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Successfully Turning Your Book Into a Business: Use Media to Create a Sensation by Mark Victor Hansen

Must-Do Ideas From Bestselling Writers for Using Media Channels to Turn a Book Into a Mega-Selling Phenomenon

by Mark Victor Hansen

Media is anything you use to get the message about your book out to the people who will buy it, from a Website to a newspaper interview. I’ve used media to sell more than 100 million books in my career, and the same secrets I’ve used can be used by any author. The trick is in knowing what to do and in being prepared. Follow these crucial steps and you’ll boost your odds of being a TV, print or Internet celebrity!

Prepare talking points before making media appearances.

Many new authors spend so much time and energy trying to get in the newspaper or on radio that when they get there, they don’t know what to say. But if you take an hour to prepare concise, compelling comments about your book, you’ll come off as a real pro, increase sales, and maybe even be asked back!

The average radio interview lasts five minutes, of which three might be broadcast, and on average you might get six inches of coverage in your local newspaper. You don’t have a lot of time to waste hemming and hawing about your book, and the journalist interviewing you doesn’t want to waste his or her time either. So before you even start soliciting press coverage, write down and memorize your talking points.

You say you know your book? I’m sure you do. But when you’re under the gun of a timed interview, or an interviewer hits you with a surprise question, it’s easy to stammer or get confused. Talking points are your lifeline. I suggest preparing a list that looks like this:

a. What’s the “elevator pitch” (a 10-second summary) of my book?
b. Who is my book targeted to?
c. How did I decide to write it?
d. What are three passages in my book that I want to quote?
e. What can people get out of my book?
f. Where can people buy my book?

Write those down on note cards and memorize them, but keep the cards with you when you do interviews, just in case. That way, you’ll come off more professional and make the most of the time you get.

Sample your book in print and on the Internet.

There’s a reason movie studios produce trailers. They want to whet the audience’s appetite for a future movie. Authors can do the same thing by sampling or excerpting their books in the print media or the online media. By giving your audience a free taste of the book to come, you’ll get them interested and cut through the noise of all the other books coming out at the same time.

If you have a Web site (and you should), it’s simple. Just take a chapter from your book, paste it into its own file with the proper copyright information so it’s a self-contained document, turn it into a PDF (Portable Document Format, a wonderful type of file created by Adobe), and place it on your Website for free downloading. Then send e-mail to your entire list offering them an excerpt from your upcoming book free. A 10% or 20% response rate is not out of the question.

To take this a step further, talk to friends or colleagues who have Websites and ask if they’ll put a promotional link for your excerpt on their site. You’ll have to offer them something in return, but now you’re got access to a new audience who, in return for your chapter download, will give you their contact information to add to your list.

For print publications, it goes like this:

a. Pull together a list of target newspapers and magazines.
b. Contact the editors by e-mail asking if they would be interested in running your excerpt at no cost (editors love content they can get for free).
c. Send your chapter as a Word file to those who agree. Make sure it’s completely clean and free of any typos of grammatical errors, and include an author bio at the end that lists your Web address.
d. Be sure to get reprints or a PDF of the printed article you can use for publicity purposes.

Start sending e-mails to editors several months before your book comes out. It usually takes a while to hear back, and even longer to actually get your sample in print.

Should you charge for your samples? I wouldn’t. The publicity you’ll get from downloads and reprints in magazines will be worth far more.

Build a great Website.

I can’t state this often enough or strongly enough: you must have an attractive, easy to use Website that lets your visitors do four things:

a. Buy your book.
b. Register and download sample chapters or get your e-newsletter.
c. E-mail friends about your book.
d. Find out more about you.

Your Website should be ground zero for your book business, the place where everyone comes to buy copies, give you their contact information, communicate with you about media interviews or bulk orders, and just learn about your book and why they should buy it. It’s the single most important aspect of your marketing plan.

Notice that I said, “great” Website. There are thousands of new books coming out every month, and many of them are amateurish at best. Having a sloppy, clunky, poorly written Website only makes your book look like one of those amateur-hour productions. Invest the money in a professional Web developer, someone who can design a classy, beautiful site, build your e-commerce system and give you the means to easily update your site’s content at any time. These are some great examples of book Websites:

www.whatkidsneedtosucceed.com
www.stackthelogs.com
www.gooddebt.com

These sites all make the books and their authors appear professional, legitimate, and smart. They’re inviting information centers for people to come and spend time getting to know both book and writer.

You should have your Website up and running before you begin any PR or sales activities, probably at least two months before your book hits the streets. Talk to several Web designers or get a referral from someone you trust. In any case, make sure your site has at least these features:

• E-commerce so people can buy your book.
• A registration page that asks visitors to give you their contact information before they can download a sample chapter or get your e-newsletter.
• A media section where members of the press can download your press kit as a PDF, read other media coverage, and contact you for interviews.
• A contact page with all your contact information.
• A bio page with your personal story.
• A function that allows visitors to e-mail their friends from your site.

Focus heavily on PR.

If you don’t believe in the power of public relations and the media to turn an unknown book into a bestseller, I have two words for you: Oprah Winfrey. Get your book 15 minutes on her show and you’ll sell a million copies. That’s the power of the media.

Of course, getting on Oprah is the Holy Grail of book marketing, and while you shouldn’t NOT try to get on her show, you shouldn’t focus only on that. PR is your most powerful tool for creating awareness and selling books. So early on, while you’re still in final editing, start making lists of media outlets, cashing in on contacts, making calls and sending out e-mails.

PR works because it’s got credibility. Instead of a paid ad, people see an objective journalist reviewing your book, or a talk show host who’s chosen to have you on her show because she liked your book. Media exposure carries tremendous weight with book buyers. Ask your friends how many books they’ve bought after hearing about them on “Fresh Air” on National Public Radio.

These are some of the PR avenues you can pursue:

• Reviews in any and all publications, print and online especially.
• Features in print and online publications.
• Radio interviews.
• Television interviews.
• A regular column in a magazine or newspaper or online.
• Speaking engagements.
• A role as an “expert source” for one or more journalists.
• Creating press events.
• Tying your book to a charity or cause.

It all begins with your press kit. That’s a snazzy folder that contains the press release about your book’s publication, a bio of you, a black and white photo of you (professionally done) and any press coverage you may have already received. Once you’ve identified your media list, send that kit to the key contacts at each paper, magazine, TV or radio station.

But don’t stop there. PR is about relationships, and you’ve got to strike the right balance of “eager to help” and “respecting your time.” Follow up your press kit with an e-mail in a week or so, and stay in touch. Offer story ideas or to be quoted for a feature. Make yourself an asset to journalists and editors and you’ll be surprised at the results.

Two final tips:

• Always include your Web address in your PR, stories, interviews, etc.
• Always get reprints, videotapes, etc. of your press coverage to use later.

Mark Victor Hansen is the bestselling co-creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, which has sold more than 90 million copies worldwide. He is also co-author of the bestseller The One-Minute Millionaire, director of the Enlightened Millionaire Institute, and a globally-renowned motivational speaker. Mark’s Mega Success program, which trains entrepreneurial individuals to become successful speakers and authors, continues April 15-17 with Mega Book Marketing in Los Angeles. Information can be found at www.megabookmarketing.com/cmd.php?ad=126529