To
promote your book and author brand it is helpful to be aware of the editorial
calendars for newspapers, magazines, and digital media. You can look to see when a media outlet is
likely to cover a certain theme or topic based on when it says it will cover
it. The media is seeking advertising as
well, so it states its editorial plans months and months in advance.
For
instance, using the Publishers Weekly
editorial calendar for 2017, it already knows more than a year out what it will
be covering. Of course it will cover
other news, books and events that it can’t predict or plan for, but this
calendar is quite helpful. It’s upcoming
January 23 issue will feature parenting books.
That would be the issue to zero in on if you have something interesting
to share about parenting books. Same
could be said for travel books and the Feb. 13 issue or mysteries and thrillers
for Mar. 27 issue. Some topics get
revisited in the year. Cookbooks will be
featured for Feb. 27 and August 14, for instance.
To
find the editorial calendar for a media outlet, all you have to do is search
for the name of the outlet and the term “editorial calendar” right after it. For
instance, search for “Vogue Editorial
Calendar” or “Maxim Editorial
Calendar” and they pop up.
Knowing
what the media is looking for helps you pitch them. It also can help you scoop them. You can blog about your book in a relevant
way, days or weeks before these magazines are scheduled to publish. For instance, Time Magazine says its 12.19 issue, which publishes prior to that
date, will feature its “person of the year.” Why don’t you steal their thunder
and name your own person of the year.
Their 9.26 issue featured retirement stuff. You could have written about it before they
did.
Many
publications will seek out stories, article ideas, and input from readers to
support the themes their media outlet lists in their editorial calendar. You should seek to contribute.
The
media in some respects, is predictable, as evidenced by their editorial
calendar. You need to think along with
them and plan ahead to a degree they follow seasons of the year, holidays,
annual events, and scheduled moments.
They look at anniversaries honorary days, and things that happen in
cycles.
Another
thing to look for on editorial calendars is a section like “gift guide” or
“preview” or “fall announcements.” These
could be issues where books are listed or recommended. Maybe you can get yours included.
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