You’re invited, academic authors
We hope you can join us on April 12, 2025 for Promoting Your Book Online for Academics. You’re invited! 💌
Jennifer van Alstyne and Dr. Sheena Howard designed this live interactive virtual event for professors and researchers like you. Especially if you’ve ever felt like, “I don’t need to do this for me, but I should do this for my book” when it comes to your online presence. Or, if you worry about self-promotion but know your writing / research can help more people if you’re open to sharing it.
Join Dr. Sheena C. Howard and Jennifer van Alstyne for a 90-minute virtual event to help academics and researchers amplify your work, attract media opportunities, and share your book in meaningful ways.
What: 1.5 hour interactive workshop
When: April 12, 2025 at 11:30am Pacific Time / 2:30pm Eastern Time
Where: Live on Zoom (there will be a replay)
With: Jennifer van Alstyne and Dr. Sheena Howard
This event has ended. A free self-paced course version of this workshop is up for you now.
Want an email from Jennifer when the course goes live? Subscribe to her email list.
Your book deserves to be out there. You have agency in telling your book’s story. Here’s what’s on the Agenda for this workshop:
- Goal-setting for your digital success as an academic for where to focusing your time and energy
- Sharing your book or research project in meaningful ways on social media (in ways that don’t feel icky)
- Using media to boost research impact and funding (and how being in the media can help you build relationships)
- Media opportunities for your book and research even if you’re just starting to explore this path (digital, print, TV, YouTube, podcasts)
- Live profile and online presence reviews
- Q&A
Live profile and online presence reviews and the live Q&A are not be part of the free self-paced course version of this workshop.
About the workshop
Promoting Your Book Online for Academics was on April 12, 2025 at 2pm Eastern / 11:30am Pacific Time. It will be recorded for when you can’t make it live.
You should sign up if you’re open to
- Sharing your book (or your research project) online
- Opportunities for your book to be featured in media (but aren’t sure where to start)
- Helping more people with the writing / research you already do
- Aim to attract funding
- Want to build partnerships or collaborations for your equity focused work
Promoting Your Book Online for Academics is a live event for academic authors. But it’s not just for your monograph or edited collection. If you’ve written a report. If you have created a resource. If your research outputs are something you want to share? This interactive workshop is for you.
At the end of this workshop you’ll know what’s effective use of your time for media and online presence.
What’s included?
Our live interactive workshop is on April 12, 2025 on Zoom (1.5 hours)
Replay of the event (video and audio only if you prefer to listen)
Worksheet to help you take action and Resources guide to keep
A private scheduling link for your follow up consultation with Jennifer
A free self-paced course version of this workshop is with activities and a worksheet to help you take action is now live. Explore the course (no email or sign up is needed).
What inspired this event
Hi, I’m Jennifer van Alstyne (@HigherEdPR). I’ve been working 1-on-1 with professors on their online presence since 2018. When I look back on the transformations my clients have gone through, there’s often an emotional journey, not just the capacity-building work we do for your online presence. Most of my clients are authors. The professor writers I work with want their words to reach the right people, many unsure about how to go about that online.
Your book deserves to reach the people you wrote it for. When I ask professors who haven’t promoted their book, “do you hope more readers find this book?” The answer is often “Yes,” even if the book is older. Even when the book didn’t sell as well as you may have hoped. Even when your book is out of print there are things you can do to have agency in sharing it online.
In 2021, Dr. Sheena Howard and I teamed up for an intimate live event that helped academics around the world. We’ve been wanting to do another one since. But we wanted something that was really going to help you. For years, authors have opened up to each of us about what stopped them from sharing their book. When we were brainstorming who we want to help most with this Promoting Your Book Online for Academics event, these are some of the stories that came up:
I thought I’d have more support in marketing my book from the press…but it seems to be mostly on me.
My publisher asked me to build up my social media presence for my new book…I’m not really a social media person.
My books in the past didn’t do well…I’m worried my new book won’t do well either.
I shared my book once. But I haven’t share it again since on socials.
I am unsure if it is too early (or too late) to promote my book.
If I want to promote my book, when should I be reaching out to media? Before the book launches? After the book launches? I don’t know where to start.
I don’t think anyone will care about my book.
I want to go on podcasts to talk about my book, but I haven’t done anything toward that, no.
Do any of those feel like you? I hope you’ll join us.
This event has ended.
Dr. Sheena C. Howard (@drsheenahoward), a Professor of Communication. She helps professors get media coverage and visibility through Power Your Research (without the expense of a publicist). She’s been featured in ABC, PBS, BBC, NPR, NBC, The LA Times, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and more for her research on representation, identity, and social justice. Her book, Black Comics: Politics of Race and Representation won an Eisner Award. The Encyclopedia of Black Comics, which profiles over 100 Black people in the comics industry. Her book, Why Wakanda Matters, was a clue on Jeopardy.
She’s a writer without limits. I’ve recommended Sheena to some of my clients because she’s someone who helps people move past the limits we sometimes set for ourselves as writers. The worries or beliefs that sometimes hold us back. She’s worked closely with writers and creatives to build their capacity, to have agency in your media presence so you can make an impact when it matters. You want visibility that makes a difference for you. That invites readers. That can attract opportunities when they’re aligned with with what you want for yourself and the world.
This event is for you even when you want to do it yourself for your online presence. You won’t have to work with us after the workshop ends. This live event is about implementable strategies, and finding focus for what makes sense for sharing your book or research project.
This event has ended.
A workshop for academics with a book or research project you should be sharing with the world ✨
April 12, 2025 on Zoom at 11:30am Pacific Time / 2:30pm Eastern Time. This event has ended. Check out the free course.
What’s stopped academics from sharing your book?
Stories from professors and researchers. Do any of these sound like you?
“My friend shared it on social media. I reposted it.”
“Those books are older now. I don’t know how or if to share them.”
“It’s not out yet. I thought I had to wait until it’s published.”
“I’m not good on video [wasn’t asked about video].”
“It’s out of print. No one reads it anymore. [But it still matters to me. And I think it could matter to other people too.]”
“My department / school / university shared it in the newsletter.”
“That book came out last year, and I have another coming out soon. It’s too late to share it.”
“I posted about it when it came out years ago. But I haven’t shared it at all recently. Should I?”
“I want to make a book trailer, that’s what will help people read my book. [But unsure of how to share the trailer or how many people it could reach].”
You deserve space online. You can create space for yourself and for your book. What works for one person may not feel right to you. If you’ve never shared your book before, you’re not alone. It’s okay. Sheena and I are here to help you. If you’ve shared your book but feel like it isn’t as effective as you hoped? I hope you’ll join us on April 12.
Be open to your curiosity. It’s okay to experiment with how you promote your book.
This workshop will help you find solutions for sharing your book that fit your life and goals.
This event has ended.
This event was recorded on April 12, 2025. If you were unable to attend because of a schedule conflict or your budget, we have exciting news to share with you:
A free self-paced course based on this workshop is now live!
Want to talk about working with Jennifer and Sheena on a team VIP Day for your Online Presence? Schedule your no pressure Zoom call with Jennifer.