Authors, Consider a Book Trailer

Movie trailers, the promotional clips for upcoming attractions that you sit through before getting to the real movie, have been around for 98 years.

Book trailers have only come along in the past decade. But they are rapidly becoming a staple of press kits and grass roots promotion. A well-done book trailer can help sell you as a talk show guest or news interviewee. Some TV stations may even use your video as b-roll during your interview.

You can post your book trailer to your blog, Facebook page and website. You can send it with your press releases. You can put a link in your Tweets and other social media. You can add the link to your email signature.

Please get professional help in shooting and editing your book trailer. I may be biased, but my husband's new trailer is a good example. He is an Emmy-award winning producer, so he has an advantage, but he's not used to being in front of the camera. Take a look and see what you think he does right.

Cool Way to Send a Press Release

One of the public relations companies that routinely pitches guests to me for my daily talk show has started doing something that's definitely different--important with the dozens of books, emails and letters I get each day.

This company is sending its pitch on a thumb drive. To make the pitch even more solid, the logo of the guest's book or product is on the drive, and a video report is included with a press release and photos. I'm impressed. It undoubtedly costs more to make and send these drives than it would to just send a letter or email, but when you consider the cost of advertising or mailing preview books, the investment may be smart.

The drive alone doesn't sell me; the content still has to be right for our program. But in a world where catching attention is the first biggest hurdle, this works.

Things That Irk an Interviewer

Recently, a newsmaker hit the trifecta. That's right, he committed three sins in one short interview. First, when I was introducing him in a live setting, he corrected information HE GAVE ME from his bio, as in "I'm not really living there yet. I'm in City X." Well, then, don't put City Y in the document you send me. And why bring it up anyway when time is short and you're trying to sell books?

Second, he was slow putting sentences together. So when my colleague tried to help him out, the guest asked, "Well, what do you expect when it's 5:30 am?" Don't accept early morning interviews if you're not a morning lark. And worse, if you do, don't complain about it. No one is holding a gun to your head.

Third, in response to three questions, the fellow said, "Well, my co-author is really the expert on that. Here's what I think he would say..." If you can't speak for your co-author, don't accept the interview.

I'm not mad at the guest. He just needs coaching. I'm mad at the publicist who told me this guy was high-energy and articulate. He was neither.

The Heart of An Interviewee

Mellanie True Hills is on a mission to save lives. She is a heart health expert, speaker, coach, author of the award-winning A Woman's Guide to Saving Her Own Life and best-sellers on technology topics, and founder of the American Foundation for Women's Health and its non-profit atrial fibrillation patient resource, www.StopAfib.org. For her past interviews and resources for the media, check out her press room and the StopAfib.org press room.

Mellanie is doing so much right with the news media that I asked her to answer a few questions to help readers of this blog.

Lorri: Mellanie, you’ve made yourself a resource to reporters so that they come back to you every time there’s a women’s heart issue in the news. How did you create these relationships?

Mellanie: I believe in giving reporters what I'd want if I were in their shoes and in going the extra mile to help them put together the best story possible. Here are some of my philosophies in working with reporters:

· Respond immediately, making myself available whenever is most convenient for them (i.e., weekends, evenings, early, late, etc.)
· Ask what they want to cover and where they want the story to go so I can focus my comments and time with them most effectively
· Be flexible and help the writer shape the story
· Give as much time and information as they want, and provide information, tips, sidebar content, unique insights, and even other resources to round out the story (even sending them to my competitors since there is plenty to go around)
· Point them to my online press room for photos and other resources
· Offer to follow up in the future with new stories or an update for next heart month or stroke month—because of this, we frequently become "old friends" and there are several for whom I've done three, four, and five interviews over the past couple of years

Lorri: As a professional speaker and nice person, you definitely have great conversational skills. Do you have a conversational strategy when it comes to creating soundbites?

Mellanie: You're so kind. Thank you. I think that the sound bites and short stories that work well for speaking audiences also work well for radio, TV, and print, so I use those sound bites and stories in interviews.

In preparing for an interview, just like for a speaking engagement, I ponder what important lessons I've learned that would be valuable for the audience and think through how to make important messages easy to remember. Acronyms are good memory hooks, so I use those when possible, such as "LIFE" to remember the four symptoms of a woman's heart attack and "HEART" for the five simple steps to a healthy heart.

Alliteration also helps, so a favorite that is easy for audiences to remember is "Stress Hijacks Healthy Habits." These make great takeaways that readers and listeners not only remember, but easily share with others. Of course, for radio and TV, it helps to be so comfortable with your sound bites that they just roll off your tongue, especially tongue-twisters, as you don't want to mess up with a live audience.

Lorri: When you’ve been interviewed on TV, radio and for magazine articles, do you feel journalists have been fair?

Mellanie: Yes, they have all been professionals. Of course, when you are coming from a place of giving, with no specific agenda other than to convey information, journalists will usually be quite fair. While it's nice to have a plug for my book, giving the audience life-saving information is what the interview is really about; if they mention my book, which they almost always do, then that's gravy. If you give, true professionals give back.

While journalists have been fair, I can't say the same for bloggers, who usually aren't professional journalists like you. Some are professional, others are not. For some, anything goes, whether true or not. Misguided bloggers can post false and defamatory comments about you, and you have little or no recourse.

For example, one physician who blogs read a press release from our web developer mentioning their work on our non-profit atrial fibrillation patient resource, http://www.stopafib.org/. This physician leveled the completely false accusation in his blog that no patient could possibly understand medical procedures, and thus our site must have been written by the marketing department of a medical device company to skirt current regulations and that I was a pawn of this company. Nothing could be further from the truth – as an informed patient, I researched and wrote every word myself. Professional journalists would have checked their assumptions, but there are no rules for bloggers, so this one posted first, then called, and never admitted to me that he had blogged and leveled these charges. Thank goodness for Google News Alerts for the heads up. I commented at his blog to set the record straight, and he fired back with additional false accusations, which I refuted. He will never admit the mistake, nor apologize for the grief he has caused.

Lorri: What lessons have you learned?

There are many, but here are some of the top ones:

Some national media, such as the women's magazines, can be very difficult to get the attention of, but once you get that big national magazine story, the others are much easier to get. Better Homes and Gardens' Heart-Healthy Living magazine recently featured my story. It included my two brushes with death from heart disease and a near-stroke, my mission to save others from a similar fate, my recent surgery to cure my atrial fibrillation (an irregular heartbeat), and the non-profit atrial fibrillation patient site we recently launched. Now, more national magazines are interviewing me, and that's yielding more calls for speaking engagements. Patience and persistence pay off.

Press releases aren't just for the media anymore. They now serve a general Internet audience as consumers and companies follow them, too, and they turn up in search results. Press releases can yield more attention and web site visitors than some media coverage does.

Sometimes we get impatient to get certain "big" media, and even obsess over it, but I believe that if you build a platform and do good work, the media will come to you. Of course, you have to help it along at the same time by being a good resource and partner with them.

Lorri: What advice would you give others?

Mellanie: Some of these I've said already, but they bear repeating.

Go the extra mile and leverage every opportunity to help the media create awesome stories, including connecting reporters with others that can fill out the story. They will remember you and you may get extra coverage. For example, when the national magazine reporter called for a quote and some information for a sidebar to his story about what can go wrong with the heart, we spent a long time discussing my story, and he found my two heart issues compelling. We subsequently spent a couple of hours with my heart surgeons and did lots of back-and-forth e-mails to answer additional questions and clarify details. I also did two photo shoots and last minute fact-checking. All in all, that was a lot of time invested. Was it worth it? You bet. What started as a small sidebar to a story ended up as a four page feature spread in a national magazine, and I've developed a relationship with the team that puts the magazine together and can take them future ideas.

Be a good resource and build relationships because you never know where your contacts will end up. Focus on helping others, not yourself. Press releases are cheap and effective publicity, especially on the Internet.

Lorri: Do you think media coverage is helping get the word out about women’s heart disease?

Mellanie: Yes, it definitely is. We have come a long way in helping women know that heart disease is the #1 killer of women and that stroke is #3. What's important now is helping women and men take actionable steps to prevent heart disease and stroke and to lead a healthier life.

In addition to continuing to talk about women and heart disease, my new passion is raising awareness of atrial fibrillation, the most common irregular heartbeat. Fortunately I have had surgery to cure this devastating, and sometimes deadly, condition, but I can't just stand on the sidelines and watch others suffer. We've created a non-profit web site for atrial fibrillation patients, http://www.stopafib.org/, to provide the help they need to control their condition. Doctors, unfortunately, often underestimate the impact of atrial fibrillation on patients' lives, so we're trying to change that as well.


Lorri: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Mellanie: I think that being effective at getting the word out about what you do requires being patient and persistent, focusing on relationships with the media, and remembering that it's not about you, it's about others!

Thanks, Lorri, for the opportunity to share what I've learned in my media journey.

Interview with Dianna Booher, Author and Speaker

Dianna Booher is not only a highly-regarded speaker whose company trains all over the globe, she's published 43 books! For a list of all the news interviews she's done and the excellent way she provides ideas for the media, check out the newsroom section of her website. No one does it better. So, I asked this Certified Speaking Professional to share her strategies.

SC: Dianna, why is it important for authors to seek media attention?

DB: Most authors don’t have direct access to enough readers to put them on a bestsellers list without help from the media. The media opens the door to a bigger audience. Media means leverage. But publicity in and of itself doesn’t necessarily translate to book sales or speaking engagements. The key is getting the RIGHT kind of publicity to reach the appropriate audience for your book or speech. And then the real payoff comes in knowing what to do with that publicity once you get it—in knowing how to leverage the publicity to dollars.

SC: You’ve been very successful in getting in lots of different publications and appearing on national news programs. To what do you attribute your positive publicity?

DB: A broad topic of universal appeal. Communication is my area of expertise, and everybody has to communicate well. As far as getting on national news programs, that can also be explained fairly easily: There’s always some politician, pro athlete, or rock star putting his or her foot in the old mouth! Some talk-show hosts want communication experts for their analysis of how those with foot-in-mouth disease can clean up the mess—apologize, give the bad news, respond graciously, or “set the record straight” with a clean slate.

SC: Your new book deals in part with that topic. In terms of publicity, what steps are you taking this time around that you may not have done on your first or second book?

DB: The Voice of Authority: 10 Communication Strategies Every Leader Needs to Know was just released by McGraw-Hill. One thing that I’ve done differently with this book is to think more about positioning BEFORE it came out. Let me explain: An earlier book that I did, which I’m often told has become a classic in the field, was Communicate with Confidence, also by McGraw-Hill. With that book, I aimed at every business professional and evidently hit the middle of the marketplace. It has sold exceptionally well—but just by accident, not through any great marketing or positioning plan. But with Voice of Authority, the publisher has positioned it “one level above” every professional. That is, they still wanted the book to present practical tips, but for leaders in an organization—managers, team leaders, and so forth. So that meant cover design, sales copy, PR, everything had to be different to position the book for that reader.

SC: Have you had any interviews that didn’t go so well? What did you learn?

DB: The first time I was on a national talk show—Good Morning America—I was shocked to learn the morning I arrived in the studio that they didn’t intend to show the book jacket on the screen. They were interviewing me on tips from the book—Get a Life: How to Find Time for the Really Important Things in Life Without Sacrificing Your Career. So I just assumed they’d show the book jacket and flash the title on the screen under my name. Not so. When I said something about that, the segment producer said, “We’re not planning to.” I said, “What do you mean—you’re not planning to?” It never entered my mind that they didn’t intend to show the book. She responded, “Your publicist didn’t make that a condition of your doing the show. Are you saying you won’t go on?” I was floored. I had no idea that was all decided beforehand and should be part of the discussion with the booking agent. I assumed it was all just a “given.” But not anymore! I assume nothing.

SC: That's a good lesson for us all to take to heart. Tell us about the most embarrassing/funniest/memorable thing that’s happened to you.

DB: The most difficult interview I remember doing was a international one—I think the radio station was one from the Bahamas or Jamaica. My publisher had placed an ad in Radio and TV Report, and a producer called in from that ad and scheduled the segment. We didn’t check out the show very well other than to check the Internet and discover that it was a large station. The topic was the communication gap between men and women. It was one of those morning talk shows with two hosts in a playful mood. The first question or two went okay, but soon things started to get suggestive. Their questions started to focus on me personally—my photo on the website. That sort of thing. When I tried to bring things back to a more business-like discussion, one of the hosts began to attack me for being “uptight” and asking “why was I so uncomfortable with my sexuality” and it got worse from there. I just hung up. And then five minutes later, I get a call on my home phone number from this guy, trying to further the very vulgar, suggestive discussion. (They had my home phone number as a back-up number in case of technical difficulties on this early-morning call before office hours.) He continued to harass me at home. Long story a little shorter, I called the PR firm to let them know about this station so they could put this station on their “do not schedule” list.

SC: I applaud you for hanging up. On the other hand, a step you take that endears you to reporters is that you write thank you notes. How important is it to establish a relationship with journalists?

DB: Extremely important. The same journalists call me book after book to do interviews because of a relationship. And they call for quotes, tips, or comments when they’re assigned stories because my name is top of mind on the topic of communication. Anything extra that you can do to stand out makes a huge difference.

SC: Do you use different strategies for newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and Internet coverage?

DB: Yes and no. The fundamentals are the same: Build relationships. Keep your name top of mind. Keep good records. Stay in touch. Help them do their job. Make it easy for them to use your stuff. But you do approach them differently when you have a new book. For example, the lead time when scheduling interviews is different with each type. The method of reaching each is different. The frequency of contact for each is different. What they want to see is different.

SC: Do you practice to develop good sound bites?

DB: Again, the answer is yes and no. Yes, in the sense that I’ve been practicing all my professional life as a speaker. So I practice delivery every week as I deliver speeches and workshops. But no, I don’t practice doing interview sound bites. What I DO to prepare, however, is to pull together sound bites on paper. I always have my assistant to ask the reporter what the interview will cover so that I can pull my thoughts together before the actual interview.

And when a new book comes out, I actually go through the book and pull out sound bites or key points that I want to make in each interview and write those on cards, ready to deliver at every opportunity.

SC: What advice would you give to people to leverage a little media coverage into bigger markets?

DB: Always let your clients know where you’ve been covered, reviewed, interviewed, featured. Even if they didn’t read it or see it directly, they’ll be impressed just to KNOW or HEAR that you were featured in your industry’s top journal. Then when you step up to appear on Fox & Friends newscast or CNN’s Larry King Live about X or Y or get interviewed by Harvard Business Review or Investor’s Business Daily about Z, let clients know. Second-hand, pass-on announcements about such coverage get almost the same bang for the buck as the first time around.

SC: Sometimes you use press releases to establish yourself as an expert. You’re not necessarily selling a book, but definitely building credibility and reputation.

DB: We do this about twice a year for big events—when we complete major surveys or research surveys. Another thing that warrants a press release is when we sign global, enterprise-wide contracts with training clients for our communication courses. Sometimes our clients do it for us—that’s the very best. For example, when Lockheed Martin won the huge $288 billion Joint Strike Fighter contract with the Department of Defense, the company sent out a press release and mentioned us as the training firm who coached the senior executives in giving briefings. That’s nice.

SC: You do a great job of explaining the media in your Get Your Book Published workshop that you hold once or twice a year. How essential is it that authors think of the media angle as they begin a book?

DB: Considering the media and marketing angles from the get-go is paramount. In fact, you will absolutely not sell a book today if your book proposal does not include an exceptionally strong marketing and media section. Selling books is all about the author’s platform. That’s why in Get Your Book Published we spend a great deal of time making sure would-be and experienced authors understand how to convey to agents and editors what they plan to do to market their books and get media attention. The media opens the door to everything else.

SC: Dianna, thanks so much for your wisdom and insight! I'd like to encourage everyone to sign up for your monthly Communication Tip and to read your blog. We'll also be looking for you on TV!

Interview with Jim Comer, Author and Speaker

After his father suffered a massive stroke and his mother’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, Jim Comer found himself an "overnight parent" at the age of 51. Though everyone looked to him as the “man who knew all the answers,” he soon realized that he didn’t even know the questions. In eleven years of caregiving, Jim has lived the questions and learned the answers. He’s learned to deal with hospitals, insurance companies, rehab centers, nursing homes, his father’s deafness and his mother’s dementia. Through it all, Jim has kept his sense of humor and forged a deeper, more intimate relationship with his parents.

His book, When Roles Reverse: A Guide to Parenting Your Parents, is terrific! It was published nationally in the fall of 2006 by Hampton Roads and is available in bookstores and on line. His website is http://www.whenrolesreverse.com/. Jim has been getting lots of publicity, so we asked him to share a bit about his experiences with the media.


LA: Jim, has news coverage been hard to get for your new book?

JC: No, because this subject is on everyone’s mind right now. It is growing in importance every day as more and more baby boomers reach the age where they are caring for their parents, or getting ready to do so, and also thinking about their own retirement needs.

I believe this subject will be extremely newsworthy for the next decade and beyond.

LA: Your book is so needed in our society today. Are reporters and talk show hosts focusing on the trend of care giving… or more on your personal stories?

JC: NBC Nightly News did a two-week daily segment on The Aging of America and got the largest email response in the history of the show. It is an ideal subject for talk show hosts, both TV and radio. It could also have a program all its own, on radio, TV, or public access, and I’m thinking of moving in that direction.

LA: What have you learned about dealing with the media as you’ve launched the book?

JC: I’ve learned that the media is as hungry for good stories as writers are hungry to tell their story. If your material is timely and fresh, and you really know your subject, you can get interviews in the press and radio. TV morning shows will give you about three minutes. The hard part is getting on national TV because there is so much competition and so many gatekeepers to get through. That’s why an “end run” might be most effective.

LA: Clarify what you mean by "end run."

JC: An end run in football is when a ball carrier does not go up the middle through the line, but out to the side (an end run). What I mean is that tackling the big name talk shows through their official channels may not work unless you have a powerful name representing you. You need to find someone who has access to the star even if the person has no official position. I don’t care how Oprah gets the book as long as she gets it. I’d love to know her manicurist and get the book to her. If she loved it, then Oprah would hear about it and might take a look. That’s an end run.

LA: You have been wanting to be interviewed on the Oprah show for a while. How’s that going?

JC: I have Oprah’s picture in a frame on my desk. I met a man who claimed to know her father, but it turns out that he only knew a friend of the father and has not volunteered to send him the book. I need to find a way to get the book to Oprah, probably an unconventional solution, and may have a focus group just on that one subject.

LA: You’re good at seeing the funny side of life. What is the wackiest question a reporter has asked you?

JC: No one has asked me a wacky question that I can remember, probably because of the nature of my subject, but I use lots of humor in my book, speech and interviews. The question I find most interesting (and a little odd) is “Do you feel anger or resentment because you’ve had to give up so much in order to parent your parents?” The answer is a resounding “NO.” I couldn’t do this if I was angry and resentful though I’m sure there are children of aging parents who live with anger and resentment. I’ve been fortunate because I really like my parents, have excellent facilities where they have lived and the full support of my cousins.

LA: What else would you like to add?

JC: I feel that promoting my book is a long-term project. It’s an “evergreen” and will be just as important – or more so – in ten years as it is today. I’ve had surprisingly strong support from my publisher, and now it’s time for me to make publicity and paid speeches the number one priority in my business life.

If I can give enough speeches, interviews and get some national TV and corporate sales, I think the book will take off….and allow me to “do well by doing good.” The absolute best part of having written the book is when I get an email, letter or have a personal conversation in which someone tells me how much the book has meant to them and their family and how it helped them make decisions and get out of denial.

LA: Jim, I'll tell you how much the book has meant to me. It made me laugh--and cry--out loud. I bought copies for my friends with aging parents and for my parents. Aging and caregiving can be ugly, tough subjects and you handle them beautifully.

Jim is eager to hear from anyone who knows someone who knows someone who knows Oprah, Ellen, Dr. Phil, Rosie O’Donnell, Barbara Walters, John Stewart, Charles Osgood or the folks at NPR. If you can help, please go to his website to find out how to contact him by phone or email.