Your People Are Your Power: ITN Author Kaelyn Johnson's Book Launch Tips

Foreword by J.Hieb

Kaelyn Johnson is one of the most impressive young women I’ve had the honor of meeting — and one that In The Name Publishing has had the privilege of publishing. Her passion and drive are unmatched, and for someone so young, that’s a rare and remarkable thing to witness. When she first came to us, I was drawn as much to her spirit as I was to her story. She carries a beautiful heart for children, and her carefully crafted words make that evident on every page.

The determination Kaelyn brought to her project led to one of the most successful book launches ITN has seen. For a first‑time author publishing outside traditional channels, lifetime sales often fall between 100–250 copies. Kaelyn surpassed that first benchmark in less than 90 days.

Her success was inspiring, so we reached out to ask if she would share her thoughts on networking, building a community, and driving a strong book launch.

J.Hieb

Your People Are Your Power

By Kaelyn Johnson

My dream of publishing began at just eight years old. After many prayers, encouragement, and hard work, my dream finally became a reality in December of 2025 with the launch of my first children’s book, The Giraffe Without Spots.

I believe the success of this launch occurred due to my season of life at the time. As a student at Indiana Wesleyan University, I had professors, classmates, and friends who supported me and provided amazing connections. In addition, I believe the skills I learned from my degree in communications directly influenced momentum around my launch. I can summarize my success with two concepts heavily discussed in my classes: Networking and the PESO model.

Networking

Networking is about who you know and who those people know. My network started at home with those closest to me: my mom, who has worked as a teacher for the last five years, my dad, who has pastored 22 years in three different states, and my sister, who shared my posts across her social media accounts. Each of my family members has a unique audience that I would not have reached otherwise. Extended family members supported me as well. For example, four days before my official launch, my mom’s sister found out that my book was available for pre-order and excitedly posted about it online before I had time to create an announcement! In addition, my dad’s sister, who runs her own crochet business, posted about The Giraffe Without Spots on her social media accounts and propelled my reach to another unique audience.

Along with family, my friends played an important role in building momentum during my book launch, with one of them requesting the book for her local library. I also developed a partnership with my friend Sadie Carter, who created an adorable plushie to go with the book.

My connections through family and friends put me in contact with local librarians and teachers who graciously hosted events and allowed me to read to their students.

It’s really all in who you know.

The PESO Model

Other than my fabulous network of people, knowing the strategy behind how to spread publicity helped me to market my book before its launch and build a community afterward. My public relations courses at IWU taught me about the PESO model created by Gini Dietrich, which helped me understand what kinds of content I wanted to utilize and how that content worked to impact my launch (Spin Sucks, 2026).

The breakdown of the model looks like this:

• P = Paid media, which includes paid ads, promotional materials, and influencer marketing.

• E = Earned media, which is any outside media coverage that you earned and did not pay for.

• S = Shared media, which is any content shared by others.

• O = Owned content, which includes social media posts, blogs, personal statements, or anything else coming directly from you.

Here’s how that model worked for me during my own journey:

• Paid media involved all the announcements and marketing materials put out by ITN, since I chose to pay for that benefit when I signed to publish.

• An example of earned media occurred when the IWU Marketing team and the social media coordinator of my division took pictures when I read at a local school. Another example occurred when a student in a journalism class interviewed me for our school newspaper.

• Shared media included content produced by my publisher, IWU marketing, and my own content that others reposted on their own accounts. This is where that network becomes vital. I believe I gained a community around my book because of word-of-mouth and shares across varied social media accounts.

• Examples of owned media included mentioning my book to others and creating my own advertisements. Eventually, my content was shared by others and led to earned media.

Overall, I would count my first book launch as a success. I am so thankful for my family, friends, and professors who garnered support and helped The Giraffe Without Spots do so well over these last six months. Between my community and the preparation from my degree, I feel set up for success. I couldn’t have asked for a be

tter support system or a better time in life to publish!

Reference

Spin Sucks (2026). Paid, earned, shared, and owned media: fully operational, fully integrated. https://spinsucks.com/peso-model/

The Giraffe Without Spots is available at most online bookstores and select physical retailers. Order Today.