Authors
must create “a differentiated message in an authentic voice’ says," Tanya Hall,
CEO of the hybrid publisher Greenleaf Book Group, in her new book, Ideas, Influence and Income in Write a Book:
Build Your Brand and Lead Your
Industry.
What
else does she say about authors? Based
on her years of building Greenleaf into an Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Company
and prior to that in TV production for Extra!
and E! Entertainment Television, she
tells us:
Problem-Solve
“When
thinking about your brand, I encourage you to ask yourself what problem you are
solving, why and for whom?
How
to Stand Out
“How
do we cut through this clutter to be seen and heard?” The answer boils down to differentiating two
things in the marketplace: you and your
content.
Start
by ensuring that your message is relevant and differentiated. What specific
areas of your expertise do people consistently draw on? How is your approach or philosophy different
from that of your closest competitors?
Once you’ve refined your unique positioning, boil the value proposition
down into a succinct elevator pitch.
Identify
Your Targeted Reader
Try
to build a clear profile of your targeted reader. The more conclusions you can draw around
their demographics, their lifestyle, their goals, their passions, and so on,
the easier it will be for you to churn out content that strongly resonates with
them.
Hire A Publicist
Authors
often ask me if hiring a publicist is worth the investment. For the majority of books, I would say
yes. A successful publicity campaign can
bring in a level of media coverage that lands more clients, more brand cachet,
more book sales, and additional media opportunities.
A Good Publicist Will Tell You What You May Not Want To Hear
When
choosing a publicist, stay away from the yes-man. You may need a dose of tough love from your
publicist to ensure your expectations are reasonable. (We all think our stories are great, after
all, and it’s hard to imagine that someone doesn’t care, isn’t it?)
Make
the Reporter’s Job Easy
Don’t
you love it when someone walks into your office with a problem and then presents
a well-thought-out solution or two for your consideration? Of course you do. It makes your job easier.
The
same is true of reporters. The easier
you can make it for them to pull together the story, the better. For example,
note who is available for an interview and whether you have license-free
footage or images available that could be used to build out the piece.
Book
Launch
The
success of your book’s initial launch is important for a few reasons beyond
celebrating the culmination of all your hard work. We’ve established that a
book launch is a product launch, and product launches provide an angle to pitch
the media and raise awareness of your ideas and message. A good book also gives the community of
people you can reach through your platform something to talk about, which lies
at the heart of creating word of mouth - the most powerful influence tool of
all.
Make
It Happen
Overall,
there’s no getting around the fact that creating influence requires a lot of
hustle. If it were easy, everybody would be an influencer. If you’re serious
about establishing thought leader status, take the time to set up the systems
and strategies described in this section before your book launch. As with any
product launch, planning and execution will make or break you.
DON”T MISS THESE!!!
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Book Blog Post #3,000
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publicity?
Why authors can’t rely on ads to market their books and brand
How to craft a brief message for long books
Why authors need coaches, just like
athletes
Know the media’s purpose in order to have
them cover your book
How do you find more book reviewers?
Valuable Info On Book Marketing
Landscape For First-Time Authors
Scores of Best-Selling Book PR Tips from
Book Expo PR Panel
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