Not all publicity is equal

Imagine stepping onto the stage to sit with Oprah and discuss the topics you covered while in your book. She smiles as you are a pile of nerves trying not to look and sound like a fool on national television.

Now, wake up and realize that it will take on HECK of a book to make that happen. Oprah is inundated with so many show ideas that it truly takes something spectacular to catch their eye. You have to be revolutionary if you want to be on her show. The same goes for Regis and Kelly, Good Morning America and any other national television show.

Obviously, television is the ideal market to be on. There is a broader audience and people relate better to a face than a name. Non-fiction books have a much better chance of having a good match for television coverage. It is easier to find a show that deals with health and fitness than it is to find a show covering magic. That's just reality.

Television is also centered around the hot topics of the day. If your topic is yesterday's news, you're not going to find a television media contact that is willing to interview you.

What about radio? Radio can be a lot of fun because radio interviewers tend to be very easy going and polite. There are many who aren't but a good publicist will stay away from those interviewers. Radio stations differ in coverage areas and wattage but you can do a radio interview in your bathrobe at home in your spare time.

The only draw back I have found to radio is someone may be very interested while listening in the car but be distracted by the time they get to work so they forget about your book.

Newspapers: These are a good format for people to remember the information and have a reminder. Generally, your local press will cover the release of your book with a small blurb unless you are from a huge city. Cities like Los Angeles and its suburbs have an author in every other house. It's not news there. You can find smaller publications geared towards your neighborhood to contact so don't overlook those.

Magazines aren't printed as regularly as most newspapers and generally are more niche than newspapers but they are still worth looking into.

Syndicates are a resource that the average Joe or Jane isn't aware of. Syndicates gather their own stories and sell them to newspapers, magazines and internet sites. If you can get a syndicate to feature your book, you immediately have exposure to hundreds if not thousands of media outlets who can choose to print something about your publication. Does this guarantee coverage? No. It definitely ups your odds though.

A typical author doesn't have access to syndicate contact information mostly because they do not know where to look. This is a place where you need a publicist.

The world wide web is a beautiful place where anybody and everybody can make a website and sell or say almost anything they want. You can find several review sites from the huge with hundreds of reviewers to the small with a single person posting their opinions. Generally, they will all request a complimentary copy of your book and post a review after they have gotten around to writing it. Some websites will post your press release (if you have one) and cover art with out reading your book. This helps increase the presence of your publication and shouldn't be sneezed at since it is free.

Now, if you have read my past posts, you know that the goal of publicity is free exposure. In all of the above formats you can find venues where you can pay for advertising or time slots. The real goal is to get as much as possible for nothing though. A review will get more credibility than an ad any day.