or for the longest time, are the ones who are least likely to give you the kudos you need to succeed on a grand scale.
There’s always going to be a clique in your neighborhood who believe they know you too well. They figure you’re a known quantity, and that there’s little mystery to be revealed where you’re concerned. These people don’t mean to be dismissive or disrespectful. It’s just human nature. It’s only when you’ve got your name in lights within someone else’s town that your neighbors will accept you as a success.
This means when it comes to your career, your hometown is the absolute best place to hone the skills it takes to successfully promote your book. It’s nice and safe. No matter what you do, the people close to home are going to love you anyway and hold to their stubborn opinions. This makes it an excellent place to take risks, refine your media publicity skills and do lots of live events.
Book signings, media interviews and keynote addresses are the recipe for becoming a hometown hero. As your skills get more refined, you can get your act together and take it on the road. That’s when your career will be ripe for that “overnight sensation” miracle we all read about in Huffington Post.
The Magic of Book Launch Events
If you’re an author, it’s essential to plan a series of promotional events in your local market to launch your book. Don’t just release your book and try to convince people to buy it. Create tension and excitement in advance, centered around the big day your book will finally be available.
Think about it. How many sunny days have you spent with your nose pressed against the window, tapping on your keyboard instead of playing volleyball on the beach? How many family gatherings have you attended where people have asked, “How’s your book coming along?” For that matter, how many events and celebrations have you missed because your writing came first?
There needs to be a payoff for the monumental investment of time, heart and soul that you’ve poured into your manuscript. Your fans and would-be followers want to share in the success of your book launch—which is why it needs to be a book launch instead of a book release.
Along with this launch comes the responsibility of having a series of appearances right in your hometown. It’s not all that difficult to schedule these events. Just call your local bookstore and ask. The worst odds you face are 50/50. It’s surprisingly easy to get your foot in the door, and many bookstore managers are hungry for authors to show up and create some buzz for their store.
In fact, Barnes & Noble stores have a position in each store called the “CRM” whose responsibility includes scheduling author signing events. So, ask for the “CRM” when requesting a signing in your local B&N store.
Libraries, schools, country clubs, civic organizations and social fraternities also make great venues for book signings. Usually, all it takes to schedule an event is making that initial phone call, then following the thread until your date is inked on the calendar.
Let the Local Media Be Your Mouthpiece
Once you schedule your book launch event, you’ll want to make sure you invite colleagues, friends and family. But don’t neglect the local media. This is a huge piece of the puzzle, yet so often it’s overlooked by humble authors with a “Who? Me?” attitude. This is true even of retired corporate executives, professional speakers and others who’ve enjoyed success but are still tentative about promoting themselves in the author space.
Yes—the fact that you’re having a book signing is a big event. Let the community share in your excitement. Put yourself out there, and you’ll be amazed by the return you get on your investment of time and heart.
Contact local media outlets such as radio, TV and publishers. Journalists are receptive to submissions, and many strongly support the work of local authors. Also, don’t be shy about reaching out to the media in neighboring cities as well. The farther afield you travel, the more likely you are to broaden the scope of your celebrity.
Local media coverage is not always easy to get, but it can be had for the right price. Often that price is simply your respect for their format. Look into the specific requirements of each of your local media outlets before you get in touch with them. You’ll find that they’re much the same across the board—with a few subtle variations on the theme. Make it easy for them to promote you, save them time, be interesting and be easy to reach.
A friend of mine got his product featured in the USA Today by counting the average number of words per article by the journalist who covers his topic. When he submitted his article, it took the journalist very little time to modify the article for publication to her tastes.
Working with the media is where having a press kit comes in handy.
When you have your author bio, book descriptions and press release prepared ahead of time, contacting the media is a breeze. And when you play by their format rules, you’re handing them every reason to cover your book launch events.
Combining book launch events with local media promotion is a great recipe for becoming a hometown hero—one that plants the seeds of red carpet celebrity and stellar book sales. I’ve seen this happen many times in my career as a publisher and look forward to reading about your success stories.
2
The Art of Branding for Authors
NOW that it is understood how to get discovered by the media, and how to structure your book launch sequence of events, it is time to consider how you are perceived by the public. The goal is to carve out a clear piece of “real estate” in the minds of the public, so when they hear your name, they know exactly what you represent.
The classic method of achieving this impression in the minds of the public is what marketers call Branding. In my career working with Fortune 500 companies, a team of people would spend close to a year conceptualizing a brand, designing it and rolling it out to the public. Authors often do not have the luxury of this kind of time, staff or the investment typically spent by big companies.
But, there is hope. Countless authors have clearly established their brand in the marketplace. How do they do it? This chapter distills the complexity of branding methodology into a process that you can implement without a team of experts in the art of branding.
So, let’s explore how to craft your brand message and set a plan to make your message stick.
Your WHY – The Essence of a Personal Brand
“WHY do you do what you do?” This question comes to you from the young man sitting next to you on a recent flight. Like yours, his seat back is comfortably angled 30 degrees back, and his tray table is in the down position. You’ve both settled in.
The two of you are on a first-class flight home from Dubai. Fate and a travel agent have thrown you together, and now you’re making chit-chat over strong coffee, colloquially known as Turkish coffee. It tastes good, and the caffeine/cardamom combo cuts through the morning fog of your mind. Last night’s dinner-and-drinks with your client quickly turned into dessert-and-one-too-many.
“I mean,” your seatmate continues, “what drives you to keep giving these keynote speeches?”
You’ve already swapped stories about the Zig Ziglar audios which you were surprised to
