Book Promotion Focus at Libraries?

Maybe your book publicity efforts should focus on libraries. If your instinct is that your book belongs on library shelves, you could be right. Lisa Rein, who writes for the Washington Post, points out in a recent article called "Hello, Grisham -- So Long, Hemingway?" that libraries are casting aside classic books to make room for more popular, and more modern, titles. With limited shelf space (yes, libraries apparently do have the same shelf-space issues as bookstores) and tight budgets, it's only fair to focus on what taxpayers and readers want.

That could be your book.

Therefore, that could be good news.

And, besides, this book publicist was never a huge Hemingway fan, anyway. Well, okay, maybe I enjoyed two or three of his novels, but ....

Okay, I would rather see snow in New England this weekend than see my local library -- or any library -- toss out the classics. Still, from a book publicity standpoint, the trend toward buying and retaining what sells does raise some interesting possibilities. If Hemingway's books go in the landfill, there will be some extra space on the shelf. And, hey, some books will have to fill in the gap. Maybe those books will be yours.

Book Promotion During the Holidays

Can you conduct an effective book promotion campaign during the holiday season? Maybe -- but it will take far more work to get book publicity during the last couple of weeks of December, and the first week of January, than it would during the rest of the year. You'll receive fewer responses from the media decision makers now than you typically would expect.

But does that mean that you shouldn't try? It depends on your tolerance for hard work, which is what book publicity campaigns require. If you don't mind making more phone calls, sending out more emails, and filling out more online forms to garner fewer book promotion opportunities, than go for it. You have the advantage of competing against fewer people than usual who are pitching producers and editors. Also, you have producers and editors with last-minute cancellations who might be inclined to cover your story, or grant you an interview, when ordinarily they wouldn't. On the other hand, the reason fewer people than usual are pitching during the holiday season is because fewer media decision makers than usual are at their posts, so it's a double-edged sword.

For those with a book to promote, think of the holidays as an opportunity to bond with people in the media who have the bad luck to be working now. Or, to those of us who work hard all year long pitching stories to the media, think of this as a good time to be working out a plan for approaching the media after the first of the year -- when newspapers, magazines, radio studios, and television studios are once again fully staffed and ready to go.

Book Promotion -- a 2006 Retrospective

Scandals. That's what book promotion was all about in 2006: scandals in the publishing industry. Check out the Newsweek article, "The Book Scandals: Can't We All Get a Life?, " by clicking here

Most of the publishing industry scandals cited in the article were free book promotion opportunities for the publishers and the authors. How many people had heard of Running with Scissors until everyone started buzzing about whether the autobiography were true or the bizarre (yet entertaining) imaginings of an advertising executive's mind?

But the scandals didn't result in book sales across the board. For example, the cancellation of O. J. Simpson's book didn't result in book sales because, of course, there wasn't any book to sell. It did result in the most media attention I've seen for any book in quite some time, but the book promotion didn't help anyone. Similarly, How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild and Got a Life received way more than its fair share of book promotion opportunities, but where is the book now? Not in stores, unfortunately for its author and publisher.

The bottom line, I think, is that 2006 has taught us that scandal may be one way to garner book promotion opportunities. But book promotion opportunities are no guarantee of book sales. And, more importantly, those who participate -- willingly or unwillingly -- in book scandals rarely come away with their reputations and dignity intact.

Which would you rather have: a slot on a national TV show, or your soul? For me, that's a no-brainer. (Besides, there are other ways to get booked on a nation

Worst book promotion idea ever - part 2.

Well, have you ever seen the author of a cancelled book get so many opportunities to promote himself? Okay, so Fox News is off the table now. But how many times have you seen O.J. Simpson's face, and heard his voice, in the past 24 hours?

Hey, let's make a deal. Let's promise to not tell Simpson about iUniverse. The last thing we want is for that person to publish the book himself.

We know that opportunities for O.J. Simpson to promote this particular book, even if it doesn't carry its intended imprint, would be limitless. And, somehow, I don't believe his children would be the beneficiaries of book sales . . . nor do I think Ron or Nicole's other relatives would get a penny of the proceeds.

Yuck.

Worst book promotion idea ever.

Here's the worst way ever to get a publisher interested in your book and to get an unlimited amount of publicity to go along with it: murder a couple of people. We've just read a story that makes us feel even worse about the Simpson story. Click here to read about why a publisher decided to publish, and help promote, Simpson's new book.

On a personal note, I just scheduled an interview for a client on Fox News Channel for this weekend. I checked with my client first to see whether he wanted to appear on the network that's helping promote Simpson's new book. He's perfectly comfortable with it. I wish I could say the same.

Buying Book Promotion

Q. I am a self-published novelist. How can I buy the media's attention to increase book sales?

A. You can buy advertising in the various media, and that might help book sales if your self-published novel has a very targeted readership. You can also buy a small number of book reviews. The book reviews you pay for can help publishers in limited ways (for example, the small press buyer for one of the national bookstore chains insists on seeing book reviews), but they're not going to convince other media decisionmakers that they have to cover your book. Your book has to do that on its own.

Can you pay a national television or radio show host to interview you? No. Can you bribe a reviewer to review your book, or an editor to assign your book to a beat editor? Sorry.

If there's a news story behind your novel, then let the media know about it, and you'll get book promotion opportunities the old-fashioned way: by earning them. Pitch, persuade, and work, and you'll see book promotion opportunities come your way -- if your book is newsworthy. But, no, you can't "buy" book promotion opportunities. No book publicist can buy media placements, nor are book promotion specialists connected enough to cooerce major media outlets to provide media coverage of their clients' work. Books have to stand on their own and, unfortunately, there's no way to buy a guarantee of book promotion opportunities...at any price.

Wondering About Writing.

This book promotion specialist has wondered and worried about the future of writing -- handwriting, that is.

Since I learned to touch-type, when I was eight years old, I have been slowly forgetting how to use a pen. My muscle memory is getting less and less reliable when it comes to cursive writing. I don't even feel comfortable signing a check in public for fear that I won't be able to write my name legibly (or even accurately) under pressure.

I used to think that it was just me, but an article from MSNBC.com makes me wonder if cursive writing is becoming difficult for all of us -- and, maybe, besides the point for the young 'uns. According to the MSBNC.com article, children with poor handwriting skills frequently have poor composition skills. Their sentences may be shorter than they would be if whatever cognitive skills were involved with handwriting were more highly developed, according to some academics, and the scary thing is that I tend to believe them.

The demise of cursive doesn't only mean that today's great writers won't leave behind handwritten manuscripts for future generations. It also means that the whole process of writing has changed, and I'm wondering whether we're progressing -- or not.

Sure, handwriting is only tangentally relate to book promotion. Still, the consequences of the demise of handwriting are interesting for this book publicist to ponder.

Keeping Up WIth Media Changes

When you're promoting your book, or when you're a book promotion specialist, it's important to keep up with media changes. For example, if there's a national television show that's launching this fall, you need to know about it so you can add the producer to your media contact list. If a major television show is folding, you need to know about that, too.

So I keep my eyes and ears open for such changes in the media, and I learned about one this morning. WLVI-TV, one of Boston's independent television stations, has just been bought by the company that already owns WHDH-TV in Boston. Here's the Boston Globe's story.

Regardless of what decisions are made about the future of WLVI-TV's original programming and staff, I say this news can't be good. A diversity of media ownership was supposed to keep our media honest. One of the things you had to love about Boston-area media was that it was local. Boston radio personalities (Jess Cain, Dave Maynard, Dale Dorman, et al.) were the narrators of our lives; it boasted two newspapers; and independent television stations provided their own treasures (WSBK-TV's "Movie Loft," WLVI-TV's "Creature Double Feature," and so on). Now, the times they are a-changin', and I think that's Boston's loss.

It also represents a loss of book promotion opportunities. Think about it: whereas, once, you could pitch a story idea to both WHDH-TV and WLVI-TV, now you'll pitch that story idea to one entity, with one perspective, and one agenda. Dissenting voices probably need not apply.

And, yes, on a personal note I'm just plain grumpy at the loss of WLVI-TV. As every Massachusetts-based adult who was ever a kid can tell you, WLVI-TV was the go-to station for the after-school programming that really mattered. I won't list the 1976 after-school television lineup on WLVI-TV here (although I could).

Suffice it to say that media changes seem to be happening with greater frequency these days, and it behooves everyone to follow those changes whether you're in the middle of a book promotion campaign or whether you're just trying to find a wonderful old movie to watch this a Sunday -- for free, with commercial interruptions, and without having to deal with a real-world or online video store.

Key Book Promotion Rule

Here's the key thing to remember about book promotion: no matter what happens, the journalist is always right.

That means that if you're not happy with something a radio host says on the air, or something a journalist forgets to include in his/her article, or the direction in which a television host takes an interview, then you'll just have to live with it. It's not your show, nor is it your newspaper or magazine. And it's not your Web site. It's theirs, and -- as someone on a book promotion tour -- you're an invited guest on their turf. You're the Kato Kalin to their O. J. Simpson.

You're the author who's asking for air time or space in a print (or digital) medium. If you get that time or space, then you're a winner. If your book is mentioned, then that's a plus. Otherwise, then chalk up that one radio interview as an opportunity to at least have gotten your name (and expertise) out there. Don't try to shout out your book title over the interviewer's "goodbye, thank you for being here." It won't work. The host or the producer has control over the audio controls. You don't.

I've had clients be disappointed that a radio show host didn't include a link to the author's site on the host's Web page. I've also had clients be disappointed that a newspaper's Web site that reprinted a client's article contained only the author's byline, but not a hyperlink to the author's Web site.

It's okay to feel disappointed. It's not okay to ask the radio show host or Webmaster or journlist or whomever you're dealing with to "fix the problem." There is no problem. The journalist is always right.

Just as you don't complain about the accomodations when you're staying overnight at a relative's home, you don't start making requests for special attention or editorial changes when you're an author who's on a book promotion tour. It's inappropriate, it's unprofessional, and it's not going to get you anywhere. And it's going to get your book publicist's dander up if you request that he or she do it for you. Your book publicist will have a relationship with those journalists long after you've moved onto your next project, and he or she will honor the key rule of book promotion -- the journalist is always right -- at all times.

Every media hit will not change your life, although some may. Just remember that, cummulatively, interviews work to promote your book even if there are individual disappointments along the way. There's never any excuse for telling a journalist how to do his or her job, or to insist on special treatment, during a book promotion campaign. Enjoy the ride, and know that -- if you follow the key rule about book promotion -- you will come away with friends in the media. Otherwise, you're on your own.

More News Features Mean More Book Promotion Opportunities.

I'm not going to take sides on the Katie "is she serious and worthy enough to be a news anchor" Couric controversy. But I will say that my spirits were lifted by MSNBC and other news sources' criticism of her, which was largely that the features she is adding are out of place on the "CBS Evening News."

More features on national television mean more opportunities for authors to promote their books, and more opportunities for authors to promote their books mean more chances for book promotion specialists, like me, to create good news (no pun intended) for our clients.

So, Katie, keep up the good work. We want to see you continuing to emphasize features over hard news on the "CBS Evening News" -- just as long as the "Today Show" that you left behind doesn't jettison the feature stories in favor of more hard news.

A New Year in Book Promotion

Why does the first day back at work after Labor Day Weekend always seem like a new year -- in book promotion and beyond? Maybe because the kids are back at school, the weather is changing, the white cotton clothes have been packed away, and a new lunar year will soon begin. Besides all that, a long holiday weekend clears our minds and we all (book publicists , authors, publishers, and the media) come back to our tasks with fresh ideas and new enthusiasm.

So, to everyone who's in the middle of a book promotion campaign, I propose that we all start a new year -- with a fresh slate -- today. And, to everyone who's about to embark on a book promotion campaign, this will be a new project and a new adventure.

Let's make it a great one.

Book Promotion Without Alienating the Media

I enjoyed the movie, "Little Miss Sunshine," but there was one scene that made me squirm. It was when Greg Kinnear's character, Richard, confronts his literary agent about the agent's failure to sell his self-help book to a publisher. The agent explains that all the publishers had turned down the book.

"What's the next step?" Richard asks the agent.

Richard is counting on the advance that the book's sale will bring, because -- apparently -- he's quit his day job. The agent is left with the thankless task of explaining to Richard that there is no next step. No is no. No doesn't mean keep trying. No means try again with a new book idea, but drop the old idea. It was pitched. It was rejected. Finis.

That isn't what Richard wants to hear, and it's not what you want to hear when you're in the middle of a book promotion campaign and you've pitched an idea to the media that doesn't fly, but -- sometimes -- that's the way that it is.

When your pitch falls flat, and the media says no, you can change the pitch. You can reformulate the pitch, based on the feedback you've received, and try again with an angle that's better suited to the media's needs.

But what you can't do is tell the media decisionmakers that they have to do the story. You can't tell them they're being shortsighted or ignorant for turning it down, and they'd better reconsider if they know what's good for them.

If you try to force the media to promote your book, or you try to bully them, or you badger them in any way, you won't get them to change their mind. All you'll succeed in doing is alienating the media and burning bridges.

No isn't always an opportunity to close on the rejection. No is sometimes an opportunity to listen to why.

No is often a chance to go back out to the media with something far better and score a yes.

So what is the next step? The next step is to keep the faith that your book promotion campaign will be highly effective -- but learn when to take no for an answer and when to change strategies.

Book Promotion by Podcasting

Are you having a hard time launching your book promotion campaign through conventional media channels? Then try podcasting.

By podcasting, you can host your own radio program and talk about your book. Then, through the magic of the Internet, you can post your podcasts on the appropriate Websites and, using your email list (or purchased email lists), invite people to listen to it.

Boost your book promotion campaign by reading about the benefits of podcasting -- and how to set up a podcast -- here. And then, once you've built a fan base, try approaching the conventional media again. Being a recognized figure who is a proven fan favorite can make a big difference in your book promotion success.

Book Promotion by Podcasting

Are you having a hard time launching your book promotion campaign through conventional media channels? Then try podcasting.

By podcasting, you can host your own radio program and talk about your book. Then, through the magic of the Internet, you can post your podcasts on the appropriate Websites and, using your email list (or purchased email lists), invite people to listen to it.

Boost your book promotion campaign by reading about the benefits of podcasting -- and how to set up a podcast -- here. And then, once you've built a fan base, try approaching the conventional media again. Being a recognized figure who is a proven fan favorite can make a big difference in your book promotion success.

Book Promotion Firms Don't Work for Free

And neither do book publicists. Forgive me for venting, but I'm frustrated.

A few years ago, I promoted a novel for a small publishing company (the author and the publisher were two different individuals, but I worked with both of them during the course of the book promotion campaign).

About a year after the campaign was finished, I began to get media calls asking about books published by this small company. At first, I thought nothing of it except that someone was confused, and it would work itself out. But today I received another phone call from a reporter who told me that I was designatd on the publisher's Web site as the media contact for the publishing company and for all of their books.

Here's a snippet from the email I sent to the publisher:

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I don't want your authors or you to miss media opportunities when those media inquiries come my way (obviously, the books/authors about whom the media is asking will not "ring a bell" with me), nor do I want to have my valuable time taken with media inquiries that are not meant for my clients. It's also not fair to those who are paying me for my time, and paying -- in part -- for the privilege of having their projects associated with professional media representation.

Please update your site at your earliest convenience, and let me know when you've taken care of the matter. Thank you in advance.]

Yes, I was annoyed, and I am hoping that the publisher hasn't known about his error for all this time that he was using my contact information as the go-to place for the media. As I said in my email to him, one of the things authors/publishers buy from me and other book publicists is the association of their work with a book promotion firm -- it's proof that they're taking their book seriously, and promoting it seriously.

I would no sooner lend my name and reputation to book promotion projects without fair compensation than I would expect my real estate agent to sell me a house without taking her commission.

It strikes me as a bad day when I feel cheated. And today, I felt cheated.

Starbucks Perks Up Book Promotion Campaign

Starbucks, in affiliation with Hyperion Books, will feature Mitch Albom's latest novel, "For One More Day," in its coffee shops beginning in October (the book's publication date is September). Of course, the visibility in Starbucks' coffee shops will perk up the visibility of Albom's book. But here's the question: does Albom's book promotion campaign really need the boost?

I'm an Albom fan, and I would have found my way to his latest novel even without the efforts put forth by Hyperion and Starbucks. His new novel will get reviews and shelf space in bookstores.

But what about all the novelists whose works will never enjoy the visibility that Albom's books receive? Why doesn't a major force such as Starbucks step forward and offer to give a boost to the book promotion campaigns -- where that boosts could do the most good?

Yes, you can pitch your book to Starbucks even if you don't have a Hyperion Books behind you. But good luck getting Starbucks' attention. If you're an unknown author, you'll need luck.

A Book Promotion Opportunity for Marketing Books

MarketingSherpa has a book promotion opportunity for new books that relate to marketing, advertising, or publicity. You can read about it here.

If your new book relates to any of those areas -- and it's relevant to marketng professionals and a "good read" -- then you can send one copy of the book to Book Contest, MarketingSherpa Inc 499 Main Street Warren RI 02871 US. Include your contact information and the book's publication date.

If your book is chosen by MarketingSherpa's editors for their weekly Giveaway, then they'll request four more copies of your book. Marketing professionals can click here to register to win one of the books chosen for the Giveaway.

Your book competes with other books related to marketing for a book publicity opportunity, and marketing professionals compete with each other to win a free copy of winning marketing books. Sounds like a great idea to me, and a terrific book promotion opportunity for the right book.

A Book Promotion Don't-Do

Did you see the news item on MSBNC.com today, "Marie Osmond did not attempt suicide?" Ouch.

A tabloid ran a news story that, evidently, Marie's publicity camp disputed. The result was that MSNBC.com story that offered Marie's rebuttal to the tabloid's story.

Unfortunately, MSNBC.com ran that rebuttal in the most cringe-worthy way imaginable. They stated a memorable negative in a way that brings back memories of Nixon's "I am not a crook" and (to paraphrase Clinton) "I did not have intimate relations with that woman."

When you're in the midst of a book promotion campaign, you never want to answer a confrontational question (such as, "Did you try to commit suicide?") with a negative, "I didn't try to commit suicide." That would be repeating a negative, and if you do that, you can almost guarantee that the negative is the quotation people will remember.

Instead, you always want to state a positive. You might say, "I was very healthy and feeling quite positive, thank you for asking." Or, "I briefly experienced a bad reaction to my medication, but thank goodness, the doctors handled the whole affair beautifully and I'm fully recovered now."

For the sake of your book publicity campaign, steer clear of the trap the confrontational interviewers might be setting for you. Yes, some interviewers may want to be Howard Stern and infuse your book promotion campaign with questions that will make you squirm and want to walk off in a huff.

The best response is to stay calm and friendly in all interview situations that you find yourself in during a book promotion campaign. Don't take the interviewer's hostility personally; it's not meant personally. It's an act, and now that you know how to respond to it, you'll quickly take the wind out of the interviewer's sails and put an end to the negativity.

Just remember that headline about Marie Osmond, and be sure that doesn't happen to you. (And, for the record, I do believe Marie's publicity camp. She has a strong support system, and I have every confidence that it's working for her and will continue to do so in the future. But...please. No more feeding into a reporter's negativity, because I don't want to read anymore headlines like this one about Marie Osmond or anybody else.)

Book Promotion by Novel Giveaway

Something very cool is happening in Australia. according to an article in the Courier Mail, here's what's going on.

To promote book sales, and for the sake of encouraging people to read, an organization called Books Alive paid Monica McInerney to write a novel. Her book, which is called Odd One Out, will be given for free to consumers who buy any of fifty books that are featured in the Books Alive Great Read Guide.

What a great book promotion opportunity for McInerney! And the fifty other lucky authors benefit from book publicity, too.

And I'm thinking: this isn't such a bad deal for consumers.

Okay. So we're not doing something like this to promote book sales and to support authors and publishers in the States ... why?

Blogging Her Way to Book Promotion

How does novelist MJ Rose use the Internet to create a book publicity campaign that could only happen now? She blogs.

According to the Huffington Post, MJ Rose wants to link to 500 blogs as the main thrust of her book promotion campaign. To get out the word about her lastest book, The Venus Fix, Rose is asking bloggers to link to her multimedia book show and link to an interview about her book. In exchange for the "free" book promotion, Rose will donate five dollars to the blogger's choice of three charities. And, to sweeten the deal, a lucky blogger will win a signed copy of Rose's book.

Of course, by that time, the lucky blogger will presumably have already read Rose's book, but still ... it's the thought -- and the book publicity -- that counts.