By Marcia Yudkin In 1994, a young investment banker named Jeff Bezos incorporated a company called Cadabra (after “Abracadabra”) to sell books online. He had second thoughts about the name, however, after talking to his lawyer on the phone one day. “Cadaver?” repeated the lawyer in astonishment. Bezos changed the name of his ecommerce company… Read More
Publicity Blog
How to find the perfect target market for your book–Free training tonight
One of the big mistakes authors make dooms their books to failure even before they’re finished writing. They have no clear picture of the target market. They spend months writing, more time editing, rewriting and proofing, and they call me when they’re ready to launch their a publicity campaign. The first question I ask is, “Who’s… Read More
Book Launch Tip: Gather Blurbs, endorsements long before launch — Free call July 30
In marketing-speak, it’s called social proof. Translated, it means, “Buy this product. Right now. Or you’ll be sorry.” For authors, social proof includes book blurbs, endorsements and testimonials, three important types of marketing copy. You find them on the inside flap of a book you’re thinking of buying at a bookstore. You also find… Read More
Snappy Sassy Salty: A treat for the writer or author in your life
Every time I’ve spoken at one of book shepherd Judith Briles’ events for authors, I return home with one of her pithy phrases ringing in my ears. On our Publishing at Sea cruise to the Caribbean last year, she said this about authors who want to do their own editing and design their own… Read More
What to expect from a literary agent — free call tomorrow
Authors who are thinking they might need a literary agent can hear many of their questions answered during a free call tomorrow, July 24, 2014. Edward Vilga, author of the best-selling novel Downward Dog, will interview his literary agent, Beth Vesl, senior vice president at the Irene Goodman Agency, at 3 p.m. Eastern Time. The… Read More
Ebook publicity idea: Name fictional characters after your fans–they’ll help you promote
When sci-fi novelist Chris Kennedy writes an ebook, he names characters in his novels after real people, many of them his fans. He calls the characters “Redshirts,” a term that originated with the Star Trek TV series. Starfleet security personnel who frequently died during episodes wore red shirts. “If you want to be in one… Read More
‘Cut and paste’ software eliminates tedious typing, makes marketing easier
By Barbara Florio Graham One of the ways I keep a diversified business running smoothly is to have carefully-crafted responses to common questions and news items pre-writtten. Years ago, this would have meant a series of separate documents on my computer, but now it takes just a few seconds to locate what I want to… Read More
How to connect with TV news personalities on social media
By Roshanda E. Pratt Television personalities, producers, reporters, anchors and news managers are more accessible than previous years past. During my tenure working in television news eight years ago, the access to broadcasters was almost non-existent. I remember vividly working alongside reporters on stories. I had to field calls from viewers who wanted to chat… Read More
Would you dare fact-check a journalist’s article in red pencil and post it online?
In the old days, if a journalist wrote a news article or opinion column that you believed was inaccurate or unfair, you had only three options: Back then, only newspapers, magazines, TV and radio were the media. Today, you are the media too. Your platform might not be as big as theirs, but you have… Read More
Meet editorial board members of 3 Chicago newspapers at Publicity Club July 9
Many business owners and PR people spend so much time pitching reporters and section editors at newspapers that they often forget about another important consideration: the newspaper’s editorial board. That’s the group of top editors who meet daily to decide the position that the newspaper will take on its editorials and set other newsroom policy.… Read More