Content Marketing Today

Content Marketing Creates Lots of Cabbage for Vegetarian Cookbook Author

Cathe Olson, a young California mother, figured out how to stay home with her kids and still make an excellent living by becoming a self published author.  The power of the Internet combined with a persistent content marketing campaign has enabled her to sell more than 35,000 books over the past seven years.

That might not sound like she’s entered the ranks of bestsellers.  However it probably puts her in the top five to 10% of all published authors in the United States.  And, because she self publishes, 35,000 books translates into a very nice annual income.  Between her two books, she is still selling about 8000 copies per year.

If you have ever thought about writing a book, you can learn a lot from Cathe about how to do so profitably over many years.  Clearly, writing the book is just the beginning.  Conducting an effective content marketing campaign is essential to actually selling a lot of copies.  Here are some of the key lessons she has to teach about turning a book into a long-lasting income stream:

• For most new authors, self-publishing is the smartest approach to turning your book writing ambitions into reality.  First, as an unknown, very few publishers are likely to take you on.  But, if they do, you will get a small royalty at best and  typically receive  less than one dollar per copy sold.  In fact, Cathe told me that fellow authors who had worked with publishers were universally disappointed.  Moreover, all but the most famous and biggest best-selling authors must do all of their own publicity and marketing.  Therefore, it makes sense to publish yourself so that you will earn a substantial amount of money per copy sold.
• Cathe’s first smart decision was to focus on area of content about which she is passionate–that is, providing wholesome vegetarian cooking for babies and for families.  This is an excellent niche because plenty of other people are equally passionate about pursuing a vegetarian lifestyle.  Therefore, not only is there a market for her books but there are multiple print,in person, and online outlets for providing  relevant and valuable content about vegetarian cooking.
• She does a significant amount of content marketing by providing everything from full-length articles to free recipes on baby sites.  Cathe said that the typical scenario is for people to try out a recipe and then check out her website and ultimately buy the book.  She is also an active participant in discussion boards about mother and baby issues.  These extensive content marketing efforts positioned her as an authority that potential book buyers can trust.  Therefore, it’s an easy next step for them to actually buy her books as they come out.
• She does active in person content marketing with lots of speaking engagements and the provision of parenting classes at schools.  Of course, she always has books to sell at those events.
• Cathe’s website, www.simplynaturalbooks.com , does a great job of making it easy for people to buy her books.  It provides complete information about the books with book descriptions, table of contents, sample recipes, reviews and testimonials, tips, and a list of resources.  But she also has made it extremely media friendly with a separate Media Room that includes high-quality downloadable images. Thus, she also makes it easy for reporters to write about her.
• Her blog provides an excellent opportunity to extend her reputation as an expert.  She uses a simple design on the free blogger platform.  She has a great promotional header which explains who she is and why you would want to read her blog: Cathe Olson, author of “Simply Natural Baby Food” and “The Vegetarian Mother’s Cookbook,” keeps you up to date on food politics, whole foods and nutrition, as well as posting her cookbook experiences and book reviews. Also see her web site at www.simplynaturalbooks.com.  Her blog gets a Google page rank of five out of 10 –which clearly reinforces her position as an authority in her field.

Cathe Olson proves that you can be a stay-at-home mom and a successful author all the same time. Her formula is simple: write about a topic that inspires your passions and become a relentless content marketer on behalf of your books.