We recently connected with Heidi Mcintyre and have shared our conversation below.
Heidi, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
I first had an inkling about my purpose in life when I was in college. My major was telecommunications, but after my English professor read my essay to the class, he told me I should change my major to English which I did. Being an avid reader, I enjoyed reading and studying the literature that was assigned by my professors. This gave me the desire to write a novel one day.
I pursued a career in marketing communications. It wasn’t until 2012 when I felt something was missing from my career. I was forty-seven and had a thriving business as a marketing consultant in the fresh produce industry, so it was disconcerting to say the least.
I remember telling several friends that marketing wasn’t my true purpose in life, but the expertise I’d gained would be beneficial whenever I figured out what I wanted to do. That same year, I teamed up with another marketing consultant specializing in produce to launch our own agency, Full Tilt Marketing. I was convinced that being a part of a team was the missing piece of the puzzle.
A year later, our business was growing, and we were hiring when I realized my new agency didn’t fill that deeper sense of need after all. For most of my career, I enjoyed marketing because it was creative, fun and challenging. Yet I had accomplished most of what I’d set out to do, so it had become more repetitive. I was attending a produce convention and ended up tossing and turning late at night, trying to figure out what to do. In the early morning hours, I remembered my desire to write a novel one day.
I started writing on the side. The first time I went to the library to research my historical romance novel, I remember feeling so excited and energized. The creative process was like a balm to my soul. That’s when I knew I’d finally found my purpose in life.
It took another ten years before I retired from produce marketing to pivot to writing and coaching. In 2023, I self-published my first novel, Sea Magic, which was also the first book in a series. I’m currently completing my second book in the series, Dark River Magic, which will launch in 2025. I also have my own business as a book marketing coach.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
As an author, there’s something special about being in the zone when I’m writing. It’s a meditative state where I step into another world, and write about characters I’d love to meet in real life.
The challenge of writing a book feels like climbing a mountain. Each book has its own unique tests, so when I finish the final draft, there’s a tremendous sense of accomplishment. One thing I’ve learned from my career is that I definitely need to be challenged!
My novel is the first book in a Women’s Paranormal Fiction series set in a fictional New England coastal town. The series features Madeline Hunter, an antique store owner with a unique gift—when she touches certain vintage objects, she can sense the essence of their previous owners.
It has a similar vibe to the TV show The Ghost Whisperer. In Sea Magic, Madeline initially struggles with her psychic abilities. However, after purchasing a mysterious box at an estate sale, she has vivid nightly dreams about a woman named Maria Hallett who is from the eighteenth century. Madeline meets a handsome history professor, who becomes her love interest, and he helps her trace the items in the box to a real-life shipwreck. His research uncovers Maria’s identity as the fiancé of the wealthiest pirate in US history, Black Sam Bellamy.
As the story unfolds, Madeline learns to embrace her gifts and use them to help others. In each subsequent book, she will solve a new paranormal mystery tied to an item that finds its way into her store. My series features strong women who are thrust into supernatural situations, pushing them to accept and rely on their innate psychic abilities. It’s about a journey of self-discovery.
In 2022, I started a Women’s Fiction Indie Author Support group, which has 24 active members. We meet bi-weekly on Zoom, support each other’s book launches, collaborate on joint promotions, and host guest speakers who share their expertise. Through this group, I saw first-hand how Indie authors struggle with marketing their book, so I began coaching several of the authors in my group on the side. That’s how I started my business coaching Authors.
As a Book Marketing Coach I understand the challenges authors face, from having their book stand out in a saturated market to navigating the complexities of the latest marketing trends. I work closely with authors to help them leverage their unique strengths in promoting their books. This can involve developing an authentic brand platform, pinpointing what makes their book and brand distinctive, identifying their target audience, and crafting a marketing plan for their book launch. I also specialize in Facebook Advertising, helping authors to target and reach their ideal readers.
In the future, I plan to expand by teaching classes, so I can work with larger groups of authors at once.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Be Persistent: Achieving success in a crowded marketplace requires tenacity. When you’re striving to make your book or brand stand out, persistence is key. Many Indie authors become disheartened by the perceived challenges of marketing and give up too soon. Instead, take the time to learn the ropes, set clear goals, and keep pushing forward. With determination, you’ll eventually cut through the clutter.
Be True to Yourself: I always advise my clients to align their marketing efforts with their personality and strengths. Building a platform for your brand should feel like a natural extension of who you are. That’s because if you don’t enjoy an activity, it’s unlikely that you’ll present your best, most authentic self to the audience you want to attract and engage.
Be Flexible: Not every strategy will yield results, and that’s okay. The ability to pivot and adapt is crucial. It’s better to innovate and be creative rather than keep doing a task because it’s what everyone else is doing. When you blaze your own trail, you’ll create something that truly resonates.
How would you describe your ideal client?
I enjoy working with authors who are eager to learn and open to experimenting with different strategies to discover what truly resonates with their audience. Interestingly, many of my clients are marketing or PR professionals. Despite their experience, they often struggle with marketing their own books because they’re too close to the material. Marketing a book is unique—it’s not just about selling a product, but about connecting with readers on a personal level because the book is an extension of the author’s personality and voice.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://heidimcintyre.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heidimcintyreauthor44/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeidiMcintyreAuthor/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidi-mcintyre-67b32717/
Image Credits
The book image is my debut novel that launched in Feb. 2023.
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