For Book Publicity Success, Start Small

Sure, most authors dream of being on Oprah and selling mega books. There's nothing wrong with shooting for the stars, but the authors you see on major talk shows probably didn't start out there. Chances are, it took them quite a while to build their author platform and their publicity skills.

Here are some tips for climbing the publicity ladder:

1. Create a media page for your website, containing information about you and your book, along with downloadable images of you and the book cover.

2. Start small by getting publicity in your local media, then work your way up from there. The "local resident publishes a book" angle is often considered newsworthy, especially in smaller towns. Other possibilities include local radio or television talk shows, regional magazines, your college alumni publication, and newsletters and journals of your professional associations. As you gather print and broadcast media clips, post them in your online media room.

3. Seek varied types of publicity, including interview-style print stories, feature stories, how-to articles, book reviews, and radio and television interviews.

4. Get tips on reporters seeking sources for articles they are writing by joining free alert services such as HARO (Help a Reporter Out), PitchRate, and Reporter's Source. BloggerLinkUp provides leads from bloggers looking for content.

5. Learn more about book publicity by reading books or attending teleseminars on the topic.

6. Consider getting media training to better prepare you for radio and television appearances. 

Comments

[Shannon Nicholson]

These are great tips, Dana. Creating a media page is essential if you're looking for media coverage. But make sure those downloadable images are high resolution and not tiny 300 x 125 pixel photos. Most newspapers and magazines can't use low resolution formats in their publications.

And HARO is a great no-cost suggestion for anyone looking for targeted media opportunities, but there are at least two others out there: Reporters Source (www.ReportersSource.com) and ours, PitchRate.com (www.PitchRate.com). Use them all if you're serious about getting media coverage for your book.

[Dana Lynn Smith]

Great suggestions Shannon!

Thanks for reminding me about PitchRate and introducing me to Reporter's Source -- I have added them to the article.

I recommend providing both high resolution and low resolution images on your media room, so they can be used by either print or online media.
Dana