Books
are featured in our news and social media on a regular basis. Read about the next celebrity tell-all, the
latest best-seller, or a book tied into a lawsuit, scandal, or political
race. Maybe the book is controversial or
perhaps it libels and defames someone.
Perhaps the book is being banned, protested, or contested as a hoax.
What will it take for your book to get media exposure if it lacks all of those
things?
My
first question is: Are you sure you
don’t have any of the above going for you?
Maybe there’s a way to link to one of those catchy story lines. Could you stir up your own controversy that
generates curiosity and interest?
Ok,
so if you lack a scandal, legal dealings, or a big-name connection, you become
like most authors. So what do some
of them do to stick out and garner media coverage?
They tap into a message, an idea, a philosophy, or a theory that has built-in interest. They find a way to talk about something that people are already familiar with and have strong feelings about.
They tap into a message, an idea, a philosophy, or a theory that has built-in interest. They find a way to talk about something that people are already familiar with and have strong feelings about.
Create a checklist. Does your book, in any way,
touch upon the powerful forces of:
·
Crime/Murder
·
Politics/Corruption
·
Sex/Erotica
·
Space
·
Family/Parenting
·
Life/Death
·
Celebrities/Rich/Pro
Athletics
·
Religion/Morality
·
Love/Hate
·
Media
·
War/Terrorism
·
Culture
·
Exotic
Locations
·
Future
Technology/Science/Medicine
·
History
Of
course there are other push-button topics that can help you earn attention and
depending on how you present a subject or choose to comment on it, you’ll end
up with tens of millions of people who potentially could have an interest in
your book. There’s a lot of mystery to
life, things we don’t fully understand or yet have an awareness of. When writers can tap into our curiosity,
fear, or desire, we are ripe for the taking.
The same goes for history, psychology, lust, and greed. We are driven by our fantasies, our fates determined by our perceptions. Tap into what people think, feel, or have experienced. Get in touch with what drives the human spirit and exploit it with your bold statements, accusations, questions, or claims.
The same goes for history, psychology, lust, and greed. We are driven by our fantasies, our fates determined by our perceptions. Tap into what people think, feel, or have experienced. Get in touch with what drives the human spirit and exploit it with your bold statements, accusations, questions, or claims.
If
you can’t find much to publicize about you or your book then you probably
should rethink who is going to buy the book and what will move them to be
interested. There must be a hook that
you can latch onto.
Ask yourself these questions:
Ask yourself these questions:
·
Is
there a trend that my book connects to?
·
Do
I make bold predictions?
·
Am
I reimagining or reexamining history?
·
Do
I speak to something in the current news cycle?
·
Is
there an event, holiday, anniversary, or honorary day to tie my writing into?
·
Is
my book similar to one on the best-seller list?
·
Do
I use certain tricks to get my message across – a unique character, odd
setting, play on language, or fresh writing style?
·
Does
my personal or professional background make for an interesting story, even if
it’s totally unrelated to my book?
·
Do
I have visuals that may get attention?
·
Can
I make a crazy allegation with merit?
What
would a writer be willing to do to get attention? Would an author be willing to commit a crime,
sleep with someone or compromise a value just to generate publicity? Should
they do such things if they are willing to do so?
I
would never advocate doing anything illegal or unethical, but writers that want
to go the extra mile to make a name for themselves should do so with caution
and reason. Fame is valuable, but one’s
freedom, fortune, and character must not be exchanged for it.
I
wonder if any authors raped, killed, or did horrific things just so they would be
better informed to write about them and craft a genuine thriller? I always wonder how many novelists
experienced something that inspired their books. I find it hard to believe that some of the
best writers did not in fact they commit some of the crimes they write about.
Somewhere out there is a novel based on fact, a confession waiting for the
police to expose.
Perhaps
some novelists, so obsessed with the work they’ve penned, want to try the real
thing, the way horny people eventually move on from being satiated by a fantasy
and decide to act on their deepest desires and assault someone sexually. What
if authors react to their own writings, inspiring their very own crime spree?
Does
blogging about this mean I killed someone – or inspire me to attack another? I
would like to think not, but out of millions of books, isn’t it possible, even
likely, that a criminal-turned-writer or writer-turned-criminal is amongst us?
If
you’re not up to going to jail, find a good angle to exploit for publicity.
There has to be something you can highlight that will get the attention of
others. If all else fails, write a different book.
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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 2017©. Born and
raised in Brooklyn, now resides in Westchester. Named one of the best book
marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs
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