{"id":29216,"date":"2015-05-12T05:00:17","date_gmt":"2015-05-12T10:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/publicityhound.com\/?p=29216"},"modified":"2025-10-23T14:13:32","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T14:13:32","slug":"your-guide-to-book-publishing-shout-out-you-are-an-expert-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/purelysupp.com\/publicity\/publicity\/your-guide-to-book-publishing-shout-out-you-are-an-expert-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"How controversy creates publicity for experts"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"How<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This edited transcript is the second in a four-part series from an interview on April 2, 2015. Dr. Judith Briles asks me about how authors can become experts and promote their expertise. Prefer audio? You can download it here<\/a> or listen on iTune<\/a>s. Part 3 will be published here tomorrow. Also let them know about my free cheat sheet for authors on “10 Profitable Ways to Use Email to Create SuperFans Who Help You Sell Books.”<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judith:<\/strong> With me today is the awesome Publicity Hound, Joan Stewart, and we\u2019re talking about how you become an expert, which is going to be a series of baby steps.<\/strong> I\u2019ve always said that publishing is a marathon<\/strong>. Stop thinking you\u2019re going to sprint through it. Actually, it\u2019s more than one marathon. It\u2019s a lot of marathons that are strung together and that’a what Joan was talking about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before we went to break, I threw out the issue of how do you take a controversial topic that you’re expertise is in—something that is contrarian or might tick off a lot of people<\/strong> or raise their eyebrows and you get challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So Joan, what do you do when you\u2019re doing that? Is there some positioning that an author can do?<\/p>\n\n\n\n[Tweet “How controversy creates #publicity for #experts #bookpromotion”]\n\n\n\n

The Media Loves Controversy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Joan:<\/strong> Sure, absolutely. You mentioned controversy. If you want publicity, the best way to get it is to be controversial because the media absolutely loves controversy. Especially the big media\u2014like say you want to be in a big radio talk show? Be controversial.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a media trainer in Los Angeles who says that big radio shows don\u2019t like light. They like heat.<\/strong> They don\u2019t like these touchy-feely, feel-good topics. They want heat. They want topics that make people so mad that they pull over to the side of the road during rush hour and whip out their mobile phones and call the station.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you can take a position on a controversial topic that ties into your expertise, you will get far more attention than if you refuse to take a position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let me pluck an example out of the air. Take a look at the fear that has erupted over the topic of autistic children and whether they should be immunized.<\/strong> If you\u2019ve written a book on autism and you can take a position one way or the other—that children either should be immunized or shouldn’t be immunized—you\u2019re going to get a lot more attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now you\u2019re going to have people arguing with you. But that\u2019s going to attract a lot more attention.<\/strong> So what if you\u2019re stirring up controversy? Once that starts to happen, the people who are on your side are going to start to join in the conversation.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m all for it. I\u2019m all for taking a position on controversial topics, except for\u2014and we\u2019re taught this when we become professional speakers\u2014I would never go on the platform and start a political conversation about whether I\u2019m from a blue state or a red state and how I feel about politics or religion or some of the other things that really don\u2019t have anything to do whatsoever with my topic. You want to stay away<\/strong> from those types of things. But you want to take positions on controversial issues that tie into your expertise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women and Sabatoge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Judith:<\/strong> Let me add to that. When I was controversial with my book Women and Sabotage, my hook was, contrary to popular belief, men don\u2019t discriminate.<\/strong> [Laughs] That got their attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joan:<\/strong> Yep!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judith:<\/strong> Absolutely. Then they would say, \u201cTell me more.\u201d I would say, \u201cWell, women do.<\/strong> If they\u2019re going to sabotage or shaft someone, they\u2019re going to primarily do it to their own gender<\/strong>.\u201d \u201cTell me more!\u201d I was all over Timbuktu with that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joan:<\/strong> There you go. What year was this approximately, when this came out? Do you remember what year it was?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judith:<\/strong> Oh, it was 1987, that was the first book. Then I had five books, it kept going. I\u2019m [kiss smack] to Bill Clinton<\/strong> and Monica Lewinsky<\/strong> and the saboteur of all time, Linda Tripp,<\/strong> and I really had strong feelings. I was very opinionated on what was going on and I would say what I thought about Clinton. I would say what I thought about Lewinsky. But Linda Tripp got my attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joan:<\/strong> Excellent! Did you, by any chance, speaking of Monica Lewinsky, see her TED Talk?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judith:<\/strong> I did and it was excellent. I was going to add into that because she was talking about cyberbullying and some of her mistakes, and I thought it was superb. I would encourage all our listeners to go to watch it.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/div>\n\n\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judith:<\/strong> One side of me wanted to jump in again because I was all over that and I had the pioneering book on this. And then I deep dove into healthcare and the toxicity of women. I\u2019m not doing that anymore. I\u2019m not writing about women and betrayal anymore. I don\u2019t want to reposition myself<\/strong> because I am mouthy. I do have opinion. I can really position it and I know how to talk to the media. I don\u2019t want to be there because all I\u2019m doing is publishing now.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe, Joan, you would say, \u201cNo, no, Judith, go after it,\u201d but it redirects me where I don\u2019t want to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Set Business and Publicity Goals<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Joan:<\/strong> Exactly. I know that you mean. Every time I turn around, you\u2019ve got a book coming out. You\u2019re either working on a book or you\u2019re launching a book or you\u2019re doing something with a book and you\u2019re hosting events and you\u2019re hosting a cruise and you\u2019re doing the Extravaganza and you\u2019re doing all this stuff\u2014and you\u2019re right. What that does is it takes time away from all of the other things.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I think you have to ask yourself, what are the goals that I\u2019m going toward in my business? Where am I trying to get with this business and what do I need to do to get there? And will I get media attention?<\/p>\n\n\n\n[Tweet “How controversy creates #publicity for #experts #bookpromotion”]\n\n\n\n

When to Turn Down Publicity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Joan:<\/strong> I mean, what if the “Today” show<\/strong> called you and they wanted you to come to the studio for an on-air interview? Would you really take off two days<\/strong>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judith:<\/strong> No.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joan:<\/strong> To go to New York, to sit on the “Today” show set and maybe talk for four minutes on the topic of how women sabotage each other?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judith:<\/strong> No.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joan:<\/strong> Of course not, because it wouldn\u2019t get you anywhere.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judith:<\/strong> No, it doesn\u2019t take me anywhere. I think that all of you, as authors, have to really look at another side of this<\/strong>, because this is where the publicity side comes in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Say you\u2019re working on your book but it\u2019s not  out yet and the “Today” show gets wind that you\u2019re working on this and they say, \u201cOh, you’ve got to be here!\u201d The producer is wining and dining you<\/strong> over the phone and sending you all these kudos that you\u2019re just the best thing and you need to come back here and you get seduced and you go back there. You know what? Your four minutes are up.<\/strong> When your book comes out three months later or four months later, the odds of them paying any attention to you, of bringing you back, are almost zilch.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joan:<\/strong> Yeah, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judith:<\/strong> You’ve got to be tuned into that—it\u2019s very important, your timing.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joan:<\/strong> That\u2019s a good point. Ask yourself, where do you want to go with this book? What do you want this book to do for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judith:<\/strong> That\u2019s critical. You need to stay where you\u2019re going to be, but you can start, as Joan says, with baby steps.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Experts Do<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

OK,  so what are some of the other things now? I know you have a laundry list of things that can happen in creating your expertise? Maybe we should start with what exactly is an expert?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joan<\/strong>: An expert is\u2014and it depends on whose definition you go by\u2014a person who has a great deal of knowledge about a particular topic. My definition is anyone who also uses that expertise to further teach other people.<\/strong> That\u2019s what I think an expert is. In other words, you\u2019re doing,<\/strong> you\u2019re not just learning. You don\u2019t just have it in your brain, you\u2019re doing things aside from just learning about the topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let me tick off a couple of other things that experts can do. So you’ve got a body of knowledge in your head. Judith, we know this because we\u2019ve both been in business a long time. You\u2019re always learning. I’ve got to tell you, I am just always learning and fighting technology. I have so many problems with technology so I have never \u201carrived,\u201d I\u2019ve never graduated from technology school—ever. I\u2019m always learning. You should always be learning about your topic,<\/strong> I don\u2019t care what it is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some of the things you can do as an expert: Have you thought about consulting? A lot of authors out there don\u2019t realize that they can sell an hour of their time<\/strong> talking to somebody over the telephone on how to solve a problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judith:<\/strong> Exactly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joan:<\/strong> What about being active in a trade association? That will give you visibility<\/strong>. Not only among people within the association, but among people who do business<\/strong> with the association.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Create Your Own Media Empire<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Have you thought about hosting a podcast<\/strong> or a radio show?<\/strong> Are you creating videos<\/strong> for YouTube? Do you have your own YouTube channel?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What about publishing an email tip of the week<\/strong>? It doesn\u2019t even have to be a long newsletter, just a quick tip of the week. So many authors are missing the boat<\/strong> on email. They don\u2019t like email, they get too much spam, and what they don\u2019t realize is that if you do it right, you can really earn a reputation as a valuable resourc<\/strong>e who sends great content via email and actually get your audience to look forward to receiving it, once a week or once every other week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judith:<\/strong> You know, Joan, what I learned from you also is your expertise is really perfectly designed to create multiple cheat sheets<\/strong> within that realm of expertise. There are so many roots and branches that can come off that you can just pepper those out there and people gobble them up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joan:<\/strong> Oh, yeah. As we\u2019ve talked, a lot of what you do, you don\u2019t have to start it from scratch. I can take this one-hour radio show that we\u2019re doing right now, Judith, and I can probably create a half a dozen<\/strong> cheat sheets from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judith:<\/strong> And you will. You know what? When we come back, let\u2019s talk about that expertise cheat sheet<\/strong>. We have another break. Joan Stewart is my guest, and a lot is happening in expertise land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n[Tweet “How controversy creates #publicity for #experts #bookpromotion”]\n\n\n\n

Read All the Articles in This Series<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Part 1: How authors become experts and promote expertise<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Part 2: How controversy creates publicity for experts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Part 3: How authors make it easy for people to find them online<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Part 4: Why fiction authors can be experts and how to promote it<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This edited transcript is the second in a four-part series from an interview on April 2, 2015. Dr. Judith Briles asks me about how authors can become experts and promote their expertise. Prefer audio? You can download it here or listen on iTunes. Part 3 will be published here tomorrow. Also let them know about my free cheat sheet\u2026 Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","iawp_total_views":5,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[691],"tags":[3,747,224,7],"class_list":{"0":"post-29216","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-publicity","7":"tag-book-promotion","8":"tag-promoting-expertise","9":"tag-tip-sheets","10":"tag-tv-publicity","11":"entry"},"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"Joan Stewart","author_link":"https:\/\/purelysupp.com\/publicity\/author\/jstewart\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/purelysupp.com\/publicity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29216","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/purelysupp.com\/publicity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/purelysupp.com\/publicity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/purelysupp.com\/publicity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/purelysupp.com\/publicity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29216"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/purelysupp.com\/publicity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29216\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42897,"href":"https:\/\/purelysupp.com\/publicity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29216\/revisions\/42897"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/purelysupp.com\/publicity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29216"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/purelysupp.com\/publicity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29216"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/purelysupp.com\/publicity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29216"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}