Topics for so much speculation. So many regrets. So many opportunities lost, realized, capitalized, squandered. Bubbles burst, new ones forming.

Seismic shifts in the financial world and along the communications fault lines have led many of us to wonder where we go from here? Not just with our retirement funds or mortgage payments, our message platforms or information-gathering, but in overall terms of business, which still remains the focus of our lives.

If we’re in business, we need to build business. With the shifting technologies, attention-span deficits, and the thousands of viral fingers trying to touch us, however, just where do we spend our marketing dollars? Where do we focus time and energy?

Hmm. Social media? Sounds good. But where? Twitter. Or yet another emerging growth platform?

Banner Ads? Maybe. But what’s the click-through rate? Are they passé?

Blogs? Who’s going to write them? How do I draw traffic? What should I say?

In effect: What should I do?  Should I outsource, should I not?  Should I write more, should I write less?  Video or no video?  What is the best strategy to get your message out in a BIG way?

Well, I believe the way to go is through collaboration and execution. That is, get clear about the information landscape. At Prosper Now, publicity maven Michael Drew will speak to the new information age, the way the world has changed in barely the blink of a cosmic eye.

Mike will tell you about where society has come from, where it’s been, where it’s going and how to get there. He’ll outline ways in which you can identify for yourself the valuable things within you and your company that you can deliver, which can have an impact not only on your own future, but your family, your neighborhood and your larger community.

Who’s Mike? Well, he’s a book promoter par excellence – and helped launch 64 books onto national bestseller lists. He’s also helped emerging thought leaders develop their message – and send it out there to build their business.

Once you know what is going on, we have a Strategy Panel led by Michael Gerber of E-Myth Worldwide that will give you step-by-step instruction to getting your message out to a targeted audience, and creating systems to outsource, build teams and grow.

Did you create a job for yourself?  Are you really an entrepreneur?  Or as Michael Gerber puts it, you have fallen into an “entrepreneurial seizure”?  The two Michaels will help you see the way more clearly toward realizing your strengths, crafting your message and making sure it reaches the right audience.

Media List

Your media list includes the names of those who will receive a copy of the sale version of the book. It will include those who received review copies of your book plus national media outlets and local media in your area, the areas you plan to visit, and those where you have special contacts.

To find sources, go to the library and leaf through Cision’s publications, such as Cision’s MediaSource. Although you can pay for the same information on the Internet, at libraries, it’s free. However, the information may be dated because media people move frequently. Your best bet is to do your initial research at the library and collect a bunch of names and contact information. Then call or check websites to verify what you found and to get the most current information.

Also check the Harrison guides, Radio-TV Interview Report for national broadcast media information. Call media outlets and ask who you should send your material to. Try to get an actual person’s name, not simply an e-mail address to “info@.”

Internet Marketing

When people hear about you or your book, they go to the Internet to get more information. They Google you, read about you, and visit your Web site; they look for your book on Amazon.com. So, as an author, it’s essential to have a strong Internet presence.

1. The first step in your Internet marketing plan is to put up a memorable website, a site that people love to visit and will tell others about. You website must be great-looking and reflective of the impression you want to convey. For example, you may want it to appear authoritative, lighthearted, elegant, colorful, hip, scholarly, or goofy. Or it could have a theme related to your book or your area of expertise. Your site must also be up-to-date and easy and intuitive to use, and all links must work.
2. Register your site with all the major search engines under your name, your book’s name, and every conceivable variation of them. That way, when people misspell your name and don’t get your book’s title exactly right, they will still get to your site.
3. Include in your website everything that’s in your media kit. Your site should allow visitors to read a sample chapter, order your book, enter into exchanges with you, and view your upcoming events and appearances. It should link to other complementary sites and to your strategic partners. Your site must have a press room with the latest articles on you and your book.
4. In addition to your site, you can start your own blog, newsletter, or e-zine.

Numerous firms such as FSBAssociates.com (Fauzia Burke) and PromoteABookmedia.com can be hired to handle your Internet book-marketing campaigns. These firms can be invaluable because they know all the components that can be included in your campaign. They can create an Internet campaign that may include creating a website for the book, sending your book to relevant websites, and sending it to blogs. These firms have lists of Internet book reviewers; will syndicate your content on the Web; or will set up chats, downloads, newsgroups, and mailing lists.

In cyberspace, podcasting seems to be the next frontier. Podcasting is making material from your book available on iPods. Audiobooks can now be downloaded onto iPods and soon, experts predict, so will interviews, articles, and excerpts of your book. From your website, people could download a chapter of your book and then buy the rest if they like it. In the process, you’re capturing their name and e-mail address, which you can use in the future.

A subspecies of Internet marketing is the Internet blast or Amazon blast. Essentially, Internet blasts are when you send targeted e-mail to everyone on your list, and to everyone on your friends’ and associates’ lists, and to lists you buy. In the e-mail, you ask the recipients to buy your book on a certain date and even at a specified time on that date. You also can offer them incentives to buy your book at the specified time.

Internet booksellers such as Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com track their online sales on an hourly basis. Therefore, when they make a large number of online sales on a given day or hour, it can make the book a bestseller on their list. Even if a book is a bestseller for only an hour, it is a legitimate bestseller and authors and publishers can truthfully and forever refer to the book as a bestseller. Bestseller status increases the author’s profile and can generate more publicity, which usually translates into higher book sales.

Newspaper and Radio Releases

You can write feature articles, or articles can be written under your byline, that will be sent to over 10,000 newspapers across the nation. Similarly, radio features also can be written and sent to hundreds of radio stations nationwide.

Services including North American Precis Syndicate (NAPS) and News USA will write, produce, and distribute these features. They can put the cover of your book on them, link them to your website, and distribute them to news outlets. Feature articles can be produced as professional-looking two-column articles that newspapers will pick up and use without change.

Similarly, radio features can be produced and sent to radio stations throughout North America. They can write scripts and record an interview that will be sent to hundreds of stations. Through these services, your message about your book can be delivered widely without your constantly having to give interviews.

Although independent companies specialize in producing and distributing radio features, those of us who are book publicists, as a part of our jobs, supervise and work closely with these firms. We know from long experience the companies that we can trust to deliver the best results. We also review the content of articles and scripts, provide editorial input, and make sure that services cover all essential points. Then we coordinate their release and distribution with the rest of your book campaign. Since we work with these services so often, we get a special price, which we pass on to our clients. So, it’s usually cheaper for you to go through us than to deal directly with radio feature distribution services.

Newspaper and radio feature services also give PR firms that specialize in publicizing books discount prices, which many pass on to their clients. So it is often more cost effective and efficient for authors to go through their publicists than to do all the work involved to write and distribute these features.

Media Training

Many of us are petrified of publicly speaking or being interviewed. We wish that we could speak as smoothly, effortlessly, and articulately as all those people we see on television.

Well, surprise, surprise—all those accomplished speakers you see and hear are either trained actors or they have gone through extensive media training. If you hope to publicize your book, media training is essential. Good publicists won’t allow their clients to appear before the media until they’ve had media training.

For instance, at O, The Oprah Magazine, Jill Seelig is listed as the publisher. She is responsible for much of what goes in the magazine, not Oprah. And she is likely in close contact with Oprah’s best friend, Gayle King, who is the editor at large of the magazine.

No, that doesn’t mean Oprah is totally hands-off. This FORTUNE article explains the Oprah phenomenon better than any other I’ve read, and in it admits that she’s as confused as we are, sometimes (the article is from 2004 – but still relevant today, I think). What has Oprah got to be confused about? Maybe about what to do and how to do it, which proves that—Oprah is human, the most endearing quality anyone can have. Her confession in this article also shows why she, like the rest of us, relies on trusted assistants. These are the people who read the books we send to Oprah. They are the ones putting together a successful magazine, and they are the people who know that there is more to being on a TV show watched by millions, than just being newsworthy. These are Oprah’s “village” – the ones in charge of putting together her show and magazine. These are the people you have to please, to get on Oprah.
Susan Harrow, also quoted in my article last week, suggests creating an online press kit. Her advice on this can be found on the Marketing Sherpa site.

She recommends, “…creating an online press kit so producers can access it immediately if they are interested in your pitch.” Some of the things that should be in the kit are:

• Your bio
• Questions to ask you
• Streaming video
• Samples of product (chapters of your book will work)

Now, if it turns out that Oprah receives your book (via a friend, a producer, or via your blog or your online press kit), and if it turns out that Oprah likes your book, she will share it with her staff and if THEY approve you, you may get a call. That’s when you can start worrying.

It’s a sure bet that one of the first concerns Oprah’s producers are going to have is whether or not you are newsworthy and whether or not you look good on TV (yes, looking good on TV counts, it’s a visual medium; if you don’t play well to the cameras, it could be, probably will be, a problem).

Understand this – “looking good” is subjective. You don’t have to be Cindy Crawford, or Britney Spears, or Gwenth Paltrow, or George Clooney, but it doesn’t hurt. If you’re an average gal or guy, create some video and test yourself. Being clean and neat is the first step to being presentable and looking good. A professional haircut is a must. A new suit or dress, helps. It doesn’t have to be expensive. Smiling is crucial—so if you don’t like your smile, fix it.

If you pass those hurdles, then it’s time to get serious. Because, before you step foot on Oprah’s stage, before you melt as you hear her introduce you to her audience (in TV-land and in the studio), before you hear that thunderous applause announcing that you’ve made it, no, really, you’ve MADE it…you have a lot of work to do.

Now, speak into the microphone. Excuse me, I didn’t hear you. Say again? This is more important than you can imagine. If you cannot speak, slowly, with clear enunciation, Oprah is going to give a sigh and put your book away. When being interviewed, one of the things many new authors do that jeopardizes not only the interview, but possible sales of their book, is to talk too fast or use street jargon.

Be clear. Be specific. Know what points are critical for your book, and learn how to make eye-contact. Practice with a mirror, with friends, and with colleagues. Take a Toastmasters’ course. If you’re lucky enough to get radio or Internet interviews (podcasts), use that as your testing ground. Get feedback. I always recommend that my authors imagine making eye contact, even if they are only looking in the mirror.

While all that is going on, while you’re grooming yourself for television (let’s hope it’s for the Oprah show), you need to do a few more things. You need to call your webmaster. Once it’s announced that you’ll be on Oprah, your website is going to get hit hard! Be prepared for that increase in traffic.

The last thing you want is to have your site crash, because your hosting company isn’t prepared for that huge influx of traffic. It’s also a good time to make sure you don’t have any dead links. Is your navigation simple and easy to follow? If you’re selling your book on your site, is it easy to buy? It better be.

Next, make sure you and/or your publisher are ready for the book sales. It could be in the millions. As noted in my last article, Oprah is a powerhouse for product sales, especially books. Every place that your book is distributed needs to know you’ll be on Oprah. Not only will you lose sales if you don’t give these people a head’s up, you’ll lose face.

People will be upset that they cannot get your book in a reasonable amount of time. Let’s imagine how that will affect your chances of ever getting on…any TV show, let alone Oprah, for your next book. Hmmm…

IF, IF, if you believe you can get on Oprah, start now, today, developing a complete PR plan for local and national media. Which TV station do you want to give this scoop to? Get that anchor or reporter on your side as soon as possible. Newspapers and magazines will be calling, also. Write down all of them. No, not all of them will call. But, why not be prepared for all of them, anyway?

Once again, have your talking points rehearsed. Keep them by the phone. Memorize them, without losing the ability to be flexible and discuss your book from a different angle at any moment—–you can never predict what the reporter calling will ask you. Try to remember this: it really isn’t about you…or your book. It’s about the reader and Oprah and the audience. Don’t get too full of yourself. Lose the “me, me, me…” and focus on the “you, you, you…” and “them, them, them.”

So, are you ready? I think I hear the phone ringing . . . .

You may be writers who derive total satisfaction from just writing books; you may not care if anyone reads them, because writing them is all that counts. Then again, you may be shy, poor speakers, or not have time to devote to publicity.

However, promoting your book is essential to its success. To come to better terms with having to publicize your book, examine why you wrote it. Was it to:

• Tell your story?
• Convey your knowledge?
• Share your passion about your topic?
• Demonstrate your talent?
• Help others?
• Boost your businesses?
• Enhance your profile?

No matter what reasons apply to you, none of them can be achieved if readers don’t hear about your book. So understand that, to reach your goals, you must publicize your book.

In-House Publicists

Writers frequently think that the mere fact that an established house is publishing their book will guarantee big sales. They believe that their publisher will share their belief and passion for their book and roll out the heavy artillery to promote it. Not so!

“The biggest myth authors make the mistake of believing is that you can count solely on your publisher to help you publicize your book,” bestselling author Barbara De Angelis, How Did I Get Here? (St. Martin’s Press, 2005), advises. De Angelis operates Transformational, which trains writers and speakers to be more successful and effective.

The top brass at publishing houses usually determine which books and authors they will publicize and how extensively. Publishers also don’t invest the same amount for publicity in all titles they release. For example, they may authorize extensive campaigns for Books A, B, and C, but provide little, if any, publicity for the other new releases on their lists.

They may not even send out a press release when a particular book is about to come out. Furthermore, if a publisher decides to promote a book, its efforts may not prove sufficient or successful, and you might have to jump in and try to save the day.

Although the amount of promotion a publishing company provides will differ from house to house, book to book, and author to author, most publishers will usually:

• Announce the deal to publish the book in Publishers Lunch
• Announce the publication of the book in their catalog for that season
• Include the book on their publication list
• Solicit endorsements or blurbs for the book
• Send free advanced reader copies to selected reviewers, the media, and those who could influence book sales

We’re sorry to have to tell you that publishers, even the biggest of them, don’t promote all their books. And they probably won’t publicize yours, especially if you’re a first-time author, except perhaps for the first few weeks out of the gate.

So when these novices sign on with publishers, they often expect to receive the same treatment.

Wrong, wrong, wrong!

Unfortunately, for most writers, that’s no longer how it works. Today, publishers usually earmark the bulk of their promotional budgets for their biggest, most highly recognized authors, those who pull down the biggest advances, not for the rest of the pack. Writers who are not yet established or don’t have big names usually have to fend for themselves.

Six huge, multinational corporations now control about 80 percent of the book-publishing industry and a seventh is Disney Publishing Worldwide, a subsidiary of the giant Walt Disney Company. Their publishing divisions must adhere to strict corporate guidelines and no longer operate as looser, less formal businesses. Every facet of each publishing entity is now required to contribute to corporate profits.

To achieve this objective, cost-cutting measures have been imposed and in-house publicity departments have been trimmed drastically. The dynamic publicity machines that houses once maintained are now skeletons of their former selves, so they don’t have the staff or the budgets to promote lots of books. Publicists still on staff are greatly overworked, overstressed, underpaid, and spread too thin—so their results, at best, are mixed.

Publishers understand these realities, so they concentrate on putting their in-house promotional resources on a select group of books and authors, not on all of their titles and writers. They may announce each of their new publications in their catalogs, mention them in other releases, seek endorsements and blurbs, and send out advanced reader copies, but often, that’s all they do, and many don’t even do that.

Publishers expect authors to be their “publicity partners,” Jamie Brickhouse,
vice president and executive director of publicity at the Perseus Books Group, tells us. “They expect authors to be actively involved in promoting their books.”

If you want to go on a national book publicity tour, your publisher won’t stop you. It may even suggest bookstores and venues where you could appear, help you plan your route, and give you names of local contacts. It may also arrange to have books on hand wherever you appear, but it usually won’t foot the bill. It won’t underwrite or reimburse the cost of your transportation; meals; lodging; and handouts such as announcements, display pieces, bookmarks, postcards, or fact sheets. Usually, you must pay all those expenses.

Robyn Says

If you want your book to be successful:

• Understand that the publicity burden falls on you.
• Accept that your publisher probably won’t promote your book.
• Create a book-promotion plan.
• Incorporate your promotion plan in your book proposal.
• Keep your promotion plan in mind as you write your book.
• Think beyond this book and shape your promotional efforts to lay the groundwork for sales of books you may subsequently write.

Publishing houses have shifted the responsibility of providing publicity from themselves to their authors. If, prior to or upon its release, a book shows promise, publishers may decide to crank up their publicity machines and put greater effort into promoting the book.

We’ve all heard that comment over and over again—but don’t listen to it! Don’t let the doomsayers scare you off!

We’re here to show you the other side of the picture, the bright side—that promoting your book can be lots of fun. And, when it’s fun, it can be more successful, considerably more successful.

After authoring and promoting many books, we’re here to testify that the writing is the hard part; it’s slow, solitary, exacting work. It’s constant writing, rewriting, checking, rechecking, editing, and re-editing deep into the night until your mind is mush and your fingers feel like linguini as they bounce off all the wrong keys. Writing a book requires intense concentration, dedication, and discipline. Plus, when you reread it in the morning, it often makes no sense.

After you’ve written your book, the real fun begins—if you let it. The load gets lifted, the juices kick in, the adrenaline flows, and the best ideas come screaming out of your mind at incredible speed. Your focus becomes sharp, all that creativity you had when you began writing (and you feared was lost forever) pops back up and soars to absolute peaks. Finally, after what seemed like eons writing your book, you’re no longer glued to your computer; you can break loose and end your confinement. Suddenly, excitement reigns, and it’s time to throw off the shackles and have fun.

Be Imaginative

Yes, promoting a book can be a big, even a huge job. Jerry Jenkins, chairman and CEO of JGI, a family of publishing service companies, says, “Producing the book is 5 percent of the work, but promoting it is 95 percent.”

Why does it take so much? Because creating and running a publicity campaign involve planning and focus and require you to seamlessly execute a million coordinated steps. Yes, it can be plenty of work, but it may be the difference between making your book–and your writing career–a success or a bomb.

Without publicity, most readers will probably never learn about you or your book. But with publicity, they can. Through publicity, you can sculpt your campaign to create the exact impression you want the public to get and sell lots of books.

The key to successful book publicity is approaching it positively, with excitement—to open up and expand that creativity that you may have suppressed or never even knew you had. Turn the work that lies ahead into an enjoyable, creative experience, to eliminate the drudgery and increase your chances of doing a fabulous job. Produce a campaign that truly reflects you and will become a big hit with the media and the book buyers.

Unleash your creativity. Break free of your chains and open up your mind by following these simple guidelines:

1. Forget about ‘reality,’ logic, and limits. Instead, focus on your dreams, your wildest, craziest, most unrealistic ideas.
2. Expand upon those thoughts. Let your imagination fly.
3. Picture yourself on Oprah, being featured in People magazine, presenting at the Academy Awards or being honored as the person of the year. Unleash your imagination, break through all boundaries, shoot for the stars, and go for the gold.

Visualize Your Dream

Actually see and feel every detail of your vision. Picture yourself in your dream situations: standing in response to thunderous applause from the balcony of the Kennedy Center, while your three favorite entertainers salute you from the stage before they begin reciting passages from your books. Seated around you are the other award winners and the President and the First Lady; they’re all smiling, staring admiringly at you, and clapping loudly.

Visualize what it’s like to sit behind a table at a bookstore and see a long procession of people waiting to have you sign their copy of your book. Imagine the thrill of seeing your book being read by total strangers and stumbling across rave reviews in the press. What could be better than hearing Katie Couric tell you how hard she laughed at page 43? Think how proud and happy your mother would be!

Robyn Says

My appearances on an Atlanta talk show helped to position my career in the media. After paying my dues with many highly rated appearances and years of hard work, a CNN producer contacted the local talk show I was on to find a seasoned gift-and-toy reporter and my producer recommended me.

I prepared nonstop for my CNN debut. I made sure that I knew my material cold, that I triple-checked all facts, and that my delivery was crisp and had pizzazz. The news anchor introduced me as the author of my latest book, and we had a terrific interview. After my appearance, congratulatory calls poured in and I began receiving invitations to appear repeatedly in the national media. Five-minute segments turned into hour-long shows on Talk Back Live and even specials with me focusing on my books.

I feel fortunate to have received such wonderful attention and I’ve worked to establish a strong national platform.

It’s given my books quality attention and features on many print, radio, and television outlets, including the Today show, CNN, and an endless array of media. While it was important for me as an author to have venues to share my books, I have always focused on the benefit of the content that I offered viewers. If your take-away message is strong and you provide a prescriptive insight into a subject area, that’s the key to being a success in the media.

It’s also a marvelous opportunity to connect with wonderful individuals who are dedicated to educating others. I feel truly lucky to be an author and am grateful to all the talented people who have helped me throughout the years.

Getting the media to know that you have a great story, that you would be a great guest or subject, usually doesn’t happen by accident. It takes precise and detailed planning; it takes publicity. Sure, great opportunities may occasionally fall into your lap, and if you hustle like crazy, you may be able to make the most of them. But without planning, those bonanzas are rare and they can appear so suddenly that you’re not prepared to take advantage of them. However, when you’ve laid the groundwork and devised terrific plans, you create opportunities and are in position to promptly capitalize on them.

An effective publicity plan must have staying power; the longer it runs, the better. It must be designed to run for months, even years, after your book is released. If you start with a big salvo, follow up; capitalize and build upon its success so that your name and the name of your book continue to generate interest. Otherwise, your book will probably fade into oblivion and onto remainder tables.

One introductory concept is crucial for you to clearly understand. It is that the media operates on a herd mentality. Although everyone in the media constantly searches for scoops and exclusives, once a story is out, the rest of the media piles on, they all seem to dash madly to cover the identical story. Publicity begets publicity, and each new exposure can improve your performance and your desirability to the media.

If you and your book get good buzz, others will jump on the bandwagon. And everyone will be looking for something different, a unique angle or new twist, which is when you can shine. You can attract lots of coverage if you’re prepared to give the media new slants, something different that will whet its appetite and build its interest in you. That takes planning.

Finally, it’s essential to remember that the media is fickle. When your story is hot, the media will doggedly court you and lavish attention on you. You will become its best friend, its darling. But when the media feels your story is played out, it will move on to the next hot story so suddenly and fast that you’ll feel abandoned and let down. Plus, it rarely looks back.

When you deal with the media, you have only a brief window of opportunity, a short period in which to get coverage. So, you better have a plan and be ready to make the most of it!

Take the Reins

Publicity works best when you distinguish yourself and your book and show others why it’s so special and a must read. It’s the perfect opportunity to be creative; your only limits are those you impose on yourself. Unfortunately, many of us have been sold the bill of goods that publicizing our efforts or ourselves is crass, undignified, and not what respectable people do—which is just plain wrong. According to that thinking, we should sit back and wait for the world to recognize and applaud us; do nothing but let nature take its course.

However, doing nada doesn’t sell books! You need to take over, to grab the reins and actively work to get publicity for your book. As master showman P. T. Barnum said, “A terrible thing happens without publicity . . . NOTHING.”

So take control. Start by changing your attitude and your approach. Adjust your thinking; become positive, optimistic, and active. Commit to vigorously promoting your book and yourself. If you want to sell books, it’s a must!

Start by blowing blow your own horn. It doesn’t have to be loud, brash, and dissonant; it can be musical, lyrical, and enchanting. To be a Pied Piper, potential followers must hear your tune.

Concentrate on stripping the negativity out of your reluctance to get publicity. Envision your publicity efforts as wonderful opportunities for you to open up, go new places, meet great people, blaze new frontiers and reach higher heights.

Here’s how we do it. When we publicize books, we approach it positively, joyfully, and with excitement—as if we were planning a series of parties. Although each event will be special, they all must be coordinated so they build an overall effect that shows the book in its best light.

When planning each publicity party, ask yourself the following questions:

• Who would you invite?
• Why would you invite them?
• How would you invite them?
• What would you tell them?

Think about your answers; let them settle in because they will form the basis for your book-publicity campaign.

Make It Great

Before we tell you how to begin your book-promotion campaign, it’s essential to stress how crucial it is that you write a first-rate book. Quality really counts; your book must be terrific!

If your book isn’t great, the word will get out. Doors will slam in your face, and it will become increasingly difficult, if not impossible, to change people’s minds. If your book doesn’t deliver, the world’s best publicity efforts won’t bail you out. They may generate some initial success or notice, but readers will soon feel ripped off, and they won’t support your book.

Word-of-mouth publicity is critical to the success of books; book sales depend on chains of recommendations—recommendations from reviewers, family, friends, and teachers. So, give readers high-caliber products that they will eagerly share with others.

Deliver what you promise–in fact, try to deliver more than you promise.

Although the media wants stories, its members will devote themselves and their efforts to books they believe strongly in, that they feel are praiseworthy and deliver the goods. Good books have a way of finding champions, but it can take a while. Bad books don’t stand a chance unless they’re written by or are about celebrities. Champions will spread the word and build groundswells that can turn your book into a top bestseller, but a negative word of mouth will kill it.

We are a society running on overdrive. We’re overworked, underpaid, out of time, running late, and trying to catch up. There’s the book reviewer that can’t quite fit that clever new book into this month’s issue, the publicist who’s juggling fifteen clients’ books and didn’t follow-up . . . what’s an undiscovered author to do?

Longtime book publicity specialist Lissa Warren has some answers. In her book, The Savvy Author’s Guide to Book Publicity, Warren shares some of the industry insider secrets and techniques she learned while working in high-profile publicity departments at David R. Godine, Houghton Mifflin, and Perseus Publishing. She spells out book promotion methods that should improve your results whether you’re working with a publicist, without a publicist, and when the publicist you’ve hired isn’t getting results!

Warren has worked with all kinds of authors -– the enterprising, the shy, the expert and the novice, so she ‘s familiar with all aspects of book publicity: writing and presenting press material, targeting the right media, following up effectively, and hiring people that can help you succeed. Whichever kind of author you are, following good, proven advice and working really hard will get you and your book more media attention. Of course, a little bit of luck helps, too!

“I think that Americans are becoming somewhat immune to advertising, and that publishing companies are noticing this and putting their promotional dollars elsewhere,” says Warren. “People aren’t ‘sold to’ as easily as they used to be, so book review sections are shrinking because advertising dollars are down. That makes it necessary for newspaper and magazine publishers to cut pages.”

“The reduced number of review pages makes it harder than ever to get reviews, which means every good –- or bad -– review a book receives has more impact. It also means that more books are being paired with other books, so the reviews are getting shorter. Unfortunately these reviews are merely descriptive and therefore aren’t ‘blurbable.’ That makes it harder to get blurbs for books, because you don’t have pull quotes.”

Warren’s book’s subtitle–A Comprehensive Resource – From Building the Buzz to Pitching the Press–helps explain that she’s about much more than sending a publicity kit to reviewers and hoping for the best.

“Luckily, the Web provides new and unique venues at a time when traditional ones are shrinking or being done away with altogether. It makes it easier for publicists and authors to identify shows and publications that might cover a particular book, and to find the right producer or editor to contact. In short, it’s changing everything about how publicity is done.”

Thank goodness there’s some positive news. I asked Ms. Warren for a few more positive tips on book publicity from the self-publisher’s point of view:

What are some things that can help self-publishers get a book review?

The most important things are to have a professional-looking book (an attention-grabbing cover, no typos in the flap copy, etc.) and a solid press kit (including a press release that makes the book SOUND interesting; it’s not enough for the press release to just SAY the book is interesting). Also, keep in mind that many publications have long lead-times. That means they’re assigning books 3-4 months before pub-date. If you don’t have a galley or bound manuscript to send them at that time, you’re probably going to miss your window of opportunity, so focus your efforts elsewhere.

What’s the best way to exploit the few reviews I may get?

If the entire review is good, paste it up nicely on a blank piece of paper (don’t forget to include the name of the publication and the date) and include it in the press kit. Also, try to get the text electronically so that you can use it in your e-mail follow-up with other reviewers, radio and TV producers, etc. If the review is mixed, extract a favorable sentence or two — or even just an adjective or two if that’s all you can find — and add it to the top of your press release.

Besides OPRAH and other prime time TV shows, what are the best kinds of publicity?

Nothing sells books like NPR (National Public Radio). Their listeners are smart, and they spend their money on books. Some NPR shows are nationally syndicated, which means one interview may go to several hundred markets. Other shows are on local affiliate stations, but they still reach thousands and thousands of people.

What are some forms of publicity that are easy to get, but still have some impact?

Shows on local cable TV affiliates are definitely worth trying. For example, here in the Boston area, there’s a great show called Books & Authors. Each interview is a half hour, which is a really large amount of air-time for a book interview. And they’re always happy to have on local authors. That’s true of similar shows in other markets. Another one that comes to mind is Connie Martinson Talks Books in Los Angeles.

What are the advantages of a book tour, and does the savvy author have to go on the road to promote? Can a cyber-tour conducted from home suffice?

In all honesty, a road tour doesn’t always make sense for a book that’s published by a major press, much less for a self-published book. They’re expensive, they’re exhausting, and if your tour contains events (as opposed to just media), attendance is hard to predict. Instead, I’d recommend piggybacking media and events on travel that you’re already doing for business or pleasure. As for a cyber-tour, I do think they can be a valuable means of promotion for certain types of books, but they’re most effective when they coincide with other kinds of promotion (radio and TV interviews, reviews and profile pieces in newspapers and magazines, etc.). Alone, their impact isn’t as dramatic.

Ten Things to Do If Your Book’s Not Getting Media Attention, from The Savvy Author’s Guide to Book Publicity, by Lissa Warren

“When I’m working on a book and it just isn’t getting coverage, there are certain steps I take, and certain steps I ask my authors to take. Here are ten of them.”

1. Honestly assess your book’s media potential.

Has it been done before? Is there lots of competition? While you’re at it, assess your own media potential. Are you regarded as an expert in your field? If yours is a science book, are you a scientist? If yours is a book about medicine, are you a doctor? If yours is a business book, are you a CEO at a big corporation? If not, you’re likely to find it hard to get interviews. A writer does not an expert make-unless, of course, it’s a book about writing. Could you be overexposed? Could your topic be overexposed? If you’ve written a book about dot-coms or Enron, or a book about boys or mean girls, you’re bound to find it a bit of a tough go. But remember: Media isn’t the only way to make people notice your book.

2. Write an op-ed tied to your book.

When it runs, send it out to all of the broadcast media you’ve been targeting.

3. Try to get interviewed for something other than your book.

Not having any luck getting the media to talk with you about your title? See if you can interest them in speaking with you about another topic. For example, if your book focuses on how to lose weight, see if you can get your local paper to do a piece about your award-winning sugar-cookies. Tell them about the irony so that they give a nod to your book. Or if your book is about your memories of high school football but it’s baseball season, try to get a sports radio station to have you on to talk about the joys of high school athletics in general. They’ll probably still mention the book in your intro.

4. Go read the newspaper or listen to NPR.

Try to find current events to which you can gear your pitch. If your book is about job-interview techniques and the latest unemployment figures just came out (and have risen), you’ve got a new hook. If your book is a guide to Atlanta and it’s about to be named a top-ten city, call up USA Today’s Destinations & Diversions section and ask whether they want to interview you for a sidebar to run alongside the rankings.

5. Look for other books on the same topic as yours.

Two books equal a trend, and reporters love to do trend pieces. For example, in the spring of 2002, we published a book called, Linked: The New Science of Networks. Around the same time, Norton published another book about networks, Nexus. By calling this to the attention of science reporters, we were able to get more coverage than we could have gotten with our book alone. Another example: In June of 2002, The New York Times ran a big piece about perimenopause, which included a bunch of books on the subject along with info on various estrogen supplements.

6. Take a long, hard look at your press material.

Is it too hypey? Does it seem outdated in the light of current events? If it’s skewed heavily to one section of your book, could you redo it to skew to another section in which the media might take more interest? It’s also important to get someone else’s take on your press material. While it’s true that no one knows your book or you the way you do, it’s important to get feedback that provides outside perspective.

7. Assess whether you’re targeting the right kind of media.

Are you going for media that’s too highbrow (or lowbrow) for your book? Are you wasting time trying to get reviews in major-market papers? (If your book is self-help, health, parenting, new-age, or very technical, the answer is probably, Yes; but don’t lose heart–those kinds of books are great for off-the-book-page coverage.) Are you focusing on long-lead time magazines after your book is already out? (If so, it’s probably too late for them; go for the weekly mags instead.) Be honest with yourself: Do you have the right “sound” for radio? The right “look” for TV?

8. Look for new media outlets to approach, especially in your city.

For instance, have you exhausted the following local affiliates: NPR, CBS, ABC, NBC, PBS, FOX? Have you tried the alumni magazine for your college and your grad school? Have you tried your hometown paper for a “local boy makes good” article? Have you tried all the magazines to which you subscribe? To get more ideas, have you gone to a newsstand? Have you approached the websites you surf on a regular basis? What about the drive-time shows on your local FM (and AM) stations? (To find them, just go to Google.com and type in the name of your city with the word “radio” next to it.)

9. Evaluate the way you’re approaching the media.

Are your emails not getting answered? Try phoning the media instead. Are your phone messages being ignored? Try emailing or faxing.
10. Determine whether you’re using all your ammo.

Are you including quotes from your reviews and copies of other coverage? Are they presented in an impressive way (in a folder or in color)? Does your bio list the shows you’ve done and the groups for which you’ve spoken? If you’re touring, does it clearly state the venues where you’re speaking so that each city’s media know there’s a local hook?
* * * * *
Any one of these ten steps can help you save your book — can help you get it the attention it deserves. Like all of the tips in The Savvy Author’s Guide to Book Publicity, they’re meant to encourage you to think like the pros. But the most important thing is to keep a positive attitude. You are, after all, a published author; you’ve already accomplished what very few have done. Good luck as you embark on this journey. May it be meaningful, and fun.

Whether you notice them or not, you are exposed to thousands of messages on a daily basis. They come in many different forms, including commercials, road signs, telephone calls, news stories, billboards, emails, face-to-face conversations, and more. But regardless of medium, they all share a common goal – to gain your attention for the purpose of influencing your opinion and behavior.

As an experiment, consider dedicating one day to consciously acknowledging all the messages that are placed before you, along with the impact they carry. I think what you’d find is that the ones that impacted you most are the ones that managed to appeal in some way to your own personal interests.

Journalists are no different. They’ve got hundreds of people clamoring for their attention each week, yet they can write only a select few stories for each publication. So how in the world can the author of a soon-to-be-released book gain the interest of these journalists and persuade them to dedicate a story to his book?

Authors have two options for going about it: They can employ a Sniper Approach, which requires strategic planning and pinpoint accuracy. Or they can initiate a rapid-fire Shotgun Approach, which is much more a sheer numbers game.

Ready, Aim, Fire

A sniper is extremely effective at hitting his target. That’s target, as in singular. Choosing this approach means focusing all efforts on one journalist at a time. We’ve all seen movies involving snipers. In almost all cases, the sniper studies his target for days, even weeks leading up to the big moment. He learns his target’s daily routine and regular travel routes in an effort to determine the best place and time to carry out his mission.

The sniper approach to PR also demands research and planning. An author must learn everything he can about a particular journalist. What editorial biases does the target journalist have? What kind of story preferences does she tend to lean towards? Do her stories give clues about her personal likes and dislikes? (As a side note, the answer to this question is almost always, ‘Yes.’ Remember what I said about how we are all most interested in those things that cater to our personal interests? The same goes for journalists. And they can’t help but write about them.)

I suggest that the publishers reading this article encourage their authors to identify ten journalists who are focused on their particular field. Read their articles and watch their broadcasts. Push your author to become an expert on each of these journalists so that when the time comes, he knows how to communicate with each of them in the language that they prefer about what matters to them. Just as every successful book is about the reader, landing a successful PR story is the result of focusing on the journalist.

Fire, Aim, Ready

Just how many people did The Terminator (insert funny Austrian accent here) take out with his sawed-off shotgun? The correct answer is, everyone that crossed his path. He had no bias or preference—he simply pumped shell after shell into the firestorm, effectively eliminating hordes of would-be assassins in a messy spray of pellets.

Likewise, the shotgun approach to PR will target groups of journalists and media outlets with little consideration as to who those journalists are or what media outlets they represent. This is the PR equivalent of the old sales adage about, “The more doors you knock on . . . .” Only, instead of knocking on doors, an author is blasting out press releases in an attempt to reach numerous journalists in a short period of time.

The shotgun approach can be effective for attacking a large market, but it works best when the author firing the blasts is recognized as an authority in his field. Up-and-coming authors who are still trying to establish themselves are often disappointed in the number of press releases that miss their loosely targeted journalists and outlets.

For my money, I always push authors to practice both disciplines in an attempt to launch their PR campaigns. That way they have a chance at sniping their ten targeted journalists as well as mowing down multiple additional journalists and media outlets. In doing so, they can potentially enjoy the book sales that result from a precision PR campaign as well as a broad PR strike.

Please note: No journalists were injured during the writing of this article. The analogies portrayed were used for understanding purposes only and are completely fictional.

So how can one person with one book attract the attention of several media outlets? The answer is simple: A great hook.

Essentially, a hook is like a headline that makes someone want to read the whole story. It sparks an interest in the media outlet and influences them to publish or air your message to their audience. When push comes to shove, reporters and producers don’t care about your books. They are only interested in how you can make their publication or show more appealing to their audience. Therefore, the hook should address the needs of a particular media outlet’s readers or viewers. And each outlet you pitch should get its own unique hook congruent with its unique audience.

Adaptation is the foundation for creating hooks. Use these tips to develop your unique hook with each magazine, newspaper, and show that you approach to get more interviews and more articles published:

Why Are You Different?
Even though the book you’re pushing may be personal investing, or life planning, or some other narrow field, chances are your author knows about a variety of other things. To get more press, you have to cover a broader range. What are their hobbies? Where did they grow up? How are they different from all the other authors? They participate in hundreds of different conversations with hundreds of different people about hundreds of different topics, and their input is valuable because of their specialization. They offer a unique perspective because of their background, so use this to your advantage as you develop a hook for each author.

Sometimes, you must make small changes in your approach. For example, suppose the book is about taking time off work for relaxation. Everyone needs relaxation, whether they’re at home or at work, so you can adapt this topic to fit almost anywhere. But the key is to adapt it for the publication.

In your campaign, say you pitch several industry and trade publications with an article written around the subject entitled, “Take Six Months Off.” If no one bites with that hook, consider a different angle. Maybe they don’t want people in a work environment reading about vacations. Perhaps “Prevent Employee Burnout” would be a more suitable title for the publication’s needs. The article could be just about the same, just a different headline.

If something isn’t working for you, keep an open mind and consider a different approach. When you talk with your media contacts or pitch article ideas, adapt and expand your topic to fit their current needs, and you’ll increase your exposure.

Consider the Audience
Media professionals are only concerned with one thing: ratings. They want people to buy their magazine or tune in to their show. And before they run an article or do an interview, they want to be sure it will get attention. When you’re pitching to the media, whether it is radio, print, or television, you must think about what interests their audience, not about yourself. Imagine their perspectives and base your hook on their needs. Think about what the readers of this magazine or the viewers of that show want to know. Why are they reading or watching in the first place? What problems do they have and how can you solve them?

Keep in mind that the same people read different publications for different reasons. For example, the CEO of a major corporation may read Fast Company and The Wall Street Journal at work on a regular basis to keep up with the latest economic trends. But at home, this CEO is a mother of two young children, so she also reads Family Circle for useable information about family health and easy recipes. Every night before bed, she likes to relax and read for entertainment, fashion ideas, and beauty tips. Therefore, she also subscribes to Vogue. This woman reads a variety of publications for a variety of different reasons. So as you adapt your topic for a specific publication, think about who reads it and why.

Make a list of all the publications you’d like to pitch, and then think about the types of headlines you see on the covers. How can you make your author’s topic fit within the interests of their readers? Next, brainstorm ideas for each publication. For example, suppose your book addresses hormone imbalances, stress levels, and chronic fatigue. Consider the following pitches:

• Woman’s World: How Stress Experts De-stress
• Self Magazine: Staying Healthy During Stressful Times
  
• Parents Magazine: When to Call a Doctor, Warning Signs for Kids
  
• Wall Street Journal: Reduce Stress at Work: Diet & Exercise Tips
  
• Ladies Home Journal: Tired All the Time? It Could Be Chronic Stress/Fatigue
• Real Simple Magazine: One-Month Health Make-Over

These different hooks are all on the topic of stress; they are simply adjusted to fit the needs of each specific publication. The hooks address the audience directly and give them a reason for buying the magazine or watching the show.

Keep with the Times
The final aspect of a winning hook is newsworthiness. Media outlets love to have timely information linked to current events and trends. Exciting things happen every day all over the world: New products fill the market, technology advances, research draws conclusions, and people make things happen. Start a habit of reading the newspaper and watching the news regularly, and then adapt your ideas to the most cutting-edge information.

For example, suppose your new book is about circulatory health. Well, low-carb foods have been all over the news for some time, and a research team just discovered a link between heart attacks and individuals who cut complex carbohydrates from their diets. Using your author’s background in health, what does this mean for low-carb dieters? How does this new report affect the public? As an expert, the author can answer these questions, so use this to your advantage. Mention the new research in your hook. Always know what’s happening in the world because if you can provide a unique take on a current event, the media will take notice.

Another excellent resource that gives you an edge with the media is Chase’s Calendar of Events. This book is published annually and lists scheduled events for every day of the year. For example, did you know that November 18th is Mickey Mouse’s birthday, Prematurity Awareness Day, the Great American Smokeout, and Married to a Scorpio Support Day? Each day of the year has a list, so with a little creativity, you’re bound to find something you can use. With a copy of Chase’s on your shelf, you’ll know what’s happening beforehand and you can develop your hook around an event. When you use these listings or adapt to other events in the news, you make your hook more appealing to the media.

Hook Your Way to Success
If you want to catch a fish, you have to use the right bait. Apply this same concept to your publicity campaigns and develop a winning hook for each media outlet you approach. Expand your topic to appeal to more publications and more shows. With each outlet, adapt your hook to consider the audience’s needs, because that’s who the reporters and producers aim to please. Then link your topic to a current event to make it newsworthy. When you use these guidelines and create a winning hook, you will get more interviews, more articles published, and more publicity for your author’s books.

About the Author:
Pam Lontos is owner of PR/PR, a public relations firm that specializes in professional speakers, authors, and experts. Having been an author, speaker, and former VP of Disney’s Shamrock Broadcasting, she knows the ropes of getting good publicity and how to use it to really boost book sales. Call for a free consultation at (407) 299-6128, or e-mail Pam@ Sign up for a free publicity tips e-newsletter at www.prpr.net.