Imagine you just returned from vacation and endured a grueling 14-hour flight through seven time zones. Naturally, you are jetlagged and want nothing more than to go to bed. Then the phone rings. The local news station wants you to be on the news that night for a 5-minute interview. Can you be at the station in two hours to tape the interview? That’s what happened to … [Read more...]
Should I Pay to Be on TV?
The person you are seeing interviewed on TV might have paid for that spot. It’s true. There seems to be a new trend going on among local TV shows as well as cable news shows to sell interview spots to authors, speakers and business people for fees ranging from $900 to $4,500. While this isn’t illegal, the practice is disturbing. As a viewer, I expect the news … [Read more...]
Baseball and the Art of Book Publicity
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...]