www.VisibilityCoach.com

December, 2006

Ask The Coach A Question

Volume 1, Issue 9  

In This Issue

1. A Quick Note From The Coach
2. Featured Article: Get Your Book - Booked!

A Quick Note from the Coach!

I don’t want to bombard you with messages this holiday, but since the last “message” was more of a shameless book promo than something usable for your business, I thought I owed you one last bit of Visibility wisdom before the New Year.

This month’s article focuses on what it takes to successfully promote your book. Too many “information experts” spend months – even years- writing and editing their books only to find sales flat and media coverage elusive.

While I have enjoyed success in promoting select clients and their books, I have historically shunned book publicity work. Recently, however, I have found great satisfaction promoting my own book. Thankfully, but not accidentally, success for my book has come quickly. How have I done it? Read below.

I end this year with a grateful heart and wild optimism for the coming days. Regardless of what you celebrate – Celebrate! Have a wonderful Holiday Season!

-Dave

Get Your Book - Booked!

By David Avrin – The Visibility Coach

Recently, I have a received quite a few inquiries from clients and readers about how I have achieved such great success in generating media coverage for my new book: The Gift in Every Day – Little Lessons on Living Big Life. To date I have done 38 radio and television interviews across North America and have another TV appearance slated for tomorrow morning.

The answer is simple: I didn’t promote the book. Now let me be clear. The book was an integral part of the “hook,” but with close to 500 new books being released in America every day, books just aren’t newsworthy. Of course, if you’re Donald Trump, John Grisham, or Nora Ephron, new books can create their own buzz, but for the rest of us, books are a dime a dozen.

What is potentially newsworthy is the subject, your expertise, mission and passion. What can be newsworthy is your profound “take” on a current subject making news or your unique approach to solving a current or long-standing problem. Here is my path to success so far:

1.
 The Hook is More Important Than the Book – The strategy for my book has been simple: Create opportunities to appear in the press commenting on the misdirected craziness of the holidays and remind people that the gifts in our lives surround us every day – hence the title of the book. In doing so, I generate visibility for my book and drive sales.

In working with Whitney, my wonderful publicist, (yes, even I have a publicist – on staff with my book’s publisher) we set about to creatively pitch the message of the book, me as a crusader with a light-hearted, but important message and the release of the book as a timely hook to help them justify why we are doing this now. I won’t take all the credit, Whitney has done a terrific job in generating national radio interest.
   
2.
 Perception Equals Reality- On my end, my goal has been to achieve a slew of small successes on the local level (across the country) and use those media “hits” as leverage to garner larger opportunities. Here’s how I do it: Every time I am able to do a live TV appearance or a phone-in radio segment, I add that “media hit” to the long list of other hits on the News Media Coverage page of my book’s website http://www.thegiftineveryday.com/newsmedia.html– creating the sense that I am a hot commodity and that media around the country is clamoring to talk to me.

Now, every time I contact a new reporter, producer, or program host with my well-prepared pitch, I also send them a link to the media page on my website and let them see for themselves that I am a “big deal.” Not only can they see all the broadcast stations that thought I was worth interviewing, (great 3rd-party endorsements) but they can watch video clips of me being interviewed to erase any doubt that the segment would work well. Invariably, I get a call back from the media prospect within minutes asking me to appear on their show.
   
3.
 Take Your Message On the Road! – I’m sure you’ve heard the saying: “You’re Never a Prophet in Your Own Land.” The truth is that we’re always a “bigger deal” when we come from somewhere else. Most speakers, consultants, coaches, authors and other experts with books, miss out on a wonderful opportunity for press, that this phenomenon provides – the “visiting author” buzz.

Whenever I am traveling to speak or consult in another city, I always call ahead to the local press and play up the fact that I am an author traveling to their city and am going to be in town “for just one day” promoting my book. I tell them that I will be doing an in-store appearance and book-signing as well as “a ton” of local press. I then give them the opportunity to “have me first.” Of course I also give them a very strong pitch about the subject matter, why their viewers, listeners, etc. would care. I also send them a link to my media page on the website to look as “in-demand” as possible.

I then call a local book store and say that I am going to be doing a ton of local press and need a place to direct book-buyers during my TV interview. They don’t want to miss out, so they book me and promote my in-store appearance. Even if I end up with only 5 people showing up at the store, I reach hundreds of thousands through the local press. As a bonus, the hits on my book website go through the roof.
   
4.
 Walk Before You Run – Finally, too many experts with books dream about being featured on the TODAY show, Jay Leno, Dr. Phil, or dare I say, Oprah. The odds are slim, but it can be done. The reality is that producers from top national shows don’t want to discover anything and have many thousands of experts to choose from. They also tend to feature books, approaches, philosophies, experts and crusaders whose messages have already caught fire. They want to jump on a train that is already hauling down the tracks, not one that is preparing to leave the station. Your goal should not be to get on Oprah, but to fan the local flames so that the fire spreads - nationally. If you’re successful, Oprah will find you.

Create small pockets of success and parlay those victories into bigger opportunities. Pitch the message of the book and you as the messenger – not the book itself. Tie the message to something on their agenda and offer a new perspective or solution. And finally, it is essential for you to create a way for others to see what you have achieved. Unless you’ve created the cure for cancer that tastes like chocolate, you’re going to need to start small and fan the flames of success. As I always say, the greatest enemy of success in business (and publishing) is anonymity!

And speaking of brushfires…feel free to pass this on!

David Avrin is known internationally as the Visibility Coach. A noted speaker, author, publicist, branding consultant and executive coach, David shows professionals how to stand apart and raise their profile in a competitive marketplace. Visit him online at www.visibilitycoach.com
Speaking and Training

 

Meeting Planners and Speakers Bureaus, interested in booking David Avrin to speak for your clients or organization? Click Here.

 

 


For more insights, check out Dave’s Blog at:  http://visibilitycoach.blogstream.com

Interested in learning more about the Visibility Coach? Click here!


David Avrin is known internationally as the Visibility Coach. A noted speaker, author, publicist, branding consultant and executive coach, David shows professionals how to stand apart and raise their profile in a competitive marketplace. Visit him online at www.visibilitycoach.com

Interested in having David Avrin, The Visibility Coach,
speak to your company or organization? Click here.

For more information on a full day private coaching session
with the Visibility Coach, click here.

To access past issues of The Visibility Coach newsletter click here.