Authors: Stop trying to imitate McDonald’s (Do this instead)

A couple of years ago I was speaking at a conference. The keynote was the kind of person whose books you see at the airport.

In the opening address, she gave an absolutely inspired presentation. I can’t recall anything helpful she said, but it was about imagination and personality and creativity. Really fun stuff. Very inspiring.

Later she was supposed to give a session on platform-building. I’m always looking to learn new stuff and hear different perspectives, so I went.

It was like she forgot about it. She was unprepared. It felt like she was finding her points as she talked.

That’s when it struck me. She has no idea how to relate to her audience on this topic.

Because she doesn’t live in their world. Not anymore, at least.

Her success isn’t dependent on connecting with her readers. It hasn’t been in a long time. Maybe at one time it was, but now her success is built on her name and on her publisher buying shelf placement at the bookstore.

What does she really know about building a mailing list or connecting with readers on social media? When is the last time that really mattered to her?

What marketing should you imitate?

Do me a favor, sing this in your head:

Bah-duh-dat-dat-dah. (I’m lovin’ it)

Most of you just heard the McDonald’s jingle.

One of the things I teach my apprentices at The Company is that it’s great to imitate people who are accomplishing what you’d like to accomplish.

But it only works if they’re solving similar problems as you.

You can’t imitate McDonald’s marketing. They’re not solving the same problems.

Your problem as a new author is that no one has ever heard of you, they don’t know what you do. Buying your book is a big risk.

McDonald’s problem is that 2 billion people know exactly what they do, but most of the time those people are smart enough to exercise the will-power to not use their service. McDonald’s just needs to remind those people that greasy, salty food is available.

Sometimes writers conferences are like trying to imitate McDonald’s marketing strategy. It’s good stuff, it just doesn’t apply to you. A catchy jingle isn’t going to help you if no one knows who you are or what you do.

In conference terms, it’s really cool to hear from that author that has sold a hundred million copies. They’re fun and inspiring. They have neat ideas. But what does anything they’re doing have to do with what you’re doing?

You need more than to be titillated. You need fed.

There’s a better way to learn:

Over at The Company we’re launching Christian Writer Con ’26. We’ve assembled ten jam-packed sessions from professional authors and podcasters who are doing the work you want to be doing.

I think you can actually afford it. There are a few things that I think will make this conference a great investment:

1. Relatable ideas you can apply today

Our Christian Writer Con authors aren’t talking at you from a million books sold. They’re talking to you in relatable terms, leading you from ten steps ahead. They’re in the trenches, doing the hard work, just like you want to be.

The message is clear and simple: here’s some practical advice I use every day so that you can do what I’m doing.

2. Earned expertise

So often I see writerly people giving advice from a data set of one.

A successful author pitched an agent one time ten years ago and landed their first book deal…are they really qualified to tell you how to write a query letter? I suppose they can tell you what worked for them, but that’s hardly enough to establish a best practice.

Every author I invited to speak at Christian Writer Con has proven they know what they’re talking about. They’ve really done it, and they’ve done it in such a way that they can reliably teach best practices.

3. Free access to recordings

Sometimes conferences can feel like a lot. Session after session packed with info. You leave with a notebook full of great stuff, but will you ever actually apply it?

We have you covered. You’ll have access to recordings from each of the sessions for a full year. There’s no extra charge, everybody gets it.

As an online conference, you might even need to sit out on a session due to a scheduling conflict.

If you miss something, you can watch it any time. Want to review? Want to hear it again and keep practicing? Just log in and it’s at your fingertips.

Of course, there will still be a lot of value to being there with us live. Q&A, live exercises, the chance to interact with the speakers and make new friends. But the videos are yours, for your benefit.

Will we see you at Christian Writer Con ’26?

We don’t want to temporarily jazz you up because you heard The Big Name Author. We want you to be seriously equipped. We want it to be practical—stuff that you can start doing today.

Register for Christian Writer Con ’26 here: writers.company/christianwritercon/

There are two special offers that I want you to know about:

1. Early bird pricing: it’s already affordable, but you can save an extra $30 if you register by April 9. Register here: writers.company/christianwritercon/
2. Free shirt for the first 100 registrants: Be one of the first to register and you’ll get the official Christian Writer Con ’26 t-shirt shipped to your door for free!

Hop over to the official site to see a complete list of speakers and session topics: writers.company/christianwritercon/

This conference is 100% online. Not only is it already super affordable and a great investment, but there’s no lodging cost. No travel cost. No extra days off work for travel time.

Invest in yourself with a ticket to Christian Writer Con ’26, and watch it pay off over the next year.