Tag: book

Book Promotion

Radio Interviews for the Self Published Author

On-air interviews are one of the staples of a good self-published book publicity campaign. Here are some tips that may help you secure some on-air interviews with radio stations:

TIP # 1 – Press releases are not just for the publication date. If your book has been out for awhile now, you may want to consider another press release with a different angle. The media likes topics that are fresh and new (that’s why they call it news), so come up with a different approach or “hook” for your book and draft another release. Then send it to your local media and follow-up in a few days with a phone call.

TIP # 2 – During the call, try to refrain from heavily pitching yourself or your book. The producers are only interested in one thing — whether or not YOU will be entertaining to their viewers or listeners. The way you can be entertaining is by establishing yourself as an expert on a subject people care about (and hopefully, in some way, is connected with your book).

TIP # 3 – Follow the news voraciously. The media likes nothing better than a savvy author who knows the hot topics of the moment and can be both entertaining AND topical. News stations are always looking for a tie-in between segments, something that is connected with the stories or news items they are reporting that day. When they report on a subject and then have an interview with an expert (you) connected to that very topic, they look good. (And you look good).

TIP # 4 – Producers keep hot-files. Even if you are NOT the current topic of the month, you may very well be the hot topic NEXT month. Be sure local media know about you and have your contact information so that when a story comes along that relates to your expertise, they know who to call. The easier you make their job, they more they will like you.

TIP # 5 – Try these website to find radio stations around the world: www.radiolocator.com and www.newslink.org

Good luck and have fun!
Kelly Schuknecht
selfpublishingadvice.wordpress.com

Editing Your Self-Published Book

Ask the Doctor: Editing and Self-Publishing

Q: I plan to self publish. My book was written and designed and ready to go to a printer, but somebody warned me that it needed editing.  I sent it to an editor, but he said he can’t edit it when it’s already designed. Why not?

A: A manuscript should always be edited before it is designed into book format, and the reasons are simple. If you plan to have the editor work on the hard-copy version of your manuscript, it has to be in standard manuscript format; that is, twelve-point Courier or Times New Roman type, double-spaced, with margins of at least an inch on all sides. This format is standard in the industry and gives the editor room to work. If the book is already designed, it won’t be in standard manuscript format; it will be in book format.

If you plan to have your editor work on your electronic file, the format won’t matter, but it must be in a word-processing document, not a design program or a PDF. Most editors are not designers and won’t have the design program used to design your book. If it is in a PDF file, most editors cannot change those files electronically. Worst of all, even if the editor has the capability of opening the design program or manipulating a PDF (which some do), editing a book after it is designed will surely interfere with the design. After the file is edited you’ll have to return it to your designer to get it redesigned, and there will certainly be an additional charge for that service.

As you can see, it’s cheaper and easier to follow convention. After you have made all the revisions to your manuscript that you can make, get it edited. After it is edited, reread the manuscript for a final proof before getting the manuscript designed into a book.

 

Bobbie Christmas, book doctor, author of Write In Style (Union Square Publishing), and owner of Zebra Communications, will answer your questions, too. Send them to Bobbie@zebraeditor.com. Read more “Ask the Book Doctor” questions and answers at www.zebraeditor.com. 

Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

Self-Published Book Review of the Week: BOLIVIA

frontcoverBolivia
by Ron Dubin

Ron Dubin is a master photographer and frequent commenter on asian ramblings. It’s a pleasure to announce the publication of his new book.

Ron Dubin wanted to get away. He’d had a trying year: Moving across country, from Los Angeles to Florida, coupled with the illness and death of his mother, Dubin was ready for something else.

“(If I had been offered) an assignment in Pompeii the day before it got buried I would have asked if I needed a visa,” says Dubin in the forward of his book, Bolivia, A Journey.

Ron is a man of many photographic talents. Over the last four years, his images have been featured in food and travel publications, regionally, nationally, and online. Dubin has also shot in Peru, France, Italy, Switzerland, The Netherlands, and extensively in the U.S.

Dubin’s book, 86 pages of extraordinary photographs and the stories behind them, offers readers a look into Bolivia’s diverse scenery and people. His landscape images are striking: Bold mountains under remarkable skies. The local creatures, llamas, snakes, and flamingos, have also been photographically captured in their native habitats.

The photographs of the people, going about their daily lives, give readers a revealing look into Bolivian life. The images document small-town residents going about their daily routine. These images, captured by an impartial observer, offer a glance into another place and culture.

Dubin’s image, The Sisters, captures two siblings at Isla del Sol. According to Ron, they were the most frightening thing about the town. The encounter resulted in him purchasing two palm fronds from the pair.

“She kicked my butt… There are three-card Monte dealers in New York that could learn a thing or two from them,” he says.

The architecture: Basilicas, moments, and ruins, were not overlooked by Dubin’s lens. The buildings, combined with the wide blue sky, are a visual pleasure to view. The images of the Basilica of Our Lady of Copacabana, near the banks of Lake Titicaca, illustrate the sacredness of the site to both the indigenous and Catholic people.

Built in the 16th century, Dubin explains, “It is a popular custom to get your car blessed in front of the church which considering the roads, couldn’t possibly hurt.”

Dubin admits to knowing little about Bolivia before setting out on his expedition. “What I did know couldn’t fill up a trivial pursuit card,” he says. He did know about Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. One of the final images in the book is of Ron brandishing the famous outlaws’ pistols.

Bolivia, A Journey can be purchased at Blurb. Ron Dubin maintains a photo blog at blog.rtd13.com

For more information or to order copies, visit the author’s web site: www.rondubinphotography.com

Book Promotion

Top 7 Radio Interview Tips for the Self Published Author

Have you done any radio interviews to promote your self-published book yet? If this is something you’re considering, here are the top 7 radio interview tips to keep in mind when you step in front of a microphone for a radio interview:

1. Your goal is to entertain the audience. Be lively and upbeat.

2. Your second goal is to get invited back by the host. S/he may do that if you are a good, lively, entertaining guest.

3. Your third goal is to have the host recommend you to other hosts. S/he may do that if you are a good, lively, entertaining guest.

4. Radio is not television. Normal communication is 80% non-verbal and you don’t have that advantage. Your voice inflection and energy has to pick up the slack.

5. Ask for a recording (mp3 or similar) in a follow-up communication to the host, which also expresses your thanks for being invited on the show.

6. Use the recording to secure future interviews and in your promotions.

7. Be clear about a “call to action” up front with the host. Will s/he be mentioning your book, or will you? Is the “call to action” to call into the show or is it getting the listeners to go to your webpage and order, or is it to go to Amazon and order? That’s up to the host. Asking them up front allows them to set the rules and that way you know what’s going to happen in advance. Word it like this: “I want to be sure I don’t over-step my bounds because I want to be entertaining for your listeners. Will you be mentioning my book at the beginning of the segment or the end? What’s best for you?”

Good luck and have fun!

Kelly Schuknecht
selfpublishingadvice.wordpress.com

Book Promotion

101 Surefire Ways to Market Your (Self-Published) Book

We recently posted a book review for The Daughter-in-Law Rules by Sally Shields.

On her website, this author lists 101 Surefire Ways to Market Your Book, Product or Service! which gives some really great ideas for promoting a self published book.  Check it out!

Don’t forget, every Saturday we post a weekly book review of a self-published book (submitted by the author). To submit your review, please send it to selfpublishingadvice@gmail.com with a .jpg image of your cover. Self Publishing Advice will post your review and cover image on our blog.

Good luck and have fun!
Kelly Schuknecht
selfpublishingadvice.wordpress.com