Many
authors, when working with a publicist, ask if physical copies are needed for
the media, or whether digital copies will suffice. The answer is yes, no, and depends.
Authors
and publishers, always looking to cut costs, would rather not have to foot the
bill for review copies but in certain cases they are desired or needed. For instance, fi you want to get people’s
attention, a call may go to voicemail and emails may go to spam filters or not
get read, so you need to mail a physical book to major media outlets. They
might skim it and see if something appeals to them.
In
other cases, the media requests a physical copy. The producers of TV shows or editors of
newspapers may prefer the physical book in hand. Other outlets may prefer a digital copy, such
as bloggers or online book reviewers.
Media
that demands it receive an advance review copy of the book three to four months
prior to publication date, such as book trades, major magazines, or top
reviewers at leading dailies, almost always want a physical book.
The
rule of thumb here: don’t be cheap and feed the media the book format that it
prefers.
Physical
books can make a big impression, especially ones that:
·
Are
printed on glossy or ice paper
·
Have
textured covers
·
Are
written by famous people
·
Contain
photographs and images
·
Are
historically significant or stylistically appealing
·
Are
autographed and packaged nicely
Digital
books can also make a nice impression when:
·
The
digital book is much lighter than the physical one
·
It
adds more materials, videos or documents not found in the print version
·
It
comes immediately vs. a few days for print
·
The
reporter prefers it over print
·
Its
supplemented by sound
·
The
reader can change the font size
Just
remember that what the media wants is based on its needs, preferences, and
priorities – and not your budget or personal preference. Make print and digital available to all
media, all of the time. Same with the
content you make available to consumers – have your book in all formats. Eventually, your book will be simultaneously
released in all languages online. Maybe
one day the media will ask for your book and you’ll send it
telepathically. Now, that would be super
convenient – and save time and money.
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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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