How a First-Time Author Sold Hundreds of Books

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

Doak Turner may not be a household name, but that’s part of what makes his story so inspiring. Doak Turner had what every first-time author dreams of having: a successful book signing in a packed house in his hometown library. Afterwards, his hosts told him that twenty people usually came to these events, but he had smashed the record by having over eighty people show up — many of whom drove over an hour to be there.

Not bad for a first-time author.

There was no magic involved. Doak’s a marketing guy. He simply used old-fashioned marketing know-how to make this event so successful — and he has used the same principles to sell books ever since.

We love it when BookBaby clients succeed — especially when they have a story to tell. So, we wanted to touch base with Doak to get his tips on how to have a successful book signing, and how first-time authors can sell books.

Doak (rhymes with “cloak”) had no idea what he wanted to do with his life after graduating from high school in 1977. Then one day he heard a radio station was hiring salespeople. This job changed his life.

Doak has since worn many hats (or, in his words, he’s had many identities). He’s worked in radio sales, sports marketing, the music business, and more. He details all of his adventures — and the lessons he’s learned along the way — in his book, A Crazy Journey (And Finding My True Identity).

Let’s start with your fantastic book signing. How did you promote this event?

The monthly event is called “St. Albans Writes,” in which the library board asks authors from St. Albans, West Virginia to come and talk about their books. They asked me in fall of 2024 to plan on an April 1, 2025 signing.

Facebook has been one of my main resources to market my book, and I have two pages: Doak Turner and Doak Turner (Carolina). Each page has over 4,500 followers. I posted the event on my pages and announced the event to everyone via Messenger that I knew were from the area. Then I followed up two months, one month, two weeks, and the week of the event, inviting people to attend the event.

I also messaged my network of friends and family to invite them to the event.

Several of the people that I contacted via Facebook had already purchased the book, which became available in December 2023, and they came to support me at the event.

I also went to the St. Albans Facebook group pages, posted the event, and mentioned that I looked forward to seeing my friends at the event. I waited until a couple days in advance for the St. Albans Facebook groups.

Did you do any marketing or promotion besides Facebook?

I called a contact at the local Charleston Gazette-Mail newspaper and managed to land an article in the entertainment section the Wednesday before the event. And the St. Albans Chamber of Commerce newsletter published a nice article with information about me, the book, and event.

Did you do anything special so that people could have unique mementos of the event?

I did! I pre-signed over 50 books in silver ink — what I called the Silver Signed Edition — and then added the customer’s name at the event.

I’d done a similar promotion when I printed out the first 100 copies of my book, only these were the Gold Signature Series. And, you guessed it, I signed them with a gold Sharpie. Even used a gold “Thank You” stamp.

People seemed to really enjoy the customization.

At what point in the writing and promotion process did you start thinking about marketing? Was it while you were still writing? Earlier? When you were done?

When I first wrote the book back in 2020, I was just getting these stories out of my head and was not thinking about marketing. But as I was writing, I would post photos on Facebook with stories and a teaser that I was working on a book. So, I guess that could be considered pre-marketing of the book.

I learned about engagement on social media in Nashville from a couple people, including Rick Barker workshops that he and I hosted for artists for a couple years. Rick was Taylor Swift’s manager 2005-2008.

Can you give us some of your favorite pointers from those social media marketing workshops?

Of course!

1. Ask questions with every one of your posts and answer back when people respond. This creates engagement with possible customers of whatever industry you are in. After all, you want to be more than just a number in someone’s friend list on social media.
2. Do not make every post about you; put others in the spotlight. Congratulate people on accomplishments, thank them for helping you or buying your product, attending your events.
3. Be a resource. Help others by giving information and tips on your industry.
4. Never have a link in your post. It’s far better to post the link in comments and say “see below for link.” Facebook and other social media platforms reduce the reach of posts with links. They prefer to keep viewers engaged on their platform.
5. Be sure to include an image in every post — just make sure that every post does not include a picture of you. Be creative.

Is there an overall philosophy you have when it comes to marketing?

I have been marketing and selling in various industries since the early ‘80s. Building relationships and believing in my product are my keys to marketing.

I stay in touch with people through the years. If we were friends years ago, if you were a client or someone I worked with, in any industry, then we are still friends. I have always kept up with old friends. And now, with social media, it is easier to stay in touch.

If we connect on social media, the goal is not to just click “add friend.” I always reach out in messenger and say, “Hey, it is great to connect. What is going on good in your world?” That may lead to a conversation right then, or down the road.

Is there any difference in marketing a book or marketing something else?

I believe that using the knowledge and resources I have learned over the years, building and keeping relationships with people, and staying in touch is the key to marketing any product. Believing in the product or service is a must for me to sell and market any product or service.

Are you doing anything right now to market your book?

I am constantly pursuing other speaking engagements as well approaching local bookstores for signing possibilities. I still post photos and articles about my journey, and I ask people who order the book to post about it on social media.

I also have a database of 30,000 people from my years in the music business. So, I’m in the process of working through that list and sending them information about my book. I may have a signed special edition and offer with the book.

Are you working on another book?

I am! It’s called The Invisible Ladder, and it’s about making sure you are pursuing the right goals in life.

You can purchase a paperback or eBook copy of Doak’s book at the BookBaby Bookshop.