10 Things You Should Never Point Out To The Media

1. If you’re published by a small company, are self-published or you published through print on demand, it is not a selling point.  Some media will ignore you as a result of finding out; most won’t care.

2. If English is your second language or you have a speech disability or you feel insecure about your physical appearance, you don’t need to highlight it. They will tell you listen to you talk, or check out your photo in some cases, so they’ll determine what might or may not be an impediment.

3. If the book is more than several months old, some media won’t care, especially if the pitch is relevant to what’s going on now, while other media may need to research your publication date to determine if age is a factor.  But you don’t need to call it to their attention.

4. Unless it’s part of your story, no need to point out the manuscript had been rejected dozens of times before it was finally published.

5. No reason to send them bad reviews or to note you haven’t yet received any media coverage.

6. If a sequel is coming out in the far future, you don’t need them talking about that when the goal now is to publicize what you have in hand to sell.

7. Don’t highlight your competition unless you can show how your book is better than one that is already getting media coverage or hitting best-seller lists.

8. No reason to show how competitors have already covered the topic or you or they’ll feel it’s been done to death and don’t need to play second fiddle.

9. Do not reference how you’re not familiar with their show or publication.  They expect you to know how it works and to understand their editorial voice or approach.

10. If you have availability issues – to be in their city or to be available in general for a phone interview – don’t point it out immediately.  If early in the process they sense there are too many obstacles to make it work, they’ll just move past you.

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer, the nation’s largest book promoter. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person.