to sitting across the table from a friend enjoying coffee. However it can be daunting if being on camera scares you. The trick is to start small, like any other activity, and grow your video muscle confidence. Using Facebook live is the cheapest and easiest way to start and won’t cost you anything other than time. Forget about perfection, this isn’t a Hollywood production, just start small and build from there.
I love listening to your podcasts. What has been your all time favorite person or topic discussed?
That would be like choosing between my children! It’s simply too hard to choose one because there is so much valuable information you can glean from listening to podcasts. I know I’m biased because I’ve been hosting my own show since 2013, but podcasts are fast becoming the media platform to build a loyal readership. Depending on my mood or what I’m interested in learning, I have a selection I like to refer to. Some of my favorites include Doug Addison’s ‘Spirit Connection’ Podcast, Shawn Bolz’s ‘Exploring the Prophetic’ podcast, Graham Cooke’s ‘ Brilliant Perspectives” and Dave Chesson’s “Book Marketing Show”.
You said in your book, “The fear of what people think can hold you back from creating deep connections. When you can push yourself out of your comfort zone and show a little skin, you will be surprised by the reception.” Can you share a time were you did just this and the reception you received?
As a child I dreamt of doing figure skating. Growing up in South Africa we didn’t have access to a rink so I spent 13 years as a ballet dancer. Fast forward to my 30’s and my family and I immigrated to the USA. My daughter attended a birthday party at our local ice rink and I was hooked. I had the thought “You can’t learn now you’re way too old!” or “What are people going to think of you?” to “You’re going to look lame”.
Well, I pushed through those limiting beliefs and negative thoughts and at age 33 took up figure skating! Ten years later I’m a competitive adult figure skater with a coach I work with on a weekly basis. I’ve won 4 medals in competitions (2 gold) and my ultimate goal is to make it to the Adult World Championships in 2020. I’ve been so surprised how supportive others are, and how they’ve found my journey to be inspirational. If you can dream it, and you’re determined to push through the doubts and pain, it CAN BE DONE!!!
Thank you Mimika for your time and for sending a book for the GIVEAWAY!
Here is how you can participate in the GIVEAWAY:
- Follow: either candice_deleeuw on Instagram OR candicedeleeuwauthor on Facebook
- Tag a friend in the comments (more tags equals more entries)
- Subscribe to candicedeleeuw.com (only once).
- Follow: mimikacooney on Instagram for an extra entry
- Giveaway will be drawn on November 21.
You can find this book and others written by Mimika at her website https://www.mimikacooney.com/ or on Amazon.
You can listen to Mimika TV Podcast Links:
iTunes
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1446329824
Google Play
https://play.google.com/music/listen#/ps/Ill6j6d2v5vcipijwmusuy6wsku
Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/show/1kba5ItJf9GJ3Z6XeONWF5
