Category Archives: PR Tips

Trends, Trends, Trends

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When you are writing a book, you spend the majority of your time holding your breath and praying that a book similar to yours doesn’t come out, or worse, make a big splash with a “significant” book deal. When you secure an agent and they shop your book to editors, you will probably hear the common refrain of “Sorry but we have a similar title already on our roster.” But there is a light at the end of this doppleganger tunnel. When you begin your publicity campaign having similar books published at the same time will only help your chances of getting noticed.

Editors and producers are always looking for trends in publishing. A trend is defined as a prevailing tendency or inclination, a general movement, a current style or preference, a line of development. Being part of a trend shows that you are part of a universal feeling that is currently gaining momentum. You should be able to reference at least three titles in order to declare something a “trend.”

Recent trends in publishing include books on gun violence in America (How to Be Safe, Only Child, If We Had Known, Oliver Loving), auto-fiction (Karl Ove Knausgaard, Rachel Cusk, Sheila Heti, Edward St Aubyn), and marriage vacations (The Break, The Intermission, Marriage Vacation, The Arrangement).

For an author, having a book with a similar premise or theme that releases within the same six-month time period is incredibly beneficial and will help your publicity efforts immensely.

When you are beginning to brainstorm your publicity plans, keep an eye out for upcoming releases. You can search on Amazon under publication date, Good Reads or in trade publications like Publisher’s Weekly and Kirkus that post reviews a few months before a book is released.

Keep your finger on the pulse of publishing and stay alert to trends and themes that are reminiscent of your work.

5 Tips for Preparing the Perfect Book Signing

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Imbedded in the dream of being an author is the vision of attending book signings. Whether you are hopeful for a line around the block or just a chance to have your family, friends, and mentors gather in one room to listen to your journey, it is both a rewarding and humbling experience. For some authors a signing turns into a great way to connect with readers, hear their questions and build a fan base, for others it can be a crush to the ego when the only people in attendance are the store owner and a few random shoppers. First off, don’t be discouraged. I once attended a book signing in downtown Boston for an extremely successful, New York Times Bestselling author and there were about 4 people in attendance, one of them being a man who simply wanted to sit down and take a nap. But the author did something wonderful, she spoke to us as if we were her friends, she was funny, told great stories and had all four of us (the man eventually woke up) laughing and eager to buy her books. By taking the time to connect with us, she built lifelong fans. That being said, book signings are not easy endeavors. They require tenacity and a thick skin. Here are a few tips for preparing your book signings:

1) Plan

Where do you want to sign? Is there a local, independent bookstore in your home town? Do you have a busy Barnes & Noble nearby? Are you planning on traveling to visit friends or for business and have extra time on your hands? Map out a plan for where you would like to set-up some signings. Keep in mind that all of these are not going to come to fruition. It can be very difficult and time-consuming to get a bookstore to approve a signing because it is not as simple as just arriving with a pen in hand. The store has to work within its own calendar of events, it has to promote the event and determine how many books will be needed. They are also going to want to know if the book is available through standard distribution channels and whether or not unsold books can be returned.

2) Pitch 

Reach out to the media that is based near your signing location. Find the local papers, magazines and radio stations that cater to that particular area and let them know (well in advance) that you will be making an appearance. You are not necessarily inviting them to come to your event (if they do, super!) but it is a way of letting them know that you will be in the neighborhood on a specific date and there is a local “newsworthy” angle that may be of interest to them. Reach out to the media outlets in the closest major city, as well. Most newspapers (small and large) have an events section. At the very least, you can get your signing or appearance mentioned in their calendar section. Talk to the special events coordinator at the bookstore where you will be signing. Most likely they reach out to the local media on behalf of the bookstore, but it’s always good to coordinate and get a feeling for what kind of outreach they will do.

3) Prepare

What are you going to do once you get to your signing? Will you be doing a reading? A question and answer? A small speech about the writing process or your journey to becoming a published author? You don’t have to have everything scripted but it is a good idea to have a general idea of what you would like to do and say once you get to your event. It is also smart to get there early. It will give you a good feel for the venue and prevent any chance of being late to your own signing. You don’t want to leave your fans waiting.

4) Polite

Send a thank you card. Call the bookseller after the event to thank them for hosting or even send a small gift basket. These are all nice ways to endear yourself to a local bookseller, someone who most certainly could have a hand in helping to build your audience.

5) Publicize 

Take pictures at your event and share them on social media sites like Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. Write a blog post about your event. Show future venues and media outlets that you are comfortable with public events so that they will keep you in mind. It will also show your readers and fans that you are a real live person and not just a name on a book. You could also have a friend take some video of you speaking or reading and put that on your website.

Book tours are not for everyone but if it is something that you have dreamed of doing or something that your publisher suggests you do, then these are just a few ways to make sure you cover all of your bases and do it right. There is no way to guarantee that an author event goes smoothly and there is no such thing as a “perfect” book signing but being prepared is a good way to banish some of those jitters and get you and your book out into the world.

10 Reasons to Write That Book!

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There are hundreds of reasons to write a book. There are reasons that exist solely in your heart and those that are universal. Below I am giving you 10 (Simple) Reasons to Write That Book because it’s a new year and resolutions are already being ignored. Don’t let this resolution slip between the cracks. I’m hoping to spark a fire in you to sit down, put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and write that book! I’m a book publicist so I see thousands of writers anxiously pursuing their dream and whether they succeed or fail in garnering the attention they want, they are always proud of the book that they can hold in their hands, a tangible example of hard work, dedication, and perseverance.

  1. You’ve always wanted to write a book. Let’s face it, most people have some desire to write a book. Whether you want to write a non-fiction book about Butter Sculptors or the Next Great American Novel, the desire is there and there is no amount of journal writing that is going to take the place of completing an actual book that people can buy and read.
  2. You become an expert. Whatever you write about, whatever subject or topic you explore, the amount of time it takes to write a book and the amount of research that goes into it builds your credibility and expertise. Even novel writing can make you an expert on any number of topics. Writing about divorce will make you an expert on divorce. Writing about wedding planning, elephant sanctuaries, murder. All of these topics will require research. They will require that you dive head first into these worlds to make them as real as possible.
  3. Be of service. Maybe you want to write a memoir about suffering a miscarriage. How many women will be thankful that you had the bravery to tackle such an emotional and difficult topic?
  4. Inspiring and life-changing. Writing a book awakens curiosity and allows you to see the world in a new and different way.
  5. Set goals and achieve them. Don’t we all want to check things off our bucket lists? According to writer Joseph Epstein, “81 percent of Americans have a book in them.”
  6. Helps clarify your thoughts. “When you have to write your ideas out in complete sentences and complete paragraphs, it forces a deeper clarity of thinking.” -Jeff Bezos. {via Fast Company}
  7. Helps launch a business. There is no better way of diseminating your ideas than with a book. A book helps other people get a clearer view of your vision. Going on talk shows to discuss your book can help more people find you and therefore increase your productivity and help grow your business.
  8. Introduces you to new people and new ideas. The publishing and writing world is not that big. Writers bond easily with one another because they know the difficult road they have all picked to travel down. It can be a lonely career, that’s why so many writers start writing groups, message boards and meet-ups.
  9. Brings confidence. Just knowing that you can do something that so many people only talk about doing is sure to ignite a fire in you.
  10. “Writing a book is a tremendous experience. It pays off intellectually. It clarifies your thinking. It builds credibility. It is a living engine of marketing and idea spreading, working every day to deliver your message with authority. You should write one.” {via Seth Godin}

Planting the Seed

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We often equate book publicity with planting a seed. You have a written a novel (or self-help manual or cookbook or memoir). You have published it (either through a major publishing house, a small press, self-publishing, or e-book). It is ready to go out into the work or it’s already out there on shelves or online.

Now you’re ready for people to start talking about it!

So where are all the reviews, interviews and coverage?

According to Bowker, 3 million books were published in 2011. Consider the staggering fact that 248,000 books were published in 2003 and the figures continued to double every year after that. Bowker estimates, as reported by Seth Godin, that the figure will grow to 15 million in 2012! That’s a lot of competition.

So how do you get your book noticed?

Slowly and with great determination, patience and effort. There is no other way around it. If you want your book to be read and reviewed, you have to reach far and wide in the media landscape. You have to be prepared to send out many review copies, and you have to wait. Following-up with the media outlets is essential, but you can’t force people to read and react to your work. You have to change your approach, think of different angles and find ways to make your story newsworthy. You have to think like a journalist and constantly scan the news for appropriate angles or areas where you can offer expertise.

The more coverage you can accumulate, the more news-worthy you will be to other media outlets. You are building “buzz.” You are building a brand. But it does take time. There is an old joke said by actors that it takes decades of hard work and dedication to become an overnight success. The same can be said for authors. The most successful publicity campaigns last for years, not months. Don’t expect to get readers and fans right out of the gate. Many times we read about instant successes and yes, they do happen. But people also win the lottery. If you want to be realistic about the process, you have to be prepared to do the work. You are building an audience slowly. Most “break out” authors have been working at this tirelessly for a very long time.

Publicity is like planting a seed. You have to nurture it, give it plenty of time and attention and it will grow. It just takes time and a lot of effort.

Vote

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What have we learned during this presidential election? That negative commercials don’t really work? That automated phone calls are really more of an annoyance than anything beneficial for a campaign? That voters don’t want to be spammed with emails forcing issues and ideas down their throat?

Authors seeking publicity can learn from the tactics used in a presidential election. What really matters are the issues at hand and how they affect your life. This is what voters and readers relate to and seek out. As an author, what is your purpose? What are you hoping to teach, show, or do? The reading (and voting) public is much more interested in being enlightened than choosing something because it has been forced upon them. They don’t pick a book (or a candidate) because they see it everywhere. Intelligent readers, and voters, make a choice because it opens their eyes to something that personally affects them. It draws them in, inspires them, teaches them, excites them. But the only way people will know if your book is going to do all of these things is if you get your voice out there. You need to let people know what they will find in your work. You need to let them hear your voice. Just seeing your face everywhere is not going to make a lasting impression. You don’t want to be a flash in the pan, you want to build a lifelong audience. That takes time and patience and dedication to your readers and your voice.

Don’t forget to vote today! 

Capitalizing on Disaster

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We are often advising clients to find news hooks in order to help promote their work and spread the word about their particular areas of expertise. We suggest they offer themselves and their work for platform building and name recognition. This is very important when it comes to book publicity. Finding a way to stand out from the thousands of books published every month. However, there is a line. When you are trying to profit from a disaster, things can turn ugly. The old adage is “any publicity is good publicity” but does this stand true?

Superstorm Sandy left millions without power and created massive destruction and fatalities. It was a tragic event with catastrophic results. Some companies, however, used the storm as a “hot story” to garner sales. Gap, Urban Outfitters and American Apparel offered online “Sandy Sales.” American Apparel released an ad targeting the states that got hit the hardest by Sandy with a 20% off for 36 hours, “in case you’re bored during the storm.” The problem with a PR stunt like this is that you are going to offend people. Yes, some sales might be incurred, but the end result is going to leave a bad taste in people’s mouths and might result in a backlash. The public doesn’t like to be taken advantage of or used. They want to be educated, informed and enlightened. We advise our authors to use their expertise, their experience and the work they created to open people’s eyes to things they may not have been aware of before, not to take advantage.

What are your thoughts on the Sandy PR?