| Did you ever hear of Edgar Cayce? How about P.T. | | | | opportunity and make the most of it. |
| Barnum? Or Charles Dickens? If you're like most | | | | That's all it takes -- that attitude of enthusiasm -- to |
| people, you've heard of all three, or at least one or | | | | put together a winning promotion section for your |
| two of these names. If you're going to write a book, | | | | book proposal. You simply state, in the promotion |
| publishers will be asking: "Did you ever hear of [fill in | | | | section, things like, "I will send press releases to |
| your name here]?" | | | | national and local newspapers and magazines, |
| This article will tell you how to ease a publisher's | | | | informing them of my work and inviting them to |
| fears that no one knows your name. It will also tell | | | | interview me." Then talk about how you'll get on |
| you how, in the "promotion section" of your book | | | | radio. Say something like this: "I know a local radio |
| proposal, you can assure a publisher that you will get | | | | deejay and he has offered to interview me on his |
| your name out there in front of the public. | | | | show when my book comes out." If you don't know |
| THE PROMOTION SECTION OF THE BOOK | | | | anyone personally, simply say that you'll make |
| PROPOSAL | | | | yourself available to local and national radio and |
| The promotion section of a book proposal is, in my | | | | television shows for book interviews. |
| opinion, the easiest section to write. Keep reading | | | | HOW TO GET ON TV |
| and you'll probably agree with me by the time you | | | | In order to make your predicion about media |
| finish this article. | | | | coverage sound more realistic, especially if you've |
| As you know, publishers need to sell your book in | | | | never been on television before, tell the publisher, in |
| order to make money. In the past, publishers were | | | | the promotion section, that your book topic is of |
| looking for good ideas and worthwhile material. | | | | keen interest to the media. As proof of this, mention |
| Today they may still be looking for that, but the | | | | a few TV shows that have covered your topic in |
| number one thing they're seeking is material that will | | | | the past. To find these shows, just use google. |
| sell. In order to convince them that your book will | | | | A publisher wants to believe that your book will |
| sell, you've got to state in your book proposal that | | | | succeed. Your job, in the promotion section of your |
| you will do certain things to help the book get | | | | book proposal, is to make them confident that you'll |
| publicity. Everything you'll do to help the publisher get | | | | get the message out to the public. |
| publicity, and everything you think the publisher | | | | J.D. SALINGER AND THE SHYNESS FACTOR |
| should do, goes into the promotion section of your | | | | Whatever you do, don't say you're shy. Maybe |
| book proposal. | | | | you're another J.D. Salinger, but don't say it in your |
| YOUR PLATFORM | | | | book proposal or in any communications with your |
| Here's an insider tip few novices know. Publishers use | | | | literary agent or editor. Salinger had an aversion to |
| an old-fashioned term to describe an author's visibility. | | | | publicity. In fact, after The Catcher in the Rye was |
| The term is platform. To my mind, this word has | | | | published he moved as far away from New York |
| unfortunate connotations. It suggests getting up on | | | | City as he could get, instructed his publisher to |
| an actual platform and speaking to a crowd. Maybe | | | | remove his photo and author bio from his books, and |
| that was effective a hundred years ago, but today | | | | refused to give newspaper or television interviews to |
| the world of publicity has gone electronic. P.T. Barnum | | | | reporters interested in his work. |
| may have stood on a platform and Charles Dickens | | | | Publishers don't want that kind of attitude. Try to be |
| stood on a stage to address an audience, but you | | | | more like P.T. Barnum in your promotion section. Say |
| should be thinking in bigger terms. Which is why I | | | | that you'll do whatever you can to make your book |
| don't like the word platform when used in this | | | | a success. |
| context. | | | | If you actually are shy, as many writers are, you |
| I prefer to talk about platform in modern terms. | | | | should still say that you'll make yourself available to |
| While giving lectures to a college crowd or to a | | | | national print, radio, and television outlets. This is |
| corporate audience may still hep book sales, the | | | | because a publisher wants to dream of success for |
| biggest push will come from print, radio, and | | | | your book, and telling them you might be on radio |
| television. Who knows, maybe someone will even | | | | and TV will fire their imagination. And who knows, |
| make a movie about you. At any rate, whatever you | | | | you might get over your shyness. Many authors |
| do to get your message out to the public is your | | | | started out shy but became more outgoing when |
| platform. There's that word again, but publishers are | | | | they saw how easy it was to answer a reporter's |
| familiar with it, so you might as well use it in your | | | | questions. |
| book proposal -- virtually everybody else does. | | | | The bottom line is that you'll want to write a |
| HOW TO GET ATTENTION | | | | promotion section for your book proposal that will |
| Come on, admit it. You like attention, don't you? You | | | | give a publisher confidence that you'll help promote |
| wouldn't mind if The Los Angeles Times called you | | | | your book. If you sound enthusiastic and optimistic, |
| and asked for an interview about your new book, | | | | you're much more likely to land that publishing |
| would you? You wouldn't object if a national radio | | | | contract. |
| station asked you to be a guest, would you? How | | | | Plus all your speculation may actually pay off, and |
| about if you were contacted by a producer from | | | | you may actually get to be Oprah's next author |
| The Tonight Show with Jay Leno? You might be a | | | | guest. And from what I've heard, she's really easy to |
| little nervous about appearing in front of a national | | | | talk to. |
| television audience, but I bet you'd seize the | | | | |