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PR
101 for Book Authors Books are like any new product. They have to be intensively
promoted or no one will know they exist. For top publishing stars like a Nora Roberts or Tom Clancy,
just showing up on the “new release” display tables is enough to secure a
spot on the bestseller lists. Ironically, they’re also the ones who seem to
get all the interviews and ads in critical places like USA Today, paid
for by their publishers. For everyone else, it’s survival of the fittest (make
that PR savviest) as to whether your book gets the media exposure
necessary to stay afloat in a pond crowded with something like 50,000 new titles
each year. Unfortunately, while much is written about how to find an
agent, get a book published or negotiate a contract, authors rarely hear about
the tough realities of marketing books today. Among them is the fact that publishers typically don’t
have the staff to do more than put together a one-page “press release” and
send it out with the galleys to their usual list of press contacts (mostly book
reviewers). Unfortunately, these are media who are so far up the media food
chain they’re hammered by pitches. Let’s just say you’d have a better
chance of hitting the lottery than getting selected by this group for interviews
and reviews. So the burden is really on you to make your book
work. How can you do that? Here’s a few of my best tips… Learn how to think like a publicist. If you have the time, put yourself through a crash course
on PR. Read up on the subject just like you did before negotiating your first
book contract. One of the best books for non-publicists is (don’t laugh) Public
Relations Kit for Dummies, which addresses such topics as “Formulating
Ideas” and “Using PR Tactics.” Check Amazon.com for more titles, but
don’t limit yourself to only those about book publicity. The key is, whether
you hire out your entire marketing campaign or choose to team with a publicist,
enlightenment is power in taking control of your writing career. Hire your own publicist. Why do you need one? Most media will not accept pitches
directly from authors (or anyone who would be the subject of the coverage).
There’s a lot of protocol that goes into pitching media, which only seasoned
publicists would know. Plus, pitches have to be directed to the right editor or
broadcast booker – and these names are usually available only through the
national directories that publicists invest in. And, with the exception of book
review editors, most press today insist on being pitched by e-mail (another
reason why those professional directories, filled with e-mail addresses, are
indispensable). Even so, there are a number of ways in which you can save
money by working closely with your publicist, such as in the writing of the
media kit and setting up speaking engagements, which I discuss below. Make sure your publicist has national experience. Many of you will have a publicist friend who is a whiz at
getting press where you live. Over the years, they’ve built up relationships
with folks down at the local paper and can get news crews to cover almost
anything. Definitely use them for your hometown coverage. For the rest of the country, find a publicist who has
worked every nook and cranny of the media landscape – from the morning network
television shows in New York to every daily newspaper across the country.
There’s real skill involved in getting total strangers to do what you want. How to save money when hiring a publicist: Ask for a flat rate on the campaign, along with a detailed
proposal of what outlets will be pitched and services provided. This will allow
you to negotiate the total cost (to fit your budget) by adding or removing media
outlets upfront. Ideally, bring the publicist onboard six months prior to
your publication date. Here’s why: it will take up to two months to create a
dynamite media kit (see below) and monthly magazines have to be pitched at least
three months prior to an issue date that corresponds to your publication date.
The general rule with media (including newspapers) is that the sooner you get
the pitch in, the better your chances of getting selected for coverage. Why the media kit is the crux of your campaign: The primary reason why
most book campaigns fail today is the one-page “press release” that
publishers use to pitch press. There’s simply not enough information there to
either “hook” media into committing coverage, or provide them with the
necessary background information to conduct an interview. Because of downsizing
and mergers, every media organization in the country is under-staffed, as well
as inundated with pitches on a daily basis. The days of conducting their own
research to ferret out what story angles (i.e. what makes you or your book
“unique” and “newsworthy”) is long past. So a good media kit is like
handing them the essential information on a silver platter – which both
increases your chances of getting coverage and the accuracy of what results. What should be included in a media kit? Just as every book is
different, so is the media kit to sell it – particularly for non-fiction
books. Basically, the kit needs to identify every unique angle that makes you
and the book worthy of media coverage, plus supply the story behind it. At a minimum, you’ll
need a compelling press release, detailed author’s bio (flap blurbs simply
don’t cut it!), and backgrounder on the “story” behind the book (and there
always is one, if you dig deep enough). If appropriate, I also
often create “fact sheets” for easy reference, using statistics, interesting
trivia, lists of the author’s other works, chronologies, (ideal for historical
topics), and tip sheets with advice from the author or book (for how-to titles).
For journalists, good fact sheets are like candy, because they provide filler
for “side bars” accompanying features. And segment producers use them to
structure TV and radio interviews. Following are online
examples of media kits I’ve created. Note how each one was tailored to the
subject of the book and author’s credentials. Click on “Press Room” at each of the following sites… Good photos help hook coverage. As important as your
media kit is the quality of the photography you can supply a newspaper or
magazine – particularly for those interviews you’ll be doing by phone long
distance. I’ve seen article commitments evaporate for lack of photography, and
others materialize because the available “art” was so good. Try to have
several different shots of yourself taken by a professional photographer. Then
have them scanned professionally into 300 dpi JPEGs – which can be shipped out
to press upon request via e-mail. Also be sure to scan any photos from your
book, which editors might want to run in a feature spread. Create an online press room. Why would you need one? Because media today – other than
book review editors – insist on being pitched via e-mail, with a link to the
media kit online. Trust me, the cost of adding a “press room” to your
existing site or creating a basic stand-alone press site (go to www.stevealten.com/pressroom.htm)
is nothing compared to the expense of printing and shipping media kits. Create a web site for your book. Most feature articles will now include site addresses, plus
you can provide the link during broadcast interviews. The cost is so minimal
compared to the exposure. Be sure to keep the URL simple – such as your name
or the title of your book – so it rolls off your tongue in TV or radio
interviews. Besides the author links provided above, one of the best
author’s sites I’m aware of is www.SteveAlten.com.
You can either hire your own web master or use a popular book portal like www.booktalk.com,
which hosts and builds author sites for a nominal fee. Don’t waste your time on book signings – as most
of these events flop. The fact is that it takes a heap of local publicity (beyond
calendar listings) to get warm bodies to attend book signings – and publishers
will only commit the staff time necessary for top name authors who can draw a
crowd. While there are stores (mostly prestigious independents) who produce and
send out a monthly newsletter to thousands of customers, they’re among the
pickiest in terms of who they book (usually going after well-known authors as
well). Even then, there’s no guarantee anyone will show up. However, if you can book one, do schedule one local signing
to invite all your relatives and every person you’ve known since childhood.
This can be done by e-mail or snail mail. I prefer e-mail, as recipients can
forward it to anyone they think will be interested. Do book yourself for as many
speaking engagements as possible. Organizations are always looking for monthly or keynote
speakers – especially if you’re willing to speak for free or for expenses.
Make sure you negotiate the right to sell books at the end of your talk
and bring at least a carton. Invariably, you will sell more than you would at a
bookstore signing. Think outside the box when it comes to book
promotions. Ever wonder what it
takes to become a best-selling author? One of their trade secrets, I’ve
learned, is to send out postcards, posters, or pre-paid phone cards to book
store managers before their new book hits. One of the pioneers of this type of
marketing is Sally Schoeneweiss, who also runs www.booktalk.com.
Contact her at sally@booktalk.com, or
surf the web for other vendors. E-mail an announcement out of the book’s debut to
related clubs and organizations on the web. What I do is lay it out
in Word, using a variety of fonts and even a low-res JPEG of the book cover,
then paste the flier into the body of the e-mail message (using html). This is
also a great way to get the word around for local book signings, since it can be
easily forwarded by the recipient. Is this spam? I’ve never had anyone
complain, as I’m careful to match recipients with the subject matter. A published book author, Lyla Foggia has been a
national publicity executive and consultant for over two decades. A former vice
president of publicity for TriStar Pictures, she served as the chief architect
of the ground-breaking campaign that helped establish “LIVE With Regis &
Kathie Lee” as a daytime ratings institution, among other national campaigns.
Foggia’s clients include both New York Times best-selling and first-time
authors. ©2003
Lyla Foggia |
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