TV ratings are down. Newspaper and magazine circulation are declining. Online media is rising but so much of it changes so often it’s hard to keep up. What’s a steady media force these days?
Radio.
Yes, radio.
For years, listenership on radio has held steady. Now, a new Arbitron/Edison Research survey, published in USA Today, shows that adults in cars overwhelmingly choose to listen to AM/FM radio. 84% of them said they listen to radio. Just 29% said they listen to an iPod or MP3 player. 63% play CD’s. 15% listen to satellite radio and 12% online radio.
Radio presents an opportunity for authors to get their message out. The appeal of radio is that authors get to talk, usually without editing, so authors can directly share their vision with passion and enthusiasm. Often, authors can mention a book title and web site several times in the course of an interview. Radio is often segmented by listener demographics and allows you to target various locations and listener profiles.
Radio, when listened in the car, doesn’t have DVR or pause buttons. It comes to the listener as a member of a captive audience. There are thousands of news and talk shows across the nation’s radio dial waiting to have you as a guest. Tune in now – or be tuned out.
Interview With Author Anne Burack Sayre
1. What type of books do you write? I write Children’s Books that are targeted for 3rd through 6th graders. My series is called “The Melinda & Simon Series” and I know what you’re going to say, “Why is there only one book?” There is only one book so far…. but the second book is in the editing stage and I’m crossing my fingers and toes that it should be finished in a few months. My published and released children’s book is titled, The Birthday Book Club Snatching, and it is a delightful story about a 6th grader, Melinda, and her odd, quirky, and peculiar younger brother, Simon. When Simon doesn’t like what’s happening in real life, the second grader retreats into an imaginary world where he is in control and decides the outcome.
2. What is your newest book about? My children’s book, The Birthday Book Club Snatching, is about the following: “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes!” The voice rings out just as Simon and the other patriots in the Continental Army are awaiting the advancement of British troops at the 1775 Battle of Bunker Hill. So begins the children’s story The Birthday Book Club Snatching: The Melinda & Simon Series. Melinda Burke has misgivings about her younger brother and the situation is getting serious because she envisions Simon being blamed for snatching books from the school library. Melinda is determined to prove Simon’s innocence and be more than just a big sister, but also his protector and coach in life. Simon is smart, but he’s hopeless in social situations, as he stammers, gets bullied, and then retreats into his own make-believe world. So who snatched the library books? Read along in this imaginative and fun new novel to find out.
3. What inspired you to write it? That’s a very good question since I was not a “true writer” from my childhood days. In other words, I didn’t begin writing at a young age and then continue becoming a creative writer. So what did inspire me? Having a baby. When my husband and I decided to have a baby, I was working as a marketing and sales representative for a telecommunications company. Now, sure, I had always thought that writing a creative novel along the same lines as the Nancy Drew Mysteries (I would read those books cover to cover in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade) could be a satisfying experience. But something wasn’t quite right. It just didn’t feel complete to have Melinda and no other primary character in my story. It was like having a big scoop of vanilla ice cream but no chocolate or caramel topping to drizzle down on all sides. It just wouldn’t have that same yummy taste. Then we had a baby. As a new mother, I began to see, feel, and touch what it was like to have a little boy. As the years slipped by, I began to imagine that Melinda could have a younger brother, named Simon, who was quirky, odd, and peculiar and always getting into trouble at school. Whenever Simon didn’t like what was happening in real life, he would drift off into his make-believe, imagination called, “Simonworld,” where he is in control and decides the outcome. And there you have it! Having a baby was my inspiration for becoming a children’s author and hopefully teaching other kids that being honest and telling the truth is best in life. The world can be difficult at times but if you keep learning and gaining knowledge you’ll achieve happiness in the end. My son, in effect, taught me to write The Melinda & Simon Series and to tell young people that you frequently have to retrace your steps, but as long as you don’t give up, you will move forward and eventually succeed in life.
4. What is the writing process like for you? It is a long, arduous process but when you (hopefully!) complete the entire novel it is the most satisfying of events. Like others, I have become a master at using the dictionary, thesaurus, grammatical manuals, and Internet for research purposes. The best time of the day for me to write is the afternoon. Typically, I spend 3-4 hours per day writing, revising, editing, and then re-writing. It’s just a matter of getting into my “zone” and then letting my imagination take off as the story begins to unfold.
5. What did you do before you became an author? Before becoming an author, I spent approximately 20 years in sales and marketing for telecommunications companies. However, I got burned out and felt that I was spinning my wheels going from meeting to meeting to meeting. It wasn’t fun for me anymore and therefore I started to look around and find another career. But it did teach me to be open, step out of my “comfort zone”, and to try different types of activities that would feel right for me.
6. How does it feel to be a published author? It feels great but this is only the first step in a long, uphill battle. What all published authors need is marketing their book to their target audience and that is a never-ending process in itself! A published author then needs to rinse and repeat; in other words, write another book and do the marketing techniques all over again except this time the marketing will be slightly easier. As I stated before, this is a second career for me, not just a quick second job, and I plan on being in it for the long haul.
7. Any advice for struggling writers? Something that one of my writing advisors/agents told me: write, write some more, write every day if you can, write anything whether it’s freelance, a novel, short stories, fiction or non-fiction, just write. As long as you keep up the writing, you’ll be fresh and ready to tackle any obstacle or success as the years go by.
8. Where do you see book publishing heading? I see book publishing heading toward the e-books such as kindle and nook in huge proportions. I envision people being able to download a book that interests them for a nominal price no matter where they are in the world. I think social media websites are extremely important in marketing and making people become more familiar with the books that are available. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Linked In, and others will become a dominant factor in this new age of book publishing.
For more information, please consult: http://sbpra.com/AnneBurackSayre
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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. This blog is copyrighted material by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2013
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