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How can I get my self-help book for women reviewed in USA TODAY?

March 3, 2011 By 3 Comments

Many people want to get publicity for their books into the most widely read newspaper in the US. But few are chosen.

I recently saw a front-page interview with a new self-help author so I decided to deconstruct the story to find out the publicity strategy used because I always like to give my book author clients tips on how to get publicity.

First, the person had professional credentials. She has a master’s degree in social work from NYU and was a therapist in Beverly Hills.
Second, the book was published by a major book publisher. The publisher was Voice, an imprint of Hyperion.
Third, her father was Tom Brokaw. He’s a former TV anchorperson of NBC news and a best-selling author in his own right.

I’m not sure which of these three factors played the deciding role in getting the interview with USA TODAY. Do you?

Only kidding.

Of course there was only one factor to consider: Her father was a celebrity.

Here is a link to the article.

I can name more than 100 clients who have the same professional credentials and publishing experiencebonafides. (I can even name 10 clients who are in Beverly Hills!) But I can’t name any that have gotten this kind of great publicity out of the gate.

For the rest of us, we have to keep on writing press releases, writing articles, pitching the media, and doing all the other things that sell books.

I am always reminded of Mark Victor Hansen telling me how he launched “Chicken Soup for the Soul” which was rejected hundreds of times before a publisher agreed to print it.

He would do five things each day to promote the book. They would be small things, like send a review copy to a celebrity, or call a reporter, or do a book signing. After a while (and it was long while), the book finally took off and launched one of the most successful franchises in publishing history.

So my questions for you are:
1. Do you have a famous father?
2. Are you willing to do five things a day for a very long time to make your book a success?

Filed Under: authors, book marketing, book publicity, publicity

Can you sell books at Costco?

March 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Book marketing guru John Kremer reports that one of his follows did a book signing at Costco.

The author thought his results were extraordinary.

“I sold 200 books over five days and earned $3.33 per book to be paid in 90 days so that is $666 divided by 5 = $133 per day. I added 26 people to my email list for future books. I signed up three book clubs that are future sources of sales at retail price. I removed six cases of books from storage and got them in the hands of readers.”

I don’t know about you, but making $133 a day sounds pretty horrible. If he made $133 a day for 200 work days a year, that would equal about $26,000. He didn’t include his travel expenses or publishing expenses in that number either. So he actually took home less.

I think cashiers at Costco make more money per hour.

Moral of the story?

Books are great way to get higher fees as speakers, consultants and coaches. But they are a rotten way to make money unless you sell a couple hundred thousand of them. And there are very few people on this planet who can make that claim.

Before you write your book, think of all the costs you will have and the results you hope to get. If it is worth it, then go for it.

Filed Under: authors, book marketing, book publicity

BlogWorld: The New Influencers: Bloggers and Social Media Producers

October 18, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Bloggers have influence and major players are reaching out to influence them.

Consider these events at BlogWorld:

General_David_Petraeus

General David Petraeus

- General David Patraeus took time out from defending out country to welcome people to BlogWorld and to thank bloggers for supporting the troops and their families. BlogWorld held a separate track for military blogs. Other tracks were for business, travel, food and sports.
- Mark Burnett, creator of Survivor, The Apprentice and other reality shows, used BlogWorld for the world premier viewing of a trailer for his latest show, “Sarah Palin’s Alaska.”

- Political consultants Mark Penn and Karen Hughes, veterans of two White House staffs, spoke about social media and politics.

- Borders announced software program to turn a book into a blog and have it sold via their bookstores – for $85, which includes the cost of an ISBN number. The head of the program told me that an ISBN number alone usually costs more than $85.

- SONY showed a prototype television with Internet capabilities. Tech pundit Jim Louderback said it was not ready for prime time, but that it did herald the beginning of a new era of convergence of the two media.

Meanwhile a room full of 100 food bloggers anxiously took notes from PR people who showed them how to curry favor with reporters and with brands – and learn a bit about journalistic ethics in the process.

In another room, several hundred corporate employees talked about how to measure ROI on social media and new media tools. Wrapped in numbers, metrics, formulas and algorithms, the session was not for the faint of heart, but for B-school wonks.

Still in another room, newbie bloggers were learning the ins and outs of creating content, creating community and creating income.

As panelists made their points, many in the audience tweeted and re-tweeted key points and sound bytes. Some presenters paused in their talks to point out they just said something that was tweetable.

Still others checked their messages on Facebook and Twitter (using HootSuite for the most part).

If one message came through loud and clear it was the social media was about creating conversations, not broadcasting messages. Case in point, two bloggers took to the microphones during Q&A to blast Penn and Hughes for talking in talking points, but not engaging the audience. The politicos answered the bloggers with more talking points but never once asked the questioners for their ideas.

Old habits are hard to break.

My audience is mostly speakers, authors, consultants and coaches. Most of whom think social media is a giant time waster. I can see why: Most messages I get from them are promotions for their webinars, teleseminars and thinly-veiled commercials for their books, consulting clients and other self-serving and self-promoting ventures. Of course no one engages in conversations with them. There’s no meat. People can see through an ad, even when it isn’t labeled an ad.

If you want to be successful with social media (and this conference showed me that many big companies really are getting ROI from their efforts), then it is key to engage so you can build visibility, trust and then sales.

So, what do you think?

Dan Janal is a very successful entrepreneur, professional speaker and marketing coach who helps clients build their businesses by improving their strategy for using publicity, marketing, Internet marketing, e-commerce and sales. To see how you can improve your business, go to http://www.prleadsplus.com

Follow me on twitter @prleads, http://www.facebook.com/danjanal and Linked In and my Linked In group, “PR LEADS.”

This article can be republished in your ezine, blog or website.

Filed Under: book marketing, book publicity, publicity, Social Networking Tagged With: , ,

Teleseminar: Using Social Media to Launch Your Book

October 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment

In the past, authors did well using email campaigns to broadcast book launches with bonuses. This process is so “2009.” Today, you have to use all of your tools. If you can build followers with your blog and then get attention on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, you are more likely to drive people to your book site or Amazon page and make the sale. In this teleseminar, Marcia Reynolds will show how she integrated these tools to take her book to #1 on Amazon for Leadership and Management books for women and still keeps her in the top 10.

Here are a few things you will discover:

1. You started by creating a book blog site. Can you tell me why this is the center point of your campaign?
2. How did you get to blog for Huffington Post?
3. What was your Facebook strategy?
4. What was your LinkedIn strategy?
5. What was your Twitter strategy?
6. Did you use a publicist to help get the word out?
7. Did you use email or print support at all?
8. Tell me about actual book launch day, what did you do?
9. You said you had some struggles with Amazon-can you tell me about that?
10. How are sales going now and have you leveraged any other business from your campaign?

Marcia Reynolds, PsyD speaks globally on leadership topics and coaches rising star leaders on building relationships and making critical decisions in their complex and evolving workplaces. In addition to her Amazon bestseller, Wander Woman: How High-Achieving Women Find Contentment and Direction, she authored Outsmart Your Brain and has been quoted in many publications including Psychology Today, Harvard Communications Newsletter, and The New York Times.

This free, one hour teleseminar will be held on Thursday, October 14, 2010, starting at

2 p.m. Eastern

1 p.m. Central

Noon Mountain

11 a.m. Pacific

To register, click here:

The event will be recorded and a link will be sent to all registrants.

To register, click here:

Filed Under: book marketing, book publicity, book publishing, publicity, Social Networking

How to Build an Effective Media List That Generates Coverage for You

October 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The most effective way to get your message to the media is to target the most interested reporters and avoid the ones who aren’t interested.

Sounds simple, but you’d be surprised how often small businesses blast press releases and pitch letters to any and every reporter

BullsEye Publicity.com has the best press lists I've found

they happen to find on a generic media list. Reporters hate this. If you can personalize a pitch or target a press release, you’ll stand a much better chance of being quoted.

To make the best use of your time – and not waste a reporter’s time, here are 10 tips to selecting an effective media list.

1. Is it correct? Make sure the information is correct. It won’t help you to find that there are misspellings, wrong phone numbers or other errors.
2. Is it up to date? Sounds simple, but you’d be surprised at how many sites on the Internet sell outdated information. Ensure that the information is updated at least every quarter. There’s a lot of turnover in the media. An old list is a worthless list.
3. Does it contain complete information? A list should have name, title, publication or media outlet, email, phone and street address at a bare minimum. Give bonus points if the list shows you what topics the reporter covers in detail. For example, buying a list of reporters interested in women’s issues is a start, but how will you know if the reporter is interested in women’s politics, women’s health issues or women’s family and relationship issues? There’s a big difference! Give bonus points to a list that has relevant data, such as links to articles the reporter has written. A good list provider would have personal information about the reporter’s focus and slant so you know what angle to take. You won’t get this from a bare-bones list. You want a full-featured database.
4. Sortable. Ask for the list on a spreadsheet so you can sort on any number of fields, such as city and state, or type of publication. This can be useful if you are going to be in a new city and want to target the media there.
5. Informs you of the type of media outlet. You’d pitch a TV station differently than a print reporter, so make sure the list has this kind of information available. Today, you’d want a list that identifies print, TV, Radio and online media.
6. Contains website address. Every media outlet has a website today. You can research the reporters and the media by going to the website so you know exactly what they cover and how they cover it. Doing this research will help you pitch your story more effectively.
7. Circulation figures for print publications. This number will help you identify the market leaders ands the smaller players.
8. International contacts. The world is shrinking today. If your product or service can be of use to people around the world, then you should contact reporters at other countries.
9. Language spoken. If you stick to the U.S. media, this won’t be as important, but if you pitch international reporters, some will speak English and some will not. In fact, some international media do have correspondents in the US who speak English. Those would be the ones you might want to target.
10. Preferred contact method. How does a reporter want to be contacted? By email? By phone? By fax? By regular mail? Knowing this answer will help you get on their good side!

If you ask these questions before you buy a media list, you’ll save yourself a lot of time and confusion. And you will have a better chance to get the coverage you seek.

I’ve created a new business unit that sells media lists. You can find great lists at BullsEyePublicity.com

Want to learn how to pitch reporters effectively? Download my special report “REVEALED: The Quick And Easy Way To Get Publicity From Reporters And Bloggers Through Social Media And Press Releases!” http://www.bullseyepublicity.com/reporters/ For the most up-to-date, full-featured media database available, please visit www.BullsEyePublicity.com

This article can be reprinted on your webiste or ezine.

Filed Under: book publicity, press releases, publicity Tagged With: , , , , ,

Reporters Want to Receive Press Releases by Email, New Report Shows

September 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Reporters are always looking for news. A new report shows they want to receive press releases by email.

The new report by Bulldog Reporter and TEKGROUP International shows an overwhelming majority of journalists—79.4%—prefer to receive information about corporate, not-for-profit and government news by e-mail.

Here are five ways to make your press release stand out.

1. Target the media carefully. Reporters love press releases that are in their subject area. They go bonkers when they receive press releases that are not targeted for them. So before you send a press release, make sure it is suitable for that reporter.
2. Use a headline that indicates the press release is targeted. If the headline isn’t arresting, the reporter might not read the rest.
3. Put all the good information up front. Remember, this isn’t a mystery novel. Reporters don’t want to find out who-done-it on the last page. Put the important information in the first two paragraphs.
4. Put relevant links back to your website. A press release should be only 400-700 words. That means it is hard to tell the whole story. You have to omit secondary information. Put that info on your website so reporters can get as much info as the need.
5. Put links to photos, line art and surveys. Reporters might need this info. But artwork can take up a lot of space in email and some email systems might reject large files. That means you can’t put those art elements in the press release. Put them on your website instead and include links so reporters can find the information easily.

If you follow this advice, you’ll stand a better chance of having reporters read your press releases.

Do you need a list of reporters in your subject area? BullsEyePublicity.com maintains the most comprehensive and up-to-date media data bases for the US and International Reporters. For information, go to www.BullsEyePublicity.com For a special report on “The Quick And Easy Way To Get Publicity From Reporters And Bloggers Through Social Media And Press Releases!” go to http://www.bullseyepublicity.com/reporters/ Dan Janal is a thought leader, speaker coach and consultant on the topics of publicity and Internet Marketing.

This article can be reprinted on your blog, ezine or website.

Filed Under: book publicity, press releases, public relations, publicity Tagged With: , , , , ,

What’s the secret to selling books?

September 26, 2010 By 2 Comments

John Kremer knows more than 1001 tips which he has documented in his must-read book, “1001  Ways to market Your Books For Authors and Publishers.” Here are four tips he shared at the 21st Century Book Marketing Conference in San Diego this past weekend.

1. Speak. “80 percent of books are bought by word of mouth.” Start locally. Get comfortable and then move on to larger groups. Every book that became a best-seller (regardless of genre: business, spirituality, children’s, even poetry). If you write a children’s book, speak in schools. If you write poetry, speak at bookstores. People love buying books from the author.
2. Present as much content and inspiration as you can. The worst thing you can do is hold back info.
3. The essence of book marketing is creating relationships. Find good people to partner with.
4. Get on TV, especially national TV. TV sells books. Everyone knows about Oprah, but many people don’t realize that the Daily Show and The Colbert Report can help move a lot of books.
John is a legend in the book industry. I highly recommend his book and his ezine and his teleseminar series called “People You Should Know. Read more at http://www.bookmarket.com/tips.htm

Filed Under: authors, book marketing, book publicity, book publishing, publicity Tagged With: ,

Huffington, Book Editors to Speak at 21st Century Book Marketing Event

September 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The smartest people in the book world — publishers, publicists, marketers, social media experts and authors — will be gathering in San Diego on September 25 & 26th to reveal their secrets and share the latest information on how to launch a book in the 21st century.

Arianna Huffington

Arianna Huffington, along with high-level executives from HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Hay House, New World Library, and a dozen experts, will be sharing their techniques for marketing your books in today’s world at the Second Annual 21st Century Book Marketing event.

What you’ll learn:

* The national TV shows that everyone author needs to be on (and the ones to skip)
* The 21st century PR techniques that propel book sales.
* The 3-step formula for acing every interview with Joel Roberts, master media trainer.
* NEW publishing and distribution options for your book
* Secrets of attracting web traffic and building your list.
* Beyond the bookstore sales via webinars, viral videos, podcasts, etc.
* Social networking on steroids: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.
*Why is Steve Jobs the world’s best speaker? Now – you can be too!  Carmine Gallo will show you how.

See a short video from last year’s event here: www.21stCenturyBookMarketing.com

Experts will also reveal:
*Why a Facebook fan is worth $71.84.
*The BEST day and time to tweet your message.
*Why you must have an ‘ethical bribe” for your book launch.
*Social Media Sells Books…the proof you’ve been waiting for.
*Beyond books –  the products that really count today.
*The future of publishing – the inside scoop from those in the know.

Last year’s event sold out early.  Don’t be left out.

To sign up for this event and get your tickets  please visit: www.21stCenturyBookMarketing.com

I look forward to seeing you in San Diego!

P.S. The networking at this event is insane!

Filed Under: book marketing, book publicity

A Book Signing at a Restaurant?

August 5, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Would you hold a book signing at a restaurant?

That’s what Ian & Margery Punnett, authors of  “Dizzy the Mutt with the Propeller Butt” are planning to do on  Saturday, August 7th from 9am-11am, at the Longfellow Grill in Edina, MN.

You gotta go where the buyers are, and if they think  that’s the place to sell books,, then more power to them! Let’s use this example to inspire all of us authors who are looking to sell more books.

Self-publishing guru Dan Poynter is famous for saying “bookstores are the worst places to sell books.” Let’s see if the Punnetts are on to something big and glorious that we can all learn from!

Filed Under: book marketing, book publicity

How Can a Dead Author Have a Platform?

August 5, 2010 By Leave a Comment

No self-respecting publisher today will talk to an author who doesn’t have a large “platform” of followers who will by a book and a marketing plan that shows how the author will sell the book.

So how did Stieg Larsson become a best-selling author, years after he died without publishing a book in his life?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, his best-selling “The Girl Who…” series is a best seller in the US and from what I can tell from my visit to Madrid, all over Europe as well.

I don’t have the answers. Do you? Why would a publisher take on an unknown author, who is dead, and promote the heck out of his books when it seems like most publishers won’t lift a finger to promote a book from an unknown (living) author?

Any ideas?

Filed Under: book marketing, book publicity Tagged With: ,
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