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Book Publicity | The Top Ten Things Book Publicists Want Authors to Know

By Cindy Ratzlaff January 6, 2010

You’ve handed in your manuscript, completed all the edits and now your job is done. You’re thinking that now it’s up to your publisher’s publicity machine to make your book a success. Wrong.

In most houses that publicity machine has been downsized while the number of books needing publicity and promotion has stayed the same. What’s left is a hard-working group of thoughtful people who truly love books; who would spend all the time in the world to get the word out if it was humanly possible; and who need an author’s cooperation, participation and good-cheer now more than ever before. Remember that these overworked people want your book to succeed.

How does one get to be the author whose publicist tells others: “this author was great to work with,” “the author knew the right people and really helped me get the book into important hands” and I would walk through hot coals for my author?”

It’s essential that authors view themselves as a partner in the publishing process and that includes the marketing and publicity portions of the book publishing cycle. To that end, I’ve enlisted veteran book publicist John G. Ekizian to join me in creating this list of The Top Ten Things Book Publicists Want Authors to Know.

Before you turn over the responsibility for communicating your book’s message to the world, remember.

1. You are a brand.

2. Your book is your first product.

3. Your reputation is on the line and if your first product doesn’t succeed, launching new products or books will be much harder.

4. Therefore, you must be a full partner in promoting your book, finding and alerting potential readers and in general, creating conversations about YOU.

Here’s what can you do?

1. Mobilize your friends, family and fans. They really do want to help—but you have to tell them how they can be most helpful. Start with your immediate fan base, however small. Give them early copies of your book or galleys—or even a PDF of your manuscript. Ask them to read it and give you their feedback. Ask them to write a short review and to post it on Amazon.com, BN.com and Borders.com. Tell them not to gush, but to relate why the book moved or informed them. Ask them if you can post their review to your website. Ask them to give their opinion on your Facebook Fan Page, on Twitter and on LinkedIn. Start close to home and create buzz that can build.

2. Influence the influencers: Create a list of the top 25 people in your area of expertise or who write in the same field or genre as you do. Find, read and subscribe to their blogs. Comment whenever they write something that interests you. Become visible, let them know you’re a fan, offer them new content from you whenever appropriate, such as being a guest blogger. You should also consider finding and following them on Twitter and Facebook. Again, interact with them. Pass their blogs, tweets and posts on to others. In other words, hang out on line with people you admire and who you would love to have read your work. After establishing an online relationship, you may have an opportunity to offer them an early galley or ask them to give you a quote. But first you need to be a part of their community and genuinely engaged with them.

3. Find your natural audience: The biggest marketing mistake most people make in book promotion is to assume that everyone will be interested in their book. Books that sell usually begin selling to people who are really interested in the topic. Want to sell a cookbook? Go after the person who has a shelf full of them. Who really cares about your topic? Think about it this way. You were attracted enough to this topic to write a book. Where would you go to learn about you? Would you find the kind of information in your book on CNN? Then that’s your natural audience and you and your publicist should target CNN. Are you writing about romance and mystery? Then maybe CNN may not for you. Every author we’ve ever worked with believes their book is right for Oprah. Not all books are right for Oprah. Watch the shows, see what kinds of guests they book and then make sure your publicist knows which shows most often present the subject matter most similar to your book.

4. Facebook Fan Page: Please create a Facebook Fan Page for yourself. Every author needs one. Name it for yourself, the author. You might call it John G. Ekizian | Author, Speaker. Use your name, then the upward slash and a two to three word qualifier. Those keywords will be useful in identifying you to potential friends and fans and will be Google searchable. Then create a tab with the name of your book. You can add video interviews or author chats that you create yourself. You can use the Events application to invite fans to your personal appearances. You can post news and information about reviews as they come in. This is a wonderfully rich and free tool. Please don’t overlook it.

5. Advertising versus publicizing: Every author wishes that their publisher would place full page ads in the New York Times Book Review for their book. Realistically the more that $75,000 (conservatively) that these types of ads cost isn’t a good investment for your publisher in terms of return on investment. In other words, they’re not recoup $75,000 in books sales from that ad. Publicity is a better investment of marketing dollars because a television appearance, a national publication, a radio tour or other major media can reach far more people than a one-time advertisement in one publication.

6. Webinars and teleseminars: These are the new virtual author tour and can help you reach hundreds and perhaps thousands of potential readers without ever leaving home. A webinar allows participants to view your computer screen and hear you talk as you show either a slide presentation or demonstrate something online. Many webinar hosts also allow for the audience to see you at times during the presentation. Teleseminars are via phone and are audio only but listeners can ask questions via a type-in pod. Both can be very interactive and allow people who might otherwise have not been able to “meet” you, come and hear you talk about your book.

7. Your 30 second pitch: When your publicist meets with national television producers and editors at major publications, he or she has 30 seconds to sell you and your book as a potential story or segment. Help your publicist hone your message down to a short, potent sound byte. Does your book “save lives through new research that proves sound waves are harming children,” or does your book show us “a brand new way to lose weight while you sleep.” These are silly but you get the idea. Think in headlines.

8. Op-Eds: Writing original opinion page articles can be a very effective way to increase an author’s visibility and by association help promote your book. The piece cannot be about your book but must be an opinion about some current affairs topic in which you might be considered a thought leader. For example, if you’ve written a book on World War II, you might write an opinion page article on the lessons learned or overlooked from World War II as we escalate troops in Afghanistan. You’re by-line would include Author of, the title your book. You may not mention your book in the article but positioning yourself as an expert will help you publicist book more media for you. You are sharing your ideas and information because you’re an expert. This part of a visibility strategy.

9. Create Your A List: Pick 10 media targets that you feel are right for your book and learn everything you can about them. Watch the shows, read the magazines and newspapers. Write down the name of the reporter or host who most often seems to be reporting on topics that are similar to your book topic. Share this list with your publicist who rarely has time to watch this much TV. He or she can really use your research skills. This is an excellent way for you to partner with your publicist.

10. Radio: Please don’t forget radio. Both broadcast and internet radio are great ways to reach people who might like your book. Blog Talk Radio and other internet radio platforms are reaching large numbers of people, are archived and accessible on demand and live forever on the internet. Please do not turn down internet radio interview opportunities because you don’t think they are worthy of your time. In fact, while your publicist is working hard on connecting with traditional media, why not reach out via Twitter and Facebook and put together your own Blog Talk Radio tour. Just start talking about your book, offering yourself for interviews, searching and following anyone with a Blog Talk Radio show and engaging with them on your topic.

BONUS TIP: All placements are not equal. You need to get your idea across or the placement is pointless. Working with a talented publicist can help you hone your marketing message into several succinct sound bytes that will be picked up and repeated both online and off to increase your outreach and brand visibility.

Publicity creates conversations about YOU. Be a full partner in making that happen to give your book the best possible opportunity to reach an enthusiastic reading audience.

Brand Strategy for 2010 | Publicity, Marketing and Communications

By Cindy Ratzlaff January 4, 2010

January is the perfect time of year for authors, speakers, small businesses and entrepreneurs to take stock of how their brand strategy for 2009 performed against expectations. Taking a hard look at the four pillars of branding; voice, visuals, value and variation, ask yourself how your brand delivered in 2009 based on your business goals and was 2009 profitable?

You voice is your message or your promise. Your visuals are the physical manifestation of your promise, the look that inspires and compliments your message and promise. Your value is what you offer and your variation is how you differentiate yourself from the all others in your area of expertise. How are you unique and what special offer do you have that causes clients or customers to choose you and your product over the competition?

However painful, an honest evaluation will set you up for success in 2010. Ask yourself “What worked for me in 2009 and will that continue to work in 2010 or do I need to evolve that strategy to a higher lever?” Then ask yourself “What underperformed or just plain didn’t work in 2009 that I’ll need to drop from my strategy in order to make room, physically and psychologically, for new and innovative strategies? What must I replace that is no longer worth additional investment of my time and money?”

For authors, this often means deciding which of the many platform building strategies are working and which are not? You might be spending a great deal of time with social media and not enough time writing your next project. You may need to bring new balance to that mix. Or you might need to rev up your platform building by spending more time developing a good mailing list in anticipation of the publication of your book.

A great exercise is to put together a month by month plan with real goals attached to it. By way of example, let’s say an author is publishing a book in June of 2010. Their plan for the first couple of months of 2010 might look like this:

January

Set up a Twitter profile, a Facebook profile and Facebook Fan page, a LinkedIn profile and a YouTube Channel.
Spend 15 minutes every morning finding and following people who are interested in books, publishing, reading, the arts or my area of expertise on Twitter. Follow everyone who follows me, even if they don’t seem to be a natural fit with my goals at this time. I never know who will be following them and what their interests might be. The goal with Twitter is to cast a wide net. My Twitter follower goal for January is 1,000.
Attract 500 new fans to my Facebook Fan page by posting a combination of links to articles of interest to my desired fan base, short posts about my writing process, photos of my speaking engagements, and once a month teleseminar and/or newsletter.
Add 500 people to my e-mail list by creating a weekly inspirational or tip oriented e-newsletter that would provide information directly related to my area of expertise and would be added value for my readers.
Write two articles to submit to print or magazines that cover my area of expertise and that would link back to or reference my Facebook page or my website or my e-newsletter.
Research list of speaking engagements for my summer or fall tour or for on-going promotion of my work throughout the year.

February

Attract 500 new fans to my Facebook Fan page (see January for ideas)
Add 1,000 people to newsletter mailing list by creating a contest and offering a desirable prize such as a Kindle, Nook or something readers might enjoy. The modest amount of money spent on the prize can pay dividends in new fans and word of mouth buzz.
Send out first newsletter and include links to all of my social media sites, announce any upcoming speaking engagements, give readers a reason to want to hear from me again.
Write two additional articles for magazines and syndicate January’s articles if they were not already published by any outlet. There are many syndication services such as http://ezinearticles.com who will broadcast your articles. The goal here is to create awareness of my name, book topic and to whet the appetite of readers for my upcoming book.
Contact speaking engagements that fit into summer or tour timetable.
Write non-time sensitive Op Ed piece and “bank it” until Spring.

March

Attract 500 new fans to my Facebook Fan page
Add 1,000 people to newsletter mailing list by creating a “refer your friends” promotion. Offer something special to current subscribers who encourage two or more friends to sign up for the newsletter.
Send out second newsletter. Engage my newsletter readers with polls, questions about future topics they might enjoy reading from me and create a sense of community by giving them insider information about me personally, my book and a look inside my life as a writer.
Write two additional articles for magazines and syndicate any articles that have not yet been published from the previous month.
Install the Slideshare application on my LinkedIn profile and create a powerpoint presentation about my upcoming book, making sure that it’s not an advertisement, but actually has value to a wider audience. Give facts, figures, interesting snipets. Post the powerpoint using Slideshare.
Write one additional non-time sensitive Op Ed piece and “bank it” for submission to newspapers in the Spring.

April

Attract 500 new fans to my Facebook Fan page. Make sure I’ve installed the Selective Twitter application on my page so that all my Facebook posts are broadcast to my Twitter profile as well.
Add 1,500 people to newsletter mailing list. Use my Facebook Fan page to talk about articles in my previous newsletters and invite people to sign up for the newsletter by installing an opt in box on your Facebook Fan page if I have not done so already.
Send out third newsletter. Invite people to connect on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
Firm up speaking engagement tour.
Contact bookstores in those towns to arrange bookseller for back of room sales.
Connect with a publicist who can book radio, tv and print in those towns.
Post 4-5 short personal videos to my YouTube Channel to give potential readers a taste of my personality, book, speaking style and what they can expect if they choose to buy my book. Again, these are not commercials. These are personal windows to allow the reader to get to know me.

May

Attract 500 new fans to Facebook Fan page.
Add 1,500 people to newsletter mailing list.
Send out the next newsletter with all tour dates and locations.
Create an Event through Facebook Fan Page and alert everyone on my list to upcoming tour dates and locations.
Create an Event on LinkedIn with the same information.
Put all of my social media platforms to work full force in getting the word out about these live events.

June

Launch my book with the personal appearances and ask all my friends, fans and followers to help me spread the word.
Post, Tweet and e-mail several times per week, if not everyday, during launch month and create the impression that I am everywhere at every moment. Attract new readers to my work by giving my writing away – in small samples – through social media.

* * *

Now, of course, this is not a comprehensive marketing plan and every book marketing plan needs to be unique, but you get the idea. Put actual goals and numbers to your strategy to help you keep on track, and be realistic about what you can do yourself and when you need to bring others in to help you.

Remember, your trying to create a conversation, a massive conversation, about YOU and your brand. Do you have additional ideas for creating your brand strategy goals for 2010. Let’s share those ideas with one another here.

Marketing and Self Improvement Books | 14 Books to Inspire and Motivate Entrepreneurs and Business Professionals

By Cindy Ratzlaff December 31, 2009

Recently a Facebook friend from Pakistan asked me to recommend a list of books to inspire his students both in business and personally. I asked my Facebook and Twitter friends and followers to chime in so we could send him a thoughtful list of great books to share with his students. I thought you’d like to see the list of inspiring business and personal development books that came from my request for suggestions. I’ve included links to their respective pages on Amazon.com and in full disclosure, these are affiliate links which means that if you choose to purchase them, I stand to earn an average of sixty cents. You are forewarned and the FTC is happy.

Inspirational business and personal development books
1. Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books, Not Bombs in Afghanistan and Pakistan by Greg Mortneson. (Viking/December 2009) Greg Mortenson is the recipient of Pakistan’s highest civil award (The Star of Pakistan) for his sixteen years work to promote education and peace. The cofounder of the Central Asia Institute and Pennies For Peace, he lives in Montana with his family. http://bit.ly/4pHp7x

2. Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn (Knopf/September 2009) Publishers Weekly said “NewYork Times columnist Kristof and his wife, WuDunn, a former Times reporter, make a case for investing in the health and autonomy of women worldwide. More girls have been killed in the last fifty years, precisely because they were girls, than men were killed in all the wars of the twentieth century, they write, detailing the rampant gendercide in the developing world, particularly in India and Pakistan.” http://bit.ly/8dwNEr

3. Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown and Company/November 2008) Named by Amazon as a Best of the Month in November 2008, Gladwell poses this provocative question: why do some people succeed, living remarkably productive and impactful lives, while so many more never reach their potential? He concludes that super achievers don’t just happen, “they are invariably the beneficiaries of hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies that allow them to learn and work hard and make sense of the world in ways others cannot.” Examining famous “outliers” from Mozart to Bill Gates, he lays out his theory that high achievers know how to take advantage of opportunity and concludes “some [are] just plain lucky.” http://bit.ly/6Cni9V

3. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell (Back Bay Books/2002) This is a terrific book detailing how marketing ideas become mainstream ideas and just exactly who and what contribute to an idea going from a small circle of adopters to a massive movement. This was a major bestseller and “tipping point” became a part of the lexicon we still use to describe an idea or product becoming a mega success. http://bit.ly/7fVRF0

4. Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell (Back Bay Books/April 2007) This international bestseller details the power of trusting your own instincts in business and learning to listen to that quiet voice that affirms the perfect idea (or warns you about an imperfect idea) in a blink. http://bit.ly/70SfmJ

5. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey (Free Press/2004 15^th anniversary edition) International bestseller for more than 15 years on specific work habits most successful people share and how you, too, can develop those habits. http://bit.ly/6NqQQW

6. Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson, M.D. (G.P. Putnam’s Sons/September 2008)
Change can be a blessing or a curse, depending on your perspective. The message in Who Moved My Cheese? is that in order to survive change you need to take action because inaction means death. Who Moved My Cheese? is a very short parable with a simple message that will stay with you long after the hour it takes to read this book. Once again, this book title became a part of our lexicon and is especially poignant and useful during this economic downturn as hundreds of thousands of unemployed realize that some, indeed, moved their cheese. In fact, their cheese may never come back and they’d better learn to eat wheat. http://bit.ly/5povmK

7. Fearless: Creating the Courage to Change the Things you Can by Steve Chandler (Robert D. Reed/July 2008) Chandler’s book delves into the ways in which fear of money, relationships and even death can keep one from living up to their true potential and attaining success. http://bit.ly/6xEELQ

8. 100 Ways to Motivate Yourself by Steve Chandler (Career Press/September 2004) motivational speaker Steve Chandler helps you create an action plan for living your vision in business and in life and suggests 100 ideas to positively change the way you think and act. http://bit.ly/7YGaIY

9. Make a Name for Yourself: Eight Steps Every Woman Needs to Create a Personal Brand Strategy for Success by Robin Fisher Roffer (Broadway/January 2008) Roffer’s personal brand building strategies begin with identifying your extraordinary attributes, thinking about your values and passions, and learning how to use them to build a successful and fulfilling professional life. http://bit.ly/4Ov8He

10. Pour Your Heart Into it: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time by Howard Schultz. (Hyperion/January 1999) Amazon.com says “Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a manager, a marketer, or a curious Starbucks loyalist, Pour Your Heart into It will let you in on the revolutionary Starbucks venture. CEO Howard Schultz recounts the company’s rise in 24 chapters, each of which illustrates such core values as “Winning at the expense of employees is not victory at all.” http://bit.ly/7sNOn7

11. Crush It! Why Now is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion by Gary Vaynerchuk (HarperStudio/October 2009) Vaynerchuk built his family business from a successful $4 million a year to a $50 a year business by tapping into his passion and his predisposition for entertaining personal engagement. He is a social media success story. http://bit.ly/8qKQiv

12. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch From Amazon.com’s review: “When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he didn’t have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave–“Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams”–wasn’t about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because “time is all you have…and you may find one day that you have less than you think”). It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living. In this book, Randy Pausch has combined the humor, inspiration and intelligence that made his lecture such a phenomenon and given it an indelible form. It is a book that will be shared for generations to come.” http://bit.ly/80umwz

13. Business Fitness: The Power to Succeed–Your Way by Dawn Lennon (Glenbridge Pub Ltd/June 2007) Focusing on four private moves; staying well, staying focused, staying current and staying connected and three public ones, attracting a following, taking the lead and implementing new ideas, Lennon lays out a logical, practical and replicable business strategy for large or small companies alike. http://bit.ly/60RWyK

14. Just Who Will You Be? By Maria Shriver (Hyperion/April 2008 Edition) An inspiration and intimate meditation that urges us to ask ourselves not what we want to be but rather who we want to be, at every different stage of our lives. http://bit.ly/6BELFJ

This is by no means a comprehensive list of inspirational, motivational and instructional books to recommend to students of business and life, but merely represents the responses I received from all of you. I’m sure there are additional books you’d love to see on this list. Post them here so we can all discover new inspiration or rediscover old friends.

How Can I Get My Book on Oprah?

By Cindy Ratzlaff November 16, 2009

An appearance on Oprah Winfrey’s television show is the holy grail for authors. Her influence cannot be understated when it comes to launching a bestselling book. As a veteran book marketing and publicity professional and someone who has successfully booked authors onto her show, I been asked often how authors can get their book on Oprah. Here are some things I’d like authors to keep in mind when considering their book’s chances of landing one of those coveted appearances.

Watch the show, many times. What types of guests do you see on Oprah’s show? What topics are those guests discussing? Does your book fit into the wide range of interests you’ve seen discussed on the show? For many, many authors this is the hardest point to digest. Not every book is right for Ms. Winfrey’s show. You may have written a fantastic book and still not be right for her show.
Think like a producer. If you were in charge of booking guests for Oprah, would you be absolutely positive that the subject matter of your book is a perfect fit for Oprah’s audience? Would you stake your job on recommending your book to Oprah for a segment? Do you know the demographics of Oprah’s audience? They are women. Will your book appeal to women?
Are you an experienced television guest? Television is a big business and the cost of an hour-long show is enormous. Would you and the topic of your book be a good investment for Oprah and her team? Would you and your book be so interesting that ratings might increase because people truly desire the information you have to offer? Can you, personally, deliver that information in a telegenic way and by that I mean can you speak passionately, animatedly and engagingly on your area of expertise? Can you make the viewers “see” your topic?
Television is a visual medium. Standard talking head interviews are alright if you’re a celebrity. If you’re not, Oprah or any television show would be more interested if you had ideas for visually presenting your material. During one appearance on Oprah, Dr. Oz brought a human heart so that Oprah could see and feel what a damaged artery feels like. She was able to touch it and describe to the audience how stiff it felt. It was riveting TV. Do you have something amazing to show your ideas to her television audience?
Can you surprise and inspire a television audience with your information? Do you have something so interesting to say that Oprah will feel compelled to share it with the women who watch her show? Now every author thinks they have compelling material or they wouldn’t have written a book. But to make your book a candidate for Oprah’s show, it needs to appeal to Oprah first and then to her audience. A book about a World War II battle, however important, might not be the best fit for her audience unless, perhaps, it’s about the Navy nurses who are still today, visiting veterans and have banned together to raise money to send deserving young women to nursing school to help fill the nursing shortage. That’s inspiring, motivating and engaging for Oprah’s audience.

Here’s the last observation I’d like to share. No one can guarantee you and your book a spot on Oprah. I mean no one. Oprah and her producers receive hundreds of books and book pitches every week. Her producers comb through the pitches and bring forward those that promise to be the most compelling to Oprah’s audience. Even then, a book may not be slated for a show because books are not the only basis for Oprah’s shows. The team will create a schedule of shows and mix in authors, artists, celebrities and experts throughout any given season. Oprah could, in fact, love your book and still not invite you to be her guest. She is responsible for putting together a season of shows that appeals to her audience across a wide range of subjects. You and your book may or may not fit the needs of her show during a given season. That doesn’t reflect on you as a writer or your book.

So what can you do? Go through the questions above and ask yourself honestly “Is my book right for Oprah?” If you believe it is, submit your pitch. But if after honest reflection you see that it’s not, your time might be better spent connecting with your natural readership where they live.

Make a list of media you watch and listen to ~ after all, the topic of your book was interesting to you. Where would you find YOU in the media? That’s your sweet spot, the place where you’ll find readers who will be as passionate about your book’s subject as you are. Go there and speak to your audience.