How Book Shepherds Can Help Authors
Book Shepherds Can Help Authors in All Stages of the Writing and Publishing Process.
As a book publicist, I recommend you, the author, look into hiring a book shepherd for your current or upcoming project. A book shepherd is someone whose expertise in books and publishing will help you throughout the entire book process. From cover art, editing, dealing with Amazon to locating a printer, a book shepherd will assist you from start to finish.
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“Anchorman II: The Legend Continues” is the highly anticipated, long overdue sequel to 2004’s “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.” The first film quickly became a cult classic with its quippy one-liners and hilarious cast. The sequel premiered December 18. Leading up to the movie’s release, the “Anchorman” team took promoting the film to another level.
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Book Bloggers, I.E. people who blog about books, like to interview authors for their blogs. Some bloggers have tens of thousands of followers and can totally change an author’s life by exposing you and your book to their audience.
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If you are a Jewish author or specialize in writing about Jewish issues, you should consider reviewing this list of book fairs in the Jewish community. Book fairs are excellent places for authors to interact with the public as well as network with book industry leaders, publicists, and book editors. by Scott Lorenz Book festivals and fairs are held year round all over the world. As a book marketing specialist, I am the first to impress on authors the new and powerful marketing avenues open to all authors on the Internet – from websites and book trailers to social networks like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. While these are excellent tools when used properly, authors should never overlook opportunities to meet the reading public face-to-face. If you are a Jewish author or specialize in writing about Jewish issues, you should consider visiting some of these book fairs in the Jewish community.
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With technology being as advanced as it is, it is surprising that book marketing strategies are continuously falling short of their potential. These limitations of book marketing are even more evident when compared against a variety of other industries. No one is more aware of this concept than publishing entrepreneur, Peter Collingridge. Collingridge delivered a speech to the If Book Then conference in Milan that got the minds of marketers everywhere second guessing their current strategies.
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In addition to the marketing support provided by Westwind Communications, self-published authors can help to generate more interest by understanding how social networking – both on and offline – can be used to place their book in the public eye and to ensure that it reaches a wider readership. The number of self-published bestsellers is growing, and with a good story, interesting characters and a strong editor, the only thing holding back a potential bestseller is a lack of effective marketing.
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Since Amazon released its second generation Kindle to a worldwide market in 2009, the publishing industry has been in debate over the extent to which digital publishing would affect the industry.
Some publishers have approached the subject with doom and gloom, believing that it’s all over and they should abandon ship. Others have tried to deny the fact that there is a problem, stating that ebook sales have now reached a plateau, and there is nothing left to fear. Then are the sensible ones, who have accepted that publishing needs to adapt and embrace digital publishing, while understanding that it’s certainly not the end for physical books just yet.
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What Should I Read? I was recently asked this question by a reporter and it really made me think about the process a book lover goes through when determining what book to buy. It’s a great question because as a book publicist I want you to read my clients’ books of course! But how do we connect ‘you,’ the reader, to my client?
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From the beginning of his time as a self-published author, John Locke knew he would not be able to keep up with the “big boys and girls in their arena of hardcover and paperback books.” He did not have any financial backing from corporations, print advertisements, nor could he sell his books for as little as the “big boys and girls” did. So, he turned to the wonderful world of eBooks, which enabled him to sell his books for about 99 cents.
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One creative way to publicize your book is to tie it to a holiday or special event. You’ll be able to reach your audience on a more personal level by promotion your book alongside a holiday, theme month, or cause. There are thousands of holidays that celebrate various concepts as well as traditional holidays that can be used to market your book, you just have to find them.
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Recently on LinkedIn, J.D. Gershbein, a global speaker and social branding specialist, raised the question, “Does a numbered step approach to titling a book have a positive effect on sales?” This particular question and subsequent thread made me delve deeper into the use of numbers in book titles and whether or not it makes sense.
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While the written word is powerful in landing a media placement, as a publicist I know that a great photo can cinch a media opportunity just as well and sometimes even faster. I’ve worked with some of the best photographers in the USA. I’ve been in dozens of studios all over the country and have been privy to their “back stage” techniques. These photographers have shot Miss America contestants, Hockey and baseball’s greatest players as well as CEOs authors, doctors, lawyers and entrepreneurs. I got the skinny directly from them on their tips for getting the best head shot possible
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A very economical option all authors have at their disposal is giving their book away for free. There are no costs when giving away a digital book. Should you decide to hand out 700 ebooks or price them at 99 cents on Amazon, it’s not costing you, the author, anything. In fact, you’re advertising your book gaining exposure without spending the money to print it or distribute it.
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A very economical option all authors have at their disposal is giving their book away for free. There are no costs when giving away a digital book. Should you decide to hand out 700 ebooks or price them at 99 cents on Amazon, it’s not costing you, the author, anything. In fact, you’re advertising your book gaining exposure without spending the money to print it or distribute it.
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iPhone apps can be useful to authors. Check out these six apps that enable you to do anything from tracking your Amazon sales to brainstorming your next book.
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Apple is a category killer in computers, mobile phones, tablets and is playing an increasingly important role in publishing and selling ebooks on iTunes for the iPhone and iPad. We can all learn a lot from Apple so when their ‘Genius Manual’ was revealed recently, I found ways the info contained was applicable to authors.
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How could something two years old be worth more than 15 billion dollars? It’s simple. Groupon reaches hundreds of thousands of people in more than 200 markets across the United States and Canada and has penetrated more than 20 countries in the world, including Germany, France, England, Japan and soon China.
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There’s ONE thing that propels most business. What is it? Publicity-PR! It’s the one common theme that runs through the history of all great companies. Publicist Scott Lorenz says, “If you want to get your company on the radar then put PR in your plan.”
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In the history of marketing the hottest marketing spots are the locations where the most people can be found, whether it’s the town square, bazaar, train station, airport, MySpace, YouTube or Twitter.
There are more than 75 million videos on YouTube, for instance, and when these videos go viral they register millions of views per video. And while many authors know how to use YouTube to share videos with family and friends, very few understand how to harness the power of YouTube to earn money, market themselves, connect with customers, grow their business and sell more books.
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Your book cover is like a highway billboard. How’s that? It’s simple. Just as people are driving past a billboard at 70 MPH, shoppers in a book store are walking by your book sitting on a table at the same relevant speed. Like a billboard, if you first don’t catch their attention you’ll never deliver the message.
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Do book awards matter? Absolutely YES! In fact, just recently one of my clients won the prestigious Los Angeles Book Festival award. That then led to a flurry of media interest, which then led to a major New York agent deciding to represent the book and pitch it to all the major publishing houses. Deals are in the offing. This author, needless to say, is happy he decided to enter.
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Summertime is the perfect time of year for book fairs and festivals. It’s a great way for authors to combine a little vacation in with a little book marketing and book promotion. Book fairs are wonderful places to interact with fellow authors, publishers, network with book industry leaders, locate book publicist or book editor, and learn what’s new in the marketplace. Here is a list of summer book fairs and events that are worthy of your attendance.
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There’s no question that creating, developing and selling iPhone apps is one of the hottest entrepreneurial opportunities out there. By the latest count, there are 200,000 iPhone applications alone available for sale at Apple’s App Store since its June 2007 debut. This equates to an astounding pace of 182 new apps a day! The explosive popularity of iPhone and iPod and iPad will dramatically expand this number even more in the years to come.
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Any book event, regardless of size and name recognition, is worth attending by an author who is serious about promoting their book. This requires personal effort and time by the author in person. People don’t want to meet the author’s assistant or friend; no they want to talk to the author.
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Apple has almost 150,000 iPhone applications available for sale at its App Store and this number will grow exponentially with the growing popularity of the iPhone, iPod and the new iPad. Find out here how to promote your iPhone App
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As a publicist I get asked by clients and authors about going to the National Publicity Summit in New York. I’ve attended almost every Summit since Steve Harrison started it and go once or twice a year to create new media relationships, maintain old ones and of course, to pitch my clients to the media. Through the Summit, I’ve gotten clients booked on Fox News, PBS, CNBC, MSNBC and a number of national magazines.
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Effective book marketing begins long before the book is actually written and the more diligence paid to pre-publishing efforts the better the author’s chance of success. Before hiring a book publicist to garner book publicity for you, get a cup of coffee and get ready for a little online research on book marketing.
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Radio is one of the most effective marketing tools for those who want to reach both mass-market and targeted audiences. Talk radio is even more effective but often less appreciated by those with a message to sell to American consumers.
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I’ve worked with some of the best photographers in the USA. I’ve been in dozens of studios all over the country and have been privy to their “back stage” techniques. These photographers have shot Miss America contestants, Hockey and baseball’s greatest players as well as CEOs authors, doctors, lawyers and entrepreneurs. I got the skinny directly from them on their tips for getting the best head shot possible.
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Sanjay Gupta passed on the job to be the next Surgeon General and decided to keep his job at CNN. Can you blame him?
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While you want to shine during your first television interview you don’t want your face to shine. That’s why makeup techniques are so important, because shiny cheeks or forehead can create unsightly glare in front of the camera.
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Recently one of my author clients was featured on FOX News Boston.
Before he was interviewed on camera he was nervous but was able to recall the media training that we put him through a few weeks earlier. That, along with a pep talk, and he was good to go.
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A rich tradition has existed for hundreds of years for fiction writers to use pen names. The most famous pen name, of course, was Samuel Clemens writing under the name Mark Twain.
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To sell your book or product, you have to do whatever it takes to create a buzz. As a public relations professional, the best thing I can do for my clients is stay current with my media connections so that I can pitch their topics. A resource I’ve clued into is the National Publicity Summit in New York City. I attend this event to meet media once or twice a year and have gotten clients booked on Fox News, CNBC, NPR and in a number of national magazines as a result It’s not an inexpensive event, but I have found that it’s an efficient use of my time and money.
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Anyone wanting to be a guest on Oprah or Good Morning America must learn to master the fine art of generating sound bites for television. Television thrives on sound bites – those brief, quotable remarks that will be repeated again and again on television news and talk shows. Sound bites are the pearls that flow out of our mouths into the ears of TV producers and onto the airways.
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Would you like more customers in your restaurant? Do some marketing that’ll catch their attention and let WOM (word of mouth), the best form of marketing, do the rest. Here are top tips for generating new business.
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Ever heard of a sales blitz? It’s where you direct your staff to cold call on hundreds of businesses in your immediate market area. It’s a great way to generate new business or at the very least awareness of your company.
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Worried about the recession? Then ramp up your promotional efforts and vow: “I am not going to participate in this recession.”
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At a Harvard University speech New York Times Book Review Editor Barry Gewen revealed unknown details about The New York Times Book Review’s “inner workings.” Authors wanting to get the scoop on the process will find insight into the minds of the reviewers at “The Gray Lady.” These inside secrets from that speech and gleaned from other sources may give authors a better idea if their book ever has a chance at making the cut
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Because I deal with members of the media all the time, I often deal with reporters, editors, writers and photographers who lose their jobs. Over the years I’ve compiled some resources to assist those in our business that I am happy to provide to you now.
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Rachael Ray heads an empire that includes hit TV shows, best selling books, a magazine and her own product lines. Things keep getting better and better for Rachael Ray. But, you might be interested to know that it was a couple of radio interviews that propelled her to fame and fortune.
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Just about every guest on the very popular business program “The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch” on CNBC, 10pm ET, cites ONE thing that propelled his or her business. What was it? Publicity-PR! It’s the one common theme that runs through the entire program. If you want to get your book, your company “on the radar” then put PR in to your plan.
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Publicist Scott Lorenz has booked thousands of radio interviews for his clients. To help them conduct an excellent interview he gives them this list of very helpful radio interview tips to review before the interview.
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Book publicist Scott Lorenz, President of Westwind Communications interviews nationally syndicated talk show host George Woods. The topic, How to Get Booked on a Radio Talk Show and What to do Next Woods offers great advice on how to get booked on radio talk shows as well as conducting a first class interview.
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Can you pounce on a breaking news event? Not everybody can, but if your subject has breaking news potential then you’d better be ready to take advantage of it with a press release and pitch that is thought out and ready to go.
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Marketing your book is too important a task to leave to the good intentions of a publisher. Harsh words? Maybe, but after spending so much time writing your book, don’t assume the publisher will put the same effort into the marketing of your book. I hear this issue every day from authors who contact me to promote their books. Believe me, writing your book was only the first step, making your book known so it can be sold is the survival step.
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There are many factors to weigh when considering if you need to hire outside help to obtain the public relations, media relations, marketing boost, promotional or advertising assistance needed to take your company to the next level.
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As a book marketing guy and book publicist it’s imperative for me to keep up with all of the great books and magazine articles being published on the topic of book marketing.
I’ve read dozens and dozens of books on book marketing and usually have found a morsel or two of useful information in each one. Here’s a list of my favorites. By the way, I’ve personally met or have spoken to each author and can attest to the veracity of the material they present and their credentials to discuss these topics.
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Book marketing experts know that authors who get excited about landing an interview may lose sight of the goal, which is not to gain media interviews but to sell books. And it’s sad but true that an interview does not automatically generate sales. Effective interviews generate sales; ineffective interviews merely produce idle talk.
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When you’re the owner of a small business and captain of your own ship, money is tight and every minute counts so you need to maximize both time and money to the fullest. I am here to tell you how to Market Your Business During Your Lunch Hour.
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When should you send out a press release? You want to know my acid test? If it’s newsworthy and if it’s useful to the reader. It’s that simple.
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As a book publicist I have a strong opinion about book tours. Authors tend to think they are a great idea because they see Bill and Hillary Clinton, Rachael Ray, Howard Stern and other big names out on the circuit and think that’s the way to promote a book.
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Think you’re in the doldrums? If you are pondering that question, then there’s good chance you are! You must recognize the signs such as stress, boredom, lack of get-up-and-go etc. The main reason people get in the doldrums in the first place is they do the same things all the time. In order to break free of the things that bind you and your thought process you’ve got to do something different. It’s been said you can’t expect a different result if you do the same thing all the time. Here are a few suggestions from my perspective as a publicist and marketer about getting out of a rut.
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Book Marketing Expert and Book Publicist Scott Lorenz Interviewed by Bookpleasures.com Founder Norm Goldman
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A business name will effect consumer decisions about doing business with your company, so invest time and effort in the decision. A good name requires more than a trendy label that sounds cute on a business card.
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