We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kjersten Faseler a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kjersten, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

In 2020, I published my first children’s book, E is for Elephant. It took 10 long months of researching the publishing process on Google, YouTube, and podcasts – anywhere I could find resources that walked me through the steps of publishing. However, I found a significant gap in my search: I couldn’t find any one resource that walked me through the entire publishing process from A to Z, and resources on the publishing process for children’s books specifically were even more limited. Because of this, I created my own checklist outlining every single step I needed to take to publish and market my book to keep me on track, taking bits of information from various resources and piecing them all together.

This checklist was crucial not only during my publishing journey but also for others who would reach out and share that they also had a children’s book idea and had questions surrounding the publishing process. One day, a woman I was helping told me that she had an idea pop into her head… she suggested that I start a consulting business on the side helping people self-publish children’s books. I had this idea cross my mind several times as I was already doing this for free, but her validating that idea got my wheels spinning, and several months later, I quit my full-time job to pursue this passion. I could finally bridge the gap and offer others what I wish I would have had during my own publishing journey: a comprehensive roadmap of the children’s book publishing process via online courses and coaching, plus an interactive author community.

I am so thankful I took this leap. The impact I make on others around the world, helping them achieve their dream of publishing a children’s book, is incredibly rewarding.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a children’s book author and founder of PublishSmart Academy, with a passion for helping others achieve their dream of self-publishing children’s books. I founded PublishSmart Academy to provide authors with the knowledge, tools, and support they need to write, publish, and market their books successfully.

Through my online course, one-on-one and group coaching, and my author community, I specialize in guiding authors through the entire self-publishing process, from brainstorming ideas to writing and editing their manuscripts to working with an illustrator and self-publishing to marketing and selling their books to maximize profit.

While publishing my first book, I found that while many websites offer self-publishing and marketing tips, most do not provide step-by-step, detailed instructions on how to publish a children’s book, which is essential for first-time authors to have. I decided to bridge that gap and founded PublishSmart Academy in 2022, which is a one-stop shop for children’s book authors who are serious about self-publishing.

Running this business is incredibly rewarding as I have the privilege of helping new authors publish their very first books. I am passionate about helping others achieve their dream of publishing, which was once my dream, too.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I started my social media journey like many others: following trends and posting videos that I thought most people would enjoy. Then, I realized if I wanted to get more engagement and find the right people, I had to laser focus and narrow down my niche. I started creating content based on my ideal customers’ specific needs. I grew my TikTok account from zero to over 10k followers after creating a mini-series on the first 4 steps of self-publishing a children’s book and continued creating content that offered quick, actionable tips on publishing and marketing, I gave behind-the-scenes glimpses into my own publishing journey, and gave advice on costly mistakes to avoid and shortcuts people can take to save money during the process. I continued posting consistently and engaging with my followers, creating video responses to some of their questions. This opened the door for more engagement and questions from aspiring children’s book authors.

My advice for those starting from scratch:
– Find your voice and your niche. You don’t need to cater to everyone. Cater to your specific target market and provide unique content.
– Always provide value before asking for someone’s business. You are more likely to get their business if you lead with a giving-first mindset.
– Consistency is key. Post multiple times a week, and don’t neglect posting on weekends!
– Collaborate with others. Whether it be others in your industry or someone with a complementary product/service to yours, don’t underestimate the power of collaboration to excel your business.
– Don’t be afraid to experiment. You don’t need to follow all the “trends” to be successful. Try new things, have fun, but most of all, be you.

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

More than ads or any other form of marketing, social media has hands-down been my best source of new clients. My social accounts have become a community for authors and aspiring authors who dream of one day publishing a children’s book to get publishing tips, marketing advice, new industry updates, hear other authors’ success stories, and more. Through social media, they have come to trust me as the subject expert, and because of that, I have been able to be a mentor, coach, cheerleader, and even a friend to so many wonderful people. For me, it’s more than just building a business. It’s seeing this author community thrive and knowing that I played a part in their journey.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.publishsmartacademy.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kjersten_faseler_author/
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/p/Kjersten-Faseler-Author-100063480852676/
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kjerstenfaseler