|  March 28, 2012
In This Issue:
Buzzing Around  Hi sylvia,
I'm really excited to announce that my website has been selected by the Association of Independent Authors as one of the best sites for indie authors. Woot! The winners selected from more than 130 nominated sites "offer free information and resources of relevance and value to independent authors." My heartfelt thanks go to anyone reading this newsletter who might have nominated the Build Book Buzz site. I'm honored - and flattered - to have the site's content listed alongside that of better known resources, including bestselling indie author Joseph Konrath. In addition to the tips offered in articles at http://buildbookbuzz.com/tips, I provide how-to or thought-provoking information on my blog. The most popular recent posts include: - A three-parter on promoting romance novels with new romance imprint editor and manager Jennifer Lawler at http://bit.ly/x1Ttoo
- Valuable information on why you want to join Google+ and start "plussing" your website's content at http://bit.ly/AAoK6K
Thanks again for your support and feedback. It helps me provide the information you need. Cheers, Sandy
Be Opportunistic:
Leveraging News Headlines Some news stories have staying power that extends well beyond the morning or evening newscast; they are the stories that give us some of our best book publicity opportunities. Can you leverage any of this week's headlines to secure media or blog interviews related to your book? Here are a few that have either remained in the news for longer than usual or are reoccurring stories. Use my suggestions for these topics to help you see ways you can connect your book to other big stories as they develop. - High rate of home foreclosures because lenders offered mortgages they shouldn't have, and borrowers took loans they shouldn't have. This story has made almost daily headlines for nearly four years. During that period, someone reading this newsletter has probably written a novel that involves losing a home to foreclosure - and someone else has written a nonfiction book about what went wrong and why, or about how to work the system to keep your home. You be should be interviewed by the press on a regular basis - this story isn't going to disappear anytime soon.
- How and why teen Trayvon Martin was shot and killed in Sanford, Fla. Outraged individuals in communities far from Sanford are protesting how this was handled. Have you written about problems with law enforcement agencies, racial profiling, vigilantes, or losing a child to violence?
- Social media's influence on corporate decision-making. This is one of those stories that comes and goes - and it will come again. Most recently, a marketing firm used homeless people as wifi hot spots during the South by Southwest (SXSW) conference in Austin, Texas. The criticism on social media was swift and unrelenting. Corporations continue to make stupid decisions; the public will continue to point this out via social media. Does your fiction include a social media theme or emphasize the role of public opinion in business decision-making? Have you written a nonfiction book that includes information on the impact of social media or how to use it to support a movement?
- The U.S. presidential campaign. This one is big now and will continue to get bigger as the year moves on. If your novel has a political theme, setting, or characters, think about how you can contribute to your local media's conversation about this. If you've got a nonfiction book on political campaigns or elections, you could become a pundit.
- What's up with the weather? Most regions in the U.S. have enjoyed a blessedly mild winter. Some of us have watched spring arrive at least a month early. Do you write about the weather, global warming, or climate change? Does a dramatic weather change - or even a meteorologist! - play a role in your novel? If your local media outlet is talking about this, you'll want to be part of the conversation.
- Facebook privacy issues. It was in the news again last week when the Associated Press reported that employers were asking job candidates for their Facebook user names and passwords. If you've written a book about social media or one where social networks play a large role, you can be interviewed on this topic regularly. Consider writing a few newspaper editorials on the topic and sending them out when these issues make news.
Start with your local media outlets to get experience (and a video of your interviews to use when you're ready to pitch national shows). Remember that publicity begets publicity - your local radio interview can generate a local TV news interview which can lead to a local newspaper interview. And much of this ends up online, where your interviews can be found by national reporters searching for new sources.
Tip of the Month:
Sign Your Kindle Books Electronically If you've got a Kindle book available on Amazon, you can now sign it electronically for buyers with an online service called Kindlegraph. Because you sign each book individually as you receive requests, you can write something different (if you want) for everyone who makes a request. So, while you might write something generic for a stranger, you can write something personal when you get a request from someone you know. It's one of the coolest things I've seen lately! Be sure to watch the video ("screencast") explaining how it works at http://www.kindlegraph.com/about.
Education:
Register for June 2012 "Book Publicity 101: How to Build Book Buzz" E-course Are you ready to learn how to get the word out about your book? It's time to register for the next "Book Publicity 101: How to Build Book Buzz" e-course running online from June 4 to 29, 2012. Both sections - one for traditionally published authors and the other for those who have self published - emphasize the planning, strategy, tools and tactics needed to get - and keep - your book in the news so that you sell more books. (The course for self-published authors includes a section on how to announce a book's publication and generate reviews.) You'll leave the class with your own book publicity blueprint, tools you can use immediately to get media exposure, and a solid understanding of how to get attention in both traditional and social media worlds. The class is taught online in a forum format. There are no scheduled meetings or sessions - you work at your own pace according to your own schedule. I provide very personalized guidance and feedback as you move through the course. For details on the original course, "Book Publicity 101: How to Build Book Buzz," go to http://buildbookbuzz.com/how-to-build-book-buzz-workshop/. For specifics on the self-published authors course, "Book Publicity 101 for Self-Published Authors: How to Build Book Buzz," go to http://buildbookbuzz.com/self-published-how-to-build-book-buzz-workshop/. Get More Publicity for Your Book Save thousands of dollars in publicist and other service fees (along with countless hours researching online!) with Build Book Buzz Publicity Forms & Templates, a valuable collection of the media relations tools authors must use to secure the kind of priceless media attention that leads to skyrocketing book sales. Build Book Buzz Publicity Forms & Templates makes it easy for you to get interviewed on the radio, contact a blogger for a virtual book tour, or pitch a story idea to a newspaper or magazine – and so much more! This collection of 30 of the most commonly used book publicity media relations tools includes fill-in-the-blanks forms for each, detailed instructions on how to use them so you'll get fantastic media results, and actual samples for all of them. Learn more about this valuable book publicity action guide and what authors who have used it are saying at http://buildbookbuzz.com/publicity-forms-and-templates/.
About Sandra Sandra Beckwith, a former publicist who has won several national and regional publicity awards, teaches authors how to generate long-term media buzz for their books. She is the author of three books on publicity, conducts publicity workshops, and writes frequently on small business marketing and management topics. Please visit her book publicity site and publicity blog to learn more. Need a writer's conference speaker or workshop presenter? Sandra's workshops at the American Society of Journalists and Authors annual conference, the University of Wisconsin Writers Institute, and at other industry conferences share priceless how-to information you won't get elsewhere. Contact her at sb@buildbookbuzz.com for more information. Build Book Buzz is a free e-newsletter published twice monthly by Beckwith Communications. Please forward this newsletter to anyone. To subscribe, visit www.buildbookbuzz.com. We do not share our mailing list with any individual or organization for any reason. Build Book Buzz
www.buildbookbuzz.com
Sandra Beckwith, Editor & Publisher
Phone: 585-377-2768
Email: sb@buildbookbuzz.com | 
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