How to Market Your Fiction Book Without Losing Your Soul — LIVE Masterclass with NYT Bestseller Breanne Randall
Her new book is being revealed by Supernatural’s Jensen Ackles
Tomorrow is this month’s live masterclass inside the Online Writing Club Inner Circle - How I’d Hit the NYT List & Build an Audience of 500K (If I Had to Start Over)
And I cannot wait to introduce you to witchy fiction author and storyteller, Breanne Randall, who managed to get 11,000 pre-orders (!) without the help of a big publisher.
We’ll meet
live on…Wednesday, November 5
14:30 UK | 9:30 ET | 6:30 PT | 15:30 Berlin
🎬This is the Zoom registration!
Give her one hour, and Bre will show you how to turn your publishing and marketing dreams into a real, practical plan.
If you already know you want to be there, join the Online Writing Club Inner Circle today with 30% OFF and save your seat for the masterclass.
For the fiction writers among us
About 30% of our members write fiction. So I’m jumping out of my skin, excited to bring you the first fiction author.
Bre is a novelist who built her dream career from the ground up.
She’ll show you…
how to market your (fiction) book without losing the heart of your story, and
how to use Substack Notes and social media to grow an authentic audience of readers who care about your work.
If you’re writing a (fiction) novel, publishing one soon, or dreaming of seeing your story on bookshelves, this session will feel like a masterclass in possibility.
First, if you like to listen
We already had Bre on the podcast.
In that episode, we talked about how she went from unknown writer with chronic illness and kids at home to “New York Times bestselling author with a devoted audience.”
If you like to listen while you walk, cook, or commute, start there.
You can listen to the podcast now, then come to the live masterclass tomorrow with your questions ready.
From heartbreak to the New York Times list
Before the glow up, there was a girl with a big dream, a chronic illness, and a grandmother who believed in her.
Bre’s grandmother was her best friend.
“On the days I’d feel down about all the rejections she’d tell me, ‘Don’t you worry honey, one day I’m going to see your name on the NYT bestseller list.’”
Bre took that promise to heart.
But the road to that list was not easy.
She spent almost ten years writing.
She worked as a freelance writer and journalist to pay the bills while drafting novels on the side.
She wrote three books before the one that finally sold.
There were:
A science fiction book she never even queried
An urban fantasy that got many agent requests but no offer
A YA book written with her best friend, again lots of interest but still no yes
She started the book that changed everything in early 2018.
Halfway through, she knew something was off.
She did not want to rewrite it.
She did it anyway.
She sent her first query in August 2018.
She sent 54 queries in total.
She got her offer of representation on October 1, 2019.
All while raising kids.
All while living with chronic illness.
All while writing in tiny pockets of time.
And BTS, there were about 500 rejections across a decade!!
Five hundred times, she could have stopped.
But she didn’t.
Then Bre’s grandmother passed away
That dream, that New York Times list, could have died with her.
Instead, Bre turned her grief into a promise.
She would get that book into the world.
She would honor the woman who saw her before anyone else did.
She wrote.
She rewrote.
She kept her head down and her heart open.
The result was a women’s fiction novel with magical realism, full of food, family, and legacy—“My first book was the book of my heart (…)”
And her dream came true.
A debut that defied all odds
No ad budget. No big publisher campaign.
Just a mom with grit, magic, and a promise to keep.
Bre built her audience from scratch, one post, one video, one connection at a time.
Over the next 2.5 years, her work led to:
More than 10,000 preorders for her debut!!
Becoming a Barnes & Noble and Amazon bestseller
Blurbs from New York Times bestselling authors
Hitting number 6 most requested book on all of NetGalley
Over 100,000 adds on Goodreads
More than 20,000 email subscribers
Over 500,000 followers across platforms
7 million monthly reach
Becoming an instant New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author
All from showing up daily and caring deeply.
At one point, she even hand-addressed 500 preorder envelopes herself.
This is the level of care and intention she’ll share with you in tomorrow’s live masterclass.
The book reveal
And Bre’s latest novel has already made waves online.
Just last week, actor Jensen Ackles (yes—Dean Winchester from Supernatural) helped reveal the cover of her upcoming book on social media.
It’s a stunning story wrapped in magical realism, family legacy, and a pinch of witchy charm.
Tomorrow, Bre will talk about how that moment came to life and what it means to build genuine relationships and excitement around your fiction before launch day.
Lessons we’ll explore live
Inside the masterclass, we’ll go deeper into:
How Bre turned rejection into fuel
How to separate your worth from your work
How to create emotional “hooks” that sell books
How to market your fiction with heart, not hype
How to grow your audience on Substack Notes and social media
How to stay consistent without burning out
In Bre’s own words:
“When I was struggling with rejection, low sales, or dips in social media metrics, the stress and anxiety would creep in. But I have to keep reminding myself that I am more than numbers. I pour my heart and soul into my work, yes, but I am NOT my work. I am worthy regardless if I ever write another word or not.”
And she adds,
“I will continue to get rejections—and that’s okay. Because that’s part of my story. My journey. And I hope that in sharing this all with you, you know that the dips will come, the fear and self-doubt and imposter syndrome will rear their ugly heads. But we keep on. We keep writing. We work to get our magic back. And share that magic with the world however we can.”
Don’t miss this masterclass: How I’d Hit the NYT List & Build an Audience of 500K (If I Had to Start Over)
If you write fiction, if you dream of holding your book in your hands, if you want to know how to market your work without losing your soul—this is your hour.
“(…) I know firsthand how overwhelming it can feel to be an author in today’s world. Writing the book is hard enough and then comes publishing, and suddenly you’re told you also need to be a marketing expert, a content creator, and a full-time cheerleader for your own work. It’s… a lot.”
Join us live inside the Online Writing Club Inner Circle on
Wednesday, November 5
14:30 UK | 9:30 ET | 6:30 PT | 15:30 Berlin
Give Bre one hour and let her help you build your plan for (self-)publishing and marketing success.
You can:
As it’s “National Novel Writing Month” you can join the Club today with 30% and secure your seat!
Or register as a free subscriber and enter the draw for one of the guest spots (I’ll pick 2 to 3 people to join us live)
Come meet the woman who turned heartbreak, illness, and 500 rejections into a New York Times bestselling story.
Tomorrow, we’ll learn how she did it and how you can too.
Bring your dreams and make them a reality.
See you soon tomorrow, Wednesday, November 5
15:30 UK | 10:30 ET | 7:30 PT | 16:30 Berlin
P.S. As always, if you have a subscription/writing question or challenge, let me know. Maybe I can help!
P.P.S. If you’re a fiction writer, hit reply! Share the link to your newsletter and ensure that you add your site to stackbuddy.io.
Oh, and here’s how I can help you even MORE
⭐Substack Notes Kickstarter Bootcamp with alums and Notes rockstars
and NOW as on-demand course + weekly Q&As with yours truly!⭐1:1 Coaching (3 spots left for 2025!)
⭐StackBudy Collaborations (FREE tool) no excuses! My husband
Patrick God built a tool for us to find collab partners in no time. We’re now Substack 250+ writers!
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Join the chatty Chat thread here: https://substack.com/chat/443311/post/acad112f-4680-44d6-8079-3c8d27d2ea7c
Here's the Zoom link to register: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/vSSnDOF3Rduox8M-XMMB8g#/registration