Of all the media and review potential, twitter influencers are often overlooked. When we think about where to send ARCs (Advance Reading Copies), we send to the papers, radio producers, and popular bloggers. But often times, we overlook the power of twitter and those users who have influence.

@JaneFriedman – E-Media professor, former publisher of Writers Digest, – Jane posts constantly about the writing and publishing industry. She links to articles, comments on news developments, and live tweets at workshops and conferences. People follower because of her content, and therefore, she has a lot of impact (and a whole lot of followers!)

@ColleenLindsay – Community Manager of Book Country, former agent, publicist and bookseller – though Colleen mostly posts about her life (her cats, TV shows, etc.) her posts are entertaining and you get the sense of knowing her. And since she’s been on twitter since it’s conception, there are tens of thousands of people who feel like they know her. Before the first Chicago’s Literati Networking event, she posted a link and told her Chicago followers to attend. 7 people showed up saying, “Colleen Lindsay told me to come.”

@MaureenJohnson – YA Author – Maureen mostly posts about what she’s up to (or what she chooses to tell us she’s up to), but she also posts about books she’s reading, movies she’s watching, etc. I knew she had a lot of followers, but her influence was demonstrated during a discussion about #FridayReads, a hashtag where everyone posts what they’re reading. As soon as she tweeted her disappointment that some of the #FridayReads posts were sponsored, the news spread like wildfire and, like a game of telephone, was morphed and exaggerated until it became untrue. One tweet from Maureen, and the word is out.

@SarahW – News editor for Publishers Marketplace and freelance writer – Before Twitter, Sarah Weinman had a high traffic website that was the go-to place for industry news and book reviews. When Twitter presented itself as a better medium to share up to the minute information, she shifted her efforts over to twitter. Sarah is one of those people who is the first to know about everything, can write well in a short amount of time, and reads an average of 1.3 books a day. If I have something I want people to know about the publishing industry, she’s my go-to person.

Other influencers include book critics, newspaper editors, TV producers, and popular writers. These are my top users, but here are a few more to check out:

@RonCharles – Fiction editor and book critic for Washington Post Book World

@JenniferWeiner – NYT Bestselling author

@ChuckPalahniuk – Famed author with a cult following (tweeted by his webmaster, but still has much influence.)

@EvilWylie – alter-ego of author Andrew Shaffer, puts humorous spins on publishing news

I’ve worked as a publicist going on three years. I worked as a book critic and freelance writer for three years before that. I’ve worked in with books for a long time and have been on both sides of the press kit. From that perspective, I give you:

Top Five Time/Money Wasters

1. Elaborate Press Kits – There was an article on Publishing Perspectives that caused some controversy. Peel away a few of the over-the-top claims, and you get to the heart of the issue. Authors and publishers are struggling financially and have to be very wise about where they put their money. Elaborate press kits with folders, knick knacks, and glitter are a waste of time and money. Reviewers want to read the book and form their own opinion. An evidence bag with bullet casings to advertise your crime novel isn’t going to make them pick up the book any sooner. In fact, I’d argue it makes them less inclined to review the book. When I was reviewing, I always assumed lavish press kits were used to compensate for lack of substance contained within the book.
2. Mass Mailing Programs – I’ve seen lots of authors waste A LOT of money on marketing/publicity companies that do mass mailings. They say, “We’ll contact 5000 bloggers” or “We reach 1000 libraries” and because of the volume they “reach”, authors pay the premium. Trust me when I say that all these companies do is send out a mass email to lists. If 1000 libraries receive that email, assume 50% delete it, 25% skim it, the rest read it, but only a small handful will actually look into your book. Mass mailings don’t give you the results you need to make an impact.
3. Elaborate advertising without the publicity to complement it – I’ve discussed this in previous posts, so I’ll be brief. Advertising only works when there’s media coverage to reinforce the message. Buying a full page ad in your local paper or splurging on dozens of blog ads is a waste of money if that’s all you do. Only purchase advertising if you know the person reading the newspaper/blog is also going to see a review of the book or author profile.
4.  Writing dozens of guest blogs for blog tours – As an author, you’re paid to write. That’s your job. It’s not to provide free content to another person’s website. I see authors writing (and publicists encouraging their authors to write) dozens of blog posts as part of their “blog tour.” Unfortunately, I don’t believe guest blogs sell books. If the website gets enough traffic, you may increase your website’s traffic. You may increase your twitter followers. But nothing sells a book like a glowing review. And a review doesn’t take any time on your part. Unless the site gets tons of traffic and the blogger agrees to pair your guest post with a review, don’t do it.
5. Blindly paying for marketing and promotions – There are a lot of scams out there, some worse than others. There are also a lot of paid-for promotions and marketing “opportunities” that are a waste of money. Even on the smallest of budgets, I see authors throwing away money left and right. While paying for book placement in conference tote bags or giveaways on certain sites has become the status quo, I don’t think it should be done without negotiation and strategy. If you want to market to conference goers, a single book in a tote bag isn’t going to cut it. You need to pair it with placement on a panel, ad in the program book, etc.  And if you’re paying for giveaways, you should get something in return: emails list of people who entered, mentions on multiple platforms, etc. I’m not saying that all paid-for promotions are a waste of money, but most of the time, authors participate blindly and without strategy. Without a strategy, all money is wasted.

Wednesday night I spoke on a social media panel for Chicago Women in Publishing (CWIP). My favorite part of speaking on panels is learning new things from my fellow panelists, so I thought I would share a few of those things this morning.

Just when you think you know all the social media apps – TweetDeck, HootSuite – someone introduces you to another. Last night, a few of the panelists mentioned Buffer, which I had never heard off. Like the other apps, you can schedule posts ahead of time, update multiple social media accounts from one click, etc. but this one has the capability to provide analytics on every post. I’m a numbers gal. I like analytics. And graphs. Love graphs. It’s one worth checking out.

Someone asked about the difference between Twitter and Facebook and fellow panelist, Tim McDonald (My Community Manager, Social Media Club of Chicago), had a perfect answer. He equated Twitter to a cocktail party and Facebook to a dinner or backyard picnic. On Twitter, you meet a lot of people, chat, but don’t get too deep into conversation. On Facebook, you have lengthier discussions in greater depth. I think it perfectly describes the difference between the two and I’m stealing it. Thanks Tim!

I also joked that if Twitter was the cocktail party and Facebook was a picnic, then Google+ was an empty room with 10 confused people wandering around. I think Google+ is not worth the time and energy and will eventually die out like some of Google’s other experiments. But the panelists brought up a good point: Google+ is amazing when it comes to search results. If you add your website to your Google+ account, it will always appear above the fold. So even if you don’t do anything on it, it’s worth setting up an account and including your web page.

It was a fun panel that felt more like a conversation than an interview. If you’d like to know more about my fellow panelists and the Chicago Women in Publishing, pertinent links are below:

Sue Koch of Soaring Solutions

Reyna Hoerdeman of Queen B Media

Tim McDonald of My Community Manager and Social Media Club of Chicago

Erik Hultman of UberBlueDM Social Media Solutions

Chicago Women in Publishing

If you’ve been following the Publicist/P.I. series this week, by now, you should feel confident that you have the tools needed to execute your own publicity campaign. But if you don’t feel comfortable taking on the task yourself, or just don’t have the time, hiring an outside publicist might be a good idea. But even that requires investigation.

Finding a publicist is like finding an agent: it requires research, referrals, and that it’s about finding the right publicist, not just a publicist.

The first place I would start is a recommendation. Hopefully, you know a handful of authors that you can reach out to. Ask if they’ve worked with a publicist or have anyone they’d recommend. But even if you get a referral, you shouldn’t just take it at face value.

Websites

The first place to start is their website. Most publicity companies will list recent media placements as well as a current client list. Do they represent authors similar to you? Does it look like they’ve placed features or booked interviews recently? Are the media outlets ones that you would want to be booked for?

Websites are also an indication of style. When designing my website, I aimed to position myself as a forward thinker, constantly up on new trends, and a cheerleader for my clients. Therefore, I have a rotating editorial on the home page, my clients page boasts their book covers and author photos, and I include this blog, webinars, and other resources for writers.

If you check out another PR company I worked with recently, their website is far different. It exudes a corporate vibe, their clients are mostly corporations, and they’ve been in business way longer than I have.  And since I’ve worked alongside them, I can tell you that their website perfectly reflects their style and approach.

The website should give you enough information to tell you if they’re reputable and the look of the site should illustrate their style and tell you if they’re a good fit for your project.

Work Backwards

If you can’t get a referral, you can also find competent publicists by working backwards. Head to your local bookstore. Pick up books from authors that are on a similar level as you are (write in the same genre, published the same amount of books) and focus on those you’ve seen in the media recently. Look in the acknowledgements section and see if the author thanked a publicist other than the one the publisher provided.

You can also search online. Most authors will list their publicist in the contact section of their website. If you read about an author in your local paper or hear about them on the radio, look at their website and see if an independent publicist is responsible for that placement.

Google Google Google

If you plug “book publicist” into Google, you’ll get thousands of results. Conduct the same investigation you would if you received a referral. Check their website, check their clients, look for recent media placement.

Red Flags

Here is a quick list of red flags to watch out for when interviewing a potential publicist:

• Guarantees – whether it’s media placement or the promise of hitting the NYT Bestseller list, publicists should never guarantee media coverage or sales. Be wary if one does.
• Refusal to give references – if no one can recommend them, you shouldn’t go with them.
• Lengthy contracts – it’s my policy not to use them with my clients, but I know most PR companies require signing a contract. If the publicist you’re interviewing requires you to sign on the dotted line, make sure you read it through carefully. If there are clauses you’re unsure about or it’s so long that you can’t even follow it, give it to someone with contract experience (or just find a different publicist).  A publicist should be like any other independent contractor; if you’re unhappy with their services, you should be able to let them go.
• No online presence – in the digital age, an online presence is necessary for all authors. How can your publicist help develop your online presence if they don’t have one of their own?

Referrals

Here are a few book publicists and PR pros I respect:

• Lauren Cerand – www.laurencerand.com
• Erin Mitchell – www.erin-faye.com
• Rebecca Crowley – www.RTCPublicity.com
• Matt Staggs – www.MattStaggs.com
• Kelly and Hall – www.KellyandHall.com

If you currently work with a publicist or have recommendations for finding one, feel free to leave comments.

If you’re just tuning in, this week we’re discussing the various ways a publicist has to play private investigator in order to create a successful campaign. Part One discussed blogs and gauging traffic, Part Two addressed finding contact information for members of the media, and today, we’re talking about bookstores and events:

In this ever-expanding digital world, grandiose book tours are things of the past. There are less bookstores still in business, more people on e-readers, and because authors are so accessible online, people are less driven to meet them in person. However, there are still bookstores with a strong clientele and other events with built in audiences. You just have to do some digging.

Bookstores: There are hundreds of independent bookstores across the country, but how do you know which ones are good for signings? Step one: Look at their website. Who else is signing there? If they have lots of big-name authors in your same genre, it’s a good sign. Step two: Google them. The bookstores that get the best turnout always have listings or ads in the local papers. If nothing comes up, it means they don’t do a lot of promotion for events. Step three: call them. Do they know who you are? Do they sound excited when you tell them you’re an author? My policy is to never sign at a store that doesn’t want you there. If bookstores aren’t supportive of your work, they won’t draw a crowd.

Speaking Events: Every year, hundreds of libraries and charities book authors to speak at their events. This usually means a built in audience and high volume of book sales. But how do you find them? Step one: Google “author luncheon” or some variation. A fair amount of results should pop up. Step two: look at their websites. Usually, if next year’s event isn’t scheduled yet, they’ll have a recap and photos of the previous year’s event. Does it look like a good crowd? Who was last year’s keynote speaker? Do they say how many people attended? Another way to find potential speaking events is to search other authors’ websites. Are they speaking at a library luncheon or charity fundraiser? Are they on the same level as you? If so, you’d be a viable candidate for next year’s event.

Book Festivals: If you can get a panel or one-on-one interview, book festivals are a great way to reach a new audience. Many of them will cover travel expenses, offer an honorarium, and will set up media interviews prior to the event. Half the cost and work is already taken care of. The research is the same as the speaking events: start with Google and research their websites. How many authors were in attendance? The fewer the authors the more attention you’ll get. Were the authors on a similar level as you or write similar books? How many people attended? Was their press coverage?

For all of these, I’m a big fan of crowd sourcing. One of the benefits of Twitter and Facebook is that you can ask your network a question and usually get an answer. If you find a book festival that looks promising, chances are, someone in your network has already attended. Post, “Has anyone attended the Suburban Book Festival?” and ask them to email you with their thoughts. The same goes for bookstores. If you’re heading to Philly but don’t know where to sign, post, “Philadelphia Readers: What’s your favorite bookstore for author events?”

Every author knows what it’s like to talk to an audience that consists of 1 or 2 friends and the bookseller. It’s not fun. By taking the time to research and crowd source, you’ll be able to decrease that likelihood and find the events that are worth your time and energy.

Tune in tomorrow when I’ll discuss finding the right publicist. Please note that parts of this blog post originally appeared on Hey, There’s A Dead Guy In My Living Room.

Yesterday, we discussed how to find out if a blog or website was high-traffic. Today, we’re discussing finding contact information for members of the media.

Reviews, author profiles, and radio/TV interviews are necessary to expand your name recognition and reach potential readers. But how do you land them? Simple. You email the appropriate contact and pitch  your book. But how do you know who to contact?

As a publicist, I subscribe to a media database which gives me all the contact information I need. As an author, it’s not worth spending the $3000 a year for the subscription. Instead, you’ll have to play detective.

Obtaining big media contact information can be tricky, but with a little digging and a lot of cold calling, you can obtain the pertinent e-mail addresses and phone numbers. If you’re lucky, they’ll have everyone’s name, title, and contact info in the “About Us” or “Contact us” sections of a webpage. Unfortunately, most of the time, it isn’t that simple.

Book reviewers: Most newspapers list the email addresses of their editors, but not their reviewers. There are a few things you can do to find the pertinent contact information. First, search the paper’s book reviews and assess who is reviewing similar books as yours. Most reviewers have a genre preference. Once you know their name, you need to find their email. If they’re a permanent reviewer on staff, they should have an email address at the paper’s domain name. Look at the other contact information on the site. If all the editors’ emails are firstname.lastname@newspaper.com, then fill in the blanks and see if it works. You can also search the reviewer on Facebook or Twitter to see if they list their email address (most do). But remember, don’t pitch your book through a Facebook message or Twitter direct message (that’s an author taboo.)

Radio/TV producers: Unfortunately, most of this contact information isn’t listed on the site. It usually requires cold calling. Identify the television or radio show that reviews books or hosts authors. Search the website, as well as Facebook and Twitter for the producer’s name and contact information. If you can find the producer’s name but not the email, simply call up the station and ask to speak to them. If you don’t have the producer’s name, you can still call up the station and ask for the producer of SHOW X, but it may require finessing. If it’s a local radio station in the Midwest, you should have no trouble getting through. If you’re calling NBC for the producer of the Today show, you may not have an easy time getting through.

If you get the producer on the phone, introduce yourself, and say you want to send some information but couldn’t find their email address. Most of the time, they’ll give it to you, but sometimes, they’ll hear your pitch over the phone. Be prepared.

If the station won’t put you through without a name, you have one last resort. If you’re trying to contact a TV show, tune in to the show and watch the end credits. They will always list the executive producer and they’ll usually list the associate producer or booking agent. Radio shows usually thank the producer at the end of the show, so listen carefully. If they just give a list of names, write them down and use Google to find out which is the producer.

Finding this contact information requires time and effort, but obtaining it is the first step to leveraging media coverage.

Tune in tomorrow when we’ll investigate finding the right bookstores or other venues to schedule events. Please note that parts of this blog post originally appeared on Hey, There’s A Dead Guy In My Living Room.

More and more, I’m discovering that being a publicist is a lot like being a P.I. (well, without the badge, gun, and cool hat). To know how much traffic a website receives, to find a phone number to a producer or casting director, or to figure out which bookstore does the best signings, all require investigation.

This week, I’m going to give you the investigative tools necessary to create a successful publicity campaign. Today, we start with the bloggers.

When obtaining blog reviews for my clients, I only pitch high-traffic sites. If the blogger wants a guest post from my author, I require the site to have even more traffic. But most bloggers don’t post their stats right on the front page. So how do you know who’s visiting the website?

Some bloggers post their Google subscribers; that’s always a good indication. Anything above 500 is pretty solid. They also post links to their Twitter and Facebook accounts. Check to see how many followers and friends they have. It’s safe to assume the more friends and followers, the more visits their blog gets.

Can’t find a subscriber list or link to twitter and Facebook? Head to Alexa.com. This site measures traffic as well as incoming links. Simply plug in the bloggers web address and it will give you a worldwide Alexa ranking, a country Alexa ranking, and tell you how many sites are linking in. Whether or not a site is worth your time depends on where you are in your career. If you’re a debut novelist without a strong online presence, a guest post on a blog with a 500,000 Alexa ranking could be worth your time. If your personal website is at 20,000, don’t guest blog for anyone with a lower ranking than you. Sending a book to a blogger doesn’t require much time or expense, so I’m less selective than I am with guest blogs, which take lots of time and energy.

Another helpful site is Technorati, which measures incoming links and mentions and gives each site an “authority”. The more authority a site has, the more people have mentioned or linked to this site. It also gives authority by category. A blog may have an average authority of 500, but only 100 in “books”.

The last factor to consider is the average number of comments on each post. This indicates the strength of the blogger’s community. Even if the Alexa ranking is lower, or they don’t have many Google subscribers, 20-30 comments on each post is an excellent sign. This shows that even though the readership is smaller, the audience is interactive and values the blogger’s opinion. As an author, you want to reach new readers, which won’t happen if the blogger’s audience isn’t strong. When it comes to social media followers, whether it’s blog subscribers or Facebook likes, it’s about quality over quantity.

Deciding whether or not a website is worth your time shouldn’t depend on a single factor; you have to look at the big picture. A site doesn’t need to have lots of comments, lots of subscribers, and a high Alexa ranking. Consider all the information and listen to your gut when deciding if a blog is worth your time.

Tune in tomorrow when we’ll investigate finding contact information for book critics, editors and producers. Please note that parts of this blog post originally appeared on Hey, There’s A Dead Guy In My Living Room.

As a writer, you’re surrounded by critics. From the voice inside your head as you’re writing to the anonymous voices in PW, you’ll face judgment of your work. If you don’t want your work to be judged, then keep it to yourself.

It’s important to know that every author has received bad reviews. Pulitzer Prize winners, New York Times bestsellers, your favorite books and authors have all received negative feedback and criticism. No one is immune. What’s important is how you deal with those negative reviews.

Above all, don’t doubt yourself. Focus on the positive reviews, the kind words from agents and editors. If you receive emails from fans, save them, and read them whenever a sliver of doubt begins to seep in. Don’t let negative reviews on Amazon or angry emails from readers let you doubt your talent as an author.

If you’re like most authors, you’re initial reaction is to lunge for the keyboard and to begin typing an angry email to the critic or a snarky response to the Amazon review. As I reminded everyone yesterday, don’t respond. The last thing you want to do is draw attention to bad press. I see too many authors linking to bad reviews on Facebook or Tweeting that a certain book critic didn’t like their book.  The best thing you can do is ignore it.

There are a couple things you can do to ensure the good reviews are the ones your potential readers will see first:

• For each review, Amazon asks “Was this helpful?” Go through and click “yes” on the good reviews and “no” on the bad ones.
• Offer a free book, t-shirt, or other prize to the first X people to write reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, or other sites.
• Post links to positive reviews on Facebook and Twitter. You don’t need to post every time someone writes a good review on B&N, but if a blogger or critic has something nice to say about your book, spread the word!

If there is something in the media that needs to be addressed (inaccuracies in biographical information, pub date, etc.) don’t contact the journalist directly. Reach out to your publicist, in-house or independent, and have them handle it. It’s always better for them to hear from a publishing professional rather than the author.

Above all, take all criticism with a grain of salt and don’t let it get to you. Authors, feel free to share your tips about handling negative reviews.

1.       Too Much Blatant Self-Promotion (BSP) – don’t use social media as your personal soap box or spam your newsletter list.

2.       Stale websites – make sure your books, bio, and contact info are all up to date.

3.       Pitching media through social networking sites (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn) – always use the email address listed on their websites. Don’t ask a reviewer to look at your book through a LinkedIn invitation.

4.       Badgering reviewers or other media professionals – if a reviewer or producer asks for a book, that doesn’t guarantee a review. Send them the book, follow up in a few weeks to ensure it arrived, and then the ball is in their court. Don’t email persistently or corner them at a conference asking why they didn’t review it.

5.       Not maintaining a professional image – whether it’s at a conference or on your twitter feed, everything you say should be professional. Avoid criticizing other authors or industry professionals, using foul language, and anything else that will cast you in a negative light.

6.       Burning bridges – in the wake of the self-publishing craze, many authors are burning bridges between them and the publishing industry. No matter what route you choose, always maintain your relationships.

7.       Being a yes-man – it’s difficult to say no to bloggers who want a guest post and librarians who want you to drive an hour and a half to speak to their group of 12. But be strong, manage your time, and know when to say no.

8.       Responding to critics – although it’s tempting to respond to those 1-star Amazon reviews or a nasty email from an unhappy reader, resist the temptation. If it helps to vent, draft the response, and send it to a friend or spouse instead.

9.       Not keeping an open mind – at conferences or events, don’t discount people who you think can’t help your career. You never know when the person you’re talking to has influence or may help you in the future.

10.   Taking your career for granted – a very small percentage of the population has the talent, drive, and luck necessary to become a published author. Don’t forget to count your blessings.
 

Did I miss any? Feel free to post your own author taboos.

We live in a “pop-a-pill” society, so it never surprises me when authors want instant gratification from their publicity efforts. They gauge the success of an event by how many books were sold. They dismiss social media because their posts don’t affect their Amazon ranking. Book publicity is about the long term, and if you only take measures if you see an immediate payoff, you’re going to miss out on a lot of important opportunities.

Here are a few examples:

Signings and Events

Most authors gauge the success of an event on how many books are sold. When deciding if an event is worthwhile, they weigh the cost of travel against the profits they earn from sales. If you do it this way, events are never worthwhile.

However, long term, events make a huge difference. If you do it right, you can obtain media exposure in a new market, connect with a new audience of readers, and boost all around sales. If a client comes to Chicago, they’re not just coming for the 15 people who may show up for a book store. They come for the radio and TV appearances, mentions in the local paper, meeting with their local sales reps, and drop by signings at area bookstores. You won’t sell enough books in a single night to make the trip worthwhile, but I’m confident it will pay off in the long term.

Social Media

A common sentiment, and one that I agree with, is that social media doesn’t sell books. But the point of having a presence on social media platforms isn’t to directly sell books. It’s to build your community. Before, the only way to connect with readers is through email and in-person, and to do either of those things, your readers sought you out. Now, not only can you maintain a connection with your readers all year long, but it’s possible to be discovered by a new audience.

Social media is all about building buzz and word of mouth promotion online. That doesn’t happen overnight. But in the long term, I do believe social media boosts sales, builds brand recognition, and can lead to other opportunities.

Advertising

As I’ve stated in previous posts, people need to see your name and book cover three times before they remember it. Therefore, even if people aren’t clicking on advertisements, that doesn’t mean they’re not seeing them. Don’t gauge the full success of an advertisement based on click throughs or sales the week it appears. It may take longer for those impressions to take effect.

This is not to say you shouldn’t pay attention to the short term effects of your publicity efforts. You should always be keeping an eye on your website stats, BookScan numbers, etc. But don’t dismiss these efforts if you don’t see an immediate spike in sales. Watch sales numbers over 4-6 months, keep an eye on geographic locations where sales rose, look at your social media followers and see how many more readers you’re interacting with. Be patient, becoming a bestseller takes time.