Okay, we could blather on about what we do for clients, but when we work with clients who write for a living, well… It’s better if they tell you in their own words.
And, to our clients taking the time to comment and offer your kind words, we are humbled and grateful and incredibly proud to work with each of you!
Shari
Just a quick note to let you know how TERRIFIC I think your site is! So much useful information.
Keep up the good work!
Best,
Laura Lane McNeal
I thoroughly recommend Where Writers Win if you need a web site for an author.
I first heard of Shari when she sat on a social media panel at the Tucson Festival of Books. Six months later I met her again at the Writer’s Digest Conference in NYC. I’d been looking for someone to help me build a polished, professional-looking web site, as an upgrade to a Blogger site I’d started a year earlier. But the designers I contacted didn’t design for writers or gave unspecific quotes. That’s when I really investigated WWW. From meeting Shari in person I already knew we’d have no problems working together.
I looked at Kendra’s portfolio and realized she does gorgeous work for a wide variety of clients. Within two tries she’d interpreted my ideas and needs better than I could have imagined. Kendra migrated all my content over (there was a lot.) Shari then stepped in walking me through SEO, categories, tags and all those social media details I needed to learn for the first time. I still need to finish my first book – but now I have a tool I can use to really build my audience before it comes out.
Thanks Shari and Kendra. On a separate note, you also put out fabulous content with your daily blog posts. I’m running out of space for the ones I’ve already marked as “Keep.”
Katrina Shawver
Phoenix, Arizona
Shari Stauch is a Social Media Goddess!
She was so instrumental in the launch of my new thriller, The Book Of Zev, that I thank her in the acknowledgements of the book. Not only did she educate and guide me, she helped my whole publicity team get into the 21st Century. I recommend Shari to any writer who is forced to market their book, which is most of us.
Thank you, Shari!
Shari, I enjoyed meeting you at the Writer’s Digest Conference and wanted to thank you for recommending Ellie Davis at Pressque for editing services. She and I have been working together and it’s been a great collaboration. Carol Chiao
Shari has done so much for me that it’s hard to know what to say. Working with her is always the best. She has been an awesome teacher, mentor, friend, guide, expert and resource. She’s always there where I need her with real help and real answers. She’s always kind, patient and uplifting. Her charges are more than fair. I always receive far more than I pay for. If you could see where I was a year ago and where I am now, it is almost unbelievable. And it’s all due to Shari.
Shari, thank you.
Each time I come to this site I’m more and more certain that while I’ve taken the road less traveled, WWW is the right route to my readers. Cheers, Jeff Shear
I started with Shari as a social networking neophyte. There was no one more ignorant about social connecting than myself. I had, at one time or another, attempted to enter this new (to me) river of marketing and promotion. Unfortunately, every place I tried to enter the water had WAY too many rapids and I drowned in the waters of ignorance. (OK – I am attempting cleverness here – but the reality isn’t too far from this analogy.)
Her educational process was gentle. She introduced the tools and processes one at a time, helped set up the complicated ones, and helped track their effectiveness until I could handle them on my own.
I did suffer more than a few stumbles. FB REALLY doesn’t like process that apply effective messaging efficiencies. Suffering their restrictive punishments was painful – and I learned (or earned) everything except outright banning. (sigh – hard lessons are hard learned – sigh)
Shari stuck with me through it all. The end result of her coaching and guidance was an effective marketing plan that covered (safe) penetration and exposure in front of tens of thousands of pool players. Book sale trends are showing a month over month improvement. And that’s what I want to achieve.
I discovered writing books was the easy part. Getting the word out about those books was a whole different story. I found the Where Writers Win website and saw the option to hire Shari Stauch as a social networking coach. I was immediately impressed with her honesty, her professionalism, her willingness to follow up and her knowledge. Shari knows her business and she caters to each individuals needs and abilities. The best part is, Shari walks you through each section and goes at your pace.
I have had people approach me about social networking since I started becoming more active and I immediately refer them to Shari. I highly recommend hiring her, becoming a part of her Where Writers Win Inner Circle, and seeing your social networking skills rise to new heights.
And on a side note, I had the pleasure of meeting Shari in person and she is absolutely lovely.
Shari and Kendra did wonderful work for my new website. My minimal on-line skills have improved 100%, and the website looks terrific. I read most of Shari’s posts, and I’ve already utilized the blog sites and directories included in the Winner’s Circle to promote my website and new book, The Black Owls.
I am most impressed with Where Writers Win’s service focus and expertise with authors. I had a challenging set of requirements: to migrate my blog from Blogger to WordPress, to introduce an author page for my historical novel-in-progress and to position my copywriting services to my clients. Kendra did an incredible job — working with me to get a consistent look and feel across three online “brands” and to help me better position my “story” to key audiences. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the Where Writers Win platform to other writers for creative and on-target website services.
I cannot remember how I stumbled upon WWW but with so many other sites vying for my attention I found myself spending increasingly more time here. Now I’ve joined Winners Circle and the depth of thoroughly researched information is like an Aladdin’s Cave. Yet the deeper I explore, the more I see the light.
Thank you, Shari, and all the other wonderful, prompt and efficient people who contribute to this great site.
What an incredible job you have done with the Winner Circle. I have been using the book reviewers directory today. Extremely impressive, from content to page turning software. Direct links to submission pages is an extra plus.
I can not wait to explore its other offerings. Trust me, I will give this big-time promotion. I have been pondering all day the level of effort it took just to do the small part I have used, and extrapolating that to the whole Winner Circle, I am exponentially impressed. It’s probably the most comprehensive practical writer service around. Certainly one of the best researched. You can quote me on that.
Best,
Tim
Very excited about someone reviewing our book. Shari, I got the name from the Winner Circle. Great information!
I think I was born to tell stories. As an empty nester with no idea of how to efficiently achieve my goal, I was referred to Shari. After our initial meeting, I saw a twinkle in her eye at my idea and she offered her services to coach and edit me from conception to birth of Ameera Unveiled. She very patiently but firmly insisted that I re-write or add depth to a character as I found the cadence in my writing style. Eventually, she referred me to Kendra who grasped my website idea and made it user friendly for a non-techie older woman. Then, I was submitted to an amazing publisher who agreed to bring the project to fruition. During this amazing journey I’ve had the privilege to meet and hear other writers’ stories at Faulkner’s Word and Music, the SC Book Conference and with the common link to the team at Where Writers Win. I’m proud of the work we’ve accomplished with the seed that has become a beautiful women’s work of fiction, Ameera Unveiled and her beautiful website. I’ve always felt safe letting anyone peek at the journey.
I first met Shari at Pirate’s Alley Faulkner Society Words and Music Conference when she was presenting a session on using social media to build author following. She passed out a sheet and said she would call anyone who wanted to learn more about what she did. She called and we talked, but I wasn’t ready. A year later when I wanted to challenge the social media hurdle, I called and off we went – at my snail’s pace. What could have been done in eight weeks took me six months. Shari was right there every step of the way – waiting to encourage and explain.
In an online world with a landscape filled with people ready to part authors with their resources, Shari works with an integrity and honesty that can’t be beat. Even better is that she’s fun as well as funny, has a great laugh, and makes what some find difficult easy to manage. When I think about Shari, a smile comes. Shari is there for authors, knows her stuff, and works hard at making writers shine.
I LOVE SHARI. She has the ability to teach, inspire, critique, motivate and call BS all the while making you love her even more.
Shari has walked with me through so many projects. Some of the things she did for me were way off the list of “things we contracted to do.” But when Shari takes you on as a client, she is dedicated to doing whatever it takes to get you there. She has gone out of her way to attend my events just for support and feedback.
Shari’s skills at social media are scary. I love that the entire time she is working with you she is simultaneously on that laptop hooking you up with something. It’s like she has three (no nine) brains going all at once. And she can connect like nobody’s business. After a session with Shari, you’re getting emails and support from all over the world.
The thing I love the most about Shari is that you think you are her only client. The attention and care she gives can only come from a friend. By the way, I now consider Shari one of my dearest girlfriends…I’m sure all of these other writers do too.
With Shari, you get it all. Love you Girl….
IF you google ‘Technically Challenged’ you’ll find a picture of me. I’m in the SCWW chapter with Fred Fields, and saw his results after using Shari’s program. I signed up immediately, and for the next two months I sorely tested Shari’s spirit. It has been a great experience for me, however. Thanks to her I have a terrific website (www.mckendreelong.com), I often know what I’m doing (OK, rarely, but that’s better than never), and my sales are much improved. Kindle sales went from 15 per month in 2011 to 68 per month in 2012, and are running 73 monthly now. With her help I ran a 5-day free download promo on Kindle in November, and had 6,776 downloads of my first novel. I’m also better able to advertise my personal appearances (festivals, fairs, gun shows, reenactments,etc.); 250 sales through them last year, and on track for 420 this year. The program pays for itself in no time, assuming you have a good product.
I met Shari and learned about Where Writers Win at the South Carolina Writers Conference last October. I had self-published a book a couple of years before and was in the process of beginning the agent query process for my second book. At the time, I felt I was pretty clued-in and connected on social media. I was on Facebook and LinkedIn, had a web site, and even had a Twitter account, which I rarely used. I wanted to do something to increase my social media presence, so I attended the first of two sessions Shari ran at the conference, thinking I may just learn a trick or two. By the end of the second session. I felt like a troglodyte. I signed up for an introductory call and after the call signed up for social media coaching and web development.
Kendra built a beautiful user-friendly WordPress site, and Shari helped me make it “pop” and taught me how to use it without having to phone a techie for every little change. I can’t begin to describe what I learned in each of the weekly one-hour telephone calls with Shari. It was literally too much to absorb. I would spend much of the next few days referring to my notes and listening to the tape of the call to be certain I fully understood and could put into practice what I had learned. During the two months I worked with Shari, the Alexa ranking of my web site dropped by over 7,000,000. Alexa ranking? I had no idea what it was before working with her. Now I am active on Google+, Goodreads, Shelfari, and numerous other sites. I am blogging and have a Facebook Fan page, have over 2,000 (and growing) Twitter followers. I could go on and on, but I’ll stop here.
Suffice it to say that I have more than achieved my objective to prepare for the launch of my second book later this year and am absolutely certain that working with Where Writers Win will contribute to any success the book may have.
Honestly, I thought I had my marketing act together until I heard about Where Writers Win. As a self-published author, I knew that nobody was going to sell my books for me. One by one, I learned about the various aspects of social media networking over the last few years. What Shari gave me was individualized attention to my website and guidance in plugging the holes in my marketing methods. Most importantly, she helped me focus on those areas which would best benefit me, helping me to make better use of my time. I would recommend Where Writers Win to any aspiring or published author.
Where Writers Win was recommended to me by my editor. It was the best money I have spent in my journey through the publishing and marketing world. Social media is our most important tool. Shari Stauch was delightful to work with and very patient. If she can help me to navigate computer world she can help anybody.
Save your money on expensive publicists, this is the only source you will need. I have learned more than I could have imagined. These skills will continue to help me in my writing career. I highly recommend Shari! She has really helped me promote my new book, DOG SHOW CONFIDENTIAL. Thanks for everything!
Shari is wonderful to work with on Social Media. The only social media I knew was Facebook before being introduced to Shari. My book, Mr. Blue will debut April 19th. I feel now that I have a chance of selling to more than just friends and relatives. Shari has a way of making people who don’t understand social media successful. I feel brilliant.
Shari along with her co-worker, Kendra, helped me set up my website: http://www.lynbreck.com.
She has served as my tutor for this website for several months. What I have noticed is her patience and skill, both qualities I value as a “first-time student of the web.” Fortunately for me, she does not seem to mind being asked the same question several times. Shari anticipates the questions I don’t even know how to ask and so far, things are going very smoothly.” Lyn Breck
My name is Fred Fields. My first book is a “How To” about improving your golf game titled “How Short Hitting, Bad Golfers Break 90 All the Time.”
Before using Shari’s services, I was selling 25, 35, 65 books a month. As soon as I started using her information, sales went to 250, 285, 300 books a month. Nine months into the program I sold 1,400 books in one month, and altogether, I’ve sold 6,000 books and Kindle editions.
Shari taught me how to market my book successfully. I highly recommend her.
Okay, you need this service. That is you need it if you’re a writer who can put aside the romantic notion of what a writer truly is and determine that the business of writing needs your attention. Because you really wouldn’t be writing, would you, if you didn’t want to be heard. And after you wrote the greatest novel ever, or started blogging about the most interesting topic in the world, you discovered that aside from a dozen loyal friends and family members, nobody was listening or even cared.
That’s what Where Writers Win has done for me. They helped me find the audience that wants to hear my voice and cares deeply about what I feel compelled to say. Through social media, exquisite and appealing website design, and real world tips from experienced professionals, my website is getting more traffic, my current book has increased sales, and I’m building a platform for the novel I hope to sell soon.
But best of all, while teaching you all about the business of writing, they allow you to hang on to the notion that being a writer is a romantic thing, noble and true. They understand that despite the world’s indifference or even opposition, the challenge to create lives in a writer and must be fed. But they’ll teach you how to make it an enterprise, too. And that’s not less noble or romantic… not by a long shot.
Shari just GETS IT! What’s even better is that she helps YOU get IT! When I first started working with Shari I was so intimidated by social media and couldn’t understand how it worked with book marketing. Shari took me by the hand and threw me into the water. She did, however, jump in right after me. She will challenge, motivate and educate you all in one breath. She doesn’t waste time getting you in the marketing game and helping you to thrive. Shari is a master connector and confidence builder. From the moment I met her I instinctively knew that I NEEDED to work with her. I am glad I followed my instincts. She has made a huge impact on me personally and professionally. I am forever grateful to have her as a knowledgeable resource and friend!
Failure is not an option with Shari Stauch and her team of experts on your side!
When my debut historical romance novel, The Seahawk’s Sanctuary, was released on Amazon in April 2011 and then skyrocketed into the top 10% in Kindle sales, no one was more surprised than me! However, with no webpage or social networking skills, I knew I was in big trouble. Luckily, a good friend of mine had just attended one of Shari’s seminar classes and hooked us up.
Kendra fast-tracked my webpage—which is gorgeous—while Shari coached and navigated me through the plethora of skills and sites necessary to make my mark and be noticed on the World Wide Web. I cannot begin to express all the positive things Shari has passed along to me in the past year. Her sincere dedication to each of her clients’ unique needs really shines through. And Shari stays in contact and continues to support her authors, even after their contracts have been fulfilled. I can say without reservation that Shari Stauch is not only a savvy businesswoman with sound professional ethics, but also has become a good friend. No one can fail with her at your side!
My sincerest thanks to Shari and her team for being such a patient and enthusiastic coach. Shari, you really opened my eyes to what I was missing when I thought just having a website was enough, and thought being offered a column in a local legal rag was the ultimate “social.” In just the first few weeks, I began to see how the active use of the right social media could reach my audience for Courting Kathleen Hannigan, a mainstream novel about a woman lawyer finding her place in the law in the 1970s–the experience that my fellow Yale alum Hilary Clinton would have faced had she come home to Chicago like me and joined a large, prestigious, and male-dominated firm. Through Kendra’s improved website, and the tools and author and reader sites you guided me to, I’m gaining audience every day, and my agent is pleased. Now, on to selling the next novel–I have 10 in my shopping bag! Thanks, again, Shari and Kendra, for setting my on the right path. And, p.s. I love your new site!
Before we–the three authors of Drink Wine and Giggle–met Shari Stauch, we were still drinking wine, but were no longer giggling. After dozens of attempts and several book proposal rewrites, we were unable to breach the publishing fortress. Shari lifted our spirits with her enthusiasm, connected us with a publisher who was a perfect fit and coached us on all aspects of book marketing. Her knowledge, passion and abiding good humor has made what might otherwise be a frustrating and arduous process enjoyable and invigorating.
Writing is hard enough. Do yourself a favor and hire Shari.
I refer to Shari as my “social media guru”! Shari has a wealth of knowledge, lots of energy and a true passion for her work. My sessions with Shari were informative, energizing and fun! Although I was a bit resistant to social media, Shari nudged me along…before I knew it I was on many blog sites leaving comments and actually enjoying my time.
Shari was also very willing to share connections she had with those who might share my interest and passion for mindful parenting. She has encouraged me to write my book and I will definitely hire Shari as my editor! Shari’s expertise, ability to coach and wonderful sense of humor is such a gift…thanks again Shari!
Here’s the deal: If it wasn’t for Shari Stauch, I wouldn’t have a website, I wouldn’t be blogging nor would I do Facebook or Twitter. I’d still be on the ever-so-comfortable side of the writing fence working on my novel in isolation. “Takes too much energy to think about social media, Girl,” I’d tell her. “All I want to do is write.”
Before I knew it, though, Shari had me set up in the social media saddle and riding along quite comfortably.
She’s that good. And that easy to work with. Actually, a better word would be “coach.” She’s got that kind of skill and that kind of urging on about her.
Thanks, Coach!
In 2010 I took a social media workshop at Center for Women in Charleston, SC, taught by Shari Stauch and Kendra Haskins. I walked into that class not knowing the first thing about social media. After listening to Shari’s and Kendra’s presentation I signed on the dotted line for their services.
After Kendra created an awesome website I worked with Shari. She taught me social media basics and then some. I was diligent about doing my homework and all my hard work paid off. Four months after my initial consultation with Shari my Alexa* rank went from 5 million to 700,000 and eventually hit 430,000. Presently my numbers are back up but that’s because I haven’t worked it. (Mea Culpa, Shari. Book first. Priorities, priorities!)
If you are a writer and serious about expanding your contacts, developing new relationships, becoming visible on the web, learning and enhancing your use of Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ and many more… then Shari’s your girl. She can help you achieve your dream. I guarantee it!
Shari’s a born teacher and takes pride in educating her clients. For me, her philosophy mirrors the Chinese proverb. “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Who can ask for more?
*Alexa searches sites on the web and uses their analytics for competitive analysis, benchmarking, market research, or business development.
It’s simple. Shari works out of integrity and knowledge and confidence. She will charge you fairly without adherence to the dollar/time construction most now work within; she works with you so you get what you need. Shari has the experience, understanding, and marketing acumen you need to progressively pursue your sales goals. What a struggling author needs from a marketing specialist, from my perspective, is confidence in her work, confidence that it will sell, and confidence in the skills it takes to get the job done. Shari has this confidence. I am always supportive of a job well done, and here you have it.
To fully articulate how Shari and her team transformed my marketing efforts will require a lot more space than I have available so I’ll be brief. Prior to meeting Shari, I had worked with PRs, author marketing and social media experts to assist me in my marketing efforts. After many months, the results were lackluster–I didn’t see any return on my investment. Then I met Shari. And that meeting was the turning point for me in marketing my book “Ada’s Daughter.”
She knew what I needed and she wasted no time getting to work. She and Kendra redesigned my original website, turning into a functional and communicative tool, and then Shari coached me on using social media and blogging to effectively engage a wider audience. But here’s the beautiful thing about Shari–she didn’t just coach me, she was there by my side, helping me get started and keeping me on track. Return on my investment–positive and increasing!
While I’m still a work in progress with respect to blogging and the use of social media, through Shari’s patient coaching, I now have a better understanding of what works for me, what doesn’t and where I need to improve.
I highly recommend her!
I have a confession to make. Prior to engaging Shari Stauch to help me develop my writer’s website, I knew absolutely nothing about social media. First of all, I want to say that Kendra and Shari thoughtfully created my website to complement the cover design of my book, The Cast Net. My preferences were given the utmost consideration throughout the process. When the website was complete, I was thrilled by the beauty of the design, and yes I do mean beauty!
After the site was posted, Shari spent many hours educating me on the social media processes. I admit that in the beginning, I was somewhat overwhelmed learning social media skills, but with Shari’s patience and kindness, I gradually grasped these new marketing ideas.
I highly recommend Shari and Kendra to create author’s websites. You’ll appreciate their wit, intelligence, and most of all, patience!
I can only begin to tell you what a great experience I had and continue to have working with Shari and Shark Marketing. From the moment we first talked till today she continues to support, inspire and hold my hand through the labyrinth of twitter, facebook and the cyberworld. On many levels, writing, targeting your audience, connecting with readers and inspiring authors Shari is just the best. What you learn will have far reaching effects, and the cascading effects just continue to flow. So, Shari, thank you. And if you are reading this and tottering on the fence of indecision about this great resource, my heartfelt advice is to jump on in.
Aloha,
Colleen Carroll
Director, NatureTalks
While I’m a writer with many talents, social networker and “techie,” I’m not. I spend my hours creating stories about everyday life with my view on what it takes to make it through the day. But when it comes to bringing my fun muses it to the masses, I was stumped.
Meeting Shari Stauch of Shark Marketing Co. at the Words & Music conference was the biggest Discovery of my writing career.
Weekly, Shari held my hand via phone through the website process, how to get my stories read by the masses, learning to make new connections with other writers, and all in a comfortable, non-threatening manner. As we poured through the avenues available, she helped me choose the right fit to increase my platform with ease and humor.
The money I spent was worth every dime and I’d highly recommend their services to both novice and experienced writers alike.
No one can do everything perfectly, but in today’s literary world, authors are required to not only write, but market as well. If you’re like me and prefer to spend your precious time creating your masterpieces, then you need Shari as your ally.