by Timothy Pike

This month, we hear from two giants of the publishing industry, Aimee Ravichandran, who is featured on our cover, and Mickey Mikkelson. The companies they’ve created, Abundantly Social and Creative Edge Publicity, respectively, are part of a two-pronged approach to book promotion that, as you are about to see, is highly effective.

They’re both award winners. Most recently, Aimee was the recipient of the Most Influential Digital Marketing Business Leader 2024 (USA) from Acquisition International, and Mickey has won the 2024 Publicist of the Year Award from USA Global TV & Radio.

Congratulations to them!

It’s clear that Aimee and Mickey love what they do and enjoy collaborating with authors as they work their magic. In our interview, these marketing mavens share insider tips, offer advice for promoting your books, and explain how they operate in concert behind the scenes to position your book for success.

TIM: Welcome to Books & Buzz Magazine, Mickey and Aimee. What are the roles you both play in helping authors promote their books?

MICKEY: I focus on all the traditional media marketing aspects. I book interviews for authors on podcasts, in newspapers and magazines, and on TV and radio. I also obtain book reviews and focus on library event bookings as well as bookstore signings. Truth be told, the authors we work with jointly hear more from me than Aimee. I use the comparison of a car: my efforts are the high gloss paint and the tinted windows, while Aimee is the engine that keeps the car running, along with all the maintenance.

AIMEE: Mickey gets you visibility in the traditional arena, such as podcasts and magazine interviews, while I focus on the digital use of those opportunities to drive online sales and reviews of your book. All while keeping your social media following up to date with all your latest adventures, and sharing those to our networks to help you get maximum reach.

TIM: Where are you both from?

MICKEY: I am lifelong from Canada, growing up in Alberta and living in Edmonton for twenty-three years, moving to Calgary, and then finally Lloydminster, which is where I live now.

AIMEE: I am a Texan girl, born and raised. I grew up in San Antonio, moved to Houston, where my husband attended college, and I am currently residing in College Station. If you follow college football, it’s the smallish town that’s home to Texas A&M University.

TIM: How did each of you get into your field?

MICKEY: Living and working within the Alberta, Canada, market, I originally graduated from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology with a marketing diploma that took me to working special events for Canada’s largest book chain, Indigo. That work was done in 2002, and ultimately, I left there ten years later to work with a technology and insurance company servicing the Saskatchewan and Alberta credit union market.

Working in the corporate environment changed my life because that is where I met Miranda Oh, the first author I would ever sign. She had written a book called Chin Up Tits Out, and because I had bookstore experience, I offered to help her market her book. We started by booking eight signings in the Alberta market, tying the events into our corporate trips during the day. So, imagine spending eight hours in meetings with credit union executives during the day, then adding additional three-hour book-signing events at night. The work was worth it as Miranda was able to network at every store she went to, and our success led to several book events in Winnipeg, where she lives.

After our trip ended, we both decided we didn’t want it to end, so I signed her as my first client, and with the help of my then-nine-year-old, autistic daughter, she helped me design my company logo and select the name Creative Edge. The premise of the logo is two puzzle pieces connecting, which is what our mandate is. One puzzle piece is blue, showing support for autism, something that Creative Edge is a big supporter of.

All of this was done in March of 2015, and by August of that same year, through marketing, word of mouth referrals, and overall networking, Creative Edge became a successful business.

AIMEE: So, to be honest with you, I fell into marketing. I attended the University of Texas at San Antonio, where I graduated with a BA in psychology. While attending UTSA, I was working for a lady named Sandy Lawrence and her PR firm, Perceptive Public Relations, doing social media marketing. Once I graduated in 2016, I moved to Houston and starting working with her in both the PR and digital marketing fields.

It was during this time that I started Abundantly Social, which started off as a social media marketing company, then grew into a company that offers done-for-you author services, including PR and social media marketing. We do drive to #1 bestseller and enjoy doing a fun party for the launch of your book.

TIM: How did you meet and decide to join forces?

MICKEY: I’m going to pass this on to Aimee because it’s a funny story, and one I am sure she is dying to tell.

AIMEE: Oh my, I love telling this story! So, Mickey saw an ad I was running promoting my podcast, Author Talk. We were looking for new authors to interview, and wouldn’t you know, Mickey saw it. He e-mailed me asking for a phone conversation. I told him sure, anytime. This man calls me the very next minute and starts talking about my show, and how he can fill it, and so on and so forth.

Then, in true Mickey fashion, he says, and I quote: “I see you have a publicist on your team. There will be no conversations with my clients about your services, or I will pull all of my authors from your show.” I’m like, “Yeah, no, that would be me, and I am no longer doing PR.” I was focusing on marketing since my kids at the time were much younger and needed my attention more. He agreed, and the rest is history. I will say that when we started working together, I reached out to him for help on a client, and he sent over his contract. I had very strict rules to follow, but now look at us: the best of friends.

TIM: Are most of the authors you work with traditionally published or self-published?

MICKEY: The majority of the authors we work with jointly are self-published, while I also work with some traditionally published authors, both small press and the big four publishers. There is no preference in the work, and I strongly believe that the indie author of today has as much right on the big stage as the traditionally published author does—provided they invest in themselves.

AIMEE: I focus mostly on self-published or small press–published authors. Not to say we don’t work with traditionally published authors. I just have a soft spot for the underdog, which I very much believe is self-published and small press–published authors. Some of the best books I’ve read are self-published.

TIM: What are the most challenging parts of your jobs?

MICKEY: For me, the most challenging part—and yet fun part—is working with all of the dynamic personalities that we get to work with, not only from a client perspective, but also from a media and outsource perspective. You have to be constantly pivoting and thinking about opportunities in different and innovative ways, at least from a traditional media standpoint. The one thing I have learned working within this is that rules are made to be broken, and everyone is an expert and has their own take on things. The biggest challenge is determining which is the right direction to go on something, and then having the foresight to work with your client and pivot when needed to have success.

For me, I’m lucky because I have someone like Aimee I can bounce ideas off of to ensure that we are always going in the right direction.

AIMEE: The most challenging part for me is hitting the goal that I’ve set for the author in terms of sales. When we hit it, it’s amazing, but sometimes we try everything and it still just doesn’t do what we want, which can be discouraging.

TIM: What’s your greatest success story?

MICKEY: Jointly, I think it was working on Dr. Roger Leslie‘s memoir Light Come Out of the Closet, which received a five-star Publishers Weekly review, an article in USA Today, and a national buy of the book through Indigo. The great thing about this is that Roger is a self-published American author, and many of our critics said we would never get a national buy on a book that was not Canadian or bred at home. Well, we proved them wrong and broke the rules. All in all, it took about eight months from release date, but the point is that it happened!

AIMEE: I mean, I agree with Mickey, but I also think being a part of the journey with the author when they hit these milestones, for me is the best gift I can get. What an honor to be a part of their success story.

TIM: For authors who are just learning how book marketing works, what goes into a book launch?

MICKEY: I will pass this off to Aimee because she is in charge of our book launches (see: the engine that runs the car).

AIMEE: Oh man, where do I begin? Timing your launch with a holiday or a day that is somehow related to your book. Then setting up the promotions you are going to offer. “Promo stacking” it to give it the best chance. Doing the launch party and celebrating its birth. Stressing over ranking and having mini–heart attacks throughout the day. That’s the tip of the iceberg of what goes into setting up your book for the most success possible.

TIM: What’s the biggest mistake you see authors make when promoting their books?

MICKEY: For me, the biggest mistake authors make is not having a clear vision of what they want to do and trying to listen to so many so-called experts about what to do next. When that happens, authors will start to take shortcuts instead of striving for quality in their book covers, their images, and their overall branding. Authors who take the time to properly edit, format, and then release a book will always have more success than an author who is turning out books every month. The lack of quality will show in the work, and that mindset does not lend itself to obtaining new fans and readers.

AIMEE: For me, it’s when all they are posting on social media is, “Buy my book! Buy my book!” Stop. No one wants to be sold to. They want to buy because they feel a connection to you. Go back to just being friends with your following, and oh yeah, you wrote a book. Don’t cram it down their throats. Trust me, people don’t like it and will avoid you.

TIM: Any other advice for authors as they go out and seek to make names for themselves?

MICKEY: For indies, it is so important to stay professional, both in their own personal images and in their author branding. The key thing to remember is not to sacrifice quality when putting out the product. But it’s also important to ensure the brand is your own and that you are not trying to second-guess what your audience wants.

Hiring a publicity team can help an author identify with that branding, and in most cases, it’s not as expensive as people think. Creative Edge and Abundantly Social started out working with indies, so pricing strategies are set up so the majority of indies can afford to work within our strategies and services. It’s usually a win-win for both sides.

AIMEE: Don’t let social media overwhelm you. It started off meaning being social and connecting with people all over the world. Focus on that! Pick one or two platforms you are comfortable with and do those. You don’t have to be everywhere. Be where you are comfortable and your readers will come.

Aimee Ravichandran grew up in San Antonio, Texas, where she attended the University of Texas at San Antonio and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. During that time, Aimee began working with Houston-known Sandy Lawrence, former CEO of Perceptive Public Relations, which was where she began to learn the ins and outs of social media and book marketing. Over her twelve years in the industry, Aimee has helped create over 150 Amazon-bestselling authors and was named one of the Top 10 Innovative Women Changing the Face of Business in 2022. You can also find Aimee in The CIO Today as one of the 10 Most Promising Female CEOs to Watch In 2022.

Mickey Mikkelson is the founder of Creative Edge Publicity. In 2006, he began his work in the literary and bookseller industry as the special events manager for Chapters/Indigo, Canada’s largest bookstore chain, in St. Albert, Alberta. In 2015, he formed Creative Edge Publicity, a publicity firm that specializes in advocating for both the traditional and independent artist. Mickey has signed some of the top talents in the literary industry, including multiple award–winning authors, New York Times– and USA Today–bestselling authors, as well as successful indie authors, many of whom have become international bestselling authors while working with him.