What Types of Books Get Media Coverage During A Pandemic?

                     

As an author or publisher you may be wondering: How will I promote a book in this environment of fear, shutdown, and uncertainty?  

The answer?

One day at a time.

Do not use these wild times as an excuse to not market your book. Shy away from complaining of what is not, and instead focus on what is. Never sit on the sidelines feeling sorry for yourself.

Just get it all out now – cry, scream, question things – and then roll up your sleeves and get to work. Just accept it: the world is not always fair, and at times, it can be harsh. But you can survive – and then thrive.

In the best of times, it is an uphill battle to get your voice heard, your brand grown, your book sold. In that respect, today is no different than a month ago. But what has changed is what the media is looking for.

Here is what I see as the popular topics for the news media:

·                  Health

·                  Healthcare Policy

·                  Seniors/Aging

·                  Fitness

·                  Medicine

·                  Caregivers

·                  Healthcare Technology

·                  Business

·                  Personal Finance

·                  Wills/Estate Planning

·                  Wall Street/ Investing

·                  Economy

·                  Oil/Energy

·                  Travel

·                  Global Relations

·                  Leadership/Management

·                  Self-Help/ Inspirational/ Motivational

·                  Crisis Management

·                  Parenting (home schooling/kids stuck at home)

·                  Politics (2020 election)

·                  Education (online learning/college/graduations)

·                  Law Enforcement (lawlessness concerns/cops sick/jails unloading criminals)

Even though these are the hot topics right now and likely for the next few months, other stories can be pitched to the media. Certain media outlets still want to talk about books and novels. They will talk to humorists. We need to laugh. They will talk to entertainers, to distract us. They will talk to people with interesting memoirs. Life goes on, and some media outlets will purposely downplay coverage on coronavirus because after awhile we need to follow something other than a body count or how far the Dow Jones dropped in an hour.

So what should you do?

First assess if you can talk about the virus in a way that it relates to your book or area of expertise without sounding like an opportunist or ambulance chaser. Next, play up why your book or subject matter is not corona-themed and provides a much-needed break from the serious coverage out there.

Craft multiple pitches. Pitch multiple mediums, multiple outlets, multiple people at each outlet. Be persistent and keep trying.

The world is upside down and for many people alive today, they have never seen anything like this. A pandemic threatens the health and lives of billions of people. The world financial markets are crashing. The spirit and psychological state of mind of many is challenged under these dire circumstances. But we also believe -- and know – this shall pass, eventually --  and most of us will find our way our of this hole. But until then, I wish you the very best – to be safe and sane!

For more information, please see a Pandemic Playbook for Book Marketing:
https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2020/03/a-book-marketing-pandemic-playbook-for.html.

Brian Feinblum’s insightful views, provocative opinions, and interesting ideas expressed in this terrific blog are his alone and not that of his employer or anyone else. You can – and should -- follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels much more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2020. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s Independent.  This was named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. Also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America.