I recently got some quality time with Romeo Marquez Jr. at my in-person event, Believe LIVE. We talked about how children’s authors can make a bigger impact by bringing their messages out into the world and how to do that practically. I’m very grateful I took notes, because I’ve been itching to share his wisdom with you. In this blog, you’ll discover how to adopt the achiever mindset, how to position yourself so people will listen, and how to then optimize your marketing strategy.
An Introduction to Romeo Marquez Jr.
Who He Is
Romeo Marquez Jr. is a sought-after international speaker, #1 Amazon Bestselling Author of The Success Messages, success coach and Certified Canfield Trainer in The Success Principles.
Romeo has delivered more than a 1,000 presentations to over a million audience members across the United States, Canada, Asia, and Europe helping organizations, sales professionals, entrepreneurs and CEOs achieve extraordinary results.
From the TEDx Stage in India to working with notable names such as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Jim Carrey, and Kelly Clarkson, Romeo's mission is to help people maximize their potential so that they live a life with purpose and passion.
How We Met
I first met Romeo through Jack Canfield’s Train the Trainer program. Since, we’ve kept in touch and cultivated a lasting friendship. Romeo has been a guest speaker in both my signature course, Children’s Book Masterclass, and at my in-person event, Believe LIVE.
But what really sets Romeo apart from the crowd is his genuine love and care for those around him. He is passionate about people and seeks to empower them in any way possible.
His friendship has meant the world to me over the years, and I am so honoured that he’s always willing to share his wisdom with my community. So without further ado, here is a snippet of Romeo’s genius for YOU.
(Interested in learning more about Romeo? Check out his YouTube channel HERE.)
Make a Bigger Impact as a Children’s Author
From this point on, you’ll discover how to make a bigger impact as a children’s author by mastering your mindset, understanding the power of positioning, and optimizing your marketing strategy.
Mastering Your Mindset
As a children’s author, your mindset determines so much of your career. If we want to be successful authors who make a bigger impact, we need to build a strong mindset.
According to Romeo, there are some absolute MUSTS when it comes to establishing a mindset that will work FOR you (not against).
- Commit to Getting Started. The first step for any person with any goal (author or not) is to commit. Following your passion is not always easy, and the only way you’ll follow through on your goal is to give it your all. You’ve GOT this!
- Make the Time. Many authors claim they “don’t have the time” to write or publish. Some days this is true — there just isn’t enough time. But if you look at the bigger picture, there is always time within a week or month. You just might need some lifestyle changes to make the time.
- Reach Out for Help. You don’t have to do everything by yourself. If you know someone who has expertise in writing, publishing, marketing, or anything else you’re working on, ask for help. The worst they’ll say is “no”.
The Power of Positioning
Once you believe in yourself (or at least have committed to “fake it ‘till you make it"), it’s time to position yourself so that you can make a bigger impact. Here’s Romeo’s advice on how to utilize the power of positioning.
- Diversify Your Reach. People are everywhere, especially on the internet, which means your target audience is scattered all across the web too. Engage with multiple platforms (such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, etc.) and put yourself out there at in-person events too (like school visits, library readings, charity events, etc.). Then you’ll be sure to get more people interested in your mission.
- Challenge Yourself. At first, marketing may feel uncomfortable. Many children’s authors struggle with accepting the attention and praise that comes from publishing your own book. But if you want to get your book into the hands of children who need it, you’ll need to slowly tip-toe out of your comfort zone and take the plunge.
- Look Beyond Yourself. Through it all, remember that your message is bigger than you. If your goal is to make a bigger impact, you need to acknowledge the gravity of your work — it has the potential to change lives. Remember who you’re doing it for.
Optimizing Your Marketing Strategy
After you’ve started positioning yourself as a children’s author, you can fine tune to make sure your marketing strategy is optimized and make a bigger impact.
- Take One Thing at a Time. Above I mentioned Romeo’s advice to diversify your reach. But make sure you don’t go too overboard at the beginning. Start with one platform and work on it until you’re comfortable and have figured out your rhythm. Then (and only then) should you move on to the next.
- Keep Notes. As you’re honing your marketing strategy, keep notes on what’s working, what isn’t working, and what you’ve done (or plan to do) to fix it. You never know when a problem will show itself again, and it will be crucial to have those notes to fall back on. Besides, you can also appreciate how much you’ve grown by looking back over them.
- Think BIG. You don’t need anyone’s permission to dream BIG and set goals that feel larger than life. Don’t sell yourself short. You CAN do it!
What’s Next?
Now that you know how to make a bigger impact as a children’s author, I want to leave you with these words from Romeo:
“Don’t make yourself small for the convenience of comfort. Step into the world with confidence, because the world needs what’s within you.” — Romeo Marquez Jr.
The world needs your book, and you CAN get it to them! Find more inspiration on Romeo’s podcast, The Romeo Show, HERE. (Available on Spotify and other major podcast platforms.)