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ISSN 1545-5599 BOOK PROMOTION NEWSLETTER Issue 33: May 28, 2004 EDITOR: FRANCINE SILVERMAN www.nystatetravel.com www.bookpromotionnewsletter.com INTRODUCTION I was hoping this was the last of the sad saga regarding my computer. My dear husband took over and called Dell (he says I'm not assertive enough) and a man finally came to our home to replace the hard drive. He left while Windows was in the process of installing, and what do you know ??“ the cursor froze. At this point I was ready to toss the computer off the terrace. I called Dell and the techie assured me it was a minor problem. Armed with the knowledge that the hard drive had been replaced, he figured out that the mouse cord had loosened with all the pulling of the tower in and out of its place. The mouse was the culprit all along ??“ or so I thought. Wishful thinking. After a few hours, the machine froze again. Dell has now decided that my operating system CD is corrupted and is sending me another CD. That means once again saving everything and re-installing Microsoft Office and Norton Anti-Virus !@&*#!%!!!!! When I first reported my computer problem in this newsletter, I was flooded with empathetic e-mails from subscribers who??™ve been down the same or similar route. Your sympathy and understanding are greatly appreciated. Now here's how it impacts on you. When I re-installed my operating system a week or two ago I failed to save my e-mails. The articles sent by subscribers are gone since they were saved in an e-mail file. If you sent any articles to me that have not yet been used, please email them again and I promise to save them in a safe place this time. In This Issue: (1) Feature Article (2) Promotional Coups (3) Feedback (4) Grist for Your Mill (5) Announcement (6) A Good Question (7) Kudos (8) Correction (1) FEATURE ARTICLE PROMOTE YOURSELF ON TALK RADIO By William A. Gordon You do not have to hire a publicist or advertise through a booking service to promote your books on talk radio. My friend Stephen Schochet and I have been scheduling our own radio appearances for several years. Working independently, we have, between us, logged over 800 interviews, and we continue to sell our books, CDs, and audiotapes year in and year out. Our system may not be right for everyone. After all, we are both pretty good amateur publicists. We know how to dangle bait and reel the stations in, and our schedules are fairly flexible. But if you feel comfortable promoting your products, will work harder for yourself than anyone else will, and are well-organized and disciplined, you may want to take advantage of our experience. ? Opening Moves For starters, we work with a comprehensive database of radio shows??“one that I research and constantly update??“and contact the hosts or the producers directly ourselves. Sometimes we call them. Other times we fax, and sometimes we e-mail them. There is no one magical right or wrong initial approach. Each show operates a little differently, and we often like to mix up the routine. Regardless of how we make the initial contact, we always follow up. We never assume that the show is not interested if we do not get an immediate response. Hosts, after all, are extremely busy people, and on any given day, they are inundated with pitches from available guests from all over the country. In fact, we often have to follow up several times. Steve once made as many as 15 calls to one show before he finally got booked. He was told that the reason the producer finally called him was precisely because he was so persistent. Of course, you do not want to become a pest. Again, there are no hard and fast rules about how many times you may have to follow up. My feeling is that if you do not get a response after three or four attempts, just go on to the next show. Be sure to keep good records, though, of when you contacted a particular show and of the names of your contacts there. Chances are that six months or a year from now the host and/or producer will be gone, and you can always try the next host and/or producer. ? Materials for a Broader List When we fax or e-mail, we always provide the hosts with a TV Guide-like capsule description of our books, a list of questions they can ask us, a brief biographical sketch, and information on where the book is available. I do not want to imply that many talk-show hosts are lazy, but you would be surprised how many times the hosts repeat the information verbatim. Not every host will ask the same questions you provide them, in the exact same order, but many of them will. We also do not limit ourselves to the top 100 talk shows. Many news shows and drive-time morning shows on oldies, contemporary hits, and even country stations need to fill air space and are looking for interesting guests. These shows are not listed in the more popular media directories, but we have been able to identify them simply by calling the station and talking to the Program Director. ? Operating as an Expert We also get more interviews by positioning ourselves as experts in our fields (in our case, Hollywood) and by offering commentary and anecdotes about topics in the news. For example, even though I promote The Ultimate Hollywood Tour Book outside of California, I rarely pitch myself as an expert on L.A. sightseeing. Instead I offer to talk about breaking news stories like Robert Blake??™s arrest, or the falsification of George Harrison??™s death certificate, and tie them in with the other notorious Hollywood scandals and murders that my book covers. Similarly, after September 11, when talk radio seemed to be "all terrorism, all the time," Steve adapted and continued to get interviews by offering himself as an expert on Hollywood's response to wars and national crises. He also got Valentine's Day bookings by offering to talk about Hollywood romances, and bookings in March by talking about the stories and legends behind the Academy Awards. After a celebrity dies, he gets even more interviews by offering to tell anecdotes about that celebrity. Once we've done an interview, we always send a "thank you" note to the host or producer. We also call the station??™s receptionist to provide information about the book because listeners who don't remember or didn??™t catch your name or your book's title may call the station for additional information. The receptionist is the first and very often the only person the listener will ever reach. You'll want to be sure this radio employee has not only your name and the book title but also your URL and ordering information. ? William A. Gordon is author of THE ULTIMATE HOLLYWOOD TOUR BOOK (www.nrbooks.com) and editor of "Gordon's Radio List," a list of 1,100 locally produced and nationally syndicated radio shows that interview guests. He can be reached at info@nrbooks.com. *********************************************************************** (2) PROMOTIONAL COUPS Speaking of radio, Beverly M. Melvin believes radio interviews are the best advertisement ??“ next to word of mouth. ???When I initially went in to B. Dalton Booksellers and visited with the manager about how local authors go about getting their book into the store, he was very kind and ordered 25 book on the spot!, she recalls. ???Then he asked if I would be interested in coming for a book signing. Would I? I was thrilled.??? The manager then encouraged Beverly to visit the newspaper offices and leave a copy of her humorous novel, THE LAST FLING (Instant publisher.com 2003), and then to go to the two radio stations in town and leave them a copy too. ???I did as he suggested and I received a call from each radio station asking me to come in for an interview. Talking about the book and how it came about was such fun, and, of course, I mentioned the book signing and when and where it was to be. People talked about the radio interview quite a bit.??? www.beverlymelvin.com -------- Some subscribers have written that they advertise in Radio TV Interview Report (RTIR). Steve Alten, whose current novel is RESURRECTION (Forge 2004), writes that ???For about $400 you can run a half-page ad that is seen by booking people on radio shows. Most are medium to small shows, but you will get something.??? Steve has been on Art Bell Coast to Coast radio three times, characterizing it as ???the biggest radio show in the world.??? The late night show, he says, focuses on the supernatural. ???First a publicist booked me, now I do it myself. It's not easy to get on ??“ you have to have a subject that fits their format.??? www.stevealten.com $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ REMINDER ??“ The annual subscription fee is $5. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ *********************************************************************** (3) FEEDBACK ???I loved that article by Ms. Perry re: subsidy publishing and agree whole heartedly with what she said,??? says Laurel Johnson, referring to the feature article by LaVora Perry in the last issue.? ???There definitely are favorable aspects to subsidy publishing, not the least of which are the excellent royalties. I've reviewed many books from subsidy publishers and their books are every bit as good in quality as those from conventional publishers.??? www.authorsden/laurelajohnson *********************************************************************** (4) GRIST FOR YOUR MILL Deborah Anderson, http://scheherazadetales.com, provided the following information: There is a new discussion group only for romance ebooks at Yahoo Groups - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ebooklove. According to Deborah, this free group differs from lists for major print publishers, mystery, mainstream, science fiction, etc., since it's ???for romance ebooks ONLY." To encourage reader talk about romance ebooks, every time an author or publisher posts an ebook promo to the group, they will give away a free copy of the ebook to a member of this list. Simply sending a private email to the list moderator gets a member's name in the drawing. We hope this method will lure lurkers out of lurkdom and they will be inspired to post to the list about the free ebook they just won, as well as any other romance ebooks they've read lately and want to talk about.??? The list is a huge success so far, Deborah says, ???but we want to expand the membership if possible. Aside from the promo giveaways, we are also planning to do annual romance ebook excellence awards, but we need more members to make that a viable opportunity for promotion.??? To join this group, simply send email to ebooklove-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ebooklove and join. ------------- Lisa Renee Jones, www.lisareneejones.com, is author of eight e-books (all since last September), a soon-to-be-published print book, and former owner of a staffing agency for temporary employees with seven offices who was recognized in Entrepreneurial magazine in the top ten women-owned businesses for growth. She has now started a business called Red Room, www.authorsredroom.com, to help other authors succeed. Among the services provided at $50/month are free advertising at Red Room, posting book excerpts on related sites, announcing new releases and positive reviews weekly at every possible website, preparation and management of a newsletter, and trivia contest. ???In short, I have beaten the pavement to learn how to help me and now am using it to help others,??? says Lisa. ???At the Red Room we customize to our client??™s needs. We do the things that need to be done but take time out of your writing.??? ------- Don Keith is the author of 12 books, his latest a novel called FINAL BEARING (Forge Books), a techno-thriller,? just out in paperback. His first non-fiction book,? GALLANT LADY: A BIOGRAPHY OF USS ARCHERFISH (the true story of a very unique and quite amazing World War II submarine) will be released in two weeks, also by Forge.? He made a discovery that he??™d like to share with readers: ? ???I recently became aware of a new phenomenon called "viral marketing."? While it sounds a bit odious, it is actually safe and proving to be quite effective.? With viral marketing,? companies use email or a Web site address to generate interest in a product or service by creating? content of such compelling interest that recipients voluntarily forward the email to others or help promote the Web site by encouraging friends and acquaintances to visit. In a recent example, search engines were filled with hundreds of Web sites? that had posted the video of a TV commercial that Ford Europe was allegedly considering running for one of its models.? It was a rather gruesome ad in which a cat got its head caught in the vehicle's sunroof,??? which was supposed to be funny but would be offensive to animal lovers. ???Ford denied it had ever seriously considered running the ad on TV - that it was only presented to them as a possibility.? The fact is they didn't have to run it.? The? Web presence got the company far more publicity than the ad? would have likely generated. ? I'm sure we've all gotten emails with cute, doctored photos or clever poems or jokes, forwarded to us by friends.? There is sometimes a small, unobtrusive? ad or company mention at the bottom of the email.? These are also examples of viral marketing...in which the marketer depends on people telling someone about a Web site or forwarding emails to a geometrically? expanding network of recipients. ? With a new paperback out and a new hardback coming soon, I decided to give it a try on a very small scale.? I was in broadcasting for a number of years and have been collecting a list of defining things a former radio person would remember if he was in the business during each decade.? Granted, it's a very specialized list, but I sent it to about thirty people in my email address book who I thought might get a chuckle out of it.? At the end of the message, I put my name, ???former radio guy and author of??™ and gave my book titles and Web address. ? Within two days, I had heard from over fifty people, most of whom did not receive the original mailing.? In addition, the list, along with the info at the end, has been reproduced in several broadcasting trade publications and on Web sites.? I've heard from quite a few former acquaintances that had no idea I was writing now. ? Who knows how many books that few minutes' work has sold?? I would think most anyone who has written a book could come up with something "forwardable," and knows a few dozen people who might like it enough to pass it along.? It's NOT spam.? You're sending it to friends and people you know, not a mass list.? And you're not really trying to sell them anything.? You're only giving them something they may enjoy reading and forwarding to others.???? www.donkeith.com ? *********************************************************************** (5) ANNOUNCEMENT Patrika Vaughn announces that her 5-tape CD, THE WRITER'S TOOL BOX, has been published by A Cappela Publishing, Inc. (www.acappela.com).? This seminar-in-a-box starts off identifying the seven most common problems that keep manuscripts from being published and how to cure them, and goes on to discuss in depth the all-important aspects of Openings,? Voice, Character and Plot. These CDs have been distilled from classes, seminars and workshops given from Florida to Finland.? They hold the accumulated wisdom of more than 25 years of writing, editing and publishing savvy.? They'll open your eyes and save you time. Available through your favorite bookstore or at www.acappela.com/toolbox.html --------- Rev. Paschal Eze, CEO of Paashan Books, a Coralville, Iowa-based Christian book promotion outfit, and former daily newspaper and monthly magazine editor-in-chief, www.PaashanNewsService.com, contributed the following: ? Nominations have opened for the Mid-Western Christian Book Fair (MCBF) Awards, a major highlight of the fair in Iowa City, Iowa on October 1 and 2, 2004, with part of the proceeds going to Children's Miracle Network. ? The MCBF Awards nominations are free of charge and should be sent to the chairperson of the three-person MCBF Awards Jury by email and/or post on or before August 1. ? ???The awards are in recognition of the contributions of individuals and organizations to the fast growing Christian book industry, and will help to oil the wheels of the multi-faceted industry,??? comments? Rev. Eze, whose company is organizer of the event. ???Recipients of the eight MCBF Awards will include a news media organization, three Christian authors, a publisher, a bookseller, a notable buyer of Christian books and an MCBF exhibitor. ? According to Rev. Eze, while the three-person MCBF Awards Jury will decide winners of the seven awards categories for which nominations are sought, Paashan Books will decide the winner of the MCBF Best Exhibitor Award at the event, which is expected to draw author, publisher and bookseller exhibitors from different parts of the US and beyond. ? For more information on how to make nominations for the MCBF Awards, please visit the event website, www.christian-book-fair.com or contact Shanita Eze at bookfair@christian-book-fair.com ------------- ? Be the Star You are!, the charity chaired by subscriber Cynthia Brian to help youth at risk through literacy and positive media, is seeking donations for its online auction on June 1st at 1 p.m and its live event on Saturday June 26, 7:30-10pm at the SF Comedy Club, 50 Mason Street, San Francisco., CA. You can use the Donate Item feature on the auction homepage. www.bethestaryouare.org/home.html For questions about item donations, email bethestaryouare@cmarket.com. All donations to Be the Star You Are! are tax deductible as allowed by law. Be the Star You Are!TM is a 501(c)(3) charity. ******************************************************************** (6) A GOOD QUESTION E. S. Etuk, an award-winning author of eight books, including LISTEN AFRICANS: FREEDOM IS UNDER FIRE??? and his newest, RECIPE FOR SUCCESS: THE 21 INDISPENSABLE THINGS THAT CAN HELP YOU SUCCEED IN LIFE, is actively seeking ???an honest distributor.??? Any suggestions for him? www.emida1.com --------------- Dar Hosta is preparing to promote her second children's book, I LOVE THE ALPHABET, and has a question about press releases. ???Up until now, most of the sales revolving around my first title, I LOVE THE NIGHT, have been through the juried art shows and school visits that I do in the tri-state area, and through moderate sales at Borders and Barnes & Noble.? To date, I have been able to sell nearly 11,000 books.??? She'd now like to send press releases to announce her new book and is interested in contacting newspapers nationwide, small or large.? ???I have been poking on the PR Web,??? she says, and wonders what experiences others have had with this program. She'd also like to know if other authors feel that their ???contribution to the PR Web has or has not enhanced their exposure or success with the services that are offered by PR Web.??? Dar adds that she??™s willing to pay for press release distribution if the service is reliable. Dar also wonders if any subscribers ???can offer suggestions on submitting books to magazines for review, highlights or coverage with a human interest element. I recently bought what I thought would be a directory of magazines that relate to children and parenting, but was disappointed to find that it was mostly for people looking for a book publisher, which I am not.? My target audience are those interested in children's books and, particularly, educators.??? Dar has another question:? ???Are everyone's experiences with getting Baker and Taylor to pay in a timely manner as horrific as mine??!!? It seems as though I have to make at least 6 phone calls and send nearly as many faxes of my invoices to get my check at about 150 days after invoice. Additionally, the staff person in charge of accounting seems to change on an amazingly regular basis.? Unfortunately, my printer requires me to pay for my books in 30 days.??? www.browndogbooks.com ------- (7) KUDOS An interview with Betty Jo Tucker, author of SUSAN SARADON: A TRUE MAVERICK (Hats Off Books 2004), is in good company at www.booksandauthors.net right below James Patterson and ???Four Blind Mice.??? www.authorsden.com/bettyjotucker? -------------- Marcia Reynolds and her book OUTSMART YOUR BRAIN! GET HAPPY, GET HEARD, AND GET YOUR WAY AT WORK (Covisioning 2003) are quoted in the May issues of Harvard Management Update, How Will You Make Your Team a Team? and Family Circle, Seven Secrets of Supremely Happy Women. Marcia specializes in using the power of emotional intelligence to strengthen relationships and achieve higher levels of success at work and in your life. www.OutsmartYourBrain.com ---------- Linda Broday??™s second historical romance, THE COWBOY WHO CAME CALLING, Leisure Books 2003) has been nominated as a finalist in the National Readers' Choice Awards (short historical category.) Winners will be announced in Dallas, Texas at the Adam's Mark Hotel in July at the RWA conference. Linda??™s first book, KNIGHT ON THE TEXAS PLAINS (Leisure Books 2002), was a Texas Gold Winner and More Than Magic Award winner. www.LindaBroday.com ----------- The ???Nutrition Twins,??? Lyssie Lakatos and Tammy Lakatos Shames, and their new book, FIRE UP YOUR METABOLISM: 9 PROVEN PRINCIPLES FOR BURING FAT AND LOSING WEIGHT FOREVER (Simon and Schuster 2004), are featured in an article and Q&A in the May/June 2004 issue of Remedy ??“ Health & Wellness for Life, published bi-monthly by MediZine, Inc. The twins are registered dieticians and certified personal trainers. www.nutritiontwins.com ------------ Librarian and children's author Toni Buzzeo's THE SEA CHEST was named to the Children's Crown Gallery Award list for 2004-2005, and DAWDLE DUCKLING was named a Dolly Parton Imagination Library 2004 Selection. Her third picture book, LITTLE LOON AND PAPA, ???is just about to pop -- publishes on May 10, in plenty of time for Father's Day!??? she says. www.tonibuzzeo.com ------------ Sherry Taber of the Durango Public Library announced that DISSONANCE (University of New Mexico Press 2003), Lisa Lenard-Cook's novel of love, war, and forgiveness, has been selected for this year??™s Durango-La Plata Reads! Residents of the southwest Colorado community will read the novel over the summer and then gather in reading groups this fall to discuss the book. A week-long series of events in October will include appearances by the author. Selected as a 2003 book of the year by libraries in places as diverse as Tucson, Cincinnati, St. Paul, and Midland, Michigan and is now in a second printing, the book explores the internal journey of contemporary Los Alamos piano teacher Anna Kramer as she uncovers the story of pianist/composer Hana Weissova, who was interred in the concentration camp Terezin during World War II. Lisa uses music theory as a leitmotif throughout the novel. Her next novel, COYOTE MORNING, will be published by UNM Press in September 2003, and has already garnered critical attention. www.lisalenardcook.com. More information on Durango-La Plata Reads can be found at http://www.durangogov.org/news_detail.cfm?article=5A5342. -------------- A past issue named those subscribers whose websites made Writers Digest??™s 101 Best Websites for Writers for 2004 (cited in WD??™s May 2004 issue). The website of a new subscriber, Hope Clark, has made the list for the fourth consecutive year! ???I adore that award!??? she says. ???I've worked hard to make the site and the newsletters eye catching. A lot of people like the design.??? In addition, Writers Digest has ???finally accepted an article??? by Hope, which should be coming out this year. She's sold two articles to The Writer with one coming out in the fall and another in the winter, and has two pieces coming out in Byline Magazine this year. Hope is author of FUNDSFORWRITERS: THE BOOK (1st Books 2000) and several e-books as well as editor of four ezines. www.fundsforwriters.com ------------- Animal behaviorist/trainer and ???Dog Trainer to the Stars??? Bashkim Dibra, author of DOG TRAINING BY BASH (1992), DOGSPEAK (1999), YOUR DREAM DOG (2003), and three other books, was featured in a full-page article in Sunday??™s New York Daily News (May 23, 2004) entitled ???Pawstruck.??? His ???Make Your Pet A Star??? workshop is offered twice a year in NYC for $600 per session. Contact Bash at 718-796-4541 or visit www.starpet.com For more information on Bash, visit www.pawsacrossamerica.com ? *********************************************************************** (8) CORRECTION Laurel Johnon??™s book, THE ALLEY OF WISHES, was initially self published through 1stBooks, but has not been with them since July 2003 when Dandelion Books released it as a second edition.? It is out of print with 1stBooks and only available through www.dandelionbooks.net.? ******************************************************************** Francine Silverman is author of CATSKILLS ALIVE (second edition) and LONG ISLAND ALIVE, both published in 2003 by Hunter Publishing and geared to every interest. To learn more about her guidebooks and for links to hundreds of attractions on Long Island and in the Catskills, visit Fran's one-stop website at www.nystatetravel.com. Book reviews are posted at http://catskills.hvnet.com/guides.htm; www.blether.com/blether.php?id=7268 www.bookreviewcafe.com/longislandalive.html, http://longisland.about.com/cs/artsentertainment/gr/li_alive.htm, www.canarsiecourier.com/news/2003/0327/Arts_Entertainment/007.html and www.bookpleasures.com/reviewdetail.php?reviewID=95. www.blether.com/blether.php?id=7073 To subscribe to this newsletter, send an e-mail with your first name to: franalive@optonline.net, visit: http://www.nystatetravel.com, or check the archives at www.bookpromotionnewsletter.com. Mailing address: P.O. Box 1333, Riverdale, New York 10471. PERMISSION TO REPRINT: You may reprint any items from "Book Promotion Newsletter" in your own print or electronic newsletter. But please include the following paragraph: Reprinted from "Book Promotion Newsletter," an ezine featuring articles, tips and promotional coups for generating book publicity. franalive@optonline.net. www.bookpromotionnewsletter.com -- To unsubscribe/change profile: http://www.mailermailer.com/x?u=29055075z-6c15c30c To subscribe: http://www.mailermailer.com/x?oid=12216r Email list management powered by http://MailerMailer.com |
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