A Book Launch Will Teach You Almost Everything You Need to Know About Selling

A lot of authors spend months, sometimes years, writing a book, and somewhere along the way, they develop the expectation that once the book is available, people are naturally going to want it.

You worked hard on it. You know the information can help people, and you know the story is powerful. So you publish it, announce that it is available, put the link on social media, send a few emails, and wait for the sales to come in.

And then, crickets.

When the sales do not come in at the level you expected, you start questioning the book. Maybe people are not interested. Maybe the topic is wrong. Maybe your audience is not large enough.

But sometimes the problem is not the book. Sometimes it is the marketing.

A book launch will teach you almost everything you need to know about selling because it forces you to learn how to communicate value, create demand, understand buyer behavior, build anticipation, create ...

Can I say something that might be a little controversial? Please stop using AI to create your book covers, and while we’re at it, please stop using AI to create your entire website and all of your marketing graphics too.

Now, before you come for me, hear me out.

I am not anti-AI. I use AI, and I teach our clients how to use AI responsibly.

But what I’m seeing right now, especially in the writing and publishing world, is concerning.

I’m seeing websites that look identical, book covers that look identical, and graphics that you can immediately tell were created with AI. Everything has the same cartoon-style illustrations, similar fonts and placements, overly polished images, generic layouts, and walls of text.

The problem is bigger than aesthetics. The problem is authority.

When you look the same as everybody else, you are going to have a difficult time standing out.

Design Is Not the Same as Branding

One of the biggest mistakes I see people make is confusing design with branding...

Your website could be costing you clients.

Entrepreneurs and experts will spend thousands of dollars writing a book, thousands building a coaching program, and thousands creating content, only to send potential clients to a website that makes them look amateur and unprepared.

And I’m just going to say it: I see websites that are ugly.

I see websites where the content does not align with the expert’s positioning, five different font sizes, broken links, 20 offers on one page, no lead magnet, no email strategy, and no clear path for the visitor to follow.

What should feel like an authoritative home base starts to feel like a cluttered garage sale.

That is a problem.

Especially if you are positioning yourself as a thought leader and asking people to invest thousands of dollars to work with you.

Your website should reinforce your authority, not make people question it.

Here are five things your website needs to do if you want it to support your positioning and help grow your busine...

One of the biggest misconceptions I see among authors is the belief that writing the book is enough.

They believe that once someone buys the book, reads it, and sees how much they know, that person is automatically going to want to hire them.

But that is not how it works.

Over the past 10 years, I’ve worked with entrepreneurs and experts from all kinds of industries. I’m talking about six and seven-figure business owners, government contractors, attorneys, executives, therapists, consultants, nonprofit leaders, educators, coaches, and speakers.

Some of these people have decades of experience and an incredible track record of results, yet they still struggle to charge premium prices.

It is not because they are unqualified, but because they have not learned how to position their authority beyond the book.

If you want your book to create opportunities for speaking, coaching, consulting, events, and other premium offers, you need a strategy for what happens after someone reads it.

S...

People often ask me, “Jasmine, how do you balance it all?”

The honest answer is: I don’t.

I’m currently navigating one of the busiest seasons I’ve experienced in a long time. I’m completing my doctorate and preparing for my proposal defense. I’m running a business, leading a team, coaching clients, creating content, and hosting virtual events.

I’m also a wife, a mother of student-athletes, and the person who is usually on the ground managing school schedules, practices, games, homework, meals, appointments, and everything else that comes with raising a family.

At the same time, I’m still committed to taking care of myself, staying connected to God, and pursuing every goal He has placed on my heart.

That doesn’t happen because I have figured out how to give every area of my life the same amount of attention.

It happens because I stopped expecting myself to.

Balance Is Often an Unrealistic Expectation

When people ask how I balance everything, there are usually a few assumption...

If you’ve ever heard someone say, “You need to use power words in your copy,” you may have wondered what that actually means.

And more importantly, you may have wondered whether power words really make that much of a difference.

The answer is yes. They can.

In marketing, language matters. The words you choose influence how people feel, what they pay attention to, and whether they decide to take action. That is why power words are such a valuable part of strong copywriting. They help your message carry more energy, more persuasion, and more impact.

A power word is not just a “nice” word or a “better” word. It is a word that creates a reaction. It can create urgency. It can build trust. It can spark curiosity. It can make a reader feel safer, more interested, more emotionally connected, or more ready to move.

And when that happens, your copy starts working harder for you.

That matters whether you are writing a landing page, a blog title, a sales page, an email subject line, a produ...

Discover five essential questions to ask when choosing a coach or consultant so you can invest wisely in your personal and business growth.

Choosing the right coach can be a game-changer for your personal and professional development. With so many options available, it is important to find someone who aligns with your goals, values, and long-term vision. In this article, we’ll walk through five essential questions to ask before hiring a coach, inspired by insights shared on the Published and Paid Podcast with Jasmine Womack.

Why Coaching Matters

Coaching is more than a trend. It is an investment in your future. The right coach can help you accelerate your growth, strengthen your decision-making, and navigate challenges with greater clarity and confidence.

At the same time, not every coach is the right fit for every person. That is why it is so important to know what you are looking for before making an investment.

1. What Are Your Specific Needs and Goals?

Before you begin sea...

Navigating Grief While Living Life

There are moments in life that test our strength in ways we never expect. For me, this season has been one of them. For the first time in my entrepreneurial journey, I’ve had to navigate the loss of a loved one — my uncle — while continuing to lead, serve, and show up in both business and life.

This experience has been different from any other type of grief I’ve known. My uncle’s passing happened so suddenly that it left my heart and mind spinning. We found out in August that he had a heart condition, then lung cancer, which quickly spread to other organs. The chemo that was meant to help triggered pneumonia and sepsis, and within a week, he was gone.

It all happened so fast. And in the stillness after, I found myself thinking deeply about life, purpose, and how we keep going when life changes forever.

The Weight of Reality

At 41, I’m the eldest of my siblings, and this loss brought a new awareness of what the next chapters of life may hold — agi...

Every once in a while, you’ll receive a vision that doesn’t come with clear steps or instant confirmation—but something within you knows: this is the next move.

That’s what happened with my client and dear sister in purpose, Lisette Carter.

When we met, Lisette had already walked through deep personal transformation—navigating heartbreak, single motherhood, and rebuilding her life with nothing but her faith and her voice. She had a gift for writing and storytelling, but it wasn’t until she stopped waiting for perfection and acted on what she heard that everything shifted.

What started as a book idea quickly became a business.
And not just any business—a publishing company that’s now giving other authors the freedom, clarity, and ownership Lisette once lacked herself.

She didn’t start with the plan.
She started with obedience.

In our recent Published and Paid® Podcast episode, Lisette shared how she took what felt like a simple nudge—and turned it into a publishing movement. We tal...

It’s Not Too Late: Gwendolyn Cody Davis Proves That Purpose Has No Expiration Date
By Jasmine Womack

I’ve had the privilege of coaching hundreds of authors, but every now and then, someone comes along whose story deeply reminds me why I do this work.

This week on the Published and Paid Podcast, I sat down with one of those people—Gwendolyn “Cody” Davis—a transformation coach, speaker, and multi-time author who reminds us that purpose doesn’t expire with age. In fact, she’s just getting started.

Miss Gwendolyn joined one of my writing programs after retiring from a long career in federal government. At a time when many people would slow down, she decided to build. And what she’s built is nothing short of remarkable.

She wrote a book titled Finishing Strong: Strategies for Baby Boomers to Transform Dreams Into Realities. And that book became more than just a project—it became a launchpad. From that one thought leadership book, she created:

• A signature speech

• A workshop

...