Series: Book Publicity Mini-Course

Book publicity doesn’t have to be hard. This 8-part series will give you the basics to get you started and give you the confidence to make it happen.

Don’t Miss the Publicity Boat!

Posted on by Sue L Canfield
This entry is part 1 of 8 in the series Book Publicity Mini-Course

Whether you are about to launch your book or are continuing your book marketing efforts long-term, you are looking for publicity opportunities. Don’t miss the publicity boat! One of the biggest mistakes we see authors make is timing.

When you are contacted by an interviewer or media person, respond promptly—immediately! If they ask for additional information, provide it as quickly as possible or at least let them know when they can expect it. Any delay in replying might mean that someone else will reply promptly and get the publicity opportunity you were hoping for. This applies to responding to HARO requests as well. Even though you reply within their deadline, they usually use the first replies received. Respond promptly.

Timing is important with press releases as well. Plan to send press releases out in plenty of time for the media to respond. If you post it too late or too close to the event you are promoting, you may have missed the boat.

Keep Your Publicity Efforts Professional

Posted on by Sue L Canfield
This entry is part 2 of 8 in the series Book Publicity Mini-Course

Media jumps on the big news story. If that big news story comes along when your interview was planned, your interview may be bumped, delayed, rescheduled. It’s important to stay professional and not get upset. Be flexible and work with the media to reschedule.

Don’t follow up too much. When you do follow up, provide new information that adds value and you’ll be more likely to get your interview rescheduled.

Your professional efforts are also reflected in your spelling. No typos! Have someone else proofread your pitch, press release, and articles to make sure they are accurate. Take time to reread your emails before you send them. Double check that important information such as your contact information, website address, social media links, etc. are all accurate.

Commit to Consistent Publicity

Posted on by Sue L Canfield
This entry is part 3 of 8 in the series Book Publicity Mini-Course

When your book launched, you probably did a lot of marketing and publicity leading up to the launch—and maybe even for a month or so after the book was released. One of the mistakes I see authors make is stopping their marketing and publicity efforts or becoming inconsistent. They may do nothing for a few months, then do another marketing campaign for a month or so, then stop again, around and around.

It takes work to build relationships with media sources for book publicity. Commitment to consistent publicity is important so you those relationships don’t wither. Working with media sources consistently helps them to get to know you, your business, brand, and message.

If, for example, you’ve written a book about how to manage personal finances, there will be many opportunities throughout the year to pitch to media around the topic of personal finances: the start of the new year, tax time, each quarter, etc. By consistently pitching relevant topics to your media sources, you can become their go-to source.

Freshen Up Your Publicity

Posted on by Sue L Canfield
This entry is part 4 of 8 in the series Book Publicity Mini-Course

You have a message you consistently share on social media platforms and in interviews.

Keep your publicity freshIs it getting stale?

Your audience will note if you share the same message over and over again. They will hear if you say the same thing on each interview.

Freshen up your publicity.

Look for new ways to share your message. Put your heart into it. Look for new motivation. Perhaps you can add new visuals to your social media or TV interview. There may be new statistics or information related to your topic you could tie in. Set up Google alerts for your topic and see what others are saying and doing around that topic and make sure you stay current in what you share in your publicity.

Make it fresh, and keep it fresh.

Your Book Publicity Menu: First Course, Website

Posted on by Sue L Canfield
This entry is part 5 of 8 in the series Book Publicity Mini-Course

a plate of tartsGet ready to publicize your book. Just like you plan a dinner party menu very carefully and prepare the table and setting to appeal visually to your guests, you need to plan your book publicity menu and make it visually appealing.

The first course in your book publicity menu is your author website. When your audience hears about your book and wants to learn more about it they will search online. Your website should be the first place they land. So be sure you have a complete author website that is ‘tasty’ and appeals to your potential readers.

Your website has so much to offer. Your audience can contact you, join your newsletter list, buy your book, comment on your blog. The media can find your Media Room full of information you provide so they can reach out to you for publicity opportunities.

If you need help creating or updating your author website, or adding a Media Room page, contact us. We’re happy to help.