Tag Archives: Author Branding

Book Promotion for the Dog Days of Summer

Book Publicity, , ,

Authors know book promotion is 24/7 year round activity. Yet when many ask themselves how they can promote their book during the slow summer time, they become discouraged.  They shouldn’t.  The summer is a great time for book promotion and to get the momentum going for the critical fall months.

First authors need to remember in the 24/7 news cycle and social media driven world, there is no slow time.  Newspapers, radio shows, television news, and magazines are all looking for story ideas.  And with the summer a slower period of time, the media is more likely to give a look to a story that they might not in the fall and also give it more coverage than in a busy news time.  Tie your book into a news story to help brand yourself as an expert.  This is an ideal time to do so and can allow you to be branded for even bigger opportunities in the fall.

Regardless of genre a book can be tapped for summer stories of new interests. For example, if you have a cookbook, some ways to position it might be healthy recipes for the summer or tips on how to eat healthy during the summer. If your novel is a mystery, promote your book by offering tips on why mysteries are popular during the summer.  Or if you are a romance writer, tie your book into summer romance tips.

If your book is at all related to family or children activities, the summer offers an abundance of media opportunities. Many novels have a theme of family.  An angle for this is tips on creating family traditions.  Or another angle would be tips on the perfect family reunion (always newsworthy during the summer as many family reunions are held during the summer).  If it is a children’s book with activities, you can incorporate it to summer activities for parents and children.  Tips on foods, style, activities, and travel are always popular angles throughout the summer.

If your novel is set in an exotic location, a travel article or tips on traveling to this location is a good way to get your name and book some coverage with an article or op-ed. The media loves travel tips.  Even a tv segment can be made into this concept.

Parents are always looking for educational ideas for their children during the summer months and this is the ideal time to promote a children’s book.  If you have a book on teaching children Chinese, this can be made into an activity for the summer.

Every author wants to be on the Ellen Show or Rachael Ray.  August is a great time to reach out to producers at nationally syndicated programs as they begin forming their fall schedule and booking guests.

Finally, for the very reason that summer is considered a slow time – vacations, your book can be branded the perfect summertime read on vacation. Suggest it as preferred reading for the summer vacation.

Authors – summer is not a slow time for book promotion.  It is the ideal time to be creative and get a head start before the fall.  Summer book promotion can be the best of times if done well.

Advertisement

Key Elements In Getting Started With Book Publicity

Book Publicity, , , , , , ,

The book world is seeing an explosion in books coming out each year as self-publishing has changed the book world forever. No longer do a few publishing houses control who gets published and who doesn’t. More and more people are achieving their dream of being an author and yet the challenge for authors whether self-published or published with a traditional publisher to stand out is even greater than ever. There is a greater need for book publicity than ever before but promoting the book can be even a harder and longer job than writing the book itself.

A publicity campaign takes time. Authors spend months and even years in writing their book and pour their heart and soul into it. A successful book publicity campaign doesn’t happen overnight, it takes time and dedication. A book PR campaign is a way to penetrate the public’s consciousness with your book. A comprehensive campaign allows an author to reach a target audience and stand out from other authors in your genre, it brands the author and the book. A typical book publicity campaign takes between 6 months to 18 months to be successful. Yet despite all of this hard work and time, a public relations campaign cannot guarantee that readers will purchase the book.

Before beginning on the book publicity campaign, authors should have certain items ready as they begin their promotions. The key items authors should have in place as they begin their PR campaigns are:

  1. An author website. The website should include an author bio, information about the book, a sampling of media coverage, a list of events, contact information, and a way to purchase the book.
  2. A professional headshot. Authors should have professional headshots made some with a business look and some in a more casual setting.
  3. Business cards. Just as a person business needs a business card to give in networking meetings, so does the author as they are in the business of building a brand and selling their book.