The 5th Self-Publishing Conference #selfpubconf The 5th Self-Publishing Conference Saturday 22 April 2017 • University of Leicester

Be a PR Star! Making the most of media opportunities Ben Cameron, Cameron Publicity and Marketing Ltd ben@cameronpm.co.uk www.cameronpm.co.uk

Book Promotion Cover Reader reviews Festivals Blurb Social media publicity Book Fairs Listings Speaking opportunities Social media advertising Price promotions Advertising Traditional advertising Mailing list promotions Author blogs Blog tours / guest posts Sponsorship Traditional media publicity Launch events

What’s Your Story. What do you have to offer the media What’s Your Story? What do you have to offer the media? Probably more than you think… Book reviews By-line articles Personal experiences Feature articles Op-ed Articles / Letters to the Editor Family history Interviews Anniversary insights Expert news commentary and analysis Blog posts Author / career advice Top 10 lists Book excerpts Sidebar hints and tips Event listings / coverage

The Free Will Delusion James B. Miles Book Author Hot/breakout topic in current philosophy Banker / Philosopher Explains difficult concepts well Counter-intuitive insight into something we don’t normally think about Up for a fight! Expert quotes Social Justice

The Many Lives of Ruby Iyer Laxmi Hariharan Book Wealth of knowledge about subject and genre Popular genre (need to differentiate) Understands marketing Very popular in India Exotic location behind the scenes Strong young female character Author

Know Your Media: Targeting Outlets Television Magazines National Journals / Mailing lists / Newsletters Local Radio Online Traditional media websites Websites Newspapers Bloggers

Know Your Media: Targeting Journalists IDENTIFY YOUR BEST CONTACTS Media bias Journalist subject areas Specific features THE JOURNALIST MINDSET Audience Point of view Workload / Deadlines / pressure

Perfect Pitch Email / phone Sending books Get to the point quickly Be honest about the appeal of your book to a journalist Focus on the most likely journalists Follow-up and be persistent!!! Accept rejection (eventually and politely) Turn interest into coverage

Interviews Top tips for a great interview Perfect your elevator pitch Understand what kind of interview it will be and read, listen or watch previous interviews Anticipate questions by looking again at your pitch and press release Practice your answers Record yourself answering questions Make an impact with a story or an emotional pull Be sure to mention your book title (but not too much) Perfect your elevator pitch (again!) Relax and be confident because you know what you are talking about

Social Media Facebook Long-term publicity Twitter Communication Pinterest 80/20 Rule Instagram Images / Video Google + Author community Goodreads Build an identity

Working With a Publicist Top tips for getting on with a publicist (or any author promotion service) Only work with people or services that you are confident about and that will keep you up to date Make sure that your project is understood, including key subjects, events and dates Make sure that your goals are understood Have realistic expectations that are acknowledged Be really really nice to them (but a little pushy) Compare contacts and suggest outlets and journalists Insist on an end of promotion chat