“Treat marketing like storytelling instead of advertising…” - Saleema Ishq

In this episode, thriller author and TikTok book marketing influencer Saleema Ishq joins me to talk about the craft of writing page-turning stories and how to grow your readership through BookTok.

In this conversation, we dive into:

• Her latest release, Sisters Arcana, an edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller
• How she crafts a story that keep readers hooked
• What actually works when marketing books on social media (and what doesn’t)
• Her best tips for authors on writing and social media marketing

About Saleema:

Saleema Ishq is a former copywriter turned award-winning thriller author who accidentally fell in love with book marketing while launching her debut novel. Since then, she’s sold thousands of books, built a TikTok community of 16k+ readers, and picked up a few awards and media shoutouts along the way (all without burning out or selling out). Now she helps other authors do the same, making marketing feel authentic, sustainable, and even fun.

Free Social Media Kit for TSP listeners from Salmeema:

• https://stan.store/saleemaishq/p/traditionally-self-published-listener-bonus

Resources mentioned in our podcast:

• Quill and Cup (women’s writing group): https://www.quillandcup.com
• Editor Nicole Meier: https://nicolemeier.com

Connect with Saleema on:

• TikTok: saleemaishq
• Instagram: saleemaishq
• Website: www.fearlessphrases.com

Have a publishing question? Email me at mica@micamerrillrice.com

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"Traditionally Self-Published" theme music is written by Landon Bailey and performed and produced by LNDÖ