One Woman's Writing Retreat: Interview

RA: You say that you decided to write this book to help a friend whose novel was on the verge of publication. What was the most important and specific piece of advice you gave your friend about getting publicity?

JD: He was already doing the most important thing that any author can do which was taking control of his own publicity campaign early on. Many authors wait too late to get involved. Ideally, you want to start your publicity planning 6-8 months before the book's publication, so that you can positively influence the way your publisher perceives the book, and how they sell it to booksellers and present it to the media.  Among the important pieces of advice I gave my friend was to research media and speaking opportunities in various cities and then to see what cheap airfares might be available if the publisher booked the flights months ahead of publication dates.  He found that he could hit four cities for relatively little airfare and by staying at the homes of friends, he would be very inexpensive to tour. The publisher agreed to underwrite the costs.  Had he waited, the expense would have been prohibitive.

RA: In your book, you thank someone for telling you not to think like a publicist but to think like a publisher? What did you mean by that?

JD: That person was then the CEO of Bantam Doubleday Dell. The reason his words were so important is that they were empowering. He was saying don't just focus on the immediate tasks of a publicist but think about the larger picture, the full publishing context for any particular book. Understand the distribution, the sales channels where the book is available, how the publicity strategy might fit into the larger marketing goals for the book, the house's relationship with the author and agent and so on.  They were words that instantly made me a better publicist and then later on, a publisher.

RA: What is the first step an author needs to take to promote a new book?

JD:To figure out the book's key publicity angles.  Many would think that's the job of the publicist, and in some instances, a publicist will indeed come up with terrific ideas to promote the book.  But the author meets the publicist relatively close to publication and should think through the book's promotional possibilities before then. 

RA: What advice would you give about writing a marketing plan?

JD: Many authors are intimidated about the idea of writing a marketing plan. It sounds so business-y and uncreative and, frankly, scary.  And many people--including people inside publishing houses--can't define what marketing means. So here's the definition of marketing that my father told me when I was thirteen after I asked him about his work in advertising. He said, "It's moving more toilet paper off the shelves faster to more people." Now that's an unforgettable definition. And as it applies to books, it's simply moving more books off the shelves faster to more people.

Nor is writing a plan hard. All it is a common-sense memo about how a book can be promoted. So once an author can approach the task with that understanding, the task becomes much easier.

The next piece of advice I'd give is that to write a good marketing plan, the author needs to understand who the book's audience is. Are they young, old, male, female, of a particular ethnic group, and what are their interests?  And then what media does that audience respond to? That's important to understand since publicity--exposure for your book through the media--is among the most cost-efficient ways of reaching an audience.  An author can start to figure out these things by talking to others. Few people can really figure this out on their own, so joining writers groups--either online or in person--can be a most valuable source of brainstorming and advice.

RA: How do you locate your audience?

JD: Again, by talking with others and figuring out who your audience is. Also by thinking about the topics covered in your book and the types of people who might respond to the information in your book.  By thinking about the service that your book provides--does it enlighten, entertain, teach, inform? And by deciding what the book offers, you reach a better understanding of the reader who might benefit from the book.

RA: How do you find the right angle for a book? How do you figure out who to pitch that angle to and when?

JD: Coming up with the right angles comes more easily when you get familiar with the media.  Use the Internet to search for and read articles in newspapers all around the country about books.  Think about how the reporter chose to cover the story--usually from a benefit point of view for the end reader. So again, what benefit does your book offer those same readers?

While you're doing that research, take note of the reporters' bylines. They may be in the feature sections of the newspapers, or the news and metro sections. Look also for reporters who quote authors as experts in their articles. These people can be pitched on your book. No matter which kind of media--TV, radio, print--always try to think of what your book offers the readers and viewers, not what the media can do for you.

RA: With so many possibilities out there for publicity, how should an author decide whether to try to get radio interviews, for example, or try to book speaking engagements?

Doing radio interviews or speaking engagements isn't really an either/or decision. An author can do both and they each have great value.  The main decision point is for an author to decide how much time he or she has to commit to publicity. Setting up your own publicity is a very time-consuming enterprise. It doesn't have to be costly but it will take a real time commitment.  To figure out what you need to do, start by assessing your strengths. Are you a good public speaker? If so, exploit that skill and try to set up personal appearances, tapping into the opportunities offered by libraries, bookstores, historical societies, museums, chambers of commerce, etc.  But if you're a shy person, or not particularly adept at giving talks in front of a roomful of people, don't push yourself to do something that doesn't feel right--in the end your presentation won't help you win an audience for your book.  (You can always go for speech training if you have the desire to speak but not the talent.) 

Whether you should try to do television interviews depends on your pitch's potential. If you've got a good media story, and if you haven't done television interviews before then you will want to start small, with local cable interview shows, for example.  As you get more practice, you can build up from there to target shows with larger audiences.

RA: What did you do to publicize your novel Reckless Appetites? What publicity strategies have worked best for you personally?

JD: Reckless, being fiction with recipes, had appeal both for book reviewers and food reporters so I had two built in angles to play with and got coverage in both sections of the papers.  I gave talks, and in one instance, a bookstore partnered with a local restaurant to create a meal based on the recipes in the book.  All the recipes in the book are handed down by our famous writers--like Charles Dickens' champagne punch or Virginia Woolf's cottage loaves. So the recipes had a great literary appeal to them that played well for the independent booksellers, who skew more literary than the chain stores.  I also appeared on the Today Show and Good Morning America. For the Today Show the interview covered the idea of the recipes left by writers and rediscovered in my book. On Good Morning America, the show covered the trend of literary fiction that gives recipes and featured two other authors of fiction with food.

The strategies that have worked best for both of my books is reaching out to the right media with a custom-tailored pitch that explains why the book is right for them to cover.

RA: Let's say an author has limited time and money to spend on a publicity campaign. What are the 5 most essential things an author can do in this situation to promote a book?

JD:

1. Coming up with publicity angles and reasons why the press should be interested in the book.
    
2. Targeting the dozen or so key reporters at various newspapers who should receive a targeted pitch letter about the book.
    
3. Setting up a Web site that offers complete information about the book and author's background. The site does not have to be expensive--there are perfectly good Web site designers who charge less than $750 to build a site. The value of the site is that it provides an instant reference for anyone that the author is in contact with, an easy way to make information available without having to mail out press packets. 
    
4. Figuring out the top ten "big mouths" in the field the author is writing about.  They should be sent a copy of the book along with a personal letter explaining why the book should be of interest.
    
5. Going through the personal and professional Rolodex--friends and business associates should receive a pitch letter or email about your book since they are part of your audience of supporters.

RA: What do you think are the most common mistakes authors make when trying to promote their own books?

JD:

• Starting too late.
   
• Badmouthing their publishing house when they'll need them later on.
   
• Pitching reporters without understanding what a reporter is looking for in a story.

RA: What mistakes do you see authors make with their publicists? Editors? Publishers?

JD:

• Assuming that a young female publicist just out of college will be no good at publicity. 
   
• Assuming that the publisher is taking care of all the publicity and hesitating to ask what's going on.
   
• Assuming that their book should be the most important consideration for the publisher.
   
• Assuming that the promotional plan that you read about read in the catalog is actually what will be done for the book.
   
• Not keeping the publishing team informed about publicity activities that you're doing yourself.

RA: I think Publicize Your Book is the most useful of all the marketing books I've seen for authors. Publicists, editors, and publishers will no doubt find it helpful, too. If I had one quibble, it might be that I felt overwhelmed by all the possibilities you present even though you present them clearly and concisely. What final thoughts would you like to leave with readers?

JD: It's actually good news that there are so many options available to authors to promote their books, and there is simply no one right formula for every book. What works well for one book may not work for another. The other good news about publicity is that the media outreach never has to end--you can always find one more reporter to pitch, one more newsletter, one more publication that might be interested in your work.  So if you have the inclination and the imagination and the energy, you can keep the publicity going on and on.

Relevant Links:

Author's official site.
Publicize Your Book: An Insiders Guide to Getting Your Book the Attention It Deserves
Reckless Appetites: A Culinary Romance
 

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