Some tips from a pro

I decided today to avail myself of a longtime family friend, Don Otis, who has graciously agreed to share with us some pointers he has gleaned from his many years as an author, publicist, radio talk show host, and TV producer. I know you'll be blessed by what he has to say to us.

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There really is no science to good marketing, no one-size-fits-all approach to publicity. But like everything else, networking and relationships are vital. The time to start thinking about promotion is not when your book comes off press. You have to start early, months ahead of the release date. Here are what I consider the five most important thingsauthors can do to partner with their publishers to effectively market their books:

1. Be prepared. When you sign a contract with a publisher, ask about their marketing strategy for your book, and tell them what you want. Some authors include freelance publicity as an addendum to their contract.

2. Be available. The authors who are most available for speaking engagements, media interviews, or for writing articles related to their book get the most promotional opportunities.

3. Be flexible. A media release is not a book review. Most authors don’t understand this. A good publicist will write a release that includes one or two good hooks from your book. The idea is to think in terms of issues. For fiction writers, issues or current events are essential.

4. Be reasonable. As in relationships, expectations that are too high can get us into trouble, while expectations that are too low just frustrate us. A high-maintenance author is someone who is demanding, obnoxious, overly assertive--and not too popular with their publishers!

5. Be empathetic. Publishers are busy. They have deadlines, new lists, acquisitions, catalogs, and myriad other details to attend to. Be helpful, validate their stressors, and be willing to get your hands dirty. If necessary, be willing to share costs. For example, if your publisher won’t pay for a media campaign, ask if they will cover expenses (phones, mailers, postage) and provide copies of your book.

Just as there are ways to assist in publicizing and marketing your book, there are ways to sabatage it as well. Here are what I consider the five most common mistakes new authors make when it comes to marketing and promoting (or not!) their books:

1. Assuming their job is over when the writing is complete; assuming their publisher will handle all the marketing. Get involved. Remember, the promotion window is only three to six months, so get busy early!

2. Assuming they have to mention the title of their book every two minutes during an interview. Don’t. Nevertheless, be sure to tell listeners or viewers where they can get a copy of your book.

3. Assuming bookmarks or fancy media kits will sell their book. Exposure sells books. If you don’t get the exposure, you won’t get the buyers. Mass exposure at the lowest possible costs (i.e., more bang for your dollar) is what most publishers/authors are looking for. Also, think in terms of niche markets. Publishers are poor at niche marketing to schools, hospitals, recovery groups, and home schoolers or military, so you need to take the initiative and think outside of traditional markets.

4. Assuming print advertising works best because it is so visible. Print advertising doesn’t sell books. Yes, it provides some exposure, but the best kind of exposure is the kind where the author has an opportunity to talk about his or her own material.

5. Assuming they should get equal time on Oprah, Dr. Phil, or Dr. Laura--or equal exposure with Rick Warren, Joel Osteen, or T.D. Jakes. If you have a publicist, take every opportunity you can—small market or large--to talk about your book. Make it relevant. Be faithful. Be thankful.

After hosting my own radio program, producing a television talk show, and managing a radio station, I started writing books. This has given me the chance to do more than 200 interviews and write dozens of articles. Still, I learn something new each time. (I do lousy interviews now and then, and have off days.) In 1991, I started a publicity agency in Los Angeles (soon moved to the Northwest), where we scheduled more than 10,000 media interviews. In the past fifteen years, I’ve written a thousand media releases. Publicity and promotion is tricky, and sometimes it takes thinking outside the box or even starting over. I don’t get it right every time, and no one else does either. Still, one thing is true for both fiction and nonfiction: issues are the engine that drives the media. As the founder of Veritas Communications, I began spinning media releases for books so the media will see the author as an expert with something of value to talk about. As an author, you have a message to communicate. Your motivation and methodology are equally important in the process of promoting your book.

And one quick note when it comes to radio and TV interviews: There is a fine line between being too passive or too aggressive. Some radio hosts will cut an author off if they over-promote. The purpose of an interview is ministry, information, or help. If you do radio or TV, be personable, relaxed, generous, humorous, tell stories (be brief), and exude enthusiasm (without being hyperactive). Try to connect with the host or listeners.

***Don Otis is the founder of Veritas Communications, a publicity and promotions agency based in Sandpoint, Idaho. He is the author of five books, Trickle-Down Morality (Chosen), Teach Your Children Well (Revell), Staying Fit after Forty (Shaw), Watch & Pray (Chosen) and Whisker Rubs: Developing the Masculine Identity (AMG).

There really is no science to good marketing, no one-size-fits-all approach to publicity. But like everything else, networking and relationships are vital. The time to start thinking about promotion is not when your book comes off press. You have to start early, months ahead of the release date. Here are what I consider the five most important thingsauthors can do to partner with their publishers to effectively market their books:

1. Be prepared. When you sign a contract with a publisher, ask about their marketing strategy for your book, and tell them what you want. Some authors include freelance publicity as an addendum to their contract.

2. Be available. The authors who are most available for speaking engagements, media interviews, or for writing articles related to their book get the most promotional opportunities.

3. Be flexible. A media release is not a book review. Most authors don’t understand this. A good publicist will write a release that includes one or two good hooks from your book. The idea is to think in terms of issues. For fiction writers, issues or current events are essential.

4. Be reasonable. As in relationships, expectations that are too high can get us into trouble, while expectations that are too low just frustrate us. A high-maintenance author is someone who is demanding, obnoxious, overly assertive--and not too popular with their publishers!

5. Be empathetic. Publishers are busy. They have deadlines, new lists, acquisitions, catalogs, and myriad other details to attend to. Be helpful, validate their stressors, and be willing to get your hands dirty. If necessary, be willing to share costs. For example, if your publisher won’t pay for a media campaign, ask if they will cover expenses (phones, mailers, postage) and provide copies of your book.

Just as there are ways to assist in publicizing and marketing your book, there are ways to sabatage it as well. Here are what I consider the five most common mistakes new authors make when it comes to marketing and promoting (or not!) their books:

1. Assuming their job is over when the writing is complete; assuming their publisher will handle all the marketing. Get involved. Remember, the promotion window is only three to six months, so get busy early!

2. Assuming they have to mention the title of their book every two minutes during an interview. Don’t. Nevertheless, be sure to tell listeners or viewers where they can get a copy of your book.

3. Assuming bookmarks or fancy media kits will sell their book. Exposure sells books. If you don’t get the exposure, you won’t get the buyers. Mass exposure at the lowest possible costs (i.e., more bang for your dollar) is what most publishers/authors are looking for. Also, think in terms of niche markets. Publishers are poor at niche marketing to schools, hospitals, recovery groups, and home schoolers or military, so you need to take the initiative and think outside of traditional markets.

4. Assuming print advertising works best because it is so visible. Print advertising doesn’t sell books. Yes, it provides some exposure, but the best kind of exposure is the kind where the author has an opportunity to talk about his or her own material.

5. Assuming they should get equal time on Oprah, Dr. Phil, or Dr. Laura--or equal exposure with Rick Warren, Joel Osteen, or T.D. Jakes. If you have a publicist, take every opportunity you can—small market or large--to talk about your book. Make it relevant. Be faithful. Be thankful.

After hosting my own radio program, producing a television talk show, and managing a radio station, I started writing books. This has given me the chance to do more than 200 interviews and write dozens of articles. Still, I learn something new each time. (I do lousy interviews now and then, and have off days.) In 1991, I started a publicity agency in Los Angeles (soon moved to the Northwest), where we scheduled more than 10,000 media interviews. In the past fifteen years, I’ve written a thousand media releases. Publicity and promotion is tricky, and sometimes it takes thinking outside the box or even starting over. I don’t get it right every time, and no one else does either. Still, one thing is true for both fiction and nonfiction: issues are the engine that drives the media. As the founder of Veritas Communications, I began spinning media releases for books so the media will see the author as an expert with something of value to talk about. As an author, you have a message to communicate. Your motivation and methodology are equally important in the process of promoting your book.

And one quick note when it comes to radio and TV interviews: There is a fine line between being too passive or too aggressive. Some radio hosts will cut an author off if they over-promote. The purpose of an interview is ministry, information, or help. If you do radio or TV, be personable, relaxed, generous, humorous, tell stories (be brief), and exude enthusiasm (without being hyperactive). Try to connect with the host or listeners.

***Don Otis is the founder of Veritas Communications, a publicity and promotions agency based in Sandpoint, Idaho. He is the author of five books, Trickle-Down Morality (Chosen), Teach Your Children Well (Revell), Staying Fit after Forty (Shaw), Watch & Pray (Chosen) and Whisker Rubs: Developing the Masculine Identity (AMG).

Comments

[relevantgirl]

These are great tips, Kathi. Thanks for sharing them via Don. He knows of what he speaks!