Chas Jones reports on the steep learning curve involved in promoting his
recent book. His work with WritersServices brings him to face-to-face with
professional book-publicists and his hobby, leading a large heritage project,
has given him insights into effective ways of getting the message across.
Writing a good press release for your book.
Your job does not end when you sign the contract or you sign off the
proofs for your book. The gestation and birth of your book are the start. In
many ways the real life of your book is only just beginning. Now you have to
introduce your creation to the world. You will need to engage your imagination
plus a fair amount of effort to launch and sell your book.
Big publishers expect authors to become partners in the promotion and
marketing of their books. Smaller independents and self-publishing require you
to take most of the responsibility for the sales success of your own book. You
will need to use the media to reach your potential audience and for that you
will have to compose a story to attract their attention.
What to write
The present fashion is for frippery and celebrity. It is personal stories
that fill the gaps and make up the copy of most papers and magazines.
Surprise number one was that you have to ‘write about yourself rather than
the book’. You will have to go with this particular flow. Important
anniversaries covered in your historic novel can come and pass unreported,
however hard you promote your book. The story has to be about a person.
Your aim is to tempt a journalist to write a story which will please their
editor and get printed. Writing this sort of story takes skill and judgement. A
few hundred words saying somebody has written something will be spiked by every
editor. It is not a story.
A few tips:
This is not trying to discourage you but to force you to focus on the real
needs of the media you are addressing, rather than just writing what you want.
Do not confuse these stories with announcements. Informing all
sections of the media about a forthcoming signing or event is fine. But, if you
deal with your story in a similar manner it is unlikely to be followed up.
As a writer you should be good at role-reversal. Imagine the storyline the
reporter will be composing after scanning the first line of your press release.
Don't be horrified if they take your story off in a different direction from the
one you imagined. You might be telling them how you abseiled down a cliff to
rescue your laptop from the beach as the tide came in. You might become part of
a story including the role of the new inshore rescue boats. They want to fit
your tale into their narrative, so help them.
Targeting
Do not be surprised if the first question you are asked by a journalist is
‘who else have you told’? Writers want an exclusive. It might be worth
doing one mail shot when the book is published but the rest of your stories need
a target. You score many more points with one ‘bull’s-eye’ than countless near
misses. Go for quality rather than quantity.
It does not matter which comes first, the story or the target publication. If
a good story springs into your head, work out who might like the story.
Something for the national press is probably wrong for the local press.
It is great if you can manage to meet the journalist. Having the name is
very useful. Offering to bring a copy of the book provides a good excuse for
a face-to-face rendezvous. The junior reporter who will be dealing with your
story will probably be overworked so meeting at the newspaper’s office will save
them time.
Conditioned to accept rejection, writers should be able to survive the brief
interrogations when you phone to see if they are interested in your story.
The gatekeepers of the media will not make you very welcome, so cultivate all
the contacts you can. Once you have a name, at least you will be given a
civil reception. If you are making a cold-call, the news desk is always a good
place to start. They will soon pass you on.
When you talk to your reporter you will notice that they have an ear for a
sound-bite, quote or news story. If their pencil is not busy taking notes,
you are not getting your message across. You can tell if they are scribbling
away even if you are miles away at the other end of a telephone. If they are not
asking questions or scribbling, you are loosing them.
Ask the journalist to read back any quotes. Recently a journalist had
me saying that we hoped to find hats at the bottom of a trench we were digging.
Later, she checked her shorthand and she swears that ‘hats’ is what her notes
said. How the word ‘bones’ was translated by shorthand into ‘hats’ remains a
mystery. (It also shows that they copy-editing at small papers is not very
good.)
We would all like to make the national newspapers but be realistic. Start
local and aim at local or niche publication.
Format
When you think you have found your storyline, follow the simple rules for
writing a news release. The journalist wants to know what, who, when, why
and where, and not necessarily in that order. It is not your job to write the
article or produce punning-headlines. Stick to the facts: The journalists will
provide any jokes or opinions.
Remember who you are talking to. They are reporters, not readers. Their job
is to digest what you say and then write a story.
The rules of layout used to be as precise as those for an invitation to a
royal palace, but now you can get away with the words ‘News Release’ at the top
and your contact details at the bottom. The one-page rule applies. If you have
two messages or stories, turn them into two separate releases.
And when it comes to sending your release, emailing seems to work just as
well as sending hard copy.
Persistence pays
Search for special interest sites and e-zines that might carry a story about
you or your book. This is micro-marketing. Many web-sites can count the daily
visitors on a single hand, but you never know who might stumble across your book
as they search the web.
I recently had a lengthy exchange with a Russian playwright who was desperate
to work as a Hollywood scriptwriter. He wanted to know the people he should
contact. Many suggestions were offered but none produced a breakthrough. I tried
to offer consolation in the form of the maxim that 99% of all marketing is
wasted and encouraged him not to give up. He was jubilant at this news and asked
me to tell him about the 1% that was successful. The irony had obviously lost
something in translation.
Keep going. It is tempting to think after 18 months you will have
exhausted all possible leads and stories. Many writers will confirm that this is
just the time it takes to light the touch-paper to launch your writing career.
The media moves on, so you have endless opportunities to launch your book
afresh. Your book may be an old story to you but they are still waiting to
discover you.
Persistence pays. Nine months later, journalists are now ringing me up
and the sales figures for my book are edging up. My spreadsheet tells me that it
this rate I will be able to retire in the year 2133 and live off the proceeds…
Try to follow these rough rules:
