We recently connected with Dawn James and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Dawn thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

My business was born from a passion for teaching and sharing my knowledge with others. I feel it is important to do what you are passionate about because it not only gives you energy, it also enhances personal creativity, innovation and continuous improvement.

To be successful in business today, you need
– a strong brand
– customer service excellence
– a clear message on what clients experience with your company
– core values that serve your clients, your team, and uphold the industry

Many people ask me how I have been able to grow my company since 2010 from offering local self-publishing services in Ontario Canada to reaching a global marketplace and expanding our offerings (retreats, courses, coaching).

One key to my success is listening to the needs of other writers and my clients.
A second key to my success is: to treat every client like they are my first client.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Dawn is the Founder and Managing Director of Publish and Promote, a company dedicated to teaching you “the business of being a successful author.” Since 2010, Dawn James has helped hundreds of writers fulfill their dream of becoming published authors. There is nothing quite like seeing your name in print, and Dawn cherishes the relationship she builds with each of her clients in their quest to become published.

She has over 20 years of publishing experience (magazines, newspapers, books) and experience in B2C and B2B markets. That allows her to bring a wealth of knowledge to every Publish and Promote client.

Dawn James is an award-winning author for her nonfiction book Unveiled (2022 Silver Award, nonfiction| Reader’s Favorite), and the author of a collection of nonfiction books, poetry books and audiobooks.

Dawn enjoys teaching and empowering others to reach new heights and is a sought-after speaker and workshop facilitator at conferences, author events and writing retreats.

OUR MOTTO:

You do the writing, we do the rest.

PUBLISH AND PROMOTE OFFERS:

Full book production or a la carte
Editing
Book formatting
Cover Design
Project Management/Anthologies
Phone Consultations
Strategic Marketing Plans
Writing Coaching program
Workshops
Annual Writers Retreat

PERSONAL NOTE FROM DAWN:

I love teaching and mentoring writers to enhance their craft and tell stories that readers will remember for years to come.

One thing I feel that sets me apart from other self-publishing companies is the personal touch. We are a boutique company which means I give my clients hands-on attention, and while we provide services, we also educate them along the way so they are confident and understand the publishing process.

I am most proud of the relationships I have built with my clients. Many times we are self-publishing several books for a client over a several years. Above all I feel blessed that 99% of my new clients are referrals from former clients.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

A few years ago I did something radical, I exited all social media platforms. At the time, I felt it would be a better use of my time and energy to connect with people in person or virtually and converse with them.

I decided to get back to old-school basics of networking and meeting new people. The main platforms I do networking are meetup, Eventbrite and my newsletter( virtual fireside chats via zoom).

I also started public speaking online and the response has been tremendous. For example, I did a free talk in January via zoom to an audience of 70 people, and by the end of the networking event, 4 people had booked time with me for a publishing consultation session.

However, my best source of my new client are from my former clients referring our services.
Year over year, since 2010, we enjoy a steady flow of new clients through referrals. I adore my clients and I cherish the relationships I have built with each and everyone we serve.

For me, this affirms that the #1 way to grow a business is still word-of-mouth.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

Sometimes a simple approach can surprise you.

When it comes to lead generation, there are multiple approaches you can take. Most options involve spending significant dollars to increase website traffic to a landing page, build sales funnels, use high-tech programs to nurture leads to conversion; etc.

My writing coach and I decided to take a simple approach. We created a webinar called ‘ How to Write your Story’. We wanted to reach writers who were thinking of writing their memoirs or autobiography.
Our investment: $0.00 spent. We invested 75 min to create and post the webinar on Eventbrite.

Within 30 minutes of posting the event, we had 20 people sign up.

I called my writing coach and asked her what’s the maximum group size we can receive on zoom.
She said 100.

4 days later we had over 200 people signed up.
I upgraded my zoom account and we started a bet to see who could guess the final attendee count.
The night before the event, we had attracted 400 people, from 22 countries around the globe ( thank you zoom!)

We were both ecstatic and had a good chuckle about how impactful our simple marketing approach had been. I am even more thankful that of the 400 people that attended our webinar, the entire group subscribed to our newsletter!

‘How to Write Your Story’ is still our most popular event that writers like to attend.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://publishandpromote.ca
• Other: www.therightplacetowrite.com Annual Writers’ Retreat in Costa Rica.