You
don’t get a second chance to make a first impression, or so it’s been
said. This is certainly true with the
news media. Here are things you should
avoid saying to the news media when promoting your book:
1.
“It
received just a few bad reviews.”
2.
“My
book may have a few typos, so please excuse them.”
3.
“I
edited the book myself.”
4.
“The
book was published two years ago but since no one bought it I changed the title
and cover and just re-released it.”
5.
“This
book is good, but my next book is even better.”
6.
“Everyone
should want to read my book.”
7.
“I’ve
never spoken to the media before.”
8.
“My
book doesn’t have great distribution.”
9.
“If
I had more time, the book could have been even better.”
10.
“Sorry
the book is so long. I didn’t quite know
how to end it.”
Don’t
ask questions like these:
1.
“Can
I approve of the story before it’s published?”
2.
“Don’t
quote me on that, okay?”
3.
“Is
this off the record,” after you spoke without setting such a condition.
4.
“Can
you make what I just said sound better?”
5.
“So,
what do you think of my book?”
All
of this may seem like common sense, but what happens when authors communicate
with the media is they either get nervous and confess their insecurities and
weaknesses, or they get relaxed and think a gentle reporter is a friend with
whom they can share anything.
Authors
need to operate under these guidelines:
1.
Don’t
volunteer negative information.
2.
Don’t
raise a topic that could lead to something embarrassing.
3.
Don’t
come off sounding egotistical.
4.
Don’t
be so shy that the journalist doesn’t hear anything worthy to report on.
5.
Think
like the person interviewing you. Ask
yourself what needs he or she has and what could be said to impress the
reporter.
6.
Always
assume everything is on the record.
7.
Learn
more about the reporter or media outlet prior to the interview so that you can
speak in a way that appeals to the reporter’s needs, preferences, or
readership/viewership/listenership demographics.
The
media understands that most authors aren’t media trained, and even those that
are could still be prone to a misstep. The media can be forgiving or overlook
somethings but be on high alert, especially when your book is
controversial. The media may just want
to trap you or highlight a negative.
Follow the above guidelines and you should be fine.
Follow the above guidelines and you should be fine.
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Brian Feinblum’s views,
opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his
employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him
at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the
third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2015
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