by Ane Mulligan  @AneMulligan

In 2014, I took a marketing course at a conference. Presented by three multi-published Southern authors, Janice Thompson, Kathleen Y’Barbo, and Anita Higman, the class taught me a lot about marketing. But the one idea that really struck a chord within me was creating a tribe. The people in an author’s tribe are those who love their stories and help promote their work. 

Okay, but the conference took place less than two weeks after the release of my debut novel, Chapel Springs Revival, so while I came home with terrific ideas, I wasn’t ready to put any in place. I mean, doesn’t one actually need fans to have a tribe?  

When reviews began to come in, I was thrilled. People responded to my whacked sense of humor and my characters. They loved them! I gained a few fans. Amazing. One sent me a photo she took at the beach with my book in her chair. I printed and framed it. After all, my journey to that moment had taken over twelve years and at least a hundred rejections. I was saving every bit of joy. 

With my first few fans, I decided to go ahead and put into place what I’d learned from the conference. I formed a private Facebook group, naming it after the bakery in my novel, Dee’s ‘n’ Doughs, where everyone gathers in Chapel Springs. I invited those who followed my blog tour and loved the characters. They help promote my book and future books. For that, they get sneak peeks at the next book in the series, special offers, the chance to help name people, and other special things just for them. 

I uploaded a file with the names and roles of the characters in the series. Those who joined Dee’s ‘n’ Doughs took on the persona of one of the characters and interacted as such. They had a crazy lot of fun. In some of the dialogue between these “characters,” I picked up new ideas for another book in the series. 

When someone mentioned a new item for the bakery, I got the idea to have everyone submit recipes as their character. I pitched it to my publisher and they loved it. It’s a small eBook, The Official Chapel Springs Cookbook. Some added hilarious side notes to the recipes that come straight from Chapel Springs Revival. 

If you’re ready to launch a new book, you might have fun if you try this. The most important thing is to interact with those who will work for you. Give them sneak peeks into your new works, hold contests to name new characters, or help find a scene idea. These people are avid readers, but not necessarily authors. Still, they have some great ideas and love to see those come out in your books!

Ane Mulligan has been a voracious reader ever since her mom instilled within her a love of reading at age three, escaping into worlds otherwise unknown. But when Ane saw PETER PAN on stage, she was struck with a fever from which she never recovered—stage fever. And so, by night, she’s CEO of a community theatre company and by day, a bestselling, award-winning novelist. She lives in Sugar Hill, GA, with her artist husband and a rascally Rottweiler. Find Ane on her website, Amazon Author page, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and The Write Conversation.