David Chura, author of I Don't Wish Nobody to Have a Life Like Mine: Tales of Kids in Adult Lockup, has published a wonderful piece in the Huffington Post called "Book Peddlers: Why One Author Hits the Promotion Road." Chura talks about trudging from one book event to another in countless cities, hoping that he isn't left standing at the podium talking to himself.
Chura's story is familiar to me, and I especially appreciate Chura's feeling that, as long as he connects with his audience, his time is well spent. (It sure beats the unanswerable question I'm hearing too frequently these days from authors: "If I hire a book publicist and invest X number of dollars in book promotion, then how many dollars can I expect to earn in book sales?")
It's good to see that Chura is an example of an author who has embarked on a book promotion tour for the right reasons...gaining something besides, exclusively, book sales. But it's even better to see that, along with hitting the road to do book publicity events, Chura is also smart enough to engage in less taxing, perhaps more highly targeted book promotion efforts such as pitching a well-written, interesting article to the "Huffington Post" that gets out the word about the authorship of his book to far more people at once, far more painlessly, than a series of book events would!
Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Book promotion opportunities courtesy of Whitey Bulger?
Thanks to the FBI for finally capturing Whitey Bulger (those who aren't sure who Whitey Bulger is can click on the USA Today link to find out). Let's overlook, for now, the fact that the FBI gave Bulger the warning that led to his running away with 16 years ago -- let's focus, instead, on the fact that justice is at hand, and Bulger will soon be back in Boston to face his criminal past and pay his debt to society.
And thanks to the FBI and to the accused murderer himself for opening up a whole world of book promotion opportunities for all authors who have penned books about Whitey Bulger. A quick Amazon search on "Whitey Bulger" turned up more than 10 books about the former fugitive, each of them a potential book publicity goldmine at the moment (that is, provided each of the authors is willing to commit some time and energy to granting interviews, writing articles and op-eds, disseminating news releases, contacting bloggers, and the like).
Book promotion always works best when you can attach your expertise to a breaking news story -- and, since the capture of Whitey Bulger is a huge news story, lucky are the authors who can take advantage of the news hook. I'm sure they'll want me to thank Whitey Bulger and the FBI on their behalf.
Go, Whitey Bulger experts and authors! Garner those book promotion opportunities! And, while you're doing that, please say a prayer for Bulger's victims (and their family members and friends). Good can sometimes be extracted from horror, even in cases where that horror has been unspeakable. So thank you, Bulger. And thank you, too, FBI.
And thanks to the FBI and to the accused murderer himself for opening up a whole world of book promotion opportunities for all authors who have penned books about Whitey Bulger. A quick Amazon search on "Whitey Bulger" turned up more than 10 books about the former fugitive, each of them a potential book publicity goldmine at the moment (that is, provided each of the authors is willing to commit some time and energy to granting interviews, writing articles and op-eds, disseminating news releases, contacting bloggers, and the like).
Book promotion always works best when you can attach your expertise to a breaking news story -- and, since the capture of Whitey Bulger is a huge news story, lucky are the authors who can take advantage of the news hook. I'm sure they'll want me to thank Whitey Bulger and the FBI on their behalf.
Go, Whitey Bulger experts and authors! Garner those book promotion opportunities! And, while you're doing that, please say a prayer for Bulger's victims (and their family members and friends). Good can sometimes be extracted from horror, even in cases where that horror has been unspeakable. So thank you, Bulger. And thank you, too, FBI.
Monday, June 13, 2011
A book promotion campaign...
A book promotion campaign is only as good as an author's willingness to say "yes" to interview (and book) requests. I'm working with an author who knows this, and yet is overwhelmed by other demands on his or her time. (Name and gender withheld to protect the guilty!) Thus, this book publicist is hearing "no" a lot more than she's accustomed to hearing it from authors.
And, wouldn't you know, this is a book that would publicize itself if the author would cooperate. Grrr. Soooo frustrating for this book publicist! But, perhaps, the author will decide that building brand by getting media visibility is worth the price of putting some time into this book promotion campaign. Could happen. Maybe.
And, wouldn't you know, this is a book that would publicize itself if the author would cooperate. Grrr. Soooo frustrating for this book publicist! But, perhaps, the author will decide that building brand by getting media visibility is worth the price of putting some time into this book promotion campaign. Could happen. Maybe.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Two articles for book promotion!
I’m so proud of two friends and clients. They both scored an amazing book promotion opportunity!
Debra Fine, author of “The Fine Art of Small Talk,” wrote an article http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifcalhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifled “Six Wedding Reception Rules (Royal or Otherwise)” that was just published on FoxBusiness’s web site. Good for you, Debra! I love the way she tied her expertise into a news story and turned it into a book publicity opportunity that FoxBusiness couldn’t resist!
And Caroline Dowd-Higgins, author of “This Is Not the Career I Ordered,” was quoted in a “U.S. News and World Report” article — and her book was mentioned, too!
Congratulations to Debra and Caroline, and I hope your articles bring a lot of book buyers and other potential clients your way!
Debra Fine, author of “The Fine Art of Small Talk,” wrote an article http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifcalhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifled “Six Wedding Reception Rules (Royal or Otherwise)” that was just published on FoxBusiness’s web site. Good for you, Debra! I love the way she tied her expertise into a news story and turned it into a book publicity opportunity that FoxBusiness couldn’t resist!
And Caroline Dowd-Higgins, author of “This Is Not the Career I Ordered,” was quoted in a “U.S. News and World Report” article — and her book was mentioned, too!
Congratulations to Debra and Caroline, and I hope your articles bring a lot of book buyers and other potential clients your way!
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Ricki Lake is back in book promotion game!
Remember Ricki Lake's old television talk show? Like most talk shows, it provided opportunities for various authors to provide their expertise to television and, of course, to publicize books they wrote. Book publicists, and everyone who promotes books, love to hear about upcoming book promotion opportunities, and here's one that this book publicist just came across: Ricki Lake's new television talk show is in the works. Here's the story.
As CNN's Marquee Blog says, the Oprah Show is leaving the airwaves, but Ricki Lake's new show may be launching. And with the unfortunate cancellation of two of ABC television's long-running soap operas, there will be even more open time on the television schedule. That means there will be additional air time, potentially, for talk shows that, of course, provide book promotion opportunities for authors. So, although I mourn the passing of the soap opera genre (face it: I've been hooked on soaps since before I started school, and I'd still watch them, if I had the time), I do appreciate that advent of new television talk shows and new book publicity opportunities for authors.
Time's change, but the benefits of television (and radio, too) shows for authors who want media attention are unchanged. A new television talk show means new book promotion opportunities. So I'll welcome Ricki Lake back with open arms...and I'm look forward to seeing other new television talk shows hitting the airwaves in the months ahead.
As CNN's Marquee Blog says, the Oprah Show is leaving the airwaves, but Ricki Lake's new show may be launching. And with the unfortunate cancellation of two of ABC television's long-running soap operas, there will be even more open time on the television schedule. That means there will be additional air time, potentially, for talk shows that, of course, provide book promotion opportunities for authors. So, although I mourn the passing of the soap opera genre (face it: I've been hooked on soaps since before I started school, and I'd still watch them, if I had the time), I do appreciate that advent of new television talk shows and new book publicity opportunities for authors.
Time's change, but the benefits of television (and radio, too) shows for authors who want media attention are unchanged. A new television talk show means new book promotion opportunities. So I'll welcome Ricki Lake back with open arms...and I'm look forward to seeing other new television talk shows hitting the airwaves in the months ahead.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Good book promotion news.
Here's some good news for book promotion, and particularly, it is good news for self-published authors who are embarking upon book publicity campaigns.
Barnes & Noble is now taking self-published authors who participate in the PubIt! program more seriously. According to a MediaBistro article, Barnes and Noble is launching three initiatives for self-published authors. They are:
First, PubIt! will have its own bestseller list. Every bestseller list is, inherently, a book publicity opportunity. Books that make bestseller lists can promote that fact, and book publicists can create the momentum they need to build new book promotion opportunities.
Second, PubIt! books will be eligible selected for Barnes & Noble’s “Read In Store” program that allows in-store shoppers to read books for free, on their Nooks, as long as they are inside the Barnes & Noble bookstore.
Third, even though PubIt! is pretty intuitive and simple to use, Barnes & Noble will host in-store events to teach self-published authors to use PubIt! so they can upload their own books. That's a potential book promotion opportunity, too, by the way. Authors who need some hand-holding with PubIt! can stop by the store and schmooze with other self-published authors -- some of whom might want to buy a copy of their book. And, as long as they're in the store, they might also talk with the Barnes & Noble staff about their book ... the more buzz you create for your book, the more robust your book promotion campaign.
Book distribution has always been an integral component of book promotion efforts. The more widely your book is distributed, the more it can benefit from your book publicity campaign.
So anything Barnes & Noble can do to turn PubIt! into a serious attempt to help self-published authors with book distribution is a step they're taking toward helping self-published authors with book promotion. Way to go, Barnes & Noble!
Barnes & Noble is now taking self-published authors who participate in the PubIt! program more seriously. According to a MediaBistro article, Barnes and Noble is launching three initiatives for self-published authors. They are:
First, PubIt! will have its own bestseller list. Every bestseller list is, inherently, a book publicity opportunity. Books that make bestseller lists can promote that fact, and book publicists can create the momentum they need to build new book promotion opportunities.
Second, PubIt! books will be eligible selected for Barnes & Noble’s “Read In Store” program that allows in-store shoppers to read books for free, on their Nooks, as long as they are inside the Barnes & Noble bookstore.
Third, even though PubIt! is pretty intuitive and simple to use, Barnes & Noble will host in-store events to teach self-published authors to use PubIt! so they can upload their own books. That's a potential book promotion opportunity, too, by the way. Authors who need some hand-holding with PubIt! can stop by the store and schmooze with other self-published authors -- some of whom might want to buy a copy of their book. And, as long as they're in the store, they might also talk with the Barnes & Noble staff about their book ... the more buzz you create for your book, the more robust your book promotion campaign.
Book distribution has always been an integral component of book promotion efforts. The more widely your book is distributed, the more it can benefit from your book publicity campaign.
So anything Barnes & Noble can do to turn PubIt! into a serious attempt to help self-published authors with book distribution is a step they're taking toward helping self-published authors with book promotion. Way to go, Barnes & Noble!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Senator Scott Brown scores book promotion win
Scott Brown, the Republican senator from Massachusetts (did I really just say that -- it still sounds amazing to this life-long Bostonian?), just scored the biggest possible book promotion win. Everyone is talking about his about-to-be-published book (Against All Odds: My Life of Hardship, Fast Breaks, and Second Chances) -- an autobiography that, among other things, details sexual abuse that the senator suffered when he was ten years old. If a book could receive more publicity than this one has, this book publicist can't imagine it.
Sixty Minutes taped an interview with Senator Brown. The Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, the Huffington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the Daily Beast, ABCNews, CBSNews, Yahoo News, and just about every other news organization in the country has discussed Senator Brown in the context of his upcoming autobiography.
Virtually every political figure publishes an autobiography and, while most of them turn into book promotion -- and, with that, persona promotion -- opportunities for their authors, the media attention Scott Brown's book is receiving is off the chart. You can't click on a web site, or turn on the TV or the radio, or open up a newspaper, without hearing about the senator's new book. Why are all of the producers and editors going out of their way to help promote Senator Brown's new book?
My take on it is that, for whatever reason, some people feel that Scott Brown has provided too much information. The sexual abuse in his childhood, they hold, was his personal business, and he should just do the manly thing, keep it to himself, and move on. In other words, incredibly enough -- and unintentionally, I'm sure -- this book contained enough controversy to keep producers and editors excited about the story and to get their readers, viewers, and listeners interacting with the story. Any time readers, viewers, and listeners participate in a story, the story grows.
Thus, Senator Scott Brown and his publisher are sitting on a goldmine: a book that everyone is talking about. That's what book promotion does best: it finds a charismatic author (that would be Senator Brown, in this case), a worthwhile message or three (the book's title, Against All Odds, says it all), and adds a dash of controversy (intentional or not) . . . and creates a bestselling book.
That's what I think Senator Brown has here: a bestseller. Kudos to him and to his publisher, and I hope the book continues to receive publicity and positive attention from the media. This is book promotion at its best, and it's exciting -- particularly, for this Boston-area book publicist -- to see another great Boston book promotion story!
Sixty Minutes taped an interview with Senator Brown. The Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, the Huffington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the Daily Beast, ABCNews, CBSNews, Yahoo News, and just about every other news organization in the country has discussed Senator Brown in the context of his upcoming autobiography.
Virtually every political figure publishes an autobiography and, while most of them turn into book promotion -- and, with that, persona promotion -- opportunities for their authors, the media attention Scott Brown's book is receiving is off the chart. You can't click on a web site, or turn on the TV or the radio, or open up a newspaper, without hearing about the senator's new book. Why are all of the producers and editors going out of their way to help promote Senator Brown's new book?
My take on it is that, for whatever reason, some people feel that Scott Brown has provided too much information. The sexual abuse in his childhood, they hold, was his personal business, and he should just do the manly thing, keep it to himself, and move on. In other words, incredibly enough -- and unintentionally, I'm sure -- this book contained enough controversy to keep producers and editors excited about the story and to get their readers, viewers, and listeners interacting with the story. Any time readers, viewers, and listeners participate in a story, the story grows.
Thus, Senator Scott Brown and his publisher are sitting on a goldmine: a book that everyone is talking about. That's what book promotion does best: it finds a charismatic author (that would be Senator Brown, in this case), a worthwhile message or three (the book's title, Against All Odds, says it all), and adds a dash of controversy (intentional or not) . . . and creates a bestselling book.
That's what I think Senator Brown has here: a bestseller. Kudos to him and to his publisher, and I hope the book continues to receive publicity and positive attention from the media. This is book promotion at its best, and it's exciting -- particularly, for this Boston-area book publicist -- to see another great Boston book promotion story!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Borders' bankruptcy is a nightmare for book promotion.
Borders' bankruptcy is not only a nightmare for book promotion, but it's also a horror show for everyone who loves books. Here, for book lovers, authors, publishers, book publicists, and others who haven't yet seen it, is a complete list of the 200 Borders bookstores that are slated to close.
The bankruptcy of one of the two top bookstore chains in the world hurts book sales but, even more, it hurts everyone in the book publishing industry.
It hurts us all.
The bankruptcy of one of the two top bookstore chains in the world hurts book sales but, even more, it hurts everyone in the book publishing industry.
It hurts us all.
Monday, February 14, 2011
One final book promotion push for Oprah Winfrey's show
It looks as though the "Oprah Winfrey Show" is set to provide one final book promotion push for an incredibly fortunate book. And -- this may or may not shock you, but -- the lucky book in question is a book about the "Oprah Winfrey Show."
Yes. The last major book publicity push given by Oprah Winfrey on her self-named nationally syndicated television show is likely to be an illustrated coffee table book about the "Oprah Winfrey Show."
Publishers Weekly, which ran the story, declined to name the coffee table book about the "Oprah Winfrey Show." However -- and I'm just going on a hunch here -- I'll bet it's titled something like "The Oprah Winfrey Show." Then again, what does this book publicist know?
Well, this book publicist knows a book promotion dream when she sees it. Congratulations to the Abrams publishing company for sealing this deal with Oprah. A better book publicity prospect is unlikely to come this way in a long, long time.
Yes. The last major book publicity push given by Oprah Winfrey on her self-named nationally syndicated television show is likely to be an illustrated coffee table book about the "Oprah Winfrey Show."
Publishers Weekly, which ran the story, declined to name the coffee table book about the "Oprah Winfrey Show." However -- and I'm just going on a hunch here -- I'll bet it's titled something like "The Oprah Winfrey Show." Then again, what does this book publicist know?
Well, this book publicist knows a book promotion dream when she sees it. Congratulations to the Abrams publishing company for sealing this deal with Oprah. A better book publicity prospect is unlikely to come this way in a long, long time.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Book Promotion Tip #239: Don't Let This Happen to You
Book Promotion Tip #239: Don't let this happen to you.
Here's book promotion tip #239 from a book publicist who thought she'd seen it all. Well, now I think I've seen even more.
This "Today Show" segment seemed to hold so much promise when I saw the headline on the MSNBC web site: Girl, 4, treks through snow to save family. Meredith Vieira, polished, professional, and cool as ever, sweat as a one-year-old and a four-year-old made strange noises, crawled around the set, clamored for attention, and generally behaved the way toddlers often do when you want to show them off -- in this case, before a national TV audience.
Granted,in this case, all you had were some disappointed relatives and friends of the family who were hoping to have bragging rights ("yes, those were my babies you were watching!") and, instead, have some explaining to do ("the kids were up all night, and there were dozens of strangers around -- they usually don't behave that way"). And the mom still got to tell her story: her four-year-old daughter walked through snow for a quarter of a mile before she came to a house and got help for her mom and baby brother.
However, had the mom been an author who was on the "Today Show" to sell, say, a memoir...this segment would have been a major disappointment. Viewers would have winced and hoped for the embarrassing segment to end; that would have run counter to the goal of inducing them to rush over to the bookstore and buy their copy of the memoir.
Book Promotion Tip #239, then is, "Don't let this happen to you." W.C. Fields was right: don't work with kids, if you can help it, even if they're part of the story and if, ordinarily, the kids are perfect angels. And, of course, don't work with animals, either!
Here's book promotion tip #239 from a book publicist who thought she'd seen it all. Well, now I think I've seen even more.
This "Today Show" segment seemed to hold so much promise when I saw the headline on the MSNBC web site: Girl, 4, treks through snow to save family. Meredith Vieira, polished, professional, and cool as ever, sweat as a one-year-old and a four-year-old made strange noises, crawled around the set, clamored for attention, and generally behaved the way toddlers often do when you want to show them off -- in this case, before a national TV audience.
Granted,in this case, all you had were some disappointed relatives and friends of the family who were hoping to have bragging rights ("yes, those were my babies you were watching!") and, instead, have some explaining to do ("the kids were up all night, and there were dozens of strangers around -- they usually don't behave that way"). And the mom still got to tell her story: her four-year-old daughter walked through snow for a quarter of a mile before she came to a house and got help for her mom and baby brother.
However, had the mom been an author who was on the "Today Show" to sell, say, a memoir...this segment would have been a major disappointment. Viewers would have winced and hoped for the embarrassing segment to end; that would have run counter to the goal of inducing them to rush over to the bookstore and buy their copy of the memoir.
Book Promotion Tip #239, then is, "Don't let this happen to you." W.C. Fields was right: don't work with kids, if you can help it, even if they're part of the story and if, ordinarily, the kids are perfect angels. And, of course, don't work with animals, either!
Thursday, February 03, 2011
New book promotion blog.
For authors and publishers who follow my book promotion blog, you'll notice a new look and feel. I've transitioned from a Movable Type blog to a WordPress blog, and I'm now getting up to speed on the new functionality.
As you know, I've long considered blogging to be one of the greatest gifts the Web has given those of us who are involved in book publicity. So I'll be interested in learning the ins-and-outs of the state-of-the-art blogging software.
Thank you for coming along for the ride with me, and may all of your blogging experiences -- whether they're for book publicity or other promotional purposes -- be good ones. Check out my new book promotion blog at http://bookpr.com/bookpromotionblog/.
As you know, I've long considered blogging to be one of the greatest gifts the Web has given those of us who are involved in book publicity. So I'll be interested in learning the ins-and-outs of the state-of-the-art blogging software.
Thank you for coming along for the ride with me, and may all of your blogging experiences -- whether they're for book publicity or other promotional purposes -- be good ones. Check out my new book promotion blog at http://bookpr.com/bookpromotionblog/.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Book promotion in exchange for privacy?
Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites can be important and highly-effective components of a comprehensive book promotion campaign. But this book publicist wouldn't make social networking the sole component of a book promotion campaign; social networking -- at least, at the moment -- means sacrificing several things including privacy.
According to a CNN.com article, "The internet and the 'end of privacy,' " social networking as come a social necessity for some of us, so that segment of the population might be to share too much information with others: our politics, our online purchases, our vacation plans, and the like.
But, for the rest of us, social networking is a tool, not a necessity. It's an excellent tool for book promotion, although it's not the exclusive means of obtaining -- and retaining -- a high book publicity profile for your project. But it's one of many book promotion tools.
The question that authors, publishers, and book promotion specialists must ask is: what's the real cost of social networking? It's wonderful to see people buzzing about your book -- but you're giving up something to see that happen. You're exchanging your privacy in exchange for the book promotion value of social networking.
Privacy in exchange for book promotion might be a fair exchange ... but I wouldn't count on social networking as the book promotion solution for every author, publisher, and book publicist. This book publicist values her privacy, and she wouldn't give it up willingly as long as there are other book promotion venues.
And, fortunately, there are many book promotion venues out there. Social networking enjoys an inflated sense of importance now, because it's still new. But when the shine wears off, some of us will be left wondering what we've given up in the name of book promotion. A little bit? Too much? Or everything
According to a CNN.com article, "The internet and the 'end of privacy,' " social networking as come a social necessity for some of us, so that segment of the population might be to share too much information with others: our politics, our online purchases, our vacation plans, and the like.
But, for the rest of us, social networking is a tool, not a necessity. It's an excellent tool for book promotion, although it's not the exclusive means of obtaining -- and retaining -- a high book publicity profile for your project. But it's one of many book promotion tools.
The question that authors, publishers, and book promotion specialists must ask is: what's the real cost of social networking? It's wonderful to see people buzzing about your book -- but you're giving up something to see that happen. You're exchanging your privacy in exchange for the book promotion value of social networking.
Privacy in exchange for book promotion might be a fair exchange ... but I wouldn't count on social networking as the book promotion solution for every author, publisher, and book publicist. This book publicist values her privacy, and she wouldn't give it up willingly as long as there are other book promotion venues.
And, fortunately, there are many book promotion venues out there. Social networking enjoys an inflated sense of importance now, because it's still new. But when the shine wears off, some of us will be left wondering what we've given up in the name of book promotion. A little bit? Too much? Or everything
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Want the world's best book promotion opportunity?
The world's best opportunity is pretty easy to come by. All you have to do is become president of the United States. Do that, and your new children's book will be published by Random House; enjoy a first print run of half a million copies; garner as much media attention as it can handle; and rake in the cash (in this case, I'm glad to report, the cash will be donated to a scholarship fund for children of disabled war veterans).
So if you're struggling for book publicity opportunities, you know now what you have to do to garner those media interviews and book reviews. Become president of the United States, and book promotion opportunities will follow.
So if you're struggling for book publicity opportunities, you know now what you have to do to garner those media interviews and book reviews. Become president of the United States, and book promotion opportunities will follow.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Imagine if your lost manuscript gathered this much book publicity.
NPR. Time. NBC. New York Magazine. MediaBistro.
Imagine if the discovery of one of your lost manuscripts garnered that much book publicity. "This old thing?" you might ask modestly. "Really?"
I wish Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel, of course) were here to see all of the book promotion hype revolving around the discovery of this unpublished manuscript, titled All Sorts of Sports.
Book promotion isn't always about selling books.
Sometimes, book promotion is also about knowing how very much you are loved.
This book publicist happens to believe that Dr. Seuss's lost manuscript -- shoot, and even Dr. Seuss's lost grocery list -- deserves all the media attention it garners. Good for you, Dr. Seuss! Good for your All Sorts of Sports! Good for readers everywhere!
Imagine if the discovery of one of your lost manuscripts garnered that much book publicity. "This old thing?" you might ask modestly. "Really?"
I wish Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel, of course) were here to see all of the book promotion hype revolving around the discovery of this unpublished manuscript, titled All Sorts of Sports.
Book promotion isn't always about selling books.
Sometimes, book promotion is also about knowing how very much you are loved.
This book publicist happens to believe that Dr. Seuss's lost manuscript -- shoot, and even Dr. Seuss's lost grocery list -- deserves all the media attention it garners. Good for you, Dr. Seuss! Good for your All Sorts of Sports! Good for readers everywhere!
Monday, October 11, 2010
Book promotion thought for the day.
Here's my book promotion thought for the day.
A book promotion campaign isn't an advertising campaign. Don't confuse the two.
Book promotion provides authors with opportunities to disseminate their messages and provide their expertise to potential book buyers. The goal is to establish credibility.
Advertising touts a book's assets and provides reasons why people should buy it.
As a point of clarification, book publicists do not conducting advertising campaigns. Book publicists conduct book promotion campaigns.
Book publicists let the media decision makers know about the messages their clients would like to deliver. If the producer, editor, host, or reporter is interested in hearing that message, then the book publicist will have a match. On the other hand, journalists do not want to hear or read advertisements for books. A book publicist who sends journalists ads in the guise of story pitches or guest pitches risks his or her reputation and stands to burn brides.
So, authors, keep in mind the difference between book promotion and advertising when you're working with book publicists. And please understand why, when you ask a book publicist to help you disseminate an advertisement for your books to the media, your book publicist must decline. Thank you in advance.
A book promotion campaign isn't an advertising campaign. Don't confuse the two.
Book promotion provides authors with opportunities to disseminate their messages and provide their expertise to potential book buyers. The goal is to establish credibility.
Advertising touts a book's assets and provides reasons why people should buy it.
As a point of clarification, book publicists do not conducting advertising campaigns. Book publicists conduct book promotion campaigns.
Book publicists let the media decision makers know about the messages their clients would like to deliver. If the producer, editor, host, or reporter is interested in hearing that message, then the book publicist will have a match. On the other hand, journalists do not want to hear or read advertisements for books. A book publicist who sends journalists ads in the guise of story pitches or guest pitches risks his or her reputation and stands to burn brides.
So, authors, keep in mind the difference between book promotion and advertising when you're working with book publicists. And please understand why, when you ask a book publicist to help you disseminate an advertisement for your books to the media, your book publicist must decline. Thank you in advance.
Thursday, October 07, 2010
The Today Show gives Rick Sanchez a book promotion opportunity. Ugh!
It amazes and disturbs me that NBC's "Today Show" (or, at least, the "Today Show" portion of the MSNBC web site) gave former CNN anchor, Rick Sanchez -- now most famous for venting his Anti-Semitic perspective on a national radio show -- a book promotion opportunity. Check out the last sentence of the story, if you have the stomach for it, which mentions Sanchez's new book (the title of which, please notice, I am not mentioning here).
So what's the takeaway? I guess the takeaway is that sometimes, authors and publishers who deserve great book promotion opportunities get them. And, sometimes, authors and publishers who do not deserve any book publicity opportunities get them, too.
As a book publicist, all I can do is choose my projects carefully ... and trust that I'll know about the Rick Sanchezes of the world before I can even imagine taking on a book promotion campaign for them.
For more information on Rick Sanchez's hurtful comments, and the consequences (for him, happily), please click here.
Perhaps CNN ought to screen its anchors a bit more carefully next time.
So what's the takeaway? I guess the takeaway is that sometimes, authors and publishers who deserve great book promotion opportunities get them. And, sometimes, authors and publishers who do not deserve any book publicity opportunities get them, too.
As a book publicist, all I can do is choose my projects carefully ... and trust that I'll know about the Rick Sanchezes of the world before I can even imagine taking on a book promotion campaign for them.
For more information on Rick Sanchez's hurtful comments, and the consequences (for him, happily), please click here.
Perhaps CNN ought to screen its anchors a bit more carefully next time.
Wednesday, October 06, 2010
A book promtion opportunity -- if you make it happen.
Here's a book publicist's dream come true.
A client emailed me yesterday and said, "My topic is in the news, bigtime. Please send out a pitch to the media for me."
I agreed that the news story was perfect, and now would be a good time to pitch the media on scheduling interviews for my client. That's how book promotion works best. The author's topic is in the news. The book publicist contacts media outlets, and pitches the author's expertise or opinion or insight, and the media schedules interviews.
Further, I gave my client some guidelines for providing me with the raw material I needed to create the pitch. As a book publicist, I have a preferred style for pitches that I have found to be most effective, so I told the author, "Here's what I need."
After a couple of rounds, the author sent me an email saying, "I'm sorry we missed this opportunity."
That's a book publicist's nightmare. Of course, I emailed the author back and said that we haven't missed this opportunity. (This is an ongoing news story, as it happens.)
However, what makes this a book publicist's nightmare is that the author wouldn't provide me with what I needed to help her. She's right. This news story is providing such a great opportunity for her to receive book promotion hits. However, here's what the author fails to realize.
To promote yourself, you must have something unique: expertise, a controversial opinion, or at least a perspective or insight that's different from what everyone else has. In other words, to garner interview opportunities, you have to frame yourself as a worthwhile guest.
A book publicist can't approach the media and say, "Hey there. I understand that you're busy, but please consider interviewing an author who's saying the same thing as everyone else you're interviewing on the topic." A book publicist (if she wants to receive book promotion opportunities) must say, "This guest would add the following to the ongoing discussion," or "This expert offers an insight that your readers/listeners/viewers haven't yet heard, which is...."
No author has ever received a book promotion opportunity on the basis of pitching the media with, "I have nothing special for you, but interview me anyway, please, because I have a new book out." Well, I take that back. A bestselling author might be able to get away with that pitch. However, authors who aren't yet household names must work for their book promotion opportunities. They must prove that they're worth the airtime/editorial space, and they're worth the reporter/producer/editor's time. More importantly, they have to prove how they will keep the audience from turning to another station or channel, or bypassing that page without reading it (which, obviously, would not please advertisers).
Pitch your unique/controversial/discussion-enhancing opinion or insights, and you'll get the book promotion opportunities. Say to your book publicist, "No, I won't offer that. Just go ahead and pitch me," and -- I guarantee you -- you'll have a book publicist who is living out the nightmare: lost book promotion opportunities, and an unhappy author.
Read. Learn. Do.
A client emailed me yesterday and said, "My topic is in the news, bigtime. Please send out a pitch to the media for me."
I agreed that the news story was perfect, and now would be a good time to pitch the media on scheduling interviews for my client. That's how book promotion works best. The author's topic is in the news. The book publicist contacts media outlets, and pitches the author's expertise or opinion or insight, and the media schedules interviews.
Further, I gave my client some guidelines for providing me with the raw material I needed to create the pitch. As a book publicist, I have a preferred style for pitches that I have found to be most effective, so I told the author, "Here's what I need."
After a couple of rounds, the author sent me an email saying, "I'm sorry we missed this opportunity."
That's a book publicist's nightmare. Of course, I emailed the author back and said that we haven't missed this opportunity. (This is an ongoing news story, as it happens.)
However, what makes this a book publicist's nightmare is that the author wouldn't provide me with what I needed to help her. She's right. This news story is providing such a great opportunity for her to receive book promotion hits. However, here's what the author fails to realize.
To promote yourself, you must have something unique: expertise, a controversial opinion, or at least a perspective or insight that's different from what everyone else has. In other words, to garner interview opportunities, you have to frame yourself as a worthwhile guest.
A book publicist can't approach the media and say, "Hey there. I understand that you're busy, but please consider interviewing an author who's saying the same thing as everyone else you're interviewing on the topic." A book publicist (if she wants to receive book promotion opportunities) must say, "This guest would add the following to the ongoing discussion," or "This expert offers an insight that your readers/listeners/viewers haven't yet heard, which is...."
No author has ever received a book promotion opportunity on the basis of pitching the media with, "I have nothing special for you, but interview me anyway, please, because I have a new book out." Well, I take that back. A bestselling author might be able to get away with that pitch. However, authors who aren't yet household names must work for their book promotion opportunities. They must prove that they're worth the airtime/editorial space, and they're worth the reporter/producer/editor's time. More importantly, they have to prove how they will keep the audience from turning to another station or channel, or bypassing that page without reading it (which, obviously, would not please advertisers).
Pitch your unique/controversial/discussion-enhancing opinion or insights, and you'll get the book promotion opportunities. Say to your book publicist, "No, I won't offer that. Just go ahead and pitch me," and -- I guarantee you -- you'll have a book publicist who is living out the nightmare: lost book promotion opportunities, and an unhappy author.
Read. Learn. Do.
Monday, October 04, 2010
Book promotion and self-publishing.
As a book publicist, I'm fielding a whole lot of questions about book publishing these days. People seem to understand that, while landing a publishing contract with a mainstream publisher is still the Holy Grail, it's also possible to self publish without stigmatizing the book project -- and while enjoying all the benefits of publishing a book. A self-published book, of course, can serve as a calling card, help disseminate messages, build credibility -- and, perhaps, even generate some revenue, over time, given a successful book promotion campaign.
The funny thing is that, as a book publicist, I have learned that self-published books have become more and more legitimate for the past, oh, five to ten years. These days, I don't see much of a difference in the media's response to a self-published book and their response to a traditionally-published book. As long as a self-published book enjoys national distribution, and as long as it's professionally edited and competently produced, it enjoys as much respect as a traditionally-published book.
I'm also delighted to find new ways to self-publish books through trusted venues, and I'm especially pleased to pass along this opportunity. The online version of Barnes and Noble has created PubIt! to allow all authors (and self-publishers) to make their ebooks available for purchase online at BN.com. Read about the official launch of PubIt!, and find the links you'll need to self-publish your own ebook via PubIt!, at Publishers Weekly's site. For me, one of the best pieces of news is that Adobe's InDesign now lets you convert your file to the .PUB format which is exactly what PubIt! requires.
And, yes, you can launch a successful book promotion campaign that revolves around an ebook. You have to be a bit creative, since your ebook's book publicity campaign probably won't include book signings or book reviews. But you have every reason to expect that, as an expert in your field, you can garner interview opportunities using your ebook (and a solid media kit) to establish your credibility.
It looks as though PubIt! is also planning a service that will let authors self-publish traditionally-printed books, too, in the near future. I gather that this upcoming service (if, indeed, it does come up) will go head-to-head with Amazon's CreateSpace service. (Note that Amazon, too, lets authors self-publish their ebooks very easily, too, as long as it's in the Kindle format. And, fortunately, there's a new plug-in for InDesign that can convert an Adobe file into the format required for a Kindle. How cool is that?)
Kudos to BN.com and to Amazon for turning experts with books to write into authors with published book. And how exciting for this book publicist to be able to venture into the new world of book promotion for authors who publish directly to the bookselling streams -- and bypass the traditional publishing channels that used to have the power to defeat would-be authors before their words were even set to paper.
The funny thing is that, as a book publicist, I have learned that self-published books have become more and more legitimate for the past, oh, five to ten years. These days, I don't see much of a difference in the media's response to a self-published book and their response to a traditionally-published book. As long as a self-published book enjoys national distribution, and as long as it's professionally edited and competently produced, it enjoys as much respect as a traditionally-published book.
I'm also delighted to find new ways to self-publish books through trusted venues, and I'm especially pleased to pass along this opportunity. The online version of Barnes and Noble has created PubIt! to allow all authors (and self-publishers) to make their ebooks available for purchase online at BN.com. Read about the official launch of PubIt!, and find the links you'll need to self-publish your own ebook via PubIt!, at Publishers Weekly's site. For me, one of the best pieces of news is that Adobe's InDesign now lets you convert your file to the .PUB format which is exactly what PubIt! requires.
And, yes, you can launch a successful book promotion campaign that revolves around an ebook. You have to be a bit creative, since your ebook's book publicity campaign probably won't include book signings or book reviews. But you have every reason to expect that, as an expert in your field, you can garner interview opportunities using your ebook (and a solid media kit) to establish your credibility.
It looks as though PubIt! is also planning a service that will let authors self-publish traditionally-printed books, too, in the near future. I gather that this upcoming service (if, indeed, it does come up) will go head-to-head with Amazon's CreateSpace service. (Note that Amazon, too, lets authors self-publish their ebooks very easily, too, as long as it's in the Kindle format. And, fortunately, there's a new plug-in for InDesign that can convert an Adobe file into the format required for a Kindle. How cool is that?)
Kudos to BN.com and to Amazon for turning experts with books to write into authors with published book. And how exciting for this book publicist to be able to venture into the new world of book promotion for authors who publish directly to the bookselling streams -- and bypass the traditional publishing channels that used to have the power to defeat would-be authors before their words were even set to paper.
Monday, September 27, 2010
A book promotion opportunity from PW Select
Here's a book promotion opportunity for self-published authors that I don't necessarily endorse. But, as a book publicist, I do feel obligated to share it.
It's PW Select, and it seems to be an opportunity for self-published books to share the limelight with traditionally published books -- in Publishers Weekly, no less.
It sounds good, except that when you read the fine print, you discover that -- for self-published authors to take advantage of this book promotion opportunity, they have to pay $149. This fee entitles self-publishers to a listing that will appear in a supplement of Publishers Weekly and in an online database. PW promises that at least 25 of the self-published books they receive will receive a full review, all for that one low price of $149.
Wait a minute. Did PW say it would charge self publishers $149 for a listing and for the possibility of a full review? Hmmm. Since PW isn't offering that deal to traditional publishers, whose books are considered for review without a $149 fee, I'm somehow not excited about the book promotion opportunity that PW is offering self publishers.
It's not that a review in Publishers Weekly wouldn't be worth paying for. It's just that, ironically, if you have to pay for a review ... it isn't worth the paper it's printed on (most of the time -- there are a few exceptions to this rule), as far as this book publicist is concerned.
It's PW Select, and it seems to be an opportunity for self-published books to share the limelight with traditionally published books -- in Publishers Weekly, no less.
It sounds good, except that when you read the fine print, you discover that -- for self-published authors to take advantage of this book promotion opportunity, they have to pay $149. This fee entitles self-publishers to a listing that will appear in a supplement of Publishers Weekly and in an online database. PW promises that at least 25 of the self-published books they receive will receive a full review, all for that one low price of $149.
Wait a minute. Did PW say it would charge self publishers $149 for a listing and for the possibility of a full review? Hmmm. Since PW isn't offering that deal to traditional publishers, whose books are considered for review without a $149 fee, I'm somehow not excited about the book promotion opportunity that PW is offering self publishers.
It's not that a review in Publishers Weekly wouldn't be worth paying for. It's just that, ironically, if you have to pay for a review ... it isn't worth the paper it's printed on (most of the time -- there are a few exceptions to this rule), as far as this book publicist is concerned.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Sometimes, it's okay when book promotion venues leave the airwaves.
Book publicists are happiest when they hear about new radio shows and new television shows, and new magazines and new newspapers, and new sites and new blogs, and book publicists are usually at their unhappiest when they learn about book promotion opportunities' drying up. No book publicist I encountered was glad to hear that "Oprah" was leaving the airwaves, for instance.
But here's one book promotion venue that I'm delighted to do without: Dr. Laura Schlessinger's radio show. Here's a tape of the diatribe that caused Dr. Laura to "choose" to end her radio show of 30 years.
Listen to Dr. Laura's rant, and I think you'll share my relief and delight about the demise of her radio show. A person who would use racial expletives -- or who would even think in terms of racial expletives -- need not have a national forum from which to spew this venom.
Goodbye, Dr. Laura, and goodbye to another book promotion opportunity. But, this time, it's worth losing a book promotion opportunity to say goodbye to Dr. Laura and her brand of intolerance.
But here's one book promotion venue that I'm delighted to do without: Dr. Laura Schlessinger's radio show. Here's a tape of the diatribe that caused Dr. Laura to "choose" to end her radio show of 30 years.
Listen to Dr. Laura's rant, and I think you'll share my relief and delight about the demise of her radio show. A person who would use racial expletives -- or who would even think in terms of racial expletives -- need not have a national forum from which to spew this venom.
Goodbye, Dr. Laura, and goodbye to another book promotion opportunity. But, this time, it's worth losing a book promotion opportunity to say goodbye to Dr. Laura and her brand of intolerance.
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