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When you get ready to launch your self-published book, one of the best tools you have to help is publicity. Why? It’s one of the greatest ways to get your book in front of a lot of people and, if you’re on a budget, you can do a lot of it yourself.
Joan Stewart, known as The Publicity Hound, has been helping authors and other businesspeople get free and low-cost publicity for a long time. She really knows this stuff.
Although I’ve been following her for some time, I just met Joan recently when we gave a presentation together at the recent IBPA Publishing University in San Francisco.
After I finished my part about getting traffic for your author blog, Joan took over and started going through her 19 ways authors can make money from their blogs.
I started writing down her ideas and I was amazed at just how effective her presentation was. I’ve been doing this stuff for quite a while, and I learned a ton of new stuff from Joan.
With that in mind, I invited Joan to do an interview for my Marketing Masterminds series, part of the Self-Publishing Roadmap training course.
But when we finished the interview, I realized there was just so much great content, so many tips and ideas in the 50-minute talk that I needed to share it with you.
I think after you hear this talk you’ll be just as excited as I was. And if you want to explore Joan’s website, she has a ton of useful programs and links, lots of them free.
In particular, take a look at these two programs:
- Where to Find Millions of Readers Online to Review, Recommend & Buy Your Books. This webinar package will explain exactly how to find the right reviewers for your book, which sites are right for you, and how to find a network of nearly 2,000 book bloggers and book reviewers.
- A Simple 5-Part Formula for Delivering the Perfect Media Pitch and Hitting it Out of the Park. Joan is a former newspaper editor who knows exactly how to pitch your idea to the media, and in this webinar she explains it to you in a way you can easily understand.
If you’ve been wondering how to get reviewers to take a look at your book, or how to get feature articles about your books or your special area of expertise, these two programs will supercharge your marketing efforts.
But first, take the time to listen to this interview. Joan packed more information into 50 minutes than any other interview I’ve ever done (yes, she talks pretty quickly!).
Here’s the interview:
And here’s a download link if you want to take it with you. Just right-click and “Save As…”
Interview Notes
- The difference between advertising, promotion, publicity and public relations
- The role of free publicity using traditional media in your book marketing
- The importance of your email list
- Preparing your platform long before your book launch
- Why it’s crucial to have a blog to build your business
- Platform building with LinkedIn
- Why authors should have their own Youtube.com channel
- The role of Facebook in building relationships
- The importance of driving traffic
- How to manage multiple social media accounts
- How to share when you don’t like to get personal
- Why it’s okay to have fun in your promotion
- Reader communities like Goodreads.com
- Using Pinterest correctly for authors
- How to plan your book marketing and promotion
- Joan’s webinar series on publicity topics
- The problem with most author’s bios
- How often you should issue press releases
- Your publicity budget and hiring professional help
Links mentioned in the talk:
LinkedIn.com
Quora.com
The Power Formula for Linkedin Success by Wayne Breitbarth
PRWeb
ExpertClick
89PressReleaseTips
DeniseWakeman
Self-Publishing Roadmap
If you’d like to find out more about the Self-Publishing Roadmap, which includes hours of classroom-style lessons on self-publishing as well as many interviews on book marketing like this one, you can get on the list here: Self-Publishing Roadmap.
Links to Joan Stewart products are affiliate links. Photo by FaceMePLS
Tracy, I wrote the book you’re referring to, not Joan, but I must say that I’m thrilled to be confused with her! Joan’s materials are excellent! I am so pleased to see that you like “Get Your Book in the News: How to Write a Press Release That Announces Your Book.” Could I use your comments as a testimonial in my marketing materials?
Thanks!
Sandra Beckwith
https://buildbookbuzz.com/get-your-book-in-the-news
Sorry about that Sandra, I was reading your book and listening to the interview and got my wires crossed. :) It really is an excellent book, very helpful. I have been plugging away for several days on getting the press release just right. I had no idea how much i didn’t know! HA! Feel free to use my comments.
-Tracy
Believe me, I have no problems being confused with Joan Stewart! But thank you for the kind words — and for permission to use them. I really appreciate it!
Sandy
Tracy, I’m thrilled to be confused with Sandra Beckwith.
LOL! That’s so awesome!
After listening to the interview, I picked up a copy of Joan’s “Get Your Book in the News”. I must say, that is one of the best resources I have ever seen for putting together a press release. Great info and it makes it easy enough that anyone can do it. Highly recommended.
Thank you, Joan and Joel! I’ve downloaded this fantastic interview, and will refer to it from time to time.
This is so fun! More helpful information than I even know what to do with. I especially love interviews with brilliant women such as Joan, makes me feel empowered. Thank you for this.
Hope you enjoy it, Katie, and you can always file it for later, when you really do need this specific kind of info.
Fantastic Joel! I have enjoyed Joan’s information for years now and her press release help got me onto Australian National TV and radio as well as newspapers. I haven’t tried pitching traditional media for a while though and it is something I have been thinking about, so this is timely for me! Looking forward to the interview – you’re doing some great ones!
Thanks, Joanna
Joan is an amazing resource on publicity and promotion and I always learn something new when I talk to her, it was great fun doing this interview and I know you’ll enjoy it, Joanna.
Joanna, I’m so glad I was able to help you get publicity! If you got it before, you can get it again.
Here’s a tip. Whenever you get an article or broadcast news segment, come back a few months later and pitch “the rest of the story” to the same news outlet. These are called “follow up stories” and the media love them.
Example: In January, your local newspaper has an article about a fund-raiser you are hosting to help disadvantaged women in your community start their own businesses. Six months later, double back and let the newspaper reporter know about a successful woman who has done just.