Book promotion value of Tina Fey's new project.

There's a lot that I don't understand about politics. But could somebody please explain why the bidding for Tina Fey's new book project is now up to six million dollars? Here's the New York Observer's article on the subject.

Tina has yet to write a book proposal, by the way. Her literary agent, Richard Abate, asked for five million dollars, and -- reportedly -- at least one publisher upped that figure by one million dollars.

Okay, I'll admit that I haven't seen Tina's show, "30 Rock." I have it on the authority of a 22-year-old niece that the show is "amazing." So maybe the show is sensational enough to warrant an equally sensational advance on an as-yet-unwritten book by someone who isn't even an author.

But my hunch is that the seven-figure offer isn't stemming from the "awesome" job Tina is doing on "30 Rock" but, rather, her "Saturday Night Live" impersonation of Sarah Palin. Let's go with my theory, for just a minute. If publishers are enchanted by the fact that Tina's impression of Sarah has been spread, virally, via the Web for the last two weeks, I understand that.

There's just one thing I don't understand. When was the last time you saw Martin Short, as Ed Grimely, bopping around his apartment to express his undying admiration over "Wheel of Fortune" host Pat Sajack? And when was the last time you thought of Eddie Murphy's spookily accurate rendering of "Mister Robinson" (a play on Mr. Rogers, right down to the sweater and sneakers)? Not recently, I'd suppose...and certainly not recently enough for a publisher to presume that, just because Ed Grimely and Mr. Robinson once captivated Americans, either Martin or Eddie's book would be a media sensation.

Hey, we all love to laugh, and satire is a fun and safe outlet for us, especially on a weekend. Tina Fey is funny, and who knows? Her impression of Sarah Palin may already have affected the outcome of the next presidential election. That's huge. But...is it big enough to warrant a 7 million dollar advance on an unwritten book? Is Tina's impression of Sarah going to be grabbing headlines after the election is over and, perhaps, long forgotten (particularly, if "her candidate" doesn't win the election)?

I'm sure that any competent book publicist could promote a book written by Tina Fey in a big way. But...could any book publicist out there promote a book written by Tina Fey (and published in, perhaps, 18 or 24 months) in a big enough way to warrant this kind of book deal?

It hardly seems likely. I have faith that publishers know what they're doing, most of the time, but...perhaps, this once, someone is getting just a tad carried away. If it were up to me, and I were trying to gauge the book promotion value of Tina's forthcoming book, I'd 1) wait for her to write that book, and see how it turns out and 2) I'd see who wins the presidential election. Three: I'd see whether the public's interest in seeing the Tina's "Sarah" impression remains unchanged as the real Sarah (hopefully) gains a bit more experience in handling media interviews and four: I'd see whether Tina can truly keep up the pace of working on two national television shows simultaneously for very much longer.

But that's just me, and what do I know? Perhaps Tina Fey's new book will be worth every penny of the six million dollars that are being talked about. Maybe the bidding will even increase another million or two before the auction is through, and maybe the book will, in fact, earn back its advance in two months.

Anything is possible. But, if I were a betting woman, I wouldn't bet on the long-term book promotion value of this particular book project.

Give the media what it needs.

Book promotion tip #1: Give the media what it needs. Usually, what the producer of a radio show (presuming the producer of the radio show has scheduled a phone interview with an author) needs is: the author's phone number (and, perhaps, a backup number), a media kit, and a copy of the book. That's simple enough, unless you're counting on the publisher to send out copies of the book.

Today, I got an early morning phone call from a radio show producer saying that he had a phone interview scheduled with one of my clients, and -- he'd just checked -- he had no copy of the book. We were fortunate in that he still agreed to do the interview on the strength of the media kit (which he was able to download from the author's Web site). But other proudcers would have resheduled or cancelled the interview.

Since the producers' failure to receive a book on time reflects poorly on me, I'm ultimately responsible for getting books out -- even when all I can do is request that publishers fulfill book requests. Most publishers are well meaning and, because they benefit from book promotion opportunities as much as (or more than) their authors, are anxious to get books out as soon as they're requested. But the best thing to do is stay in control of book requests by having the publisher send you enough books to take care of the requests your book promotion campaign will generate -- ahead of time. I wish I'd done that in this case. Oh, well. Live and learn.

Paul Newman brings book promotion reality home.

It's morbid, but true. A fool-proof way to getting media coverage of your book is to do what Paul Newman did: live a heroic life, win the admiration of billions of people, and then pass away suddenly (well, suddenly for those of us who couldn't bring ourselves to believe that cancer would ever dare to mess with such a beloved, strong, and unutterably generous person). Do all those things, and your books, too, will win the book promotion that Newman's books are receiving.

Here's a Los Angeles Times article about the books that Newman either wrote, or that revolve around him. You bet: book sales are poised to soar, economically difficult times notwithstanding.

Full disclosure: This book publicist just snagged a vintage copy of Newman's Own Cookbook. Okay. I'm human. I loved the man, and I've bought his products to support his causes whenever I could (and I'm gratified to learn that Newman's charitable foundation will continue, even though the man now lives on only on film and in the hearts and memoriess of those who loved him). Here's an Asssociatd Press story that promises Newman's Own legacy will continue, and another story from MSNBC.com on the same topic -- so I'd say we can have faith that Paul Newman's legacy will endure. I hope we can all celebrate Newman's life by trying to follow his example of unselfishness and compassion.

A Brief History of Oprah's Book Club

If your book is an Oprah's Book Club selection, you will be rich and famous, and your book will be successful. Whatever book promotion you've received before Oprah chooses you will be beside the point, and whatever book promotion you garner afterwards will be irrelevant. Oprah's Book Club will be the focal point of your book's visibility, and it will be the reason why readers know who you are.

Time.com offers a brief history of Oprah's Book Club written by Kate Pickert here. If that article doesn't convince you to get a copy of your book off to the producers of "Oprah," nothing will. For information about how to contact the producers of "Oprah" (or any national television show, for that matter), read my article, "May I Have Your Contact Information for the 'Oprah' Show?" by clicking here.

Are you an Amazon addict?

In his blog, Andrew Crofts writes about Paranoia on the Amazon Roller Coaster. I've seen that condition, many times, in authors who are in the midst of book promotion campaigns.

The way it usually works is that an author who gets a book publicity media hit runs to the computer after a live radio interview to check his/her Amazon rank. If the rank hasn't changed, I get an email dripping with frustration. "The radio interview didn't sell any books," says the author. "What else can we do to promote my book?"

In the spirit of full disclosure, I"m not exactly sure how Amazon's ranking system works. I've heard rumors, but I don't know the facts. To the extent that Amazon's rankings reflect book promotion-related media hits, the relationship is not instantenous, nor is it permanent. I know that. The rest, as far as I can tell, is information that's more closely guarded that the Hope Diamond -- and perhaps rightfully so, since authors and publishers can drive themselves crazy by staring at those numbers, hour after hour, and trying to figure out how to change them for the better, and then how to maintain their rankings.

I always tell authors that Amazon rankings are probably a fine measure of something. The problem is, since we don't know what Amazon rankings measure, exactly, it doesn't seem to be a good investment of one's energy to focus them.

Focus on the book promotion campaign and on delivering the messages you want to convey, is what I tell authors. Get the word out. Let potential book buyers see your expertise for themselves. Woo them. Let them come to rely on you and respect your credility. Over the long haul, this focus on your mesaging and your brand usually help sell your book.

Check out Amazon's rankings, once in a while -- but not every hour, on the hour, and certainly not after every media hit when you're conducting a book promotion campaign. Checking out Amazon's numbers all the time when you're in the middle of a book promotion campaign is like weighing yourself constantly when you're on a diet. You'll drive yourself crazy, and you won't accomplish anything positive. So stop obsessing about the numbers, and remember the point of a book promotion campaign: to gain as much visibility for your book, and for you, as possible, and let people come to the conclusion -- over the long haul -- that they want to buy your book.

It doesn't always happen right away. But, if your book promotion campaign goes well, then it will happen. Have faith. And stop making yourself nuts with those elusive Amazon numbers.

Would NPR Help Your Book Promotion Efforts?

Would an appearance on National Public Radio help your book promotion campaign efforts? Every author wants to appear on such NPR shows as "All Things Considered," because that type of media hit is the making of any book promotion campaign. But how can you get past the gatekeepers at NPR?

Well, in truth, you can't. You can't slink your way past an NPR producer, because NPR producers hold all the power. You can't convince them to cover a topic that's not appropriate for them, because they receive too many pitches from too many authors and publishers to need on-air cnotent. You'll never find a less "hungry" crowd than NPR producers.

But, if you'd like to give NPR your best shot, then listen to a podcast with Carol Klinger, a booker for "All Things Considered," as she explains how she finds guests for her show, and the best ways to pitch her. Thanks, Carol, for letting us in on your secrets!

Book promotion...for altruistic reasons.

Here's the scenario: Professor R. Preston McAfee of Cal Tech is lucky enough to be featured as the author of Introduction to Economic Analysis in the New York Times -- and he doesn't stand to make a whole lot of money on the media hit. He could have. Dr. McAfee's textbook is used at enough prestigious colleges around the country that he could have received a $100,000 advance on the book from a major publisher. But he chose instead to offer his book available online, for free, to students who needed it in order to protest the skyrocketing costs of textbooks. For students who want printed versions of the textbook, they can buy one online from Lulu or Flat World for between $11 and $59.95 (I'm going to take a quick guess here that most of the revenue would accrue to the publisher as printing costs rather than provide a profit to the professor).

It turns out that Professor McAfee isn't alone in enjoying the book promotion opportunity that the Times article, "Don’t Buy That Textbook, Download It Free," provided on Sunday. Engineering professor Richard G. Baraniuk of Rice University founded a company called Connexions to allow instructors to make their textbooks and information available for free online, too. Connexions uses Creative Commons license to allow students and their instructors to interact so that students can ask questions about the information in their textbooks -- and they can receive answers.

Ordinarily, an article in the New York Times reflects one of the best imaginable book promotion opportunities for authors. In this case, the Times' article provides an opportunity for giving instructors -- and their grateful students, as well. Spend hundreds of dollars on textbooks? Why not save your money instead...and, hopefully, use it to do something good for the next person in need.

When book promotion successses makes readers unhappy.

There are times, and seasons, when a book gets too much media coverage, or when it gets media coverage for all the wrong reasons. That's when book promotion makes readers unhappy -- and when book promotion can blow up in the author's (or the publisher's) metaphorical face.

Two cases in point. First, Lynn Spears' new book about her daughter, Brittney. Once "delayed indefinitely" (at least, according to a People magazine article, which cited the fact that a younger teenage daughter had become pregnant), Spears' book is now getting so much publicity that I can't get away from it. Everywhere I click, every page that I flip, and every station that I tune into seems to be providing another book promotion opportunity for Lynn Spears. Do we need that? Not me...I was already convinced that I didn't need to hear Lynn Spears' ideas about parenting before the media became saturated with "news" about the book.

Second case: Stephenie Meyer's new novel, Midnight Sun, that was apparently supposed to be the last book in the strangely popular Twilight series. It seems that Meyer sent out a rough draft of Midnight Sun to a few people in her inner circle, and one of those "trusted" friends posted it online without permission. Meyer was unhappy enough to cancel the book's publication, according to virtually every media source that covers books including this one (in case you care to read the story again. I'll admit it. I bought a copy of the first novel in the series because I wanted to see what all the hype was about before Meyer's unpublished novel received all this publicity. Got to say: I didn't make it through the book. Maybe it was the vampires, or maybe it was the dubious characterizations and plotting -- but I gave up on it with about 30 or 40 pages to go (which is never a good sign -- especially when the someone who gives up on it is an avid reader of Young Adult novels). Anyway, Meyer may publish the novel eventually, and will all that book promoton help sales? I think it will. Sadly, I really do think it will.

So there you have it. Two books that I don't want to read, and two smashing book promotion campaigns that I wish hadn't happened.

Call me selfish, but I'd rather see book promotion opportunities go to authors whose works I respect. Oh, well.

Need promotion? Write a book.

It seems obvious to me: if you need some media attention for your company, write a book and use it as a media hook. Then again, I'm a book publicist, so I see what may not be apparent to everyone who's trying to promote a company or disseminate a message. Authors have instant credibility. If you want to promote yourself, and you have a book, great. The media will listen. If you want to promote yourself, and you lack the platform that a book provides, then good luck.

Book promotion is easy. (So says the book publicist.) Self-promotion is trickier.

Need a book? Len Stein of ChiefMarketer.com wrote an excellent article on the topic. Click here to read it.

Keep an eye out for book promotion opportunities

National media opportunities come, and national media opportunities go. Every new national TV show that hits the airwaves represents anoher book promotion opportunity, so stay on top of what's airing ... and what isn't.

I just read about a new television personality who wants to be the biggest thing since Oprah (here's the Newsweek.com article). And who knows? She might just succeed. Her name is Wendy Williams, and her show has been test-marketed in just a few cities so far: New York, Los Angeles, Dallas and Detroit. But, in 2009, her television show will be seen nationally.

So, while you might not make it onto the Oprah Winfrey Show, here's another book promotion opportunity for you: the Wendy Williams Show. Hey, I'll pitch her producers on behalf of my clients. This book publicist is about to do her research now and get the names, and contact information, for those producers right now!

Can your opinion buy you a book promotion opportunity?

Can your opinion buy you a book promotion opportunity? Yes, if it appears in a major daily newspaper's op-ed section.

Here's a case in point: Wendy Grolnick and Kathy Seal's cowrote an op-ed piece called "Pay to Learn Shortchanges Kids." The Los Angeles Times published the article in today's edition. The byline credits Grolnick and Seal as the coauthors of the book, Pressured Parents, Stressed-out Kids: Dealing With Competition While Raising a Successful Child.

Granted, the Los Angeles Times requires exclusivity for editorials they print. But, according to Cision Media Source, the daily circulation of the paper is 773,884. That provides quite an opportunity for book publicity! To reach 773,884 readers, it's just fine to give one of the top U.S. daily newspapers the exclusive right to print your opinion piece.

Congratulations to my clients, Wendy and Kathy! It took two days from the time we pitched the op-ed piece to the LA Times before it appeared in print. Not bad at all!

One question before I hire a book publicist...

An author visited my site last night and was impressed by this book publicist's list of services. He just had one question before he asked me for a book promotion proposal: Do you take any responsibility for attaining any actual sales volumes for books?

No. As I told him, I'm a book publicist, not a salesperson. Book promotion is only tangentally related to book sales. Selling books is the publisher's job, not the book publicist's job.

I might have said that when book promotion campaigns are successful, and when the stars line up (that is, when you have top-notch distribution and a high-quality book), then media hits can drive traffic to book-selling venues which may result in book sales. And I might have added that, without a book promotion campaign, your book will undoubtedly languish in obscurity, unsold and -- in these days of P.O.D. -- perhaps unprinted.

But that would have served no purpose. An author who thinks that a book promotion campaign is a turnkey solution for selling books would be better off not hiring a book publicist. And an author who expects a book publicist to produce increased book sales would be difficult, if not impossible, to please...so I'll take a pass on this project. This book publicist likes to please her clients, and she can only control what she can control.

This book promotion project would be a lose/lose proposition.

Books benefit from strange publicity opportunity

Did you read about how Angels and Demons (by Dan Brown) and White Oleander (by Janet Finch) recently scored a book promotion opportunity? Well, here's a link to the MSNBC.com story.

It seems that Heidi Dalibor borrowed the books from the Grafton Library and never returned them. She was notified, via mail, that she's have to either pay the library a $30 fine or appear in court. Sadly, Heidi was working that day in what was certainly an important job and was unable to tear herself away to make her court appearance. The next day, the police arrested her at home. (She must have a very, very important job at home, too, because she was too busy to put shoes on her feet to accompany the police to the station when they arrested her.)

Ultimately, Heidi's mother helpfully brought $201 to the police station to spring her daughter from prison. That included the $30 she owed in library fees and the $131 she owed in court costs. Heidi gleefully landed an appearance on NBC's "Today Show" to assure her adoring public that she'd learned a valuable lesson: she won't be borrowing books from the library anymore. Also, she endorsed both Angels and Demons and White Oleander as "good books."

Well, let's hope they were good books. She paid $201 for them. Plus, she lost all those precious hours of work time while she stewed in prison -- and in the green room -- thinking about where she'd gone wrong in life.

Congratulations to Dan Brown and Janet Finch. They didn't need the book promotion opportunity, or the endorsement, but they received both. Gee. Maybe Heidi Dalibor will start her own book club now.

A book promotion break for Epicenter Press

Kaylene Johnson's biography of Palin, Sarah: How a Hockey Mom Turned Alaska's Political Establishment on Its Ear (the lucky publisher is Epicenter Press, and the pub date was April 2008) broke into Amazon's Top 25 list within hours of the big announcement.

I heard a news report this morning that said the publisher is going back to press for 50,000 more copies immediately. That is probably a good idea.

One individual from the U.K. who posted a used copy of the book on Amazon is asking $105.55 for it.

Epicenter Press is an independent publisher, and they couldn't have planned on this book promotion opportunity. Good for them! I wonder what percentage of the proceeds they plan to pass along to John McCain.

Guest Book Promotion Column by Sara Dobie of Sylvan Dell Publishing

Don’t Be a Couch Potato….
By Sara Dobie (see her byline at the bottom of the article)

Publicity for Your New Release

Guess what? You’re a published author. Sitting on your couch, it’s hard to believe. Publishing is what happens to other people—people who wear black, smoke cigarettes and talk about Kerouac. It doesn’t happen to people like YOU, who have day jobs, families, and car loans. Obviously, you’re excited. You can already see yourself on the cover of People magazine, Pulitzer in hand. You pat yourself on the back—job well done. You can finally relax and wait to become a millionaire. Right?

Wrong.

Your work has just begun, and it’s the work of “publicity.”

If there is no publicity, no one knows your name. If no one knows your name, no one knows your book. If no one knows your book, it doesn’t sell, and it dies on the shelves faster than you can say “backlist.” So as an author, what can you do to beat the competition? And no, you should not start harassing managers at Barnes and Noble.

1) The Review

Getting your book reviewed is mainly in the hands of your publisher. However, there are plenty of things that you, as an author, can do to assist in the process and make it more effective. Publishers know about the big dogs. They know Publishers Weekly, the New York Times, the LA Times, etc. However, they don’t know the specialists in your field. If your book is about birds, your publisher isn’t going to know the most famous ornithologist who just has to endorse your book. So think—what contacts do you have? Which of these contacts could be used to the advantage of your book? Pass this on to your publisher, and they will thank you for it! If you are willing to help your publisher, it will pay off. They will be much more willing to focus on you, because you’ve done your research. You have the names and organizations; all your publisher has to do is send the emails. Think alumni associations, your local media contacts, state reading associations and national topic-specific magazines that would want to know about your book. The opportunities are endless, and it will keep you ahead of the pack.

2) What’s your pitch?

In other words, what are you selling? Is your book about a new diet that promises Michael Phelps abs? What about a children’s book that can teach kids about ADD? Can you explain the entire theme/mission/importance of your book in five words or less? You need to, because that’s about as much time you’ll have to impress the random Oprah intern who just happens to give you a call. The real question is, can you sell yourself?

Let’s face it—in the media and in stores, no one is booking your novel. They are booking you. If you are lacking in passion for your product, they’ll know, and your book will suffer. You have to be willing to go out there and get those interviews. Get those events. I suggest selling yourself as a package. Any author can just sit there and sign a book. What about an author who can use her book to teach kids about bullies? What about a different author who can show math teachers a better way to interest students in fractions? You have to make bookstores believe you have something to offer. Make them believe you are the one doing the favor, as opposed to vice versa. You are the main attraction. People will come to see you because you are worthy of seeing. If you don’t think so, who will?

3) The Launch

I cannot emphasize how important your book launch is. I have said it over and over and over to authors all over the country. Some believe me, and some don’t. Who do you suppose has the better book sales? If you said the ones who don’t believe me, I’m glad I’m not your publicist.

Okay, in the publishing world, there is a “publication date.” This is when your book is available for purchase to the public. Your launch date should be scheduled around this time. A specific scheduled event should be referred to as your “launch date,” in fact, because a definite date makes it tangible to the media, meaning more likely to be covered. The media likes tangible events, as opposed to vague announcements, as in “People can buy my book now! Cool, huh?” No. They don’t care. They care, however, when you have a cluster of events coming up where people can actually meet you.

What does a cluster entail? I’m talking fifteen to twenty scheduled events, clustered around a two-week period, with your launch right at the beginning. I realize you probably don’t have fifteen to twenty individual bookstores in your hometown. It helps to travel, making it more of an official Author Tour. If your funds require you to stay close to home, no problem! Start with bookstores. Now, what about gift shops and specialty stores whose clientele would relate to your book? What about libraries? If your book is about astronomy, what about planetariums or museums? If it’s about salt marshes, what about national parks? The opportunities are endless. You just have to be ready to work. Events sell books. Yes, authors are artists, and your books do mean a lot to you. However, a book—no matter how good it is—dies without sales. Get out there and schedule events. It’s the way to turn your book into your career.

Don’t mean to be pushy….

The publishing industry is cutthroat. If you’re not careful, your book is old news before you’ve even unwrapped your complimentary copies. You have to retain the passion you had while writing your book through the entire process. Do not let yourself think that once your book is on the shelf, you’re done. You cannot sit back and collect royalty checks. Work with your publisher. Give your input, and use your contacts to encourage word of mouth. Believe in yourself, and bookstores will believe in you, too. Finally, always keep those events coming. Stay in the public eye, and your book will, as well. It feels good to be recognized for your work, but it won’t happen until you get off the couch and show ‘em what you got.

Sara Dobie is the Public Relations Coordinator for Sylvan Dell Publishing in South Carolina. Learn more about Sara and Sylvan Dell Publishing at www.SylvanDellPublishing.com.

Book Promotion the Hard Way

When I heard about Dave Freeman's untimely death, I hadn't heard of Freeman -- and I barely had heard of his book, 100 Things To Do Before You Die. My second thought, after I slogged through the horror I felt at the way the 47-year-old author died -- he fell at home and hit his head and just, somehow, didn't make it -- was that this incident was going to sell a lot of books. What better book promotion opportunity could there be than the author's death? Book promotion opportunities, finally, are news items, and this was a big one. It was ironic, heart-wrenching, and unacceptable -- and, of course, every media outlet in the world gobbled it up. Here's an example of just one article about the Freeman's death that opens with the title of his book.

What I didn't realize, until later, was that Freeman's death wasn't only a horror show combined with a book promotion opportunity. It was also a chance to promote a movie -- in this case, "The Bucket List," that was apparently inspired by Freeman's work. This Reuter's article, published by MSNBC.com, talks about how Freeman's death has inspired people to create their own "bucket lists" -- just like in the movie. Had I heard of the movie before Freeman's death? Vaguely -- but only in the sense that I hear about other movies with strong lead actors that I probably wouldn't schlep to a theater to see but would probably, eventually, put into my Netflix queue.

Book promotion and movie promotion -- Freeman's freak accident (at least, I hope it was a freak accident -- I think it was a freak accident, because people in their forties typically don't die in their homes because they slip and fall, do they?) was a two-fer. Book sales and movie ticket sales (or DVD sales, if the movie has moved on from theaters, at this point) are positioned to soar.

Book promotion and movie promotion opportunities aren't worth dying for, but this one is worth learning from. What makes a promotion opportunity? A news event. An attention-getting action. An unexpected happening.

Create one, if you can. But don't do it by dying.

Book Promotion Tool

The following is not only a book promotion tool (although you can use it to snag some book reviews), but it's also a valuable information source for publishers and authors: Publishing Poynters Marketplace by Dan Poynter. It's a free newsletter, and you can see the September issue online here.

For publishers and authors who are interested in finding readers to review their books on either Amazon or Barnes and Noble's site, Poynter provides a free classifieds section where industry professionals can list their titles. Free book promotion? Sounds like a deal to this book publicist!

Thank you to Dan Poynter!

Three book promotion successes in one day!

Yesterday was an exciting day for this book publicist. I received three emails from an editor at a major magazine acknowledging the upcoming publication of three articles -- written by three of my authors -- each of which will carry my authors' bylines and refer readers back to their book Web sites. Good for the editor who received content for her magazine. Good for my clients, each of whom received visibility in a national magazine. And good for this book publicist -- that's three more book promotion opportunities to show off about, and all in one day!

A media marriage made in heaven -- for promoters.

The two satellite radio networks, XM Satellite and Sirius, have finally merged. The name of the new network will be Sirius XM Radio Inc., and the total number of subscribers will 18.5 million. Here's the story.

For this book publicist, that's a media marriage made in heaven. XM Satellite and Sirius radio shows were always relatively easy bookings. Of course, there are no easy bookings, but some media outlets are more approachable than others, and both XM Satellite and Sirius have both been notably open to guest suggestions and even, perhaps, "hungry" for experts to fill their airtime. So how cool is it that the listening audiences of XM Satellite and Sirius will double (I presume, based on my assumption that subscribers of either former network will now be able to hear shows on both networks -- which, naturally, is the new network).

See? This is what happens when book publicists have a cup of coffee in the morning and then blog. Okay. Time to book some interviews....

Steve Wasserman isn't happy, and neither am I.

Steve Wasserman, a former editor of the Los Angeles Times Book Review, isn't happy. According to a July 21 article in Publisher Weekly's online edition, the Los Angeles Times is cutting out its standalone book review section. Two book review editors will lose their jobs, and countless of publishers and authors will lose yet another opportunity to have their books reviewed by a credible daily newspaper.

As a book publicist whose clients' works range from mainstream to self-published, I've never relied solely on book reviews. I've always sought book promotion opportunities from a wide range of broadcast, print, and online media outlets. And, these days, the reviewers with whom I've having the most success connecting are Amazon's top reviewers -- lay people, if you will, who have become top authorities on "what's hot and what's not" in the literary world.

Okay. Times change, and the media must change, too.

Top daily newspapers have their business considerations, just as authors and publishers must watch their own bottom lines. If standalone book review sections aren't producing profits, then they must be sacrificed, along with the editors who were the lifeblood of those standalone book review sections and the authors and publishers who relied upon those standalone book review sections for book publicity.

I understand that this is all about money and not a statement about the worthiness of book reviews or a statement that literature doesn't matter anymore. I understand that.

But that doesn't make me any happier about the whole thing.

Choose book promotion opportunities with caution.

Choose book promotion opportunities with caution. This is new advice and, coming from a book publicist, it's counter-intuitive advice. You'd think that a book publicist would want authors and publishers to take advantage of every book promotion opportunity that comes their way, and to err on the side of doing any interview that might win some exposure for the book, wouldn't you?

Well, this just in. Some media personalities have such objectionable messages to disseminate that you don't want to accept their interview invitations. In short, you don't have to deal with jerks.

Case in point: Radio show host Michael Savage said, on the air, that 99% of children who are labeled "autistic" are actually undisciplined brats. Read the Associated Press's story about it here, via MSNBC.com. If a more ignorant statement than that has been uttered about any child, I don't want to know about it. Does Savage believe the nonsense he spouted, or did he just say those things to get attention? In either case, no author, no matter how worthy the book he or she is promoting, should feel the need to appear as a guest that's hosted by people who say objectionable things on the air for any reason.

Don't feel guilty for turning down a book promotion opportunity if you feel that accepting that opportunity would force you to compromise yourself. Most book promotion opportunities are worthwhile, and they can even be wonderful. But if it doesn't feel good to you, then don't do it. That is this book publicist's advice of the day.

When Hannah Montana is old news.

When was the first time you heard the phrase "Miley Ray Cyrus?" For those of us who don't have kids who are glued to the Disney Channel, and who begged for Hannah Montana merchandise or concert tickets, the answer might well be "within the year" (or, specifically, when a magazine published some "artistic" photos of her with her father that some people found troubling).

Anyway, Miley Ray Cyrus was going to be the next...well, whomever teenage singers and actors are hoping to grow up to be these days.

And now, according to a Baltimore Sun article, Miley is, like, so over. Her popularity is dwindling as other tween crowd pleasers, such as the Jonas Brothers, push her right out of the media and out of our collective consciousness.

Miley, of course, enjoyed her 15 minutes of fame. She sold lots of merchandise and concert tickets, (hopefully) saved at least some of the salary that Disney paid her, and (again, hopefully) will be enjoying royalty checks from her CDs and acting career for many years to come.

Some authors believe that if they enjoy even 5 minutes of airtime on a national television show, their lives will be changed forever. Their books will become bestsellers, and when their stay on the bestseller lists is over, they will continue to be strong sellers forever. Their careers will be made, and their futures will be assured.

That's the fantasy, but just one look at Miley Ray Cyrus and other "It" celebrities of short duration can tell you that it isn't enough. Success isn't a one-time event that happens when the producers of a national media outlet pluck you out of the crowd and ask you to appear as a guest, or as an expert, on a show or in a publication. Success is what happens when you work on achieving it, and then maintaining it, throughout your career.


Success is what happens when you get lucky and stay lucky...and, to stay lucky, you have to work at staying lucky.

Good news for me, and bad news for some cable TV subscibers

This is a day when, for one reason or another, I am finding answers to my burning questions -- well, two of them, anyway. I thought I'd share them with you.

First, I've been adding a lot of links to my Firefox toolbar. Finally, I out-linked myself. Most of the links that I wanted to show up on my Firefox toolbar, so that I could have that one-click convenience, were truncated -- and I learned, to my chagrin, that unless you're a programmer, you can't add a second toolbar to Firefox that will let you incorporate your own links (turns out, the type of toolbar that accepts links in Firefox is called a book marks toolbar, and you only get one of those unless you've taken serious geek lessons).

But there's a fix. You can expand the bookmarks toolbar in Firefox so that all of your links show simultaneously. The answer? An add-on, available from Mozilla, called Multi Row Bookmarks Toolbar. It's free, it works, and you can download it here (you just have to sign up as a user, but I can deal with that).

The second burning question to which I received an answer this morning -- and it was not the answer I wanted -- was: Will I really need to rent a box from my cable TV company once the switchover from analog to digital takes place? The bad news is that I probably will, and so will everyone (supposedly) who connects their coaxial cable directly from the wall to their television set. Seems that there are two conversions taking place simultaneously: the conversion of all television signals from analog to digital, and the separate (and highly annoying) conversion of only cable television signals to digital cable television signals.

In a nutshell, everyone who wasn't impressed when the local cable company offered an upgrade to digital service will now have to get impressed -- or live without television-watching capabilities. The latter could be a tough road for a book publicist to traverse. Can you imagine booking an author on "Oprah," and then not being able to watch it? Or imagine not being able to keep up with the new shows on TV?

Or, from the author's perspective -- imagine getting on "Oprah" and not being able to view it? That won't work!

So all cable TV viewers will soon become digital cable TV watchers (read about it here). That will mean renting a digital converter box from the local cable TV company. And that will also mean hooking up the digital converter box to the TV set and the DVD player and the VCR, and figuring out how to use a new remote control, and probably putting up with several additional indignities and inconveniences that I haven't even thought of yet.

So it's off to get a digital converter box from the cable company. And I thought I could avold that hassle.

Oh, well.

What to do with video trailers for books

You've created a video trailer for your book. What should you do with it once you've uploaded it onto your site?

The first order of business would be to make it available via YouTube and Google Video. According to a WebProNews article dated June 26, 2008, YouTube and Google Video, combined, account for 80% of all the online video streaming. Most of those video streaming sessions, as you might guess, take place through YouTube.

So if you have just a few minutes to spend on video trailer distribution, by all means, take the time to upload it to YouTube and Google Video. If you want to maximize the book promotion potential of your video trailer, you'll have to carry your efforts into the arena of the lesser-known sites with a lighter viewership (because they'll still provide backlinks to your video trailer); onto social bookmarketing sites; and in the news.

But, if you have just 30 minutes and a video trailer for your book, and you want to do just two simple things that can instantly increase the book promotion potential of your trailer, then log into YouTube and Google Video. Getting your video trailer for your book onto the right sites isn't difficult, but it does take a bit of focus. So turn off your phone for a few minutes, and get to work. Then treat yourself to a cup of hazelnut coffee. It's Monday...you deserve a second cup.

Don Imus

Maybe it's just me, but if I were a national radio talk show host, I don't think I'd ever be moved to ask the question, "What color is he." In fact, I'm not a national talk show host -- I'm a book publicist -- and I can't imagine ever finding a reason, or a context, to ask that question.

Don Imus has done it again. You'd think that an employee who, once fired, would feel grateful to be given a second chance -- and you'd think he'd watch the words that spewed forth from his mouth a bit more carefully than most people. Alas; Don Imus is one employee who doesn't seem to learn. If you haven't heard the story by now, then click here.

Yes, I know that being on Don Imus's radio show represents a better-than-average book promotion opportunity. Yes, I know that an appearance on Don Imus's radio show can help sell books. Similarly, robbing a bank can net a person more money than working for a living. But I don't endorse bank robbery as an acceptable career choice, and I don't condone helping Don Imus stay on the air to insult, outrage, and antagonize his listeners. There are too many venues in this world to sell out to someone like Don Imus, no matter how many books an appearance on his show might sell.

This is one book publicist who won't be pitching the Don Imus Show any longer.

Book Publishing for Children

Why should you be the only author in your family? If you have creative children, they can write and print their own books via a P.O.D. company that was created just for kids: Tikatok. Although the site seems to be in the testing phase now (the site, which launched in March, has "beta" as part of its URL, so I'm assuming it's still in the beta stage), it's already receiving visibility. In fact, the Boston Herald had an article about it this morning that talked about an event, taking place at the Boston Public Library (one of my favorite places on the planet) on July 8, for kids who want to learn how to use Tikatok.

How many of us fantasized about having our own books published when we were kids? And how many of us actually could fulfill that dream back then?

Thanks to Tikatok, kids can put "publishing a book" into the same category as "getting an ipod." In other words, not every young person will find a parent who's willing to invest in the dream.

On the other hand, what a small investment it is, relatively speaking. And how rich the rewards!

Email addresses can offer book promotion opportunities, too.

Free email addresses provide yet another book promotion opportunity. If you can grab another mainstream email address that features your name (or your book title) without a lot of superfluous numbers, wouldn't you do so?

Well, at -- supposedly -- 3:00PM EST today, you'll get that chance.

Yahoo is unveiling two new email domains: Ymail and Rocketmail. So get there early (I'm assuming that "there" means Yahoo.com, but I wouldn't swear to it), and sign up for the user name of your choice.

At least, getting one or two new email addresses that feature your name, or your book's name, is another low-pain, potentially high-gain, book promotion opportunity. And at best, you'll be preventing a competitor from "stealing" the name that could benefit you and your book promotion campaign.

So go for it. Check out this article, and then get ready to sign up for a new email account!

A seemingly odd, but nonetheless worthwhile, book promotion idea.

By now, you've discovered Wikipedia. Whatever you think of Wikipedia -- whether you love it or hate it -- you've surely noticed that, regardless of what you're "googling," a Wikipedia entry almost always seems to turn up first in the search results.

We all know that (to be polite about it) Wikipedia's information is only as good as those who have contributed to its entries. That, of course, can be anyone, which is why "Wikipedia" is called a "wiki." It's produced by anyone with something to add, which means that Wikipedia shouldn't be your primary source of information. It's just not as reliable as it would be if, say, it couldn't be updated instantly, by anyone, at any time (although, in fairness, the site's editorial board to try to keep an eye on those updates and have even challenged some of my entries when I've inadvertently "under"-footnoted).

Anyway, what brought Wikipedia to mind is that, unfortunately, Tim Russert has just passed away. I wanted to see Russert's bio, so I googled him and -- predictably -- his Wikipedia entry came up first. What really made my eyes pop was that Russert's entry notes his death. I checked the entry a few minutes ago, and the entry already had been updated to include an unexpected death that had occurred less than three hours before.

People are using Wikipedia, and you should be using it, too, whatever your feelings about a democratic encyclopedia that allows anyone, regardless of credentials, to offer suggestions. It's easy to enter your own bio in Wikipedia and, hopefully, score a backlink to your Web site and your fair share of Google's attention. Yes, it's an offbeat book promotion idea, but it's one that authors and publishers should be using, anyway. Try it, and don't be shy -- it's impossible to "break" Wikipedia or your own entry. I promise. You can always edit your offering once you've uploaded it to Wikipedia to test it out "live."

Book promotion requires...

Book publicists get to do a lot of exciting things, and this book publicist isn't complaining about them. However, book promotion also requires computer and telephone time -- that's butt-in-the-chair time -- and, therefore, book promotion requires a good, comfortable chair.

In all the time that I've been a book promotion specialist, I've been using an armless, nearly backless, drafting chair to sit at my computer desk. Guess what? Those days are about to come to an end. Tomorrow, a high-backed, ergonomically-correct manager's chair should arrive from Staples.

I seldom treat myself to the luxuries of office life (I'd still be using my monochrome CRT monitor, if it were up to me), but just this once, I thought I'd grab what my back and legs needed. Book promotion requires creativity and hard work, and both creativity and hard work require a chair that one can actually sit in without adding chair cushions for height, padding, or better positioning.

My book promotion clients will thank me. I just wish one of them would offer to swing by tomorrow and assemble my chair for me.

Book Promotion: What's New?

What's new in book promotion? According to a June 10, 2008 Boston Herald article by Lauren Beckham Falcone, everything about book promotion -- for novelists, anyway -- is new. Publishers expect their novelists to spend as much time building their brand as they do writing their novels.

That's fine, but what are publishers expecting their novelists to do by way of book promotion? Appear on the Oprah Show? ? Do an inteview with the New Yorker? Get a guest gig on "Fresh Air"?

Nope, that's too simple. According to Falcone, publishers today expect their novelists to appear in retail stores, on MySpace, and even -- at least in the case of Emily Giffin, the author of a St. Martin's bestseller called Love the One You’re With -- to appear on a televised soap opera!

If you're still thinking that traditional book reviews will appease your publisher and fulfill your book promotion duties, think again. A new age of book promotion is dawning, and book publicists are rolling up their sleeves and getting to work on creative ways to help you build your brand. Get ready to meet your readers -- under conditions you never would have dreamt of just a few years ago!

Change, Change, Change

Well, literary boys and girls, I'm sorry to be the book publicist to break it to you, but...well, there's just not easy way to say this. Amazon and Borders are getting a divorce.

It wasn't anything that you did. In fact, it wasn't about you at all. It was just that Borders needed its own Web site. Sometimes, that happens, even when two companies loved each other once upon a time and cohabitated (or, at least, shared a Web site) for years and years (in this case, seven years).

Borders new Web site, you may not be surprised to learn, is Borders.com/. And Publishers Weekly's story about the Amazon / Borders breakup is right here.

Note that Baker and Taylor is handling fulfillment for Borders.com. Also, whereas Amazon offers free shipping for book orders that total more than $25, Borders lets you pick up orders at your local bricks-and-mortar bookstore for just the price of the gas you'll need to get there. Hmmm....

Stifle yourself, Barry Nolan?

Barry Nolan, beloved Boston media personality, was told to stifle his outrage at the local Emmy Award that was granted to Fox News Channel's Bill O’Reilly. He didn't. He was fired from his hosting job at "Backstage" that airs on CN8, The Comcast Network.

Acoording to a Boston Herald article, Nolan knew he was risking his job when he disseminated leaflets that contained some of O'Reilly's quotations, but "nobody likes it when people tell them to stifle, not even Edith Bunker."

No, they don't. And I'm surprised and disappointed that a major market media outlet such as CN8 would penalize Barry Nolan -- a personality whom Bostonians grew to admire during his days as co-host of the long-gone, but never forgotten "Evening Magazine" -- for his respectful and justified demonstration of dismay over the local Emmy Award's choice of honorees.

We, as media consumers, enjoy telling ourselves that we control the media with our choices. If we admire Barry Nolan, then we watch him, and he gets more airtime. If we find Bill O’Reilly's belligerence intolerable, then we ignore him, and he gets less airtime.

It seems that, in this case, media consumers didn't get a vote. But, if this media consumer did get a vote, then TV viewers in New England would continue enjoying Barry Nolan for many, many years to come as the host of "Backstage," and Bill O’Reilly would be pounding the pavement right now looking for another platform for his malice.

I also believe that no one -- no author, no expert, and no well-intentioned person with a respectful message to disseminate -- should be barred from airing that message. No one should be "stifled." And certainly not a good soul like Nolan.

But that's just this media consumer's opinion.

As a consequence of a book tour...

As a consequence of a book tour, there is now something singular and very much appreciated available on FoxNews.com: a decent current photo of William Shatner. Well, everything's relative.

Shatner's new book is called Up Till Now. He appeared on "The O'Reilly Factor," as part of his book tour, to promote it. You can reach the transcript of the interview online, in case you missed it.

Naturally, the interview revolves around the famous "Star Trek" feud. It turns out that Shatner and Nimoy did not instantly love each other, nor did everyone else in the "Star Trek" cast necessarily worship at Captain Kirk's shrine.

Big shock there, huh?

Seems that, even if you're William Shatner, you still have to pitch the "news hook" to producers if you want to promote your book, and then suffer the indignity of seeing the interview focus solely on that.

Bummer.

But, okay. At least we got a reasonably bearable new photo of William Shatner out of it. Beats watching those Priceline commericals.

And speaking of social networking...

How funny! I was just blogging about social networking and the fact that Facebook (and other social networking sites) are rendering Oprah (and other traditional media venues) irrelevant for the under-25 crowd. And now I read an article on a ZDnet blog that announces Comcast's acquisition of Plaxo.

Which means (says the social-networking savvy book publicist) that a cable television giant has just melded its world with that of a social network. By extension, that may mean that, in the not-so-distant future, any TV show that you (or members of the millennium generation) are watching may have to compete with on-air updates, invitations, pokes, messages, and who-knows-what-else from their online social networking buddies.

Think about it. You've finally scored a national TV show appearance. You've even enticed a wider audience than your specific target audience to the airing of that TV show. It's the perfect, dream-come-true book promotion opportunity. And then -- SLAM! -- your appearance is interrupted by special bulletins from Plaxo members across the globe who must, must let other Plaxo users know about the date they had last night or an upcoming exam or....

It's a vastly different world out there for those of who promote books. Ready? Get set? Learn!

More confessions of a book publicist

This book publicist has to confess something: this morning, she wrote on a wall. But it wasn't vandalism or desecration. No. The wall in question was a Facebook feature. And another thing: this book publicist was invited to write on it, and that makes a difference.

At least, I think it does.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I am not only a book publicist. I am also an adult, and in a perfect world, I wouldn't have to ever log onto Facebook, mySpace, or any other social networking venue. I could beg off and let the young'uns play in their virtual world while I limited my communications to, well, the real world.

But here's the thing. Book promotion is what I do for a living, and although I'm still conducting book promotion campaigns the way that I did 15 years ago, I'm also integrating new book promotion strategies that weren't even invented 5 years ago.

To me, keeping up with the new methods of communication and media outlets is an important part of my job. How can I function effectively as a book promotion specialist if everyone under age 25 is scrawling on a Facebook wall, and reading other users' Facebook walls, unless I can scale a Facebook wall, too?

And how can I know that mySpace is "out" and Facebook is "in" until, as a registered user of both sites, I've noticed a lack of activity on one site and a surge of activity on the other?

Ultimately, how can anyone promote books if she's only targeting traditional media outlets, and media consumers under age 25 don't even turn on their television sets except to watch DVDs?

So, yes, I'm exploring some of the social networks, and I'm toying with texting instead of emailing, and I'm twittering, and I'm keeping up with everything that's invented, as it's invented, and I think anyone who's seriously contemplating a book promotion camaign has to be experimenting with more media outlets, and more types of communication, than the old tried-and-true venues.

Sure, we're adults. But those who spend their free time writing on Facebook walls won't necessarily hold that against us. And twittering? That's as legal for us grownups as it is for the college crowd. Unless new laws are now published first on Facebook....

A reflection on the media

Every now and again, you realize that book promotion isn't the most important thing in the world. In China, at least 18,000 people may have lost their lives because of an earthquake. I can't imagine the suffering the Chinese are experiencing now. I can empathize, because I've felt pain -- but not that kind of pain.

And, as a separate but related matter, try to imagine this: You're a journalist in Myanmar. You've just survived a natural disaster that has killed thousands. And now you're living in fear of the government which, according to a CNN.com article, is scapegoating members of the media now. See (I'm trying to see, but again, it's almost impossible to imagine this): the government feels that, if word about how tragic the cyclone really was ever leaked out beyond Myanmar, then its (the government's) credibility would be undermined. Therefore, journalists must fear for their lives if they do their jobs and report the story.

You know, we're trying to get publicity for books, and we see journalists as a means to an end: increased visibility and, ultimately, more book sales. But try telling a Myanmar-based journalist whose life is in danger today that your focus is on book promotion. Sort of puts things in perspective for this book publicist.

But here's a story that I read yesterday that makes me feel that, sometimes, journalists have the best job in the world. Before her widely-published obituary, had you ever heard of Irena Sendler? To see her picture is to know that she was an angel. Ms. Sendler was a Polish hero who saved the lives of 2,800 Jewish children and babies during World War 2. She went into the Warsaw Ghetto, and she found a way to take out these children -- illegally, obviously -- and to give them a chance. What's more, she made a list of their real names hoping that somehow, some way, they could be reunited with their biological families after the war.

Well.

Ms. Sendler was living in relative obscurity in Poland until a journalist, somewhere, figured out who she was and what she'd done. Now she's the object of worldwide appreciation, veneration, and awe.

That's what a journalist should be doing. They shouldn't be in hiding, and they shouldn't be fearing a knock on their doors, as they must be now in Myanmar.

As my immigrant grandmother told me about 15 million times, during her lifetime, we are very lucky to be U.S. citizens. We may not always appreciate it, but on days like today, I think I do. Reflecting on the media makes me realize how lucky we are to be here, now, and contacting the media about our books -- rather than trying to find food, water, shelter, or lost family members.

Spreading Your Eggs Into Various Baskets

The key to success -- book promotion success, or any other kind of success -- is to spread your eggs into various baskets. Thinking "this is the one!" or "getting on this show will be the making of my book!" is a sure-fire way to disappoint yourself and sabotage your book promotion campaign.

Here's a case in point: authors who think that Google is the only search engine in town, and who are putting all their SEO (search engine optimization) eggs into Google's basket will be in for a hard landing (and a painful reality check) when the Next Big Thing in search engines comes along, and Google is out of the picture.

I just read an article on MSNBC.com called "Where Does Google Go Next" that talked about employees fleeing Google, as they do all companies -- whereas, once upon a time, they probably had hoped that working at Google would be a lifetime appointment. The article points out that Google, too, is vulnerable to the shortcomings of all companies.

It's hard to think about the Great and Almight Google as a corporation, but that's all it is: an ordinary companies that has risen high and, one day, will hit the earth again. Signs of that are already visible. Imagine if Microsoft's offer to buy Yahoo really came to fruition? Good grief! How fast can you refocus your SEO efforts, when the need arises?

So, yes, optimizing your book Web site for Google is still the smart thing to do. But be ready for that to change. One day, in the forseeable future, gaining visibility for your book Web site will be focuses on a search engine other than Google. And authors and publishers who put all their digital eggs into Google's basket might find their book promotion campaign floundering because of that choice.

Book Promotion Costs Increase - Part 2

Well, the Post Office Guy let me down. As of yesterday, he still didn't know how much it would cost to mail flat-rate Priority evelopes -- the type that I routinely use for mailing out books and press kits to the media. I know. I asked. He shrugged.

The Supervisor Post Office Guy heard and saw the exchange, and he jumped into the conversation. Yay! A Supervisor Post Office Guy! Now I'd get the answer! I was especially hopeful to get clarity about the book promotion costs increase -- which will take effect on Monday -- when the Supervisor Post Office Guy offered up the information that he'd ordered the new postage. Yay! An answer! And what, exactly, will the book promotion cost increase be, Mr. Supervisor Post Office Guy?

Well, he couldn't say, exactly. He knows that he ordered $4.80 stamps (the old rate for flat-rate Priority envelopes was $4.60). But he doesn't know for sure whether $4.80 will be enough to mail all my flat-rate Priority packages. In fact, lamentably, the Supervisor Post Office Guy doesn't know if there will still be a flat-rate Priority package rate as of Monday.

Priority rates might depend on zones which, as you've probably learned by now (presuming you use the US Postal Service to mail packages as part of your book promotion campaign), is post office parlance for "the distance your package is traveling." So, if your package is crossing enough zones -- according to the Supervisor Post Office Guy at my local post office -- then the $4.80 rate might increase. Maybe. To something, that he can't say just now. Because he doesn't know for sure.

In fact, he suggested that I just sit tight until Monday, when he and I can find out together.

I love surprises. Most people love surprises.

So here's a surprise that awaits us. We'll be surprised to find out how our book promotion campaign costs will increase as of Monday.

Yay.

Book Promotion Costs Increase

If you use the US Postal Service's flat-rate Priority offering to mail books and media kits, then the price of your book promotion campaign is about to increase. As of Monday, the rates will change. That's the good news.

Well, okay, it's not good news, but it's the best news that I have for you.

As I mailed out a handful of books and media kits today via the flat-rate Priority service, I asked the Post Office Guy at my local branch what the new rates would be. The Post Office Guy shrugged sheepishly and showed me his voluminous update postage rate information package that covered every possible postage rate increase-related topic under the sun -- but didn't contain even a hint about upcoming Priority rate changes.

The Post Office Guy, who has spent much of the past 15 years or so helping hapless customers like me keep up with the ever-evolving rules, quirks, and pricing structures of the US Postal Service, promised to put a note into my post office box with the information I requested as soon as it becomes available. "Or you can just come in here with some unstamped flat-rate Priority packages on Monday and be surprised," offered the Post Office Guy as an alternative.

Thanks, Post Office Guy. And thank you, too, Pundits in Charge of the US Postal Services Communication Flow. Thanks to all of you, I now know exactly how much my book promotion campaign costs are going to increase as of next week, and I can clearly inform my cilents and other concerned citizens who are in the midst of book promotion campaigns about what the specific changes will be.

Any time after the new rates take effect, that is.

Oh, yeah. And one more thing. The Post Office Guy told me that the flat-rate Express service the Postal Service once offered is no longer exactly a flat-rate service. The rate will depend, in part, on the destination zone. He fears the same will be true of the new flat-rate Priority rates, but he can't say for sure. Stay tuned...or check with your local post office on Monday.

Perfect Book Promotion Pitches

If you send out a lot of book promotion pitches, the way that I do, then you write for a tough audience: the media. In fact, if the editors and writers of top magazines and newspapers are on your media contact list, then you are writing for the toughest -- and, potentially, the most critical -- audience imaginable. A press kit (and that term now includes traditional press kits as well as online, digital press kits) is not the place to demonstrate your confusion about grammar, spelling, or word usage. Even casual emails to the media -- surprise! -- have to be cogent, correct, cohesive, and clear.

It's easy to write perfectly, all the time, if you're a well-programmed software program -- but I've never met an author, publisher, or book publicist who falls into that category. Alas. The second-best way to create book promotion pitches that enhance your credibility, rather than encourage recipients to roll their eyes and shake their heads, is to look up anything of which you're unsure.

I've just found a great online resource, and I want to share it with everyone who's in the midst of a book promotion campaign. In fact, I want to share it with everyone on the planet! Note: The site doesn't charge users, and even if it ever starts to charge users, the owners aren't paying me a referral fee. My enthusiasm comes not from the potential to profit from this referral but, rather, from my deep and abiding love of the English language. Check out this link: http://www.bartleby.com/.

Why? I'm glad you asked. On Bartleby's Web site, you'll find searchable copies of Fowler's The King's English (yes, it's British, but still); The Elements of Style; the American Heritage® Book of English Usage, Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, and more.

Finding this site has made my day. It's also eliminated my last excuse for getting anything wrong, ever, in any of my outbound book promotion pitches.

It's also, potentially, addictive. Note to clients: Don't worry, I'm bookmarking the site now and won't click it on again until after hours. I can do it! I can do it!

Book promotion mistake: torturing your message

Don't get me wrong. One of the most effective ways to garner book promotion opportunities is to tie your book (and blog, seminars, multimedia book shows, podcasts, and other informational offerings) into the headlines. As a book publicist, it's part of my job to keep an eye on news stories and current events, and to suggest ways to tie your messages into the news.

But a common mistake this book publicist sees is: taking it too far.

If there's a presidential election coming up, suddenly, every author is trying to find a presidential election media angle. Sometimes, it works, but when you have to put your message through torturous machinations ("as a nutritionist, I can talk about how Hillary Clinton's diet has probably changed during the campaign based on how her clothes seem to be fitting her" or "as a real estate professional, I'd suggest waiting until the Democratic party has nominated its candidate before putting your home on the market") to justify a pitch.

I've had two clients, already, ask me to craft a pitch to the media that would run something like, "here's some fashion advice for Barak, Hillary, and John" and "here are the five verbal mistakes that the presidential candidates must avoid."

Now put yourself in the shoes of a producer or editor. Every publicist who approaches you, and every author and publisher who pitches you, has an election-related media angle. Every one of them wants to advise presidential candidates. And you've been running dozens of election stories each week, and you've spoken with hundreds of experts who are tying their messages into the election. You've heard thousands of election-related news hooks, and at this point, you have election story ideas all over your desk, your floor, your email box, and your voice mail. You're drowning in election stories.

Which would appeal to you more: yet another election-related news hook, or an unrelated story idea?

The answer is that, when coverage of a particular news event (today, it's the presidential election, but soon it will be another story -- a celebrity's demise, another O. J. Simpson trial, a natural disaster, or what-have-you) reaches the saturation point, then the media welcomes -- in fact, the media demands -- other story pitches.

Be bold. When other authors, publishers, and book publicists are offering advice to presidential candidates or Britney Spears or O. J. Simpson, try offering a more hard-hitting news angle. Conversely, when the news is filled with natural disasters, crime, and morbid economic predictioins, try pitching a light feature story idea. Instead of torturing your message to fit the news story of the day, offer your expertise in ways that the media will find refreshing.

Producers and editors, too, need a break from politics (and the recession, and O.J., and the Olympics, and...). During those times -- when the media is weighing itself down with the same-old, same-old news hooks -- try offering them something, and I think you'll see the book promotion opportunities you've been seeking.

Authors: have you been to Boston lately?

Boston, Massachusetts is a literary hotbed. So says novelist Mameve Medwed as quoted in a May 4 Boston Globe article titled "Novices peek at literary world."

Well, yes. I knew that Massachusetts had bragging rights to some of my favorite authors, past and present. Louisa May Alcott, famously of Concord, once lived on Beacon Hill, for heaven's sakes! I've read in her bio that Lois Lowry -- The Giver, anyone? -- lives, part of the time, on Beacon Hill, too. So of course: Boston is filled with literary greats.

But who knew that Boston was also the home of "Muse and the Marketplace," which the Globe describes as a two-day conference run by the independent writing center Grub Street Inc." I didn't, I'm ashamed to say, even though this was its seventh year in operation.

Me? I'm not only a Boston-based book publicist, but I'm also a rabid Massachusetts-based book reader, and I can guarantee you: the eighth annual "Muse and the Marketplace" will find me in attendance, drinking in the company, and talents, of the Massachusetts-based writers who help make Boston a literary hub.

Is the "Muse and the Marketplace" a book promotion opportunity? Certainly, but it's also a chance to meet new Boston-area authors and get a first-peek at their works -- and I, for one, will never let that opportunity slip by again.

Do you need a blog promotion specialist?

Everyone blogs. But it occurs to me that a lot of bloggers are making the same mistake. They're thinking: If you blog it, they will come. Well, no.

If you blog it, they will come -- if you promote your blog.

You know the drill. You can be the world's best blogger, but if no one knows about your blog, then you're blogging for your own amusement. That may be fine, if you're a hobbyist with lots of time on your hands to express yourself on a subject and then move onto your real life.

But if blogging is part of your real life -- if you're blogging to promote your book, to bring visitors to your Web site, to help producers and editors find you, to optimize your Web site for search engine placement, to build brand, to enhance your online visibility, and to disseminate your messages -- then you have to publicize your blog.

You have to think of your blog as a product that needs your publicist's time and energy, just as you think of your book, Web site, and seminars as products that must be promoted and marketed. Your blog publicist should understand the viral marketing potential of your blog and should have a track record at bringing visitors to your blog.

If you blog, they will come -- but your blog promotion specialist has to "think outside the blog" to make that happen. Does your book publicist lack the blog promotion experience? We can help. We also offer ghost blogging services. Email us at sjmiller@bookpr.com, or visit our web site for more information.

I'd like to thank the Academy, and....

This year's YouTube Video Awards have just been handed out, and for this book publicist, that begs the question: could your multimedia book show (presuming you've uploaded it to YouTube and other video-sharing sites) go "viral," be seen by millions of people, and perhaps even win the online video equivalent of an Emmy?

And, if it did, would that necessarily turn your book into a bestseller?

Historically, book promotion efforts have been related to book sales (book publicists of integrity won't tell you exactly how the two are related, because we can't know for sure -- but we do know that there's usually a correlation between the two). But there's been no one huge book promotion hit -- no, not even an appearance on "Oprah" -- that can guarantee an author will sell a specific number of books on a given day, or that the number of books sold will be enough to catapult the book to the bestseller lists.

But, then again, traditional media outlets haven't resulted in the type of viral marketing enjoyed by the winners of the 2007 YouTube Video Awards. Those videos are everywhere. Links to those videos are in your inbox, because several people you know sent them to you. Those people didn't even have to enjoy those videos to pass along those links. They simply had to be get a chuckle, learn a couple of things, or believe that -- in some way -- the videos were worth a few minutes of your time. And that's it: the links land in your inbox, you pass them along to others, and those recipients pass them along to still others, and...before long, the number of viewers for that video probably leaves the number of viewers that any national TV show boasts in the dust.

Which leads me to wonder: for authors with a book to promote, and the budget to create a multimedia book show, why are you not getting out there and hiring a production conmpany to create a video for you? Why are you putting all of your book promotion muscle behind traditional book publicity instead of exploring the possibilities of online book promotion such as multimedia book shows?

There may be reasons that I don't understand. But perhaps someoone could explain them to me, because -- after watching the success of the videos featured in this year's YouTube Video Awards -- I believe that book videos should be a part of every author and publisher's bag of tricks. And you?

Who's competing for the media's attention?

You're trying to promote your book. Who's competing for the media's attention? Just about everyone, according to an article in the New York Times' Sunday Book Review called "You’re an Author? Me Too!" Columnist Rachel Donadio points out that, while fewer Americans are reading, many more of us are publishing books.

Are you seeking book promotion opportunities? So is every other author. And so is every other publisher.

Are you seeking endorsements for your book? So is every other author. And so is every other publisher.

In fact, columnist Brandon Griggs of the Salt Lake City Tribune points out that everyone is seeking a blurb for his or her book, and even well-meaning blurbers (that is, those who genuinely enjoy a book and want to support it, as opposed to those authors who are just seeking promotional opportunities for their own books) tend to look like, well, "blurb whores" if they endorse more than fifty books.

What are authors to do if their book promotion opportunities are diminishing because of the crowded field of competition? Work harder. Seek out online book promotion opportunities as well as the traditional venues. And make book promotion a part of your job and your mission.

Book Promotion Is Tough. Poetry Promotion Is Tougher.

If book promotion is tough, then promoting poetry books is the toughest book promotion challenge of all. So how would you get people -- many of whom aren't "into" poetry -- to attend a poetry festival?

The organizers of the Newburyport (Massachusetts) Poetry Festival had a brilliant book promotion idea. Using the Book Crossing model, they had volunteers distribute 25 copies of books written by poets participating in the festival. The idea was that people would find the books, browse through them, get hooked, and tell their friends about the festival -- and they'd pick up new fans and festival attendees.

I'll bet it worked, too.

For more information about the challenge of bringing people to the Newburyport Poetry Festival, click here. If you can bring readers to poetry, then you can bring readers to any type of book. Way to go, Newburyport, for thinking outside the book promotion box!

Web-based TV show for novelists and poets

I may have just seen the future of book promotion, and if so, then it is TitlePage TV. It wasn't easy to run across; I did, because I was paying attention to the April 22 PaperCuts blog (which is a New York Times book blog). Once I got past the baffling book multimedia show for a book by Sloane Crosley called, I Was Told There'd Be Cake (don't get me wrong -- it was a wonderfully-produced show, but I was at a loss to figure out its message), I gleefully found the TitlePage TV show (hosted by editor and novelist Daniel Menaker).

Way to go, Daniel! Your show looks as nice as anything you might see on broadcast TV, and I'll bet its attracting more prospective guests than you have the time to interview.

Web-based TV shows about books. This may well be the future of book promotion -- or, at least, one sizeable chunk of it.

YouTubing for Book Promotion

Are you using youtube.com as part of your book promotion campaign? You probably should be, if some recent stats are correct. Last Wednesday, an organization called comScore Inc. released this surprising (to this book publicist, anyway) factoid: This year, 66% more people than last year are viewing online videos. You can read the Associated Press article on MSNBC here. Even television network executives, who acknowledge that they're losing viewers to the Internet, are trying to bring their content online.

That's probably good news for authors and publishers who are currently contemplating book promotion campaigns and for book publicists. Rather than pitching television shows and hoping the producer picks your book to feature, or your author to interview, you can create a multimedia book trailer, post it on YouTube (which is where most viewers go to indulge their online video-watching habit) and on your own Web site.

There are a couple of caveats.

First, you'll have to bring viewers to your online video. When you do a traditional TV show, you'll automatically have viewers; those TV shows are on the air because they've built up their audience base. With your own book video, you'll have to find viewers yourself. That means an effective book promotion campaign, these days, includes a video promotion campaign component (and a book Web site promotion campaign), too.

Second, your book's multimedia show has to be professionally conceptualized and executed. The production values must be top-notch. They don't necessarily have to include video components, which can really jack up the cost (and, ironically, lower the quality) of multimedia shows for books. But they do have to leave PowerPoint presentations in the dust, and -- as talented as your college-age nephew might be -- this is a project for production professionals, not relatives and students. The multimedia show is a reflection on your book, so if you can't afford a first-rate production, then put the idea on hold until you can.

When your multimedia book show is built, and viewers are watching it on YouTube (and on your Web site), you might ask: Who needs "Oprah?" Why should I bother to pitch traditional national TV shows when I now have my own book multimedia show online? Well, for now, we all need "Oprah" (and other tradtional book promotion opportunities).

Next year...who knows?

Agree to disagree

A client recently was interviewed by a Christian radio show. After the interview, he called to request that, in the future, I refrain from booking him on Christian radio shows. When I asked why, he said, "Well, the hosts disagree with my book's thesis, so there's no point in talking with them."

Well, I disagree. Every radio interview, on any type of radio station, is a book promotion opportunity. And nearly every host who disagrees with you provides you with an opportunity to make your case. (Those who don't provide you with an opportunity to make your case present a particular challenge, but there are ways to rise to that challenge, too.)

Book promotion opportunities aren't easy to come by. If they were, then book publicists would be out of business. As a book publicist, I work hard to schedule each and every interview, and the last thing I want is to screen potential interviewers to make sure their perspective is identical to my client's point of view before finalizing the interview.

I can appreciate a client's wish to attract interviews from media outlets that he or she respects the most (particularly, from those venues that are on his or her media "wish list"). And I can understand a client's desire to say, in advance of the book promotion campaign, "I'll do an interview that comes up except A, B, and C" (where A, B, and C are radio talk show hosts who make their living beating up or mocking or humiliating guests just for the sport of it). I'm very comfortable, for example, with the client who says, "Don't bother to pitch Howard Stern, because I wouldn't consider doing his show."

But I don't appreciate it when clients sabotage their own book promotion potential by restricting the pool of interviewers to "known, safe" quantities. No book publicist can predict what will happen during an interview; therefore, no interviewer is perfectly "safe." Anyone can disagree with a client, for any reason, and it shouldn't be the end of the world.

But limiting the media outlets that might help you promote your book can very well be the end of your book promotion campaign.

A vulgar way to get book promotion opportunities.

Here's a vulgar way to get book promotion opportunities. Although I'm willing to share it, I don't advocate it either as a book publicist or as a human being. That said, here's how to get more book publicity opportunities than you can handle: get involved with O.J. Simpson, and then offer your "exclusive" perspective into the man's psyche.

That's just what "a key figure in the O.J. Simpson case" did, according to an Associated Press article that's making the rounds. The O.J. Simpson case in question, interestingly enough, isn't the O.J. Simpson case. It's the other O.J. Simpson case -- you know, the one that involves sports memorabilia, a hotel room, possible kidnapping, and (potentially) at least one gun. And the "key figure" who has something to do with the case -- it ain't O.J., and I couldn't quite get myself to commit the name of the person it was to long-term memory -- is cashing in on his, um, proud association with O.J. Simpson here in our world. He wrote a book, he had it published, and now he's promoting it.

Somewhere, I'll bet a book publicist (or book publicists) are cringing at the thought of what they've involved themselves in. I hope the publisher is cringing, too.

As for me, I'm not exactly proud of myself for adding this blog to the book promotion this "key figure" is receiving for his O.J. Simpson-related title. But I'll defend myself, partially, by reminding you that I never mentioned the name of the author's book.

I'll conclude by saying this. If you don't always get as many book promotion opportunities you deserve, at least you can be thankful that you haven't stooped to the level of some authors, who right about certain vulgar topics, to get the book promotion that you do receive. It's a trade-off, I suppose, but I'd never promote a book related to O.J. Simpson -- and I'm glad that, as an independent book promotion specialist, that choice is mine to make.

Are these books even worth promoting?

HarperCollins is launching an imprint which will be led by Robert S Miller, founder of Hyperion. A new imprint, you say. Wow! Great!

Well, not so much. The new HarperCollins imprint, the name of which hasn't yet been announced (or this book publicist has missed it), has two drawbacks. First, it doesn't pay an advance to authors (or the advance is so small that it may as well not exist, since it won't cover the author's time in preparing the book and waiting for it to pay royalties). Also -- and this is the biggie -- the books will be nonreturnable.

I've just read a Guardian Weekly article that quotes Miller as saying that he'll have to figure out a way to get booksellers to buy his books on a nonreturnable basis. Yes. And right after he figures that out, he can end world hunger, get the U.S. troops out of Iraq, and cure AIDS.

I'll sit here and wait.

The new HarperCollins imprint begs the question: Are the books they publish even going to be books, given the fact that -- unless Miller pulls a rabbit out of a hat that has long proven itself hostile to bunnies -- bookstores won't even entertain the idea of carrying them? Worse, since the books are nonreturnable, most bookstores won't even know how to order the books and will, mostly likely, turn customers away. Even an appearance on "Oprah" couldn't turn a book that probably won't be ordered by bookstores into a success.

I just hope that, before authors sign on with the new HarperCollins imprint do their homework and determine whether they can live with its drawbacks. With changes occurring in the publishing industry, the homework never ends.

Being a book publicist is no joke.

Being a book publicist is no joke, and book promotion isn't a joke, either. So when a client approached me about sending out a press release parody on her behalf for April Fool's Day, I declined.

The press release would have contained how-to tips that were "funny," because they represented ideas that were diametrically opposed to the author's "real" how-to tips. I declined to send out such a press release on the grounds that it was irresponsible.

The author in question isn't irresponsible. She's been offering the media her how-to tips for years, and the media loves them and rewards her for being the expert in her field by providing her with tons of high-profile interview opportunities on a regular basis. But, in this case, I believe the author was misguided.

An author can have fun during her book promotion campaign. I hope book publicity is fun. I want it to be fun.

But an author, like book publicists, has to guard her credibility. All she has to offer the media, finally, is her credibility -- just as all book pubicists have to offer the media, finally, is the trust they've earned over the years they've spent nurturing relationiships. It would be a very bad call, in my judgment, to throw away that credibility and trust for the privilege of being able to chortle "April Fool!" when someone believes a press release (and, perhaps, is ready to schedule an interview that revolves around a press release) that contains false information.

That is why this book publicist declined to play an April Fool's Day joke on the media. I think it's a very bad idea, and as a book promotion professional, I choose to associate myself with only very good ideas. Onward....

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

One of the responsibilities of a book publicist -- or of anyone who's organizing a book promotion campaign -- is to keep abreast of changes in the media. Producers, editors, and hosts come and go, and keeping up with those changes can be disheartening (as when Don Imus lands another on-air gig) or puzzling (as when Kathie Lee Gifford is hired to be part of the "Today Show" team).

Kathie Lee Gifford? The fluffy co-host of "Live with Regis and Kathie Lee?" The perky half of morning television's fluffiest, perkiest show ever? On the "Today Show?"

I'm puzzled. What could Kathie Lee Gifford bring to a news program that includes -- but doesn't focus on -- lighter features?

Well, like everyone else who promotes books, I'll find out soon, I suppose. Stay tuned....

Could blogs ever replace books?

Could blogs ever replace books in the hearts and souls of book lovers? Of course not. But will there ever be a generation that grows up without books -- favoring, instead, the chunks of information they can get by logging onto the Internet and reading Web sites, ezines, and blogs? Maybe. Check out this article on Icwales.com/.

Another survey -- this one, done in Great Britain, I'm pleased to say -- finds that young people are reading fewer books than their parents did. And how many books will their children read? That's the really disturbing question.

If young people today prefer reading blogs to curling up with a good book, then what will become of the generation that follows them? And the generation after that? And the generation after that?

Book promotion is difficult enough with all the competition for readers' attention. What will happen when the definition of "reader" changes to mean "someone who frequently logs onto the Internet and scans information that might be of interest?"

To whom will we promote our books then?

Thinking Outside the Blog: An Update

Since I last posted about Gary David Goldberg's blog entry, "WWAKD: What Would Alex Keaton Do," there have been two major developments.

To backtrack a bit, Gary David Goldberg (creator of "Family Ties" and author of the new book, Sit, Ubu, Sit) posted a blog entry on his Web site. I'm fortunate enough to be handling the online portion of Gary's comprehensive book promotion campaign.

The article moved me, and I asked for (and received) permission to "think outside the blog" and pitch the article to other media outlets. Within 24 hours, the New York Times blog, Campaign Stop, posted Gary's article. That was on March 3.

A couple of days later, on a hunch, I checked Google and discovered that the blog entry had spread virally. Blogs ranging from Politico to the Atlantic had linked back to Gary's article (as published by the New York Times blog). I published, in my previous blog entry (Thinking Outside the Blog) a partial list of the links back to the article I'd found as of a couple of days ago.

I'm excited to report that the article is still spreading around the Internet in the best example of viral marketing that I've ever been involved with. New York Magazine's Web site has linked back to the article, and the Los Angeles Times' LA Funny Pages 2.0 blog has also featured part of the article and a link back to the complete text on the New York Times blog.

And if that weren't enough, the real-world version of the Chicago Tribune ran the article yesterday, and its Web site featured the article, as well. The (Allentown, PA) Morning Call also ran the article yesterday and featured it on its Web site. And the LA Daily News is running the article this Sunday (and I feel confident that it will show up on their Web site, too).

Gary David Goldberg is a fantastic writer with an unmatched instinct for choosing topics that are current, poignant, and controversial. His work has inspired "water cooler chats" for decades. So it's not surprising that his thoughts about how an iconic character whom he created, Alex P. Keaton of "Family Ties," would vote in the upcoming presidential election has garnered a tremendous amount of interest and discussion (as of now, there are 215 readers' comments posted on the New York Times blog).

Good for him. Gary David Goldberg is a man who's earned success and found it many times over, and it's unsurprising that he's found more of it with this article. But there's a lesson for all of us to be drawn here, and that is simply this: blog! And when you think you don't have time to blog, blog anyway! And then extend your blog entries beyond the blog. See how far you can take them. You might be able to launch a viral marketing campaign of your own just because of one great piece of writing. It's hard to overlook the success this particular blog entry, "What Would Alex Keaton Do," has enjoyed.

Open letter to the National Enquirer editors

Dear National Enquirer editors:

You could publish that story, NATIONAL ENQUIRER WORLD EXCLUSIVE: PATRICK SWAYZE HAS 5 WEEKS TO LIVE, so you did. You get the glory of scoring an exclusive on a "breaking news story."

And what do members of Mr. Swayze's inner circle get?

Pain.

And what do his fans get?

Sadness. And anger.

This fan didn't want to find out about Mr. Swayze's health condition from you, dear editors. She wanted to find out -- when and if appropriate -- from Mr. Swayze himself or those who are authorized to speak on his behalf.

Shame on you for depriving the Swazye family, and those who care about them, of that opportunity. Shame on you for deciding to publish what best served your purposes just because you could -- regardless of the consequences.