Here is something authors are often surprised to learn about media. A producer or journalist may not care very much that you wrote a book.
Ouch, I know.
But they may care enormously about what you know because of the business you have spent years building. And yes, your book makes you timely.
I have seen this play out many times. An author comes to me understandably excited about the book. They have spent months, sometimes years, writing it. They know the ideas inside and out. Naturally, they assume that is what we should lead with when approaching media.
Sometimes they are right. But sometimes I start asking questions about the work they do when they are not writing. Who are your clients? What do they keep asking you about? What has changed in your industry? What mistakes do you see people making over and over again? What are you seeing now that you were not seeing five years ago?
And suddenly, the story appears.
The author may be a consultant who has noticed a major shift in how leaders are managing people. A financial professional may be hearing the same fear from client after client. A real estate expert may be watching buyers behave differently than they did even a year ago. A coach may be seeing a new problem surface again and again. A creative professional may be watching technology change the way people value original work.
Those observations may be exactly what the book is built on. In fact, for many nonfiction authors, the book is the culmination of years spent doing the work, serving clients, noticing patterns, solving problems, researching, and developing a point of view.
October is National Women’s Small Business Month, and it has had me thinking about the many women authors I have worked with who are also running businesses. They are speakers, consultants, coaches, professionals, founders, CEOs, creatives, real estate experts, health practitioners, and entrepreneurs of every kind. And, of course, the same is true of many of the men I work with.
Very few nonfiction authors are only authors, and that is an important distinction when it comes to publicity.
A journalist, producer, or podcast host is not sitting there thinking, “How can I help this person sell more books?” We’d love that, of course, but really, they are thinking about their audience.
What is happening right now that their audience needs to understand? Who has seen it firsthand? Who can explain it clearly? Who has an interesting point of view? Who has a story, example, or experience that brings the subject to life?
That is where your business can be so valuable. It gives the ideas in your book real-world context. It gives you firsthand observations, changing patterns, client stories, surprises, successes, failures, and examples that can make those ideas especially timely.
Your book matters enormously. It may represent the clearest and deepest expression of what you have learned through years of doing the work. But when you are looking for publicity angles, do not stop with, “Here is what my book is about.”
Ask instead:
What is happening right now that makes the ideas in my book especially relevant?
That may be where your next great media angle is hiding.
Media Darling Moment: Your book contains the expertise. Your business gives you the real-world perspective that can make those ideas timely and newsworthy.
When looking for media angles, ask not only, “What is my book about?” but also, “Why does this matter right now?”
To your success!
Joanne
P.S. Because sometimes that business is exactly what gives your book its best media story.
#WomensSmallBusinessMonth
#SavvySunday
#BookMarketing
#BookPublicity