Category: PR and Marketing

12 Signs You May Need to be Your Own Boss

Posted on by Claire McKinney

be your own bossIf you are like a lot of people, you work in a full time job, but the hours you signed up for are far fewer than the ones you actually put in, and your raises have been paltry to non-existent for the past eight or so years.  You feel like you could do better, but you aren’t sure you have what it takes to go out on your own, start your own business, and be your own boss.

Today I was listening the Business Bootcamp Podcast and I started thinking about how people might figure out whether or not they should be working for “The Man/Woman” or not.  Since my agency represents a lot of entrepreneurs, whether they be experts, authors, or thought leaders, I thought I would try to encapsulate some of the signs I’ve noticed we have in common that may be trying to steer you on a more independent path.

  1. You are working really hard, paying your bills with not much leftover, and nearly every day you think you should be doing something else.
  2. You see the need for products and services that are not yet on the market and you can’t understand why no one is doing something about it.
  3. You were hired for your creativity and yet every time you share a new idea your colleagues and peers look at you like you have two heads or like you are vying for their jobs.
  4. You share ideas with your boss who says they are outstanding and yet time after time he goes with the status quo.
  5. You try to implement a new idea at work and you are thrown under the bus when there is a problem, even though it may not have anything to do with your idea or your execution of it.
  6. You dread going to work every day.
  7. You are rarely excited during the week.
  8. You look back at your life and realize that in your younger days you were very industrious to the point of having a lemonade stand, a paper route, top dollars in girl/boy scout fundraisers, and more.
  9. Older people used to tell you about all of the potential that you had and how you might change the world.
  10. You get bored easily, are a bit ADHD/ADD, and feel like you are going to jump out of your skin if you have to sit in your chair for one more minute.
  11. You felt like you had to get out of high school to get started with your life and then in college you started to feel the same.
  12. Others are drawn to your enthusiasm and unique take on life and the universe.

Some or all of these may apply to you.  I would never say it’s easy to be your own boss or that you have to do it even if the signs are there, but if you are struggling with the idea and want some help evaluating, this may be for you.

Case Studies 3: Accepting the Audience that Wants Your Book and Reaping the Benefits

Posted on by Claire McKinney

You have an MFA in Creative Writing from a respected program/university.  You have been carefully crafting your story and verbiage to create the best literary debut you can. Now for promotion and the audience that comes with it—Paris Review?  The New Yorker? Tin House? New York Times Book Review? Not likely.

Whether you are published by a traditional publisher with a lot of muscle, a small independent press, or your own book production venture, no one can count on that kind of coverage for literary novels.  For one thing, there just aren’t enough venues anymore.  The other problem is that there are too many books and too little time, and frankly, if you are not published by Knopf or Simon & Schuster, you just won’t command the kind of attention you need to get into one of those classic publications.

Whatever you do, don’t stop writing and don’t give up hope for promotion!  We need great writing and great books, and while you can’t market a work of serious fiction as a chick lit novel, you can consider what other audiences might be interested in your story.

Recently we worked with an author and a novel.  It was definitely a literary book, but it also had different attributes that gave it potential in some niche audiences that were actually bigger than the more esoteric fiction readers that serious writers like to reach. The author had supported herself in non-traditional ways while working on her writing and had achieved a position as a teacher and founder of a charity that promotes writing for children in underdeveloped countries. She definitely had the credentials of a writer.

Since we specialize in promoting fiction across multiple genres and niches, we maximized our focus to include media that covered fiction, literary fiction, romance, christian fiction, debut novelists, philanthropy, and New York City settings.  We approached bloggers, websites, print, radio, and when warranted, television.

We were pretty happy with the coverage from the general fiction audiences and the publisher secured a review in the top trade, but what really paid off was a review on USAToday.com from a reviewer interested in the romance/womens fiction angle.  This review was not only a good one, but it did a couple of things that benefitted the author in a number of ways.  First of all when it ran there was a spike in sales on Amazon.com.  We were able to use the review and its national print-to-online paper status to secure additional media including a local television station in one of her home markets.  Was she happy about the review?  Well, at first not so enthusiastic because she was concerned that she would be “pigeon holed” as a romance writer.  I say “who cares?” as long as you sell books at this stage of the game.

Now I am also a branding strategist, so I do know that is important to avoid being classified as something that isn’t appropriate for you or your career.  However, one review for a debut novel isn’t going to determine your path.  It is a milestone that needs to be appreciated for what it is and to be used in as many positive ways as possible.

One of the best things she got from the deal? She was able to get a Bookbub promotion on the first try.  If any of you have tried to secure a slot on this infamous discounted book marketing site, you may have tried two or three times and perhaps did not even get accepted in the end.  One of their requirements is that they have legitimate reviews or news coverage of a book, whether traditionally or self-published and USAToday.com definitely can help put you over the top in terms of qualifying.

Her promotion ran, and her Amazon rank went from five figures to the lower threes, somewhere around 300, which is a major leap in ranking.  Sales activity like this will increase her audience; garner more Amazon/Goodreads reviews and ratings; generate additional full price sales; and will help along with the press coverage when she wants to bring out her next book and is searching for a publisher.

A couple of lessons here: Try to find every possible way to promote your fiction even if it doesn’t lead you to the coveted New York Times review.  When you do get a big nod that isn’t exactly what you wanted, revel in it, celebrate, do the ten second dance of joy, take a breath…and get back to work.

Public Relations 101: Why are bloggers important for PR outreach?

Posted on by Keely Flanagan

bloggers and blogging

If there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that there are a lot of bloggers. Google the term “book bloggers” and you’ll ping a million results. Google “book review bloggers” and you’ll ping a million more search results. Researching and sifting through blogs and their contact information is a time consuming process, but they are an important part of a PR campaign.

Why are bloggers so necessary to publicists as part of their outreach? More importantly, why are they so necessary for an an author looking to establish their brand?

They have their own fan base. Each blog has a built-in audience that comes with it, whether it is five people or five thousand. If you’re looking to have your chick lit novel reviewed, you’ll want to check out some chick lit reviewers—their fans may be your future fans, too.

They may review indie or self published authors. As an indie author, it’s difficult to get yourself reviewed in newspapers like the New York Times. Book review bloggers can give you the support you need, especially if they decide to favorably review your novel. Always respect a blog’s review policy—many clearly state that they do not review independently published titles. You will find bloggers that are open to reviewing indie authors, but you must ensure that the book is professionally edited before deciding to contact a reviewer—you don’t want to find a scathing review of your novel’s numerous spelling and grammatical errors.

They provide you with an online presence. A social media presence is one thing, but a presence on the rest of the web is just as important. Because blogging equals SEO, tagging, categories, and all that great online marketing jargon, reviews of your book online will make you a more searchable term—and people Googling your name will see that you and your book exist.

They have their own networks. More than ever, bloggers are an important tool for publishers. This summer, Book Expo America even had a networking conference for bloggers with several seminars related to the profession. Attending a blogger networking event in your area could lead to a relationship with someone who could have interest in your future career as a writer!

They’re a supportive medium. A blogger who has their own book review site is going to be someone who supports books. Why wouldn’t you want to be friendly with a crowd that loves reading just as much as you do?

Are you an author who utilizes bloggers and blog tours, and do you find those parts of your campaign successful? Tweet us your insight at @MCKINNEYPR!

When the News Cycle Won’t Stop, Can’t Stop

Posted on by Keely Flanagan

hurricane joaquin news cycleSometimes the news cycle catches a wave and rides it out all the way to shore, only to hop onto another one without a breather. The past few weeks has been non-stop breaking news: the Papal Visit received consistent news coverage; John Boehner announced that he was stepping down; and Hurricane Joaquin drove everyone crazy on whether or not it will make landfall in the US. It feels like the news stations have been in a frenzy jumping from one topic to another without giving any of us a break.

When everyone’s excitedly obsessing over the same thing it can certainly feel like no one’s listening to what you have to say. What can you do to make people pay attention to you when everyone’s eyes and ears are glued to a forecast map of a category 4 hurricane?

Ride the wave: Last year when Dallas had a case of Ebola, we were working with a book on conspiracy theories. So we pitched media about Ebola conspiracy theories and the author was interviewed for an article in Dallas Morning News. Instead of fighting against the current, we went with it and it brought us some great coverage.

Join the conversation: If you have a blog and have an opinion on a current event, why not write about it? Post to social media accounts, send to other blogs or websites, and use hashtags to gain more exposure. Were you there in Philly when the #Pope visited? Do you think Hurricane #Joaquin will be the next Superstorm Sandy? You never know who might agree and retweet or use what you have to say.

Prepare to launch: There’s no point stressing over the fact that no one is getting back to you. Relax a bit and prepare for the next week, so that you’re ready to go once the roar dies down and media outlets are in need of something else to talk about.  Remember, the news cycle moves fast: one week we’re panicking about Ebola and rushing to the pharmacy for Emergen-C and surgeon masks, the next we’re forgetting our hand sanitizer at home.

Even though it may feel like the world has stopped when a hurricane and nor’easter are making headlines, there’s always an incentive to keep going. You just have to look for it.

Are services like Bookbub worth the price?

Posted on by Keely Flanagan

Every morning, I receive an email from Bookbub with a slew of 99 cent deals that I may be interested in, and every morning I scroll through the list of books that are tailored to my interests. More often than not I find a book worth purchasing—how can I say no to a New York Times bestseller for $1.99? Websites like Bookbub and Freebooksy, a similar service that alerts you to daily free e-book deals, are a great tool for readers who like bargains.

But for indie authors, are websites like Bookbub and Freebooksy worth their price? Bookbub is not a cheap service, and it’s a very selective one at that. Depending on the genre of your book and length of promotion, you might be dropping anywhere from $300 to $700 to be listed on their daily newsletters and website for your bargain. Freebooksy costs less and has a wide audience as well—a listing on their site won’t break your bank, and they are nowhere near as selective as Bookbub. That being said, we used both BookBub and Freebooksy for authors, and they both delivered.

bookbub logoBookBub, although amazing, is more complicated. We worked with an indie author who had a great medical thriller e-book that we thought BookBub would immediately grab, because his book was glowingly reviewed by Publishers Weekly, even receiving a starred review. But BookBub rejected our request to pay $600 to have his book listed—twice. (Note: BookBub does not ask you to pay upfront. You select the genre and price listed, but only if they accept do they then bill you.)

Each time your book is rejected by BookBub, you must wait a month before requesting a listing again. Although it’s disappointing, that rejection gives you a 30 day window to receive more editorial and Amazon reviews, which is exactly what we did.  Third time was the charm, and we were invited to list our book on the Thrillers/Mysteries page for one week on BookBub.

Our author’s book did amazing on Amazon—the thriller ended up in the top ten e-books on its first day of listing. As the days wore by for his week-long promotion, the book dropped from the top 10 to the top 15th bestselling book, the 40th, etc…It stayed in the top 100 e-books for the entire week, and as the weeks wore by the book gained many Amazon reviews. He sold a few thousand books through the BookBub promotion too, from what I remember. However, once the promotion was over, we were back to a few e-book sales a day.

freebooksy logoOur promotion on FreeBooksy for an author who had a contemporary mystery had similar luck—his book received many downloads and was a bestseller in free contemporary fiction, but the author and his publisher made virtually no money. The goal, however, was different: we submitted the book and paid a nominal fee to be listed for a single day, and we were focused on the idea that people would download the book and review it on Amazon, which they did.

So, are promotional marketing tools like BookBub and FreeBooksy worth their price? Depending on what you’re looking for, yes—but keep in mind services like these provide quick fixes, and can’t be relied on for building consistent sales or a loyal audience for authors.