We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nik Robbins. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nik below.
Nik, appreciate you joining us today. Is your team able to work remotely? If so, how have you made it work? What, if any, have been the pitfalls? What have been the non-obvious benefits?
I’ve been able to grow my company remotely while still performing at a successful rate. Books and Beer Marketing LLC has a multitude of services offered under a wide umbrella. My LLC has provided a way to incorporate multiple different avenues for not just my clients but myself as well. I am able to work from home 90% percent of the time while venturing out during book signings and meet and greets. Books and Beer Marketing LLC started out as a platform for Indie Authors to reach a wider range of readers. In just a single year my company has assisted in having multiple clients hit the top 20 on the Amazon best-sellers list as well as Barnes & Noble’s best-sellers list. I truly believe if companies are able to adapt to new avenues, such as more work from home positions. They would see success rates within their companies. I love being able to work from home while still being present for my children.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I’m Jennifer the sole owner of Books and Beer Marketing LLC. I build a bridge between authors and the readers. Assisting in a wide range of options from booking authors in stores, conventions, and interviews to building advanced reader teams, also known as (ARC) teams for authors. I utilize social media as a tool to drive readers to authors profiles. I also write under the pseudonym Nik Robbins. I am a debut author as well. My first novel One More Time releases April 1st, 2024. It’s a dark Romance with strong characters filled with betrayal, scandals and death. You should check it out.
What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?
My hobby turned into a side hustle that later became my career. I was new to a genre of TikTok called Booktok. I would make videos reviewing books, giving authors back stories and all around feeling pretty scared to be on the internet talking about the certain genre of romance books that I enjoy. Soon after, I was approached by authors and personal assistants asking if I would like to receive advanced copies of books to read and review before they came out. I realized quickly after spending 60 hours in a single week reading for authors that I would love to be involved permanently. It’s unethical to pay for reviews so I knew that wasn’t an avenue I could venture. I sit down with my family and expressed my desire to work within the community that I love so much. By this time I was already running weekly interviews on Tiktok and being invited to events. So I decided to combine marketing and personal assistant responsibilities together. A year later, here I am. Working alongside authors that I admire and publishing my first novel.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
I can answer this question as I’ve had similar things said to me by friends and family. Some are confused about what exactly I do. My friends and family that have attended college or have a career that they have been doing for years. Often mention to me that it’s risky to open a company and run said company on my own without any formal training or knowledge. I am completely self taught and have been able to form a passable stream of income from my computer. I think to some, risk isn’t something a lot of people can take. With me it was totally worth it, I wasn’t afraid of failing. I was afraid of never trying. I was able to take my love of reading and joy of connecting with new people and use my natural talents of communication and connections to have a career of my choosing. I dictate my own schedule, who’s in my space and the best part. I get to show my children that they can achieve their dreams.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.booksandbeermarketingllc.com
- Other: linktr.ee/nikrobbins