4.22.10: Nothing Trumps the Personal Touch By Kate Siegel Bandos, KSB Promotions
When working on publicity (or any aspect of book publishing), what you know is very important, but whom you know is also key. Whether you are just beginning to research your book (or your next book), are in the midst of launching your book, or you are trying to keep the momentum going on a book a year or more old, cultivating people who can help you spread the word is a skill everyone should develop.
With the help of the Internet, it is easier than ever to compile a list of potential places to get coverage where you would like to get coverage for you and your book. We always suggest that the first question you ask yourself be “Who is going to buy this book?” followed by “What else do they read, watch and listen to?” These are going to be the places where the book and author need to get coverage so the right people know it exists (and can then buy it).
For instance, a book we have worked on for several years is Susan Foster’s Smart Packing for Today’s Traveler. Of course, we continue to approach the consumer travel magazines like Travel & Leisure and National Geographic Traveler, as well as general interest magazines like Real Simple and Ladies Home Journal. There are also the travel editors and writers at newspapers throughout the country. Most of these outlets have written about the book or quoted Susan in a story at least once over the years, but it has been primarily our personal relationships (and now Susan’s personal relationships) with key people like Beth Harpaz of Associated Press and Catharine Hamm of the Los Angeles Times that have led to numerous stories year after year. Now when something happens, like the recent announcement that airlines may start charging for carry-on luggage, these reporters and several travel radio shows immediately contact Susan, because they know she will be up-to-date on the facts and will be able to give them good material to use in a story or go on air and explain the details to their listeners.
Another plus when you have established that “personal touch” is that your emails don’t go into the spam filter. This can be a valuable asset — your message gets through because of the relationship, whereas a message to a writer you don’t know often dies a spammy death. And today, when writers are leaving various media in droves to freelance –and not always by choice- that personal relationship outlives the transition, and you stay connected.
Remember to never give assistants and secretaries a curt brush off and insist on only talking with “the” editor, producer or host. Making friends with those lower in the food chain can prove very valuable, because they may well be the ones who hand carry your book to the boss and make sure it gets noticed, or who make sure he/she sees your email . And, you never know when they might get promoted or move on to someplace where they become the decision makers.
When researching media to contact, it is now quite easy to read more about them online. Nothing is more flattering than knowing someone has really taken the time to get to know something about you and your column, show or life. Once you learn, for example, that a certain talk show host loves dogs, a reporter just got divorced or a writer spends summers growing a vegetable garden, use this information to your advantage. They will be much more likely to seriously consider you and your book when you can explain how it is a perfect fit for their audience.
Is there still a place for the eblast of a basic release? Sure. There are times when sending a release through a service to get it out to a lot of people is very appropriate and can result in good coverage. But always keep in mind that nothing trumps the personal touch.
KSB Promotions has been maintaining a detailed media list for over 20 years to best serve their authors and publishers.. Many connections that began as business queries have turned into real friendships that have spanned many years. That is one reason the work is so much fun.
Kate Bandos has worked with hundreds of publishers and authors, and dealt with a wide array of media people during her nearly 40 years in publishing. Since the formation of KSB Promotions in 1988, she has primarily helped independent publishers garner media exposure. Prior to the formation of KSB Promotions, Kate was publicity director for M. Evans & Company (NYC), Globe Pequot Press (CT) and Pelican Publishing (LA). Handling national, regional, and local carefully targeted campaigns, Kate and her husband/partner Doug work with non-fiction titles only, specializing in travel guides, parenting, gardening, cookbooks, home how-to, consumer health, select children’s books and other general lifestyle books.
