Getting Personal: A guest post with Cara Leyba

Why the Personal Approach is Key as an Author

Whenever people ask me for tips and advice on marketing and promotions as an indie author I tell them this: get personal.

Think about the way you like to be marketed to. Do you enjoy seeing robotic tweets and Facebook updates with buy links in them and no other messaging? Wouldn’t you be much more excited if your favorite author engaged you and established a real connection?

When I decided to self-publish, I decided to make my audience a part of the process. My blog followers knew the book was in the works, and they were extremely supportive of my decision to part ways with my agent and pull my book from submission and publish it independently. So I made video blogs, posts, and updates for them documenting the entire process. From the day I made the decision to go indie, to the day I handed in my first 10,000 words to my editor, to the release of my cover design, they were all a part of it.

I know they loved being involved, and I loved having the support system. They cheered me on and helped me keep going even when I sometimes felt I was in over my head. Having them invested in the process also really helped when my book came out. Sparkle went to #1 in both the Happiness and Self-Esteem categories on Amazon, and it’s all because of my readers. I am so grateful for our connection and I can’t thank them enough!

Author Bio:

Cara Alwill Leyba is a best selling author, and certified life and wellness coach from New York City who empowers women to live their most effervescent lives and celebrate themselves. She encourages women to indulge in the things that make them happy, and swears that every woman can live a "champagne life," no matter how busy she is or how tight her budget.

Her blog, The Champagne Diet, boasts a following of thousands of loyal readers and has been featured in Glamour, Shape, Cafe Mom, Daily Mail UK, MSN Australia, AOL UK Lifestyle, and a host of other publications worldwide. Cara's writing has been featured in The Huffington Post, xJane, Mind Body Green, MTV News, and many other sites.
Cara regularly appears on the “Ask Dr. Fritz” radio show on WWRL New York, where she helps host Dr. Fritz answer questions from callers about love, career, family, relationships and more. She also hosts her own lifestyle and wellness show, "Uncork Your Best Self" on Blog Talk Radio.

Cara's first book, SPARKLE, became an immediate #1 bestseller on Amazon in both the Happiness and Self-Esteem categories upon hours of its release. She celebrated the release of her book with a book signing in New York City this past fall.

When she’s not popping bubbly, blogging, or working with her coaching clients, Cara spends her days leading a digital advertising team at MTV Networks. She lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and dog-child. For more on Cara visit www.LiveCreateSparkle.com

Connect with Cara!


Cara's website: www.LiveCreateSparkle.com
Cara's blog: www.TheChampagneDiet.com
Want to learn how to sparkle? Join Cara's "Sparkling Start" workshop next month and kick off 2013 in glittering, shimmering style! http://www.livecreatesparkle.com/group-workshops.html 


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As women, we have become professional self-critics. We've become so convinced by society that we need to attain a level of perfection that just isn't real. Whether it's trying to get skinnier, look younger, get that promotion, please our parents, get fuller lips or rid ourselves of cellulite -- we're on a never ending mission to change and it always makes us feel like crap.

Instead, why not focus on all the fabulous qualities we already possess? There is so much to celebrate when we look at all of our accomplishments. In this straight-up girlfriend's guide, lifestylist and wellness coach Cara Alwill Leyba encourages women to discover what makes them sparkle so that they can design the lives they desire and deserve. So raise your glass and toast yourself. You're about to start shimmering, shining, and dazzling every day. Because isn't everything better when it sparkles?