Questions & John's Answers:
Getting Publicity for Your Books
The following are a few of the questions John Kremer has answered during the past four years of writing the free Book Marketing Tip of the Week ezine. These answers focus on getting publicity.
Question: Reviews vs. Advertising
Which of the two ways to market shown below are more effective: Book Advertising or Book Reviews?
John's Answer: Book reviews are more cost-effective.
Advertising in the right place might sell more books, but few authors or publishers know how to advertise effectively, so I don't recommend it.
There are a few places where it might make sense; for example, advertising in New Age Retailer for a new age or holistic health title. And certainly there are some specialty book publishers who have advertised successfully for years in specialized magazines and continue to do so because it pays.
But, personally, I'd always put my money and time into publicity first. Not necessarily trying for book reviews, but going for interviews, expert opinions, articles, excerpts, and sidebars. These have often produce more sales than book reviews do.
As I write this, of course, I've just thought of one advertising venue that I really, really love. That is direct mail advertising. Done well, crunching all the numbers, conducting valid tests, and writing great copy, there's nothing that beats direct mail. Done well, it is so predictable that it's almost like printing money. The best Internet marketing follows the key principles of direct marketing, although I have found that few Internet marketers really know how to crunch numbers. And to do direct marketing well, you need to know how to crunch numbers and test results.
Question: Press Releases
The press release for my book on Christian Olympics was blasted through the internet a week before the 2006 Turin Winter Olympic Games. The publicist tells me that there were many downloads of the press release from the media. I am surprised that there was no response from the media though. Do you have any idea why? And what should be done now?
John's Answer: There could be many answers.
1) The publicist's idea of “many” is much smaller than your or my idea.
2) The media read the news release and decided that it wasn't relevant.
3) They glanced at the press release but never really downloaded it.
4) The press release was poorly written.
5) The press release really didn't match the media interest at the time. Just because you think there should be a strong link between the winter Olympics and Christian Olympics, the media might not see such a link.
How do you solve these problems? Write a news release that really addresses an issue. Write it well. Then send it out. And follow up with a phone call. You have to help media pay attention. They are so busy that they miss many good stories. You shouldn't let that happen with your book.
Question: Following Up on Reviewers
Once a reviewer requests a book from author, what is the protocol after the book is sent... six weeks... eight weeks... to follow up if the review was done? Or is this a no-no? Also, is it all right once a reviewer requests your baby (and as you know some people claim to be reviewers just to get a free book) -- can one request to talk to them on the phone or email them to check out their credentials?
John's Answer: It is acceptable to call a reviewer within about two to three weeks to ask if they will review the book, but do not ask if the review is done. The review won't appear for many weeks later depending on the media.
If you have any question about the legitimacy of a reviewer, don't send a review copy until you've verified his or her legitimacy. Check out their web site — they should have one. If you can't locate the media they review for on the web, chances are that they don't have a large audience.
Be aware that there are many legitimate reviewers who are bloggers, ezine writers or editors, or web site owners. But these reviewers should be able to show you their reviews, which should all be online for you to check out.
I believe in sending review copies to anyone who asks and who has a legitimate audience. But, at the same time, I am well aware that there are many illegitimate review requesters who are simply looking for books to sell via eBay or Amazon.com. So, be careful.
Question: Literary Months...
Would you know where there's a listing for literary months. Like you mentioned, it was National Publish Your E-Book Month and I can't find a press release or more info about it. So I can be ready for the next one, can you direct me to a calendar of some type or website that would know off handed information like that?
John's Answer: The major literary days of the year plus 18,000 other special days are all available in my Celebrate Today Special Events database.
Also, some are listed at: http://www.bookmarket.com/bkdays.htm.
Question: Advertising Sources
My first book, Equally Capable Equally Smart: A Candid Look at Race, Gender and Intelligence in our Society, will be published Jan. 05. What are some good sources for advertisement for such work?” — Ralford Jones
John's Answer: I'm not sure I'd advertise your book. I'm more likely to do publicity for the book in political journals such as The Nation, The American Prospect, Clamor, CounterPunch, Dissent, First Things, The Hightower Lowdown, In These Times, Mother Jones, The New Republic, Yes!, American Spectator, etc. as well as major magazines such as Time, Newsweek, US News & World Report, Vanity Fair, Entertainment Weekly, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, etc. Also educational journals, association journals, etc. And black issues publications such as African American Review, Black Issues Book Review, BlackBoard Bi-Weekly, Ebony, Essense, QBR, Relevant, and Transitions.
Also, of course, news talk shows, both radio and TV.
Of course, I could go into much more detail, which is what I do in consulting with authors and publishers.
Question: Hiring a Publicist
“I am a first time novelist with a mystery coming out in May 2005. It is a small press, a small advance, and a small print run of 700 books. Do you feel that warrants trying to find someone to do publicity with the substantial cost involved?” — Robert Boris Riskin
John's Answer
No, you need to do your own publicity. It simply would not pay for you to hire a publicist. You don't have enough potential income to cover the cost.
With that small a print run, I'd start by trying to make a big local splash with book signings in as many local bookstores as possible over a month or two, along with concurrent local newspaper articles and radio/TV interviews. That you can set up on your own without the help of a publicist.
If you can't or don't like to talk on the phone to set up interviews, ask a friend or family member to help you. Pay them a small amount of money if necessary, or take them out to dinner for their help.
Question: Media Kits
“If you put together a complete package (cover letter, bound galley, brochure, press release, reply card), why would they need to call the publicist anyway? Just wondering...”
John's Answer
Five reasons I can think of just off the top of my head. Here are some of the reasons they might call you:
1. To interview the author.
2. To get more information for a feature story.
3. To verify information and details about the book or release.
4. To book an author appearance on a radio or TV show.
5. To ask for reprint rights or permission.Some media also call to verify the availability of a title and to make sure the publisher will have enough copies on hand to handle the demand that their publicity will cause. Bottomline Personal, for example, does this because response to their listings can be large (10,000 or more sometimes).
Reader Feedback
“Your reader is asking the wrong question! Here's a tip from a book publicist with over 25 years of experience (that would be me). Simply because you mail or ship a complete press kit to an editor doesn't mean zip, most likely (unless you are one of the Clintons, for example). Someone has to call and a) bring the package to the editor's attention, as it's sitting among several dozen if not two hundred other packages and b) a process of collaboration needs to begin. As I always tell my authors, we are here to serve the media, not the other way around. A good publicist is always trying to bring (hopefully high quality) information to the attention to the media, because that's what the media needs. Competition for that attention is fierce. A passive package is not sufficient. It's just the entree.” — Kathryn Hall, publicist
Everything You Should Know about Publicity, Publishing, and Building a Platform — If you want to learn from a master book publicist all the techniques that have worked for her for more than twenty years, Arielle Ford offers an intensive PR course for new authors. She was the book publicist for many bestselling authors, including Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Deepak Chopra, Debbie Ford, Neale Donald Walsch, etc. Only $497 plus shipping.
How to Be a Media Darling and Generate Free Publicity — This multimedia series by Joan Stewart (and interviewees) teaches you how to build a PR plan, month to month, find story angles media will love, pitch ideas and follow up, extend your reach with online social media, use blogging and podcasting effectively, and how to target radio, TV, and print media. Bonuses include ten magic phrases the media love and 200 story ideas. Cost: $397.00.
Media-Savvy-to-Go Publicity Toolkit — This program of ebooks and audio by Nancy Juetten teaches you all the basics of getting publicity, including how to pitch an article the media can't resist, 50 powerful publicity boosters, 97 ways to profit from free publicity, and more. Includes a great workbook to get you going. Cost: $87 via download or $97 for the printed version.
Million Dollar Author Club — This is the latest reincarnation of the Book Marketing Update newsletter from Steve Harrison. Always a great resource for stories on how to get publicity in key media as well as listings of key media: who to contact, how to contact, what they want to see, etc. Really fresh hot leads. For $1.00 you can get a trial issue plus a free audio copy of an interview with bestselling author Tim Ferriss. Cost: $47 per month.
National Publicity Summit — Sign up for a free teleseminar with a former guest booker for the Oprah! TV show: The Three Big Secrets for Getting Booked as a Guest on Top National TV Shows. The call will be held twice on Thursday, January 31st.
PR Leads Article Marketing Publicity Program — This service submits your articles to hundreds of online article directories, ezines, and other users of articles. A great way to promote your book online. You can do it yourself (using the resources at http://www.bookmarket.com/onlinearticles.htm or by following their Complete A to Z Article System) or by paying them to automate the process for you. Their Serious Article Marketing Publicity Program (14 articles over 12 months) costs $5,000. Their Starter Article Marketing Publicity Program (7 articles over 6 months) costs $2,500. Their Test the Waters Package costs $500 for 1 article.
PR Leads Expert Resource Network — This service provides you with the names and contact info of reporters and editors who are looking for experts and other people to interview for stories, news, etc. You can do a one-month trial for only $99, or a year for $995. I know people who have gotten into major newspapers and magazines using the hot leads this service provides. It's a lot less expensive than hiring a PR service or publicist and probably as effective.
PressKit 24/7 — This website allows you to put up a professional online press kit plus provides access to a database of major media. A really useful tool if you want to do lots of publicity via general media. Their service runs from $99 to $199 per month. The higher price gives you the ability to blast out emails to media as well as track and respond to media requests and interviews. Their PressKit 24/7 Quick Kit offers you an online press kit, inclusion in an expert database, multi-media capability, and quick editing to get you up and running fast.
Red Hot Online Publicity Tour — This program executed by Penny Sansevieri and Author Marketing Experts delivers a proven and still little known Web 2.0 homegrown formula that includes Social Networking Tours, Blog Tours, Social Bookmarking Tours, and Video Tours all in one package. “Depending on your topic, we'll tour you on blogs, discussion groups, chat rooms, and Websites in your field. As an added bonus we also submit articles you’ve written to online syndication services that will keep your articles on file until an ezine editor needs them for a featured piece.” Cost: $1,800 or more.
Copyright © 2008 by John Kremer
Email: JohnKremer@bookmarket.com
Open Horizons, P O Box 2887, Taos NM 87571