Hello friends, new and old!
If you’ve seen me lately - live or on social - you probably know that Likeable Badass is now out in the world!!
Those who have seen me in person have all asked me the same question: “How’s book launch going?”
The answer is, “Awesome and I could use your help.”
I’ll start with the awesome and end with my ask for your help.
The Awesome
The response to the book has been tremendous, and it validates why we have all come together in the first place - to help spectacular women kick ass, take names, and have a lot of fun doing it.
Book launch has kept me busier than I’ve ever been in the best possible way. I’m on my 8th day on the road, I’ve been in four states, and have survived multiple days that started at 3am and ended past 9pm….
And I’m loving every minute of it.
If you’re wondering what that looks like…
...here are some highlights from the first two weeks:
Seeing my book at every airport - and sometimes negotiating with the store employees to move Likeable Badass up to its rightful spot on the top shelf. Nobody puts baby in a corner.
Receiving airport selfies from my fellow road warriors and allies who are finding the book in their travels. And these pics make me appreciate the awesome cover design of my book even more - I never realized how colorless all of the other biz books are and I’m happy that Likeable Badass stands out in the crowd!
Making new friends who have been impacted by the book. Here are two of my favorite moments.
Linessa learned of my book when she saw someone on LinkedIn post about it. She bought it and loved it, and sent me a message telling me how she was going to buy copies for her friends and colleagues. She asked me if I would sign one for a friend and as we were working out the details she realized that I was going to be speaking the next day in Kansas City just blocks from where she works! So she came by and we got this photo!!
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - social media can help you build the most meaningful relationships if you do it right. So thanks, LinkedIn!
And just now (literally) I had my first celebrity moment!
I’m sitting in a Las Vegas Starbucks typing away when Melinda came up to me. Her husband saw me rocking my Likeable Badass hat while he was in line to buy coffee and recognized the title. He did a little internet research and suspected I was the author. Turns out Melinda had just downloaded the book last night - after her business school classmates raved about it. So he brought Melinda to me and we just had the best conversation. Turns out she’s an Air Force veteran and doctor who specializes in infertility - she just opened a new practice in Jacksonville, FL. I’ve asked her to do an interview for The Upper Hand talking about family planning for women and she graciously agreed, so stay tuned for that!
Becoming an official “National Bestseller” in the first week of sales. Of all the nonfiction books for sale last week, Likeable Badass ranked #8 in total sales, which I thought was pretty cool given that I’m very un-famous and sold almost as much as #7 - a book by Trump (not kidding). Even better, it prompted this text from my 15-year-old son. I’m not crying, you’re crying.
Going to cool places, like the New York Stock Exchange (to film an interview for The Street; my interview isn’t up yet, but will be soon).
And last but not least, being featured in top-tier publications, like Fast Company, Time, Katie Couric Media, and Psychology Today.
Now that I type it all out, I see why I’ve been so tired!
Three ways you can help:
Many of you have asked how you can help, and I’m so grateful. Launching a book definitely takes a village, and I have the best one around.
In no particular order:
1. Buy the book (or 10)
Keeping the sales rolling in the first month of launch is key, so this is a great moment to buy the book if you’re interested. And if you want to be a hero, get a few more for the likeable badasses in your life. Send it to them with a note that says, “This book made me think of you.”
And you know that you’ll be scrambling for gifts to give com December, so why not do your future self a favor and buy a stack for the holidays now?
You can get the book wherever you like to get books, including Amazon (currently the cheapest price) and Barnes & Noble.
If you want me to sign them, email likeablebadass@alisonfragale.com and I can send you a custom signed bookplate (a cool sticker you can insert in the book).
2. Get Likeable Badass in libraries nationwide
I wrote likeable badass to get practical tools in the hands of women who would never get to sit in my MBA classes or corporate keynotes. I want it to be accessible to all.
Multiple women have reached out telling me that there is 10-person waiting list to get the book at their local library. I’d like to change that.
I’ve partnered with Worthy Books to distribute Likeable Badass to libraries nationwide. I’ve set a goal of donating 1000 books to libraries by the end of September.
If everyone who opened this newsletter donated one book, we’d hit that goal this week.
If you’d like to improve access to books for women, you can donate copies here:
And I know you don’t need a gift in return, but you know they are my love language. If you donate 10 books, email my team at likeablebadass@alisonfragale.com and we’ll send you a Likeable Badass trucker hat or wine tumbler (your choice) just for being extra awesome.
3. Spread the word with an Amazon review
If you haven’t already, reviewing the book on Amazon is massively helpful to me and to readers who would benefit from it.
You can leave your short and sweet review here.
Apparently 100 reviews is a magic number for expanding the reach of the book and as of this moment I have 68!
What’s next:
My original intent in this issue was to introduce you to a bunch of awesome podcasts that should be on your playlists.
Fun fact about me: I love to read and I hate to listen. I don’t listen to music, audiobooks, or podcasts. It’s just not relaxing for me.
As part of my book promotion, I was invited to appear on many great podcasts - none of which I had ever heard of since it’s not my thing. But I was blown away by how awesome the hosts were (there’s a reason they all have a bazillion listeners), and how much their missions align with mine.
So I’ve compiled a list of them in the hopes that all you “listeners” out there can find your next favorite. Again, I was going to share that here, but Substack yelled at me that this message was too long and would be truncated.
Heard, chef. No podcasts for you today. I’ll send that list out tomorrow.
As always, thank you for being here - for supporting me, for supporting women, and for being your amazing self. I could not be more grateful for each and every one of you.
Cheers to success, friends!
Love seeing this amazing rollout!
Your next book should be about how to promote a new book 🙃
Congrats, Alison! Excited I discovered you & can’t wait to “listen to” your book.😉 My fave is listening & reading at the same time (because ADHD). But I don’t listen to music either — I did up ‘til my mid-20s, & I then stopped — all the sad lyrics & melodies became depressing.
At 53, I still don’t listen to music but have FOMO (& wonder if something’s wrong w/ me) b/c most people LOVE it & science says it’s really good for us.
Are you open to sharing more about why music isn’t relaxing for you? Does it negatively impact you in other ways? You’re the first person I’ve “met” who purposely doesn’t listen to music.❤️