Marketing From the Outside In
How the Presentation of Your Book is as Important as Your Message
Writing a book can be one of the most difficult things in the world to do. While each author’s experience is very different, the process is almost always the same.
Winston Churchill, the author of many books in addition to being one of the most significant world leaders in history, once summed it up by saying: “Writing a book is an adventure. To begin with, it is a toy and an amusement; then it becomes a mistress, and then it becomes a master, and then a tyrant. The last phase is that just as you are about to be reconciled to your servitude, you kill the monster, and fling him out to the public.” Read more
New York Times Bestselling Author, Michael Levin, Shares His Insight On Business, Books and Ghostwriters
I had the privilege to interview Michael Levin, New York Times bestselling author and CEO of Business Ghost (www.BusinessGhost.com) about why corporate executives and professionals should write a book. Having written novels, business books and co-written with or ghost written for many high profiled professionals, such as Baseball Hall of Famer Dave Winfield, football broadcasting legend Pat Summerall, FBI undercover agent Joaquin Garcia and E-Myth creator Michael Gerber, he offers a unique insight that is a wealth of information.
Michael has also written for the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CBS News, the Boston Globe, the Los Angeles Times and many other top outlets. Plus he is an eight-time national best-selling author and his books have received outstanding reviews in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the New Yorker, People Magazine, the Washington Post, the San Francisco Examiner, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, the Boston Globe, Esquire, Booklist and other leading publications. Read more on New York Times bestselling author, Michael Levin →
Why Can’t I Just Talk About My Book On The Air? Why Using the Media to Sell Books is a Finesse Play
Unless you’re Oprah, a former president or a major celebrity, there is one question you will likely never be asked by the media when promoting a book.
“So why did you write your book?”
They won’t ask it, not because they don’t know you’re an author nor because they’re being rude. They won’t ask because the media doesn’t exist to help authors sell books. The media exists to create content that informs and entertains its audience, so that their audience stays tuned in. The more audience they have, the more advertising dollars they can charge for their print space and air time. Audiences are what make them money.
This is one of the most common disconnects we usually see with those who are new to the game of PR. Authors expect they can use the media as a venue to talk about their books, while the media is only interested in them for their expertise and the information or entertainment they can offer their audiences. Read more on why you can't just talk about your book on the air →
Hollywood Screenwriter, Pen Densham, Shares His Insights on Writing and Winning
How a high-school dropout became a Hollywood success with Back Draft, Moll Flanders and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
One of the things I love about my business is I get to meet the most interesting people who are luminaries in their industries. One person who fits that bill to a “T” is Pen Densham. You may not recognize his name, but I guarantee you’ve seen his work. Read more on Pen Densham, Hollywood screenwriter →
How Do I Gauge My PR Campaign? Why The Internet Hasn’t Changed The Rules
Recently, I received a question from one of my clients regarding how we track the success of our print and online PR campaigns. In the process of thinking through the question, I realized that the changing landscape of the media (due to the fast face of technology) really hasn’t changed the way we look at these kinds of campaigns.
Since time immemorial, the only way to actually gauge the success of a print PR campaign was to indicate where placements were made and then list the circulation of that print outlet. For instance, if the Tampa Tribune ran your story on a weekday, the print circulation would be in the 150,000 range. On a Sunday, it would jump to 225,000. Now, that’s not to say, nor has it ever been intended to say, that 225,000 people read your article. It simply rated the size of the news outlet that carried the piece. Read more on how to gauge your PR campaign →
Is Your Book PR Not Doing The Job?
Maybe It’s Not Your Message, But How You Position the Messenger
Having written a book myself, I know how hard people work to achieve that coveted designation of “author.”
And, I know how it goes, you don’t want to make it a big deal with your friends and family, but deep down where you don’t talk about it openly, you really wish there was a button you could buy that reads “AUTHOR!” You also wish that it was socially acceptable to wear it on your lapel, because, darn it, writing a book is NOT easy. You worked hard to write a book and when it’s done and published, you do enjoy being able to claim membership in a relatively exclusive fraternity. Read more on is your book PR not doing the job →
Are You Losing Faith in Your Book? Maybe the Problem Is Your PR
You’ve done all that you know how to do, but it still seems like the only one interested in your book is you.
Okay, maybe some friends and family have offered their support, but they’re supposed to do that. Your real problem is that you’ve done all you know how to do, but you still can’t seem to generate any buzz. You’ve sent out press releases, you’ve blogged, you’ve tweeted, you’ve called the media and you’ve sent out books to reviewers, but the response has been underwhelming.
I’ve seen this happen to authors trying to publicize their books and I can see why some people would begin to lose faith in their books and their messages. But, my point to you is you shouldn’t lose faith in the things that drive your passion. Maybe the problem isn’t your book; maybe it’s your approach to PR. Here are just a few of the common pitfalls I’ve seen: Read more on losing faith in your book →
How NOT to Sell a Book: Learn the Seven Deadly Sins of Book Marketing
Not a day goes by that I don’t hear this same question from people who contact me to help them market their books: If I do PR, how many books will I sell?
This seems like a straightforward question at first, until I start asking some questions myself: Do you have a Web site? What’s your marketing plan? Is your book available online? What’s your message?
At the risk of demystifying what I do for my clients, let me make it abundantly clear, there is NO magic wand that will help you sell your book. PR, advertising, promotions, Web sites, social networking, none of it will guarantee you a bestseller. However, I think it’s imperative that I point out a few things which, if absent, will practically guarantee barely any sales beyond family and friends. Read more on how NOT to sell a book →
Are You The Invisible Author?
Just about everyone is familiar with the classic image of The Invisible Man, whether it’s Claude Rains in bandages and a trench coat or the revisionist take with Kevin Bacon in foundation makeup and a hoodie. While both were great films, they both underscored the inherent detriments to being invisible.
In my world, I see authors who feel like the Invisible Man all the time. They’ve toiled tirelessly to write their books and get them published, and then languish as they wait to get noticed by an audience they know would appreciate their messages, if only they knew the book existed.
Well, to reference another great film, promoting a book is not like the magic of Field of Dreams, in which the only thing Kevin Costner needed to do in order to get people to flock to his baseball field in the middle of his corn crops was simply to build it. In the book world, if you write it, they will NOT come; you need to make them aware that you and your book exist. Read more on being the invisible author →
The Book: Your New Business Card
How Writing A Book Can Increase Your Business
We’re all experts on something. In my case, my passion was always the inner workings of the media and the crafting of a message. The fun for me isn’t always when I have a client who is a ready-made for the media, but rather someone who has a unique message that may not seem on the surface to be compatible with generating media. That’s what drives me and those are the challenges I truly enjoy. When I can connect the dots in a creative fashion for a client who may never have thought they had a good enough story for the media, I’m thrilled!
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One of the tools that helps in this process is when clients have a book. In my own book, Celebritize Yourself: The Three Step Method to Increase Your Visibility and Explode Your Business, I explain how a book – or more specifically, YOUR book – can be your new business card. It’s a model I not only recommend to clients, but also one that I use for the promotion of my own business. Read more on the book: your new business card →
Five More Tips for Attracting Print and Online Media
Last week we started a series of tips for attracting print and online media for your PR campaign, and we focused mainly on the basics. Today, we’ll get a little more in-depth with our tips, so grab a cup of coffee or some ginkgo biloba or whatever else it is you do to focus, because we’re starting the intermediate class, today!
The general idea with today’s tips is to zero on one key element, things journalists love. They include: Read more on 5 more tips for attracting print and online media →
If You Want Buzz, You Need The Web: How The Internet Has Become Key In Public Relations
We all want it.
We hunt high and low for it. We work for it. We get creative to generate it. We use gimmicks, travel to trade shows and work the media hard for it. The problem is, we can’t manufacture it and we can’t buy it. We either conjure it out of thin air, or we don’t find it at all.
It’s buzz, and we know when we have it, almost anything is possible. More than that, up until a few years ago, there was no way to measure it. But now there is. It’s called the Internet and it’s a key ingredient in maximizing the buzz we generate. Read more on how the Internet has become key in PR →
Why Isn’t My Book Selling? How Going Back to Basics Can Help Open All Sales Channels
Most writers can relate to a statement made by the brilliant statesman and author, Winston Churchill, concerning the life cycle of writing a book. He once said, “Writing a book is an adventure. To begin with, it is a toy and an amusement; then it becomes a mistress, and then it becomes a master, and then a tyrant. The last phase is that just as you are about to be reconciled to your servitude, you kill the monster, and fling him out to the public.”
Okay, Churchill can be a little dramatic, although I can absolutely identify with some parts of his description! But in my day-to-day world of speaking with authors, the real issue that concerns me is their despair once they’ve published their book and the public’s response is less than enthusiastic. Read more on why your book isn't selling →
Deck the Halls with Boughs of Kindles: How to Ride the E-Book Wave
One of my staff recently told me a story about when he was working at a big PR firm in New York during the explosive growth of the Internet in 1996. He found himself in a boardroom filled with top music industry executives and magazine editors, to pitch them on getting online.
“We don’t care about the Internet,” was the overall general response. “It’s never going to have an impact on our business.” Well, today with iTunes, Yahoo and other music service providers, the music industry is a shadow of its former self. Thank goodness the book industry caught on before that happened. Read more on how to ride the e-book wave →
How Much PR Should You Have? Persistent and Consistent is Key to Success
I’m always asked the question about how long a good publicity campaign should last. Invariably in the media business, more publicity is always better. Still, the question is a good one, and it bears answering.
To do that, I want you to think of the consumers you’re trying to reach as a quiet pond in the wilderness. If you want to make the pond ripple, throw a pebble in it. Big rocks make more waves than small pebbles, but even so, the ripples eventually end if all you’re doing is throwing in one rock at a time. Read more on how much PR you should have →
Tips for Your Online Book Promotion: It’s Not About the Technology, It’s About the Customers
When I started working with authors on their publicity campaigns, the landscape was reasonably simple. Arranging phone interviews on talk radio shows, appearances on TV and getting reviews in major newspapers and magazines drove consumer interest. Everyone bought their books in bookstores and the only people interested in the Internet were some computer geeks.
Boy, have things changed. Today 44 percent of ALL books sold in North America are sold online at Amazon.com. What’s more, e-books now account for nearly 30 percent of all of Amazon’s sales. Read more on online book promotion →
How to Promote Your Product or Book During Your Radio Interview
Making the Host Happy Could Get You Invited Back
Recently, I put together a list of ideas to help people make the most of their TV interviews, so I thought this time we’d talk about radio. While they are both broadcast interviews, the experiences are vastly different, and really should be discussed separately. Read more on How to Promote Your Product or Book During Your Radio Interview →
5 Steps for Using Creative PR to Become an Expert Celebrity
One of the things I love about my job is solving problems.
Sure, it’s great to have a client walk in the door who has a unique product or service, solid credentials and a compelling angle. It makes the work easier, certainly, but it sometimes is more satisfying to solve what a client thinks is an unsolvable problem in a creative way. Read more on the 5 steps for using creative PR to become an expert celebrity →
Have You Given Up On Your Book Promotion?
I speak with authors on a daily basis, usually about the promotion of their book, and all too often they are sitting somewhere on the scale between frustration and apathy.
If this is you, and you are ready to throw in the towel, then I’m writing this for you. Read more on giving up on your book promotion →
Why Did You Even Write a Book?
I have always loved authors, which is why I’ve spent twenty years of my life devoted to helping them promote their books and ideas!
I admire authors for their passion, tenacity and, well…chutzpah. Writing a book – and getting it published – is truly for the spirited and dauntless. Read more on why did you even write a book →
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You Can Enjoy Expert Celebrity Status
Are you ready for your own brand of celebrity? Public relations expert Marsha Friedman teaches you how to Celebritize Yourself! Learn the secret to becoming an expert celebrity. Her book is the manual for becoming well known as an expert in your field! -
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