Media Tours
A media tour is a series of interviews with newspapers, magazines, and/or broadcast stations to promote you and your new book. Tying in a media tour with a signing or reading is a great way to increase traffic to the event. These types of interviews can also be used as leverage to convince various retail outlets to carry your books: "I'll mention your store during my interview if you'll agree to sell copies."
You don't have to be J.K. Rowling to stir media interest. All you need is a good angle. For example, if you're from Alberta, you may want to promote yourself as an "up and coming Alberta author" to the media in that province. Or, as another example, if you've published an historical fiction or non-fiction work about a particular region, you can contact the media within that region for an interview.
Once you reach J.K. Rowling's level of renown, a press release with a one-liner such as "Announcing the latest release by..." is about all you'll need to generate buzz and arrange interviews for yourself. Until that day comes, placing a personal phone call to request an interview is much more effective than any press release, fax, or email alone.
Who do you contact to book an interview? It varies depending on the media: you'll want to talk to the book review editor when contacting a newspaper; your best bet is the news editor at a radio station; and you should ask for either the producer of the morning show or a community events reporter at a television station.
Each time you complete an interview, it's a great idea to ask for a copy of it so you can continue promoting it even further. For example, you can scan a copy of a newspaper article to display on your blog; or you can ask for copies of your radio/television interviews in a YouTube-compatible file format and then post them to your YouTube channel like we did here:
There are many cost-effective ways to sell more of your books ... from readings, to signings, to craft sales, to speaking engagements. A timely media tour will complement all of these events to make them even more successful.
Can anyone else think of any other angles authors can use to get the media interested in them? If so, I know our blog readers will appreciate the extra marketing tips. (Thank you in advance.)
PPG is a Canadian book publisher dedicated to serving Canadian authors. Visit our book publishing website to learn how you can publish your book today.
You don't have to be J.K. Rowling to stir media interest. All you need is a good angle. For example, if you're from Alberta, you may want to promote yourself as an "up and coming Alberta author" to the media in that province. Or, as another example, if you've published an historical fiction or non-fiction work about a particular region, you can contact the media within that region for an interview.
Once you reach J.K. Rowling's level of renown, a press release with a one-liner such as "Announcing the latest release by..." is about all you'll need to generate buzz and arrange interviews for yourself. Until that day comes, placing a personal phone call to request an interview is much more effective than any press release, fax, or email alone.
Who do you contact to book an interview? It varies depending on the media: you'll want to talk to the book review editor when contacting a newspaper; your best bet is the news editor at a radio station; and you should ask for either the producer of the morning show or a community events reporter at a television station.
Each time you complete an interview, it's a great idea to ask for a copy of it so you can continue promoting it even further. For example, you can scan a copy of a newspaper article to display on your blog; or you can ask for copies of your radio/television interviews in a YouTube-compatible file format and then post them to your YouTube channel like we did here:
There are many cost-effective ways to sell more of your books ... from readings, to signings, to craft sales, to speaking engagements. A timely media tour will complement all of these events to make them even more successful.
Can anyone else think of any other angles authors can use to get the media interested in them? If so, I know our blog readers will appreciate the extra marketing tips. (Thank you in advance.)
PPG is a Canadian book publisher dedicated to serving Canadian authors. Visit our book publishing website to learn how you can publish your book today.
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