Exclusive: Best-Seller PR Strategies at BEA Panel Previewed

What are the key strategies employed by authors and book marketers to successfully promote books to the media?  What can be done to help a book become a best-seller?

Some of these secrets will be revealed at this year’s Book Expo America.  A terrific workshop http://bit.ly/MCatBEA conducted by Media Connect, one of the nation’s leading book publicity firms, promises to provide helpful insights on the steps one can take to get greater exposure for their book. I, as the chief marketing officer, for Media Connect, will moderate the panel.

So how about a sneak preview?

Ok, here are some of the helpful topics that will be covered by a panel of seasoned publicists with a combined 100 + years of book publicity experience:

·         What to say to the news media that will make them want to interview you.

·         The ideal timeline to execute a savvy book marketing campaign.

·         How to work your connections – and those of others – to become a best-selling author.

·         How unknown authors can get big media hits.

·         Which types of media work best for promoting your book.

·         How social media can be very helpful to you – even if you don’t personally blog, Tweet, or post on Facebook.

·         What needs to be kept in mind when working with a book marketing team – whether a publisher or hired gun – so that you collaborate well.

·         The biggest mistakes that undermine and sabotage authors.

·         What your website, press kit, and business card need to say.

·         How authors can help each other, even when competing for readers.

·         What to always share -- and never say -- in a news media interview.

·         How to adopt a confident and winning attitude when promoting your book.

·         How to craft headlines, subject lines, and emails that draw the media to you.

There are literally hundreds of things an author must do to be in a position to promote a book successfully.  Many of them are not difficult, but they must be done right – and in a timely fashion.  Once authors understand their role in making their book a winner, he or she can watch their brand take off.

Of course not all strategies work for all books.  Other factors that come into play are:

·         Genre:  Non-fiction or fiction– does it tie into the news?

·         Format:  Hardcover, trade paper, audiobook, mass market?

·         Is the book new, old, or soon-to-be-released?

·         Is the author a good speaker?  Are you shy?  Have you been media coached?

·         Does the book provide great information -- or truly entertain, inspire, or enlighten us?

·         How many books compete with yours on the same subject?

·         How much time can you put into this?

·         What resources do you have available to you?

·         How many connections do you have – online?  e-mail list?  personal network?

·         What are the author’s credentials?

The key to improving one’s efforts to promote a book to its maximum potential ultimately rests on the following:

Timing -- doing what’s needed when it should be done.

News Cycle -- your book needs to tie into what’s in the news, on the calendar, or an honorary day/anniversary.

Cover-Title-Subtitle – we buy on the look and sounds of a book.

Hiring Help – a good promotor or marketer makes a huge difference.

Luck – sometimes you have to be in the right place at the right time.

Word-of-Mouth – your book, if it’s really good, once in the hands of a few hundred or thousand people can get word-of-mouth traction.

Great Testimonials – they alone don’t sell a book but they add to the positive impression needed to influence others.

Diversify Your Portfolio – you need to hit all levels of traditional media, all forms of digital, media, an array of social media, speaking appearances, and direct marketing to individuals or groups of targeted readers.

Persistence – push daily and never giving up or get discouraged.

Confidence – act with the belief you will succeed.

Planning – strategizing and executing go hand in hand.

Local to National – start locally and regionally and then branch out nationally.

This year’s PR workshop at BEA is sure to help publishing pros and authors gain a greater understanding and deeper perspective of how to promote a book and brand successfully. Please come to room 1E11 at 10:00 am Est May 30^th at Book Expo America at NYC’s Javits Center.

Check These Posts Out

For Self-Promoting Authors: The 2018 Book Marketing & PR Toolkit

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2017/11/2018-book-pr-marketing-toolkit.html

This is HOW you get a book review

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2018/03/this-is-how-you-get-book-reviews.html

How you can FIX a broken PR campaign for a book

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2018/03/how-to-fix-broken-book-pr-campaign.html

Instead of worrying about book sales, authors must take action now!

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2018/03/instead-of-worrying-about-book-pr.html

Which media outlets really move books?

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2018/03/which-media-outlets-really-sell-books.html

Brian Feinblum’s insightful views, provocative opinions, and interesting ideas expressed in this terrific blog are his alone and not that of his employer or anyone else. You can – and should -- follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels much more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2018. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s Independent.  This was named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. Also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.”