Category: PR and Marketing

Book Publicity 101: 5 Reasons Press Releases Still Matter

Posted on by Claire McKinney

I have heard directly from book review editors that they toss the materials that come with review copies.  I have also had a radio producer chastise me for mistakenly not sending a press packet with a book.  Clients have asked me if press releases matter anymore: “I mean does anybody really read those things?”  The short answer is “yes”: there are media, booksellers, librarians, academics, etc. who actually do pay attention to an old fashioned press release, and you have no way of knowing who is going to insist on having one and who isn’t.  So in my opinion, I wouldn’t sacrifice this tool just yet.

Here are five practical reasons why:

  1. The Core Message: Press releases are different from any of the other copy you will use to market your book. Some of the words may be the same as what you have on the back of the jacket, but the release is supposed to achieve a few things including delivering the newsworthy or unique aspects of what you are presenting; giving the reader an idea of why you would be a good interview subject; and a relatively brief synopsis of the best points of the book (or product depending on your industry).  If you want to read some examples you can check out these links on our website:
  2. Press Approved Copy or When Your Words Come Back to Haunt You: This is my favorite.  First of all the copy on your release is assumed to be vetted and usable for the press.  It is likely that one outlet or another will actually lift the synopsis or even the entire release and reprint it online or in the newspaper.  The first time I saw this it was a little weird, but the words on the release, by the very nature of what the document is, are fair game for repurposing.
  3. SEO Optimization: Having the release available on your website, your publicist’s, publishers, etc. gives you more real estate online and can offer more search results. You will notice a search for your book brings up Amazon.com and other big properties first, your publisher, and even our website can appear on the first or near the top of the second page.  It gives you more power online when there are more references to you and your work.
  4. The Pitch Package: So many people interact primarily on email these days, so there is a bit more “room” to present the best aspects of your book. As a standard practice we write pitches according to which people we are sending them, and we paste the press release below so the media contact can choose to learn more.  In the past we would send a cover letter with the press kit which constituted the pitch, and I know that today all of those pages won’t get read in a mailing.  The release is an informational supplement that provides another tool for marketing.  If a contact only wants to read three sentences, fine.  If more is desired, it’s all there in the email.
  5. Standard Practices: More people want to see a release than not, and it’s part of the public relations/media relations process. In addition, your booksellers, event coordinators at higher end venues, librarians—they want to see the meat of what you are selling without having to read the entire book.  Having a press release gives you a more serious, professional persona when you are marketing your book.  It says, you mean business and people should pay attention to you.  Don’t sell yourself short.

The other more esoteric reason for the release is that it is an opportunity for you and your publicist to come to an understanding of what your intention is about your book and its relevance.  You may also discover some things that are unclear about your work, or an interpretation that is not at all what you meant.  It’s important to come to terms with how the book will be presented and what the selling points are.  It’s super competitive out there, as you know, and you want to make sure your work is getting the attention it deserves.

 

Book Marketing101: 10 Things You Need To Know About Bestsellers Lists

Posted on by Claire McKinney

NYT BestsellersI’ve been doing book publicity and marketing for a long time.  I keep doing it because I haven’t lost that kernel of idealism and drive that truly believes in the potential for success of a good idea, book, and/or person who has something to contribute to the conversation in the world.  Coming up with a strategy that makes these things work and makes my clients happy is immensely gratifying.  But (and you knew this was coming), I do raise a caution flag when I get into a conversation about books and bestsellers lists.  I hear all kinds of myths about the “right” way to do this and although there can be exceptions to every rule, there are certain realities we all have to know.

Amazon BestsellersAll of the lists are generated by proprietary algorithms based on quantity, rate of sale, range of sale, date, time, etc.  No one, except the people who wrote these things, knows for certain how they work, and I’ve been told that they are tweaked occasionally when it looks like someone out there is trying to be smarter than the system.  You can’t buy a thousand copies of your book the day before pub date.  You can’t tell a hundred friends to visit your book online or click through to anything.  The numbers are based on actual sales, POS (point of sale) whether online or in person at a cash register.

There are many reasons why or how a book can “list”, as the biz folks say.  If you are traditionally published here are five things you will need to have a shot at the New York Times or other national “print” bestsellers list (physical books sold).

Traditionally Published Authors:

  1. A brand name (meaning you are a known entity to a book buying or commercial audience)
  2. A marketing plan with the right jacket image; front of store placement at Barnes & Noble; and money spent on premiums on etailer sites like Amazon.
  3. Distribution across all sales channels.  This means Amazon has a bunch of copies, Barnes & Noble has a good quantity available to its stores, and the wholesalers like Ingram and Baker & Taylor have bought a solid quantity.  It would help if Target, Walmart, Costco and other “club” stores also had some, but you don’t necessarily need it if you don’t care how high you go on the list.
  4. A traditional and online publicity campaign that gets the word out about the book leading up to and during the first week of publication.
  5. A publication date that is in line with the level of author/book.  I mean that the most books are sold during October – December so if you aren’t able to compete with the titles being released in this time frame, then you don’t have a chance.  You would have to sell twice as many or more copies in order to achieve the same result you would, say, in February.  But again it does depend on the topic and your level of “celebrity” .  (See our article on when to publish.)

If you are an indie author through a small press or on your own without a nationally recognized brand on your score card, and you utilize the print-on-demand technology for your physical books, you will not jump on a bestseller list within a week or even a month of your book being available for sale.  This is an entirely different publication model when it comes to print copies because you are not distributed in stores.  However, you can achieve the coveted rank of bestseller on digital  or ebook lists, especially USA Today and different category rankings on Amazon.

Check out this list of five dos for the indie ebook:

  1. If you have a dedicated audience that is awaiting your next book you need a digital marketing plan via content and social channels that lets your audience know your book will be available for sale.
  2. If you are a new author, you need to work several months in advance at building an audience on social media or through your own personal networking channels that creates anticipation and awareness of the upcoming title.
  3. A great jacket, branding, and messaging that speaks directly to the audience that is the primary market for the book.  This is about generating a “need” for your product.
  4. Error free Amazon page for the book and “buy buttons” on your website or book page so there are no issues when it comes to making a sale.
  5. A traditional and online publicity campaign that provides opportunities for reviews and interviews and reaches your audience(s), creates awareness, and generates positive reviews that lure people to buy!

I also need to be clear and to say that all of the above is about creating the best possibile circumstances to get on a list within a couple of weeks of publication.   You can build a bestseller, but it takes time, attracting a bigger and bigger audience, getting name recognition, having a topic take hold, a news cycle item that brings your idea to the forefront of the zeitgeist, and other things that would take a lot longer to explain.

Ultimately everything is about the book itself and what’s between the covers (or on the Kindle, Nook, etc.).   I think it can be self-defeating to only look at what is on the bestsellers lists and to consider that the ultimate goal.  Does it help?  Sure, but it also can be very short-lived.  Steady sales over a longer term that show a rate of growth are way more valuable than a week on a list and a deep dive down to nearly nothing.  Grow an audience, market your book, and find every opportunity you can to let people know about it.  That is likely to be the best, most rewarding, and most lucrative path to success.

Publicity 101: 5 Things You Need to Do to do for Your Publicist

Posted on by Claire McKinney

In an article I read years ago on a PR site, one of the things that stood out and I still remember was that clients need to anticipate dedicating a certain amount of their own time to PR efforts every week.  For authors, this may be daunting because it isn’t what they had in mind when they set out to write books.  Even small business owners with brands to promote don’t have the time to commit to working an effective campaign.  And “work with” is the operative term.

Because it still happens.  We are hired for a book publicity/brand campaign and the author or client checks out after the first phone call.  Don’t get me wrong, we don’t go on working without getting paid.  We often find ourselves stalled, with a lot of questions, and in the position of hunting authors down for things we need.  The ugly truth of it is no matter how wonderful we think we are, publicists can’t work in a vacuum and successful publicity doesn’t happen in isolation.

Today’s campaigns are much more than just booking interviews.  To raise awareness, sell product, and establish a brand there needs to be a clear strategy for media relations, content marketing, and social media.  There are just so many places audiences can be now, and the great thing about it is they are able to be reached directly–from the tiny niche to B2B to a mass consumer group.  So where once you could put together a press release and some talking points and go for days, weeks or even months, now you have to be prepared to shift strategies, find new audiences, recraft messages, target audiences, and the like.  Sound overwhelming?  It can be, but as a PR professional I offer 5 things you can do to make the process more efficient, collaborative and successful.

  1.  Plan regular check in meetings.  Everyone wants to be on the same page and to make sure the trains are running on time, so set up a bi-weekly or even weekly call when you, your agency, and any other entities you suggest can get together to find out what is working and what isn’t.
  2. Provide as much information about yourself and your book/brand that you can.  You know your brand better than anyone else.  It’s also likely that you have collected a lot of information about the industry or topic; have an extensive bio of your own to share on the subject; and have met “influencers” or media contacts that could help.  Prepare a package for your publicist with a list of contacts you know a little, more than a little, and a lot, as well as your bio, CV, articles, tapes of interviews you have done, and any other relevant material.
  3. Share your own ideas.  Just because you’ve hired someone doesn’t mean you don’t have some of your own ideas.  It’s better to have an exchange with your PR people so all potential leads and strategies can be vetted properly.  Brainstorm!
  4. Keep current on your topic.  Watch the news, read about your topic or industry, and network with other like minded people.  Then tell your publicist about it.  You also know your area of interest the best and it makes sense that sometimes there will be something that you find that your agency hasn’t.  The publicist can’t have an ego about this, because it’s a benefit to all to keep each other informed.  Leads can come from all kinds of places.
  5. Be clear about your schedule and availability.  I have literally chased people to book interviews.  Believe me, it can be hard enough to get the opportunity to be on The Today Show, so please don’t vanish in the hour of need.  Another way to avoid something like this is to be totally upfront with your publicist about your schedule for the length of the contract or campaign.  If you know in advance that you are going to Madagascar for a month, let your agency know!  And, another benefit to keeping your schedule transparent is that there could be a media opportunity to be had where you are going or for what you are doing.  I’m not talking Africa right now, but Los Angeles?  That’s another story.

For more information please visit our blog pages, subscribe to our newsletter, or download our free eGuide to Social Media.

“Buying Local”: It Counts in Public Relations, Too

Posted on by Keely Flanagan

local bookstore-pixabayWhen indie or self-published authors are releasing their new novels they always shoot for the brass ring: a review or feature in/on The New York Times, USA Today, The Today Show. When it comes to readings and merchandising of their books, they ask about the bookstores that they love: McNally Jackson’s, Politics & Prose, Powell’s, and of course, Barnes & Noble.

If you’re a self- or indie-published author, you’re a David trying to become a Goliath. And you aren’t the only David out there. Your local media and independent bookstores are most likely Davids too, hoping that you’ll turn the channel to watch your local news, or purchase a book from them instead of Amazon.

While we think its important to think big, and always include national media in a public relations campaign, it’s necessary to remember that your town can be one of the most fertile places to start.

Here are some reasons why you shouldn’t brush off the word local so fast:

Your local bookstore is the first place to stock your book. We recently worked with an author who was published by a small publisher. The book was beautifully designed, and she herself is a lovely person and a fantastic writer. She stopped by her local bookstore with her book in tow, and they ordered five copies after having a conversation with her. The books sold out shortly after, and on several occasions since then they have requested more copies of the book. At this point, she has probably sold 50 copies of her indie title from her city’s bookstore alone.

Local isn’t just limited to where you live now. One author we work with lives in Ohio and she had a bookstore reading in her own town, but she also held a reading event in a city an hour away from her home. Even better, she had family in New Hampshire and was able to book an event at a well-known bookstore in the area because she had a built-in audience that would attend her reading. Sometimes you can think outside the box when it comes to the word “local.”

Local media can lead to bigger things. More often than not, major television networks are not going to book you—or even consider you—on their morning show unless you have proof that you can work well on camera. Your local TV station is a great place to get tape that you can use later.

You’re all in this together. If a local author can get a number of their family and friends to attend their reading at an indie bookstore, those friends are more likely to purchase other titles at that store too and may realize they just found their new favorite hangout. And if you get an interview in your town’s paper, more likely than not all of your friends are going to share that article across Facebook and give that paper some love—in fact, one author we work with had a great interview in her local paper, and her Facebook friends shared that link over 200 times. It was amazing!

Have you had success with local media or would like to give a shoutout to your favorite bookstore? Tweet us @McKinneyPR!

I want to start blogging, but I don’t know where to begin!

Posted on by Keely Flanagan

blogging workstation pixabayThe other day, I was discussing social media with my Dad, and he brought up the topic of blogging.

“I want to start a blog,” he said. “But I don’t know where to begin.”

“Begin? Like, ideas to start writing?” I asked.

“No,” he said, “I don’t even know how to make a blog. How do I do that?”

Dad, this blog post is for you and any readers on the internet who have the desire to write online, but need help finding the tools to do so.

Some great blogging platforms are:

Blogger.com. This tool is owned by Google, and it is a free service. Blogger makes it very easy to create, write, and edit posts, and it includes a fair amount of design templates.

WordPress. There are two different WordPress sites: .com and .org. WordPress.com has a free blogging platform, WordPress.org is software you can install on a website domain that you own. So, if you are interested in creating a blog, go with the .com. It’s simple, plus WordPress has a fantastic help forum if you run across any issues.

Tumblr. Tumblr is one of my personal favorite social media/blogging platforms. There is so much you can do with Tumblr. You can write blog posts, but Tumblr also allows you to easily add different forms of media so you can share your favorite photos, audio, and video with the world. It’s also much more interactive than the other blogs listed above—other users can comment, repost, or like your Tumblr posts, and you can do the same.

These three websites are the easiest platforms on the Internet for anyone who is a beginner at blogging. There are others, like Medium and Blog.com. You could even purchase a website domain name through GoDaddy or another server network. I would recommend starting by testing the platforms listed above to get a better grasp on how blogging works.  Next step: Have fun posting and writing!