be your own book publicist ppt

Our panelists

• Sandra Beckwith

• Marsha Friedman

• Penny Sansevieri

Sandra Beckwith

Overcoming obstacles• “I don’t like calling attention

to myself.”• “I see what others do and it

makes me uncomfortable.” (The phrase “shameless” keeps coming to mind.)

• “I’d rather be writing.”• “I don’t have time.”

You’re an expert

• Applies to nonfiction & fiction

• Time spent researching topic

• You know more about your topic than most people

Leveraging expert status• Journalists like to

interview experts; experts often have book as credential

• Pitch yourself as an expert

• Pitch letters: You’re the expert, not the writer

Sharing your expertise with tip sheets• Tip sheet: Press release

offering tips or advice in bulleted or numbered format

• What questions do you hear the most? They are your tip sheet topics.

• Useful for generating short news items or as background info.

Tip sheet format

• Title includes a number• State problem (use stats

when you can)• Quote from you identified as

author of XYZ• Set up tips with one

sentence• List tips • Close with standard

paragraph about book

Exercise

• What’s your first tip sheet topic?

Distribute widely

• Use paid & free press release distribution services

• In-house media list• Convert to blog content• Syndicate online through

article sites• Add to online press/media

kit

Marsha Friedman

Best time ever to promote your book! Why?Today we live in a world of

expert celebrities!• Explosion of specialty shows

on radio & TV• Cable TV• Satellite radio• Websites/blogs• Social networking• Cross promotion

The expert celebrity

• Experts in all walks of life:– Suze Orman– Rachel Ray– Julia Child

• What do they all have in common?– All are best-selling

authors that launched their careers with a book

You’re a published author… now what?

• Congratulations, whether you’re a non-fiction or fiction author, you now have an admission ticket to the media!

Why is talk radio a great medium for your book promotion?

• Talk radio offers specialty shows in every demographic!– AM talk listeners: Ages 35 –

64– Evenly split among male

and female– Effective sales tool that

provides a live conversation with a captive audience

Why talk radio?

• Talk radio offers specialty shows in every demographic!– Offers a credible 3rd party

endorsement– Provides enough time to tell

your story

The value of TV for your book promotion!

TV offers visual appeal!

• You can showcase your book• Use props and charts to best

illustrate your message

Guest Appearances On

TV Create Huge Credibility!

5 basic rules for pitching radio & TV producers1. Never, ever pitch your

book!2. ALWAYS pitch the

problem your expertise solves!

3. Never, ever pitch yourself!

4. ALWAYS pitch the issue you’re an expert on!

5. Tie your topic to the news!

Tie it to the news!

• The importance of following the news….

• The Lou and Janet story

Questions to ask yourself• What part of your

message are you most passionate about?

• How would you sum up your message?

• Anything controversial?

• Is your message in the news?

• 5 key talking points!

Your radio pitch

5 pieces to the radio pitch puzzle:

1. Headline2. Topic summary3. Discussion points4. The data5. All about you!

Darlene Quinn’s results

“William Morris” Has Requested A Copy of

“Twisted Webs”!

The results speak for themselves:– Radio interviews: 123– National TV: 4– Local TV: 12– Print impressions: 74,854,122

Radio interview tips

• Be enthusiastic• Smile when on the air• No cell phones allowed• Don’t sound like an infomercial• Know your host

Radio interview tips

• Be entertaining• Get local whenever

possible• Limit your use of

numbers and statistics

• No technical jargon• Eliminate potential

distractions

TV interview tips

• Use visuals and props when possible

• Don’t rush it! Make your points succinct

• Be mindful of body language

• Assume the camera is always on

• Don’t be combative

• Research current news topics

• Don’t sound rehearsed• If you slip up, forget

about it; move on• Convey appropriate

emotions• Speak in a

conversational manner

TV interview tips

Marketing gold

• Publicity is marketing gold!– It positions you as an

expert in your field– It provides 3rd party

endorsements from the media

– Cross promotion & marketing opportunities are endless

Let’s summarize

• So, you now know:– What PR is!– How to become newsworthy– How to choose the right media– How to pitch the media

Penny Sansevieri

Goals

• Why are you doing this?• Why are you here?• What do you hope to gain?

Building your platform• What do I need to be

successful?• What do I need to do?

Getting on Google

• Relevance• Authority

Author Marketing Experts Inc www.amarketingexpert.com

Networking online

Creating a plan

• What does your eco-system look like?

• Who can you target?• Blogs, websites, Twitter,

Facebook

Success leaves clues…• Google Alerts• Typepad• Network with other

successful authors

Online tracking tools

Tips for cyber-schmoozing

• Blog comment• Listen• Learn• Participate

Why would you Twitter?

The best ways to use Twitter

• To communicate, not broadcast

• Share news particular to your topic or industry

• Offer helpful insight, advice, tips

• Share data and information relevant to your market

• Link to your blog, link to other blogs, link to articles

Twitter facts

• Twitter reached 1 billion tweets in 3 years, 2 months and 1 day. Now Twitter users send 1 billion tweets per week.

• One year ago, users sent an average of 50 million tweets per day. Today, that average is 140 million.

• The average number of accounts created per day is 460,000. Over half a million (572,000) accounts were created on March 12, 2011.

• There has been a 182% increase in Twitter mobile users this past year.

Everything is your resume

• Everything is searchable• Anything you write could

end up in the media• Never write anything you

don’t want your grandmother to read

How to manage social media and still have a life…• Reuse, recycle • Allow your social media sites

to “talk” to one another• Plan, plan, plan

Questions?

Contact:

• Sandra Beckwith, sb@buildbookbuzz.com, http://buildbookbuzz.com

• Marsha Friedman, mfriedman@emsincorporated.com, http://www.emsincorporated.com

• Penny Sansevieri, penny@amarketingexpert.com, http://www.amarketingexpert.com