Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
Are you looking to get publicity for a book? You’ll have to have a killer pitch when approaching editors, journalists and producers. It’s estimated 3,000 books a week are published in the UK and each of them wants a spot in the press.
As an author and journalist (as well as resident PR trainer with Nine Media), I have just emerged from a busy publicity campaign for my third book, This Girl Ran: Tales of a Party Girl Turned Triathlete.
I didn’t leave it all to my publishers’ PR. I worked with them, and together we secured coverage on Sky News, BBC Radio London, BBC networked radio, The Telegraph, an ITV London Facebook Live and several magazines and digital platforms. But I spent many a late night drafting pitches. There is much more to book PR than sending a press release.
So, hot off the campaign trail, here are my tips on getting publicity for a book.
Create a Target List Weeks Ahead
There are endless platforms in the UK media for features, interviews, opinion pieces and more, so you need to think how your book could fit on a publication-by-publication basis. For example, if you’re pitching to radio, lots of Radio 4 programmes interview authors but what are their themes? Does the programme focus on the author, or the author’s subject matter? It’s a mammoth task so you need to keep an eye and ear out for target publications or programmes weeks in advance. Our Ultimate Book PR course takes you through the different media platforms and how to tailor your approach.
Widen your themes
Don’t just pitch an article about a book. Think about topics of the zeitgeist that the book touches on. My book is a memoir about how I swapped a glamorous city lifestyle when I discovered outdoor sport. That’s relevant to the current conversation surrounding women and sport. I, like so many other women put off doing outdoorsy things because of my ‘feminine issue’. By widening my story to wider debates, I secured this interview on Sky News.
Widen your target
Don’t just think of the mainstream press and broadcasters. Our course guides you through finding the best places to host book giveaways, researching niche communities that are interested in the topic of your book and utilising your personal and professional networks to spread the word. By going off the beaten track for publicity, I secured several interviews like this one for WeAreTheCity aimed at successful business women or this one for LessonsInBadAssery which documents women’s amazing stories of endurance pursuits.
We’re launching a book PR course specifically for authors in June 2018. Check here soon for more the link to book a place!
Nine Media have five years experience training PR agencies, academics, charities and comms teams on sharpening media campaigns – we cover everything to do with media relations including interview coaching, press releases, pitching and social media.
Contact us with your media training needs.
