Promoting Your Book - A No BS Guide For Authors and Small Publishers

Blog Post Summary: If you want to get an article, interview or review in the newspaper, start small.

I live in the boonies. A gated community in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains NE of Sacramento on the way to Lake Tahoe. Gorgeous out here. Also far from any major city.

This can, of course, be a good thing.

There are a couple of smaller local papers: I doubt the combined circulation is 6000. So I called the senior editor/general manager of both papers. They both answered their own phones.

Me: Hi <editor’s name>, my name is ~ and I saw on your website that if had anything I thought was newsworthy to give you a call…do you have a few minutes

Editor: Sure, what’s up?

Me: I am a local author and I have just written a book on generating lifestyle-based income…having your quality of life drive the type of job and income you want to create in your life and not the other way around. There is a lot in the book about how I believe that everyone should be a bit more entrepreneurial (I go on a bit more about troublesome economy, housing crisis, retiring baby boomers, lack of adequate funds for retirement, etc).

Editor: Sound interesting, I’ll have a reporter call you. Can you send (some info - blurb on the book, cover graphic, contact information, etc)?

Me: Sure … I’ll send it right over.

The two conversations were similar with a few variations but the results were the same: they liked what I had to say and agreed to follow up. So, some pointers:

1. Do your research. Start at the top if you think it will work. Know who covers the topic area where your book would fit (e.g., lifestyle or business would have been my choices).
2. Make it interesting to them: why do they care … or more importantly, why do their READERS care.
3. I can say that my topic is pretty compelling to start with but I also tied it into current events, and that makes it news.

Something, in theory, the newspapers are in business for reporting. My first interview is in two days.

I’ll get back to you then.

This idea is going nowhere fast.

First of all, fully half of the amazon.com top reviewers I have looked at review either only DVD/movies (most often) or CD/audio reviews. No audio books that I have spotted thus far.

I have probably sent out 15 messages, either through emails when they offer that up on their profile page or through the “Invite as an amazon Friend” option which is the backdoor approach that Steve Weber mentioned in his book Plug Your Book! Some of the Top Reviewers even have this turned off.

I am up through reviewer 50 with the 15 message sent out (all the other reviewers were specific to movies, audio, fiction, cookbooks, etc that were not even close to appropriate for The Wealth Manifesto).

I have received thus far exactly ONE (yes, that’s 1) reply. A very nice email from Joanna Daneman who told me my book sounded great but that since she was in the asset management business (i.e, financial advisor type), she may not be able to review my book as it had some element of making money and investing.

The SEC is pretty nasty about their regs with these people. I sent it to her anyway … since she was the only one who asked.

I might try to skip down to rank 160 or so … maybe these people will be a little more real.

Ciao for now