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Radio Interviews Don’t Sell Books – And 4 Other Myths of Book Publicity

September 30, 2010 by Dan Smith

There are many misconceptions about book publicity; some a result of misunderstanding of the dynamics of media exposure, and some from outdated advice which no longer applies to today's market. Below are just a few myths, some of which I've gone into more detail in other postings or articles, but I wanted to compile them for easy review. 1) Myth: Radio interviews don't … [Read more...]

Maximize Your Book Publicity

August 18, 2010 by Dan Smith

Completing a radio or television interview is exciting, and seeing your name and book in print is equally thrilling. You, of course, hope the listeners, viewers or readers will buy your book, and it’s inevitable that some will. But most of the time, a radio or television interview will only air once and a print article–especially in a newspaper–is out one day and gone the … [Read more...]

The Death of the Book Review?

August 4, 2010 by Dan Smith

Industry experts offer varying opinions on the issue of book reviews, but as anyone in the publicity business knows, securing ‘traditional’ book reviews is more difficult than in years past. Large galley mailings are becoming less common. Instead, as my agency has done, the more efficient and economical practice is targeted advance review copy mailings, to very carefully chosen … [Read more...]

Why You Should Do EVERY Radio Interview You Can

July 8, 2010 by Dan Smith

It's easy to be tempted to ignore or at least not be excited about the prospect of an interview on a small radio station. Some authors think a tiny station will have few listeners, and it may not be worth the time to do the interview. First, this isn't necessarily true. Think about it: How many people does a small, 1000 watt station in the middle of New York City reach? … [Read more...]

Can You Get Me on Oprah?

June 24, 2010 by Dan Smith

As publicists, the number one question we get is: "Can you get me on Oprah?" Or, clients give us a declarative statement: "The only thing I want is to get on Oprah!" Here are some insights on the "Big O" which might help put the Queen of all Media in perspective as it relates to book promotion. Oprah certainly is the gold standard of book publicity; an appearance on her … [Read more...]

Is Summer a Bad Time to Start a Book Publicity Campaign?

June 2, 2010 by Dan Smith

Summer. Our favorite time of year, and also the one time of year most publicists will tell you is not a good time to start a book promotion campaign. You might also hear that starting a campaign after Thanksgiving, mid-Spring publicity or mid-Fall are fraught with publicity perils. What are you left with? Basically, September and January are the two “surefire” best times to … [Read more...]

Five Factors to Consider Before Engaging a Publicity Firm

March 29, 2010 by Dan Smith

Your book is ready (or almost ready), final editing touches are completed, and you're ready for people to learn about your book...now what? The hard truth is that without publicity and promotion, virtually no one will ever know your book exists. If you're a self-promoter or a publisher with some in-house expertise and have the time and resources, it is possible to successfully … [Read more...]

Baseball and the Art of Book Publicity

October 26, 2008 by Dan Smith

If you’ve spoken to many publicists, you may have heard some analogies between baseball and book promotion. I probably use them everyday when speaking with clients or prospective clients, because they make key points succinctly and in an understandable manner. Here is the analogy distilled to its simplest form: Publicity is like baseball because both involve small hits, … [Read more...]

The Seven Deadly Sins of Book Promotion

September 29, 2008 by Dan Smith

Competitive doesn’t begin to describe today’s book market. The booming print-on- demand and self-publishing industries, coupled with mainstream publishers, has flooded the market with thousands of new releases each month. “The LA Times receives 600 to 700 books for review each week,” reports Steve Wasserman, book review editor. With an infinite number of books and authors vying … [Read more...]

No One Interviews a Book – Radio Interview Tips for Authors

August 28, 2008 by Dan Smith

All talk radio listeners have heard them: An interview in which the guest/author utters “as I say in my book” every 10 seconds. I’ve even heard authors recite chapter titles … every one of them! Similarly, some guests mention their website in every sentence. There’s an adage in book publicity: No one interviews a book. Books are not good guests. People, on the other hand, … [Read more...]

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