In the ‘old days,’ there was a specific formula to book promotion. A no-holds barred author tour was the answer where the author would go for a winning mixture of television, radio, print and book signings. It was a hold-nothing-back author tour where the writer would ‘appear’ in a given city and get some combination of heavyweight radio, TV, book-signing and newspaper coverage. What would happen after this?
The people in each city would remember not only THEIR name, but also the name of their BOOK! So!is this kind of intense media blitz still realistic today? The answer is, ‘it depends.’ Depends? If you have the right public relations firm following the right guidelines, then success is almost guaranteed. But if you have the wrong PR firm!then it really is a crap shoot.
“In this game there are rules, so make sure you get your PR firm to follow them!”
1. ‘Anchor’ each city with at least one interview on a major network TV affiliate. “You really need to land a major network show in order to really get the most value out of your trip to that city. Remember, you will spending money and time to get there, so you need to maximize your efforts. No major network TV? Forget about that city for your tour.”
2. Obtain a minimum of two to three media appearances in each market within a day or two. This is a corollary to rule #1 and the real meat and potatoes of an author tour. “If you go out fighting for a day or two and things come together, you really have a good chance at “household name” status in that market.”
3. Schedule at least one book signing. Want to drive distribution of your book into a city. Then this is one of the best methods to do so. In addition to distribution, book signings really create public relations opportunity and excitement that can usually set you back a pretty penny. “This is a great way to create a combined effort with your other media appearances.” 4. Use your down time and visit area bookstores. When you are doing an author tour, there will always be a little bit of free time outside of your relentless promotion. So spend it visiting bookstores.
“If your books are in stock, offer to sign them. And if they don’t carry your books, let the manager know you’re available for a book-signing bookstores adore promotion-minded authors.”
5. Increase visibility by speaking at relevant functions. Another terrific way of maximize your exposure in a market in your free time by arranging speaking engagements with professional or governmental groups. Wearing the Promoter’s Hat Maybe, when you started writing, nobody told you that you’d have to be a promoter, too.
But that’s just the reality of successful writing. With an author tour, you really need to get promoting and make sure that you make every media appearance and book signing count!
So! yes, ‘Author Tours’ can be very effective for creating a buzz about your book and generating sales – providing enough quality media and exposure is obtained in each city you travel to. Make sure though, that you follow the 5 tips above!
For 20 years Marsha Friedman has been a leading authority on public relations as CEO of EMSI. Go to publicitythatworks.com to claim your free “Power of Public Relations” video today!