5 lessons learned from a first-time author (and some big wins too!)

I shared these 5 lessons and big wins with an audience at the virtual Book It Summit March 23-25, 2022—hosted by Judy Weintraub of Skillbites. My intent with the session is to inform other authors about areas I would like to have known more about before beginning my self-publishing journey.

First, it’s important to know your why. Why are you writing a book? What do you hope to give your readers? 

Why was I inspired to write The Customer Communication Formula? My clients asked me years ago to write a book. In fact, my client Mi said, “Charlotte, you owe the world a book,” and that comment was especially motivating. Now, I’m so glad to tell Mi and my other clients that I have written a book for them and for other professionals responsible for customer service. 

The 5 lessons learned:

Lesson 1: You can tell a lot about a book — especially a business book — just by looking at the book cover design. While I really liked my original book cover, I felt like my book was ‘hiding’ online with that cover. I decided to make a big change and shared the process on my blog, “My new book.”

On the left, my original book cover is “hiding” on the bottom row, 2nd from the right.
On the right, my new book cover is featured top row, right.

After going through my second book design (as a birthday gift to myself), I was especially pleased to see how it looked in marketing promotions like an Author Collaboration honoring International Women’s Day.

Lesson 2: Why are you writing your book? As featured on my website, my mantra is “Helping clients keep the Customer at the heart of everything they say and do.” This is my why. My book was written to help influence Customer Communication, Customer Service, and Customer Care for my clients and readers globally. 

Lesson 3: Once you are a published author, then you own a “bookstore.” When evaluating my sales, I often check in with myself: Is my bookstore open or closed? It’s my responsibility to keep my bookstore open. I do this by focusing on: Social Media marketing, Author Collaborations, website and blogs, speaking engagements, and book promotions. 

Lesson 4: Set realistic expectations. One of those expectations is about the upfront costs of publishing and then selling a book. There are millions of authors competing for digital retail space, plus to get on the shelf of a local bookstore. And therefore, the #1 spot is not something all authors can have all of the time. Remember to measure your own success based on your goals, your marketing plan, and how often your bookstore is open. 

Lesson 5: Know your ABCs (Amazon Book Culture). It’s no surprise there are many processes and requirements for Amazon authors to follow to ensure our books are published and get in the hands of the reader. There is definitely a culture around knowing all of this information — from pricing, categories, rankings, rules, reviews, and more. I encourage you to hire professionals who know the culture inside and out so you have a better chance of being successful with the ABCs — and so you can enjoy having your book being highly ranked. 


Big wins

1. The new book cover reflects my brand and how I’d like to be represented in various formats, including my website branding.

2. In March 2022, the book’s rankings in the ebooks Outsourcing category reached #5, and has remained in the top 100 for the last 3 months!

3. I have enjoyed speaking during several events in the last 6 months, including the Book It Summit, Visionaries Summit, and the
ContactCenterWorld Conference.

4. One of my most important wins — and a very personal one — is having people in my hometown of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, celebrate with me. In addition to family, people in my home church, my classmates, and the Tuscaloosa City Council have all shared in this accomplishment.

I donated two copies of my book to my childhood library. Several of my hometown friends delivered the books on my behalf and shared our story with the library staff. As an author, I find that it’s important to have something in mind to deeply connect with (not connected to ratings and reviews) and for us to consider how we can use our platform to give back to our communities.

5. My book journey has been a gift to me and my consulting practice. I have documented over 20 years of knowledge and best practices in my book. A reviewer referred to my approach as “accessible and chock-full of recommendations.” This big win allows me to have an easy reference point for speaking engagements, training topics, and social media content.

I invite you to contact me for a customer service consultation, for an introduction to my book consultant, to check out my book or gift it to someone or consider inviting me to speak at your next event.

The journey to being a published author has been rewarding every step of the way, with lots of lessons and big wins. I look forward to hearing about your lessons learned and your big wins too.