Are You Ready for Your Unexpected Opportunity?

There’s nothing like an inspiring quote or a motivating speech to propel us to action.

You could probably rattle off one or two of your favorites from people like Winston Churchill, Mother Teresa, or Oprah Winfrey. And it’s likely you have that quote written on an index card and placed somewhere you can see it regularly to remind you why you’re doing what you’re doing or to boost your spirits when you begin to question yourself.

And that’s great! We all need something to keep us going.

One quote we especially love at The Author’s Write Hand is from James Clear, author of Atomic Habits. We’ve seen so many authors struggle and it seemed as if Clear was specifically talking about - and possibly to - them when he wrote these words:

“Many people are not ready for their lucky break when it comes to them. Develop your skills. Study your craft. Save some money. Build a network before you need it. Lay the groundwork. The prepared person is positioned to benefit from unexpected opportunities.”

So often, authors aren’t ready when “the call” for a book contract comes their way. Yes, their manuscripts are complete, but many of the other areas of their author life - particularly marketing - aren’t. They don’t have a newsletter, they haven’t posted on social media in months, or they have no clue how to connect with readers. All of which are necessary components for selling their books.

So they panic.

But they don’t have to. Why? Because there’s wisdom in Clear’s words:

• Develop your skills. Read up on how to market your book and develop a consistent plan of posting so that you become better at social media. While it may not come naturally to you, it is something that can be learned.

• Study your craft. Just like you spend hours learning how to develop your plots and characters to write a compelling story, you may need to study what works well and what doesn’t when it comes to marketing yourself and your books. You will probably make a lot of mistakes along the way, but keep trying and eventually, you’ll find something that clicks.

• Save some money. Yes, it takes money to market yourself and your book. Just as you invest money to attend conferences or buy educational tools to strengthen your writing muscle, you’ll also need to invest in your marketing. You’ll need a website, business cards, and money for ads. The list goes on and on. Start looking for ways to save money sooner rather than later.

• Build a network before you need it. Connect with other authors and ask them what they’re doing to market to their audience. Discover how you can partner with other writers to reach more people. Writing your book may be a solo task, but marketing doesn’t have to be.

• Lay the groundwork. Build a solid marketing foundation from the get-go so you can make the most of your time. Have all your writer information in one, easy-to-access place, or create templates to send to your launch team that you reuse for each new book that releases. In doing so, you won’t be so overwhelmed when a need arises because you already have all your ducks in a row.

Although we love Clear’s quote, it can still be a lot to absorb and complete on your own!

That’s why we established The Author’s Write Hand. We can help you with ALL of these things (Yes, even the money part as we have tons of free marketing resources we can recommend). So if you’re encouraged by the quote but find that it’s not something you can handle by yourself, contact us. We’d love to help you.

It may not seem like it right now, but your unexpected opportunity may just be around the corner. Don’t let it catch you off guard. Make preparations now! Not only for your manuscript but for the marketing that’s necessary to share your words with the world.

Whether you believe it or not, it’s coming.

Mark 13:22-23 (MSG) “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen ... And since you don’t know when that time will come, be on guard! Stay alert!

The Start of Something New: The Story Behind The Author's Write Hand

Doors of opportunity. They come when you least expect it don’t they?

But when they open, you can either shut the door and walk away or you can take that leap of faith and cross the threshold into something new.

That’s exactly how The Author’s Write Hand began. Through a door of opportunity only God could open and the willingness of four women (pictured below: Liana, Lisa, Erika, and Danielle) to be obedient to the call.

How It All Began

Never in my wildest dreams did I (Liana) think that I would start a marketing business. I simply wanted to write the stories God had placed on my heart and share them with the world.

But just because you build something doesn’t mean they’ll come. That’s only in the movies. No, if I wanted to get my books into the hands of readers, I had to figure out how to find them and then connect with them, hoping that through that relationship they would buy or read my books.

The only problem was I had no clue how to get in front of readers. I was an unknown author with a debut novel (Perfectly Arranged), a very small platform, and limited influence.

Yet, I wouldn’t let that deter me.

I studied. I listened. I read. I did everything I could to place myself in a position where people could find me and my novel. And slowly, I began to build a small community of loyal fans who bought my book, read it and excitedly told others about it.

By the grace of God I figured out how to market myself in a space that was noisy and crowded.

And I assumed other authors did the same.

Until I realized they didn’t.

Hearing the Cries

As I traveled the publishing journey, I began to hear the whispers of frustration from my fellow scribes about the difficulties of marketing. How hard it was to find the time to do it. The uncertainties of what to share and when. The challenges technology presented. On and on the grumbles flowed.

Listening to them, my heart ached for them. I knew where they were coming from as I had just dealt with all of that myself. But who was I to tell them what to do? I didn’t have a best-selling novel, viral videos, or a huge number of followers on my social media platforms. I was just a woman who knew a thing or two but didn’t feel I had much more to offer.

So I didn’t.

Well, occasionally I did. But only when someone reached out to me personally or posed a question in a group only to hear crickets chirp. Then I would speak up and share what I knew or thought might help.

Although I longed to do more, I tucked away any ideas that rooted in my heart and ruminated in my mind, and kept plugging along with my own writing and promotion.

Then a door of opportunity opened and I had to decide whether to walk through it or not.

A Door of Opportunity

After launching Perfectly Arranged, which was more work than I ever imagined, I enlisted the help of a fabulous graphic designer (Erika) and a dependable VA (Lisa). We all worked well together and often discussed how we could assist others on their marketing journeys. But knowing none of us had the time nor resources to do more, we left the desire sitting on a shelf.

Until one particular week in June (2022) when God opened a door. In a span of 7 days I had 3 people - one right after the other - reach out to me with requests for marketing help. They had no idea of what needed to be done and no one had really guided them along the way.

My heart ached for them and for the many others who I knew were in the same boat.

Feeling the pull, I rallied my team and asked them if they would be interested in taking a leap of faith to start a business to fill in the gap for writers, specifically Christian authors (published, unpublished, or indie), who either didn’t know how to market or didn’t want to.

Then, on the day we were going to have our first meeting to discuss the idea in detail, I had lunch with a friend (Danielle). Before I could even tell her about my new venture, she said to me, “If you need help with anything, I have time and would love to lighten your load.”

Right then and there I shared about the door of opportunity that God had swung wide open. She prayerfully considered it and quickly joined the group.

Yet I still felt unsure that I was hearing God right. Was He truly calling me, us, to this task? I spent countless hours journaling, praying, and reading my Bible looking for the answer. Finally, I prayed Gideon’s words: “Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request.” (Judges 6:39) and then I asked for a sign. Any sign. But just a sign that was confirmation this door was indeed open for me - us - to walk through. Then I rose up and waited for Him to direct me one way or the other.

Not surprisingly, I didn’t have to wait long.

Within a few hours of uttering that prayer, I received a text from a friend whom I had sought out advice from about the business idea. However, I assumed she simply wanted to talk about my latest book release, Perfectly Placed, which had just launched a few days before. When I called her, the first thing she said to me was, “I want to hire your company for a few projects.”

We didn’t even have our “Open for Business” sign made, yet we had a paying client. Right then and there I knew God had answered my prayer. Later, when I told the team what had happened and how I felt God leading us in this direction, they agreed and wanted to walk alongside me.

Together, we formed The Author’s Write Hand, an agency whose mission is to provide Christian authors with the support they need to establish business foundations, expand their audience awareness, navigate the ever-changing challenges of connecting with readers, and alleviate the pressures associated with marketing. In doing so, we pray our efforts will allow them to focus on their craft, ignite their creativity, and spread the messages God has given them.

It’s a door only God could open. And now, ours is open, too.