by Scott Lorenz | Author Advice, List of Speaking Opportunities, Speaker Services, Speaking Gigs, Ted Talks, TEDx List
By Scott Lorenz
Westwind Communications
A TEDx talk is another arrow in the quiver for authors to propel their book… or to get a book deal.
Scott Lorenz, Book Publicist
Learn about how a TEDx Talk can help you make it big as an author.
Technology, Entertainment, and Design or TED is a nonprofit organization dedicated to spreading ideas in the form of short yet powerful talks. Since its inception in 1984, its talks have covered a plethora of topics such as science, art, business, global issues, and education.
TEDx is a program of self-organized events that brings people together to enjoy a TED-like experience. To sign up for and give a TEDx talk, you must obtain a TED license that states you have agreed to adhere to certain guidelines like no selling, religious proselytizing, or speaking about politics.
While TED talks take a global approach to a topic and must be hosted by experts, TEDx talks focus on a local community and can be organized by just about anyone. Believe it or not, there are many authors that have given TEDx talks and landed book deals as a result.
For example, Celeste Headlee spoke at TEDxCreativeCoast on “10 Ways to Have a Better Conversation.” Her talk was viewed more than 14 million times and she was eventually contacted by an agent who helped her publish her book, “We Need to Talk: How to Have Conversations That Matter.”
In addition, Mac Barnett, award-winning author of children’s books like “I Love You Like a Pig” and “Places to Be” spoke at TEDxSonomaCounty on “Why a Good Book is a Secret Door.”
If you’re interested in taking your career and book to the next level, getting involved in a TEDx talk may be a great idea. Here are dozens of TEDx talks around the country that you can apply to as an author.
1. TEDxWilmington: https://www.tedxwilmington.com/
2. TEDxPortland: https://www.tedxportland.com/
3. TEDxBoulder: https://tedxboulder.com/
4. TEDxMidAtlantic: https://tedxmidatlantic.com/
5. TEDxMileHigh: https://www.tedxmilehigh.com/
6. TEDxSanAntonio: https://tedxsanantonio.com/
7. TEDxFargo: http://tedxfargo.com/
8. TEDxCharlottesville: https://tedxcharlottesville.com/
9. TEDxUCLA: https://tedx.ucla.edu/
10. TEDxOshkosh: https://www.tedxoshkosh.com/
11. TEDxNashville: https://www.tedxnashville.com/
12. TEDx ManhattanBeach: https://tedxmanhattanbeach.com/
13. TEDxJacksonHole: http://www.tedxjacksonhole.org/
14. TEDxRapidCity: https://www.tedxrapidcity.com/
15. TEDxDetroit: https://www.tedxdetroit.com/
16. TEDxSonomaCounty: https://www.tedxsonomacounty.com/
17. TEDxCreativeCoast: https://www.ted.com/tedx/events/14007
18. TEDxCharleston – https://tedxcharleston.org/
19. TEDxElPaso – https://www.tedxelpaso.com/
20. TEDxMolalla – https://tedxmolalla.com/
21. TEDxNatick – https://www.tedxnatick.org/
22. TEDxYouthWilmington – https://tedxwilmington.net/
23. TEDxYouthSanAntonio – https://tedxsanantonio.com/youth/
24. TEDx Tullahoma – https://tedxtullahoma.com/
25. TEDxNaperville – https://tedxnaperville.com/
26. TEDxStLouis – https://tedxsaintlouis.org/
27. TEDxHickory – https://www.tedxhickory.com/
28. TEDxWilmette – https://www.tedxwilmette.com/
29. TEDxSantaBarbara – https://tedxsantabarbara.com/
30. TEDxLaJolla – http://www.tedxlajolla.com/
31. TEDxCincinnati – https://www.tedxcincinnati.com/
32. TEDxWilmington – https://www.tedxwilmington.com/
33. TEDxJacksonville – https://www.tedxjacksonville.com/
34. TEDxMiami – https://www.tedxmiami.com/
35. TEDxPortsmouth – https://tedxportsmouth.com/
36. TEDxAtlanta – https://www.tedxatlanta.com/
37. TEDxBayonne – https://www.tedxbayonne.com/
38. TEDxAlisoViejo – https://tedxalisoviejo.com/
39. TEDxBocaRaton – https://tedxbocaraton.com/
40. TEDxProvidence – https://www.tedxprovidence.com/
41. TEDxSavannah – https://tedxsavannah.com/
42. TEDxKeyBiscayne – https://tedxkeybiscayne.com/
43. TEDxSugarLand – https://www.tedxsugarland.org/
44. TEDxGoshen – https://www.tedxgoshen.com/
45. TEDxAsheville – https://tedxasheville.com/
46. TEDxSanDiego – https://www.tedxsandiego.com/
47. TEDxPittsburgh – https://www.tedxpittsburgh.org/
48. TEDxRockville – http://www.tedxrockville.org/
49. TEDxMinneapolis – https://tedxminneapolis.com/
50. TEDxInglewood – https://tedxinglewoodca.com/
51. TEDxRochester – https://www.tedxrochester.org/
52. TEDxMarin – https://tedxmarin.org/
53. TEDxWarrenton – https://www.tedxwarrenton.com/
54. TEDxSaltLakeCity – https://www.tedxsaltlakecity.com/
55. TEDxDavenport – https://www.tedxdavenport.com/
56. TEDxOneonta – https://www.tedxoneonta.com/
57. TEDxHuntingtonBeach – https://www.tedxhuntingtonbeach.com/
Want a global list of TEDx events? Check out this interactive world map of TEDx talks: https://www.ted.com/tedx/events
If you do decide to participate in a TEDx talk, it’s important to listen and watch various talks so that you can get a feel for what they are like and what the audience expects to see. “TEDx presentations are an art form,” says Jess Todtfeld former TV producer for NBC, ABC and FOX-TV. “You have to deliver on the theme of the event and speak without notes. I help authors and experts fine-tune their talks to fit the TEDx style so they can crush the talk,” says Todtfeld.
Contact Jess at: https://www.successinmedia.com/ted-talk-training/
Also, when speaking in a TEDx talk, focus on one idea worth spreading, create a hook that grabs the audience’s attention and sparks their curiosity, and make sure you are clear and conversational. In addition, keep in mind that some TEDx talks require video applications or in-person auditions.
The Bottom Line: A TEDx talk can be a great opportunity to get yourself noticed as an author. It may be just what you need to land the book deal you’ve always wanted.
Book publicist Scott Lorenz is President of Westwind Communications, a public relations and marketing firm that has a special knack for working with authors to help them get all the publicity they deserve and more. Lorenz works with bestselling authors and self-published authors promoting all types of books, whether it’s their first book or their 15th book. He’s handled publicity for books by CEOs, CIA Officers, Navy SEALS, Homemakers, Fitness Gurus, Doctors, Lawyers and Adventurers. His clients have been featured by Good Morning America, FOX & Friends, CNN, ABC News, New York Times, Nightline, TIME, PBS, LA Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Woman’s World, & Howard Stern to name a few.
Learn more about Westwind Communications’ book marketing approach at https://www.WestwindBookMarketing.com or contact Lorenz at [email protected] or 734-667-2090 or fill out the form below. Follow Lorenz on Twitter @aBookPublicist. Want help titling a book? Check out Scott Lorenz’s new award winning, bestselling book: Book Title Generator- A Proven System in Naming Your Book www.BookTitleGenerator.net.
Would you like help promoting your book?
If so, tell us a little about your book. What is the title? Do you have a publisher? What is the publish date? How many pages is your book? What is the cost? Do you have web site? What is your specific goal I.E., to make money, raise awareness, get the attention of an agent or publisher, sell the story to a movie or TV studio or something else?
Submit the form below with this information and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you!
by Scott Lorenz | Author Advice, Book Marketing, Book Promotion, Book Reviews, Social Media
by Scott Lorenz
Westwind Book Marketing
“Reviews are a third-party endorsement of your work. They give the potential buyer assurance the book they may buy is worthwhile.” Scott Lorenz, Book Publicist
“We are still trying to get reviews. It is worse than pulling teeth though. Unfortunately, I used up the reviewers I could threaten bodily harm to with my first book!” Exasperated Author
One of the most difficult things to do is to get people to read and review your book to help get the buzz going. How would you like to get your book into the eager hands of reviewers, bloggers, members of the media, librarians, booksellers, and educators before it was published? Ever wonder how some books have 50 reviews the day of publishing? Want to know the tricks of the trade? One way is through NetGalley and their 450,000 readers.
NetGalley is a service that allows authors and publishers to get reviews of their work before and after it is published. Members get galleys before others, read books digitally, share feedback, and become part of a reading community. There are also built-in benefits beyond the review, including advance promotion (more about that on their website: https://www.netgalley.com/
“What an author will get from NetGalley, but may not always welcome, are reviews that are about as truly independent as can be,” said Tom Barry, author of Saving Jay and When the Siren Calls. If you can’t handle the truth or someone’s version of the truth don’t do it!
“We work with over 400 publishers, indie authors and small publishers who are incorporating NetGalley into their marketing and publicity activities,” says Kristina Radke of NetGalley. We work in all genres, and the formats we support are ePub (converted to Mobi for Kindle devices and apps) or PDF.”
The reach is often beyond the NetGalley platform. “NetGalley does encourage its reviewers to post outside NetGalley, on places such as a personal blog, Amazon or GoodReads. It does not, however, guarantee or require this to happen,” says C.E. Kilgore, a self-published author of Science Fiction, Space Opera, and Contemporary Romance.
Check out The Science Fiction Writers Association who have a special rate with Net Galley. https://www.sfwa.org/member-links/netgalley-application/
“NetGallians are not only strangers but staunch supporters of good fiction, like Templars defending a holy artifact,” says J.S. Leonard, author of Modern Rituals. “They care only to support excellent writing.” One thing Leonard discovered with NetGalley are his “superfans,” those individuals who read the book, love the book, and tell everyone they know.
“NetGalley is so huge, your books are getting listed next to some pretty big name titles, and that can sometimes do wonders at getting your book noticed. It’s a great chance to discover new authors and for authors to be discovered by new readers,” said Melissa Pearl, author of The Elements Trilogy.
“NetGalley is about marketing for authors/publishers, in addition to connecting with readers, and we have to keep in mind the game of trying to reach as many readers as possible,” said Keary Taylor, author of The Eden Trilogy, The Fall of Angels Trilogy, and What I Didn’t Say.
Corrin Foster of Greenleaf Book Group says that their publishing firm uses NetGalley for nearly every title that they publish as a way to reach active and influential reviewers. “The NetGalley community is fair and transparent with their reviews, responsive to collaboration, and an invaluable resource for generating early reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, blogs, and social media which carry a lot of weight with general consumers. We value our relationship with NetGalley and their members very highly,” says Foster.
Some authors believe NetGalley is costly, but as a book publicist, I can attest to the fact that the cost of soliciting, shipping and following-up is pretty costly in terms of money and time too. Author C.E. Kilgore is concerned that the site has little reader/reviewer vetting process.
NetGalley admits this, but they believe that publishers and authors know best the readers who are most useful for them. When a reviewer requests a book, the author or publisher can accept or decline the request after reviewing their profiles. The price for a listing range from $399 to $599 for six months with the higher fee including a marketing boost and newsletter placement.
Want to save money? NetGalley works in partnership with the IBPA (Independent Book Publishers Association). They have a NetGalley program that makes it very easy for small and self-published authors to participate at a discount. Click here for more information: https://www.ibpa-online.org/page/netgalley.
The Bottom Line: NetGalley is a great way to obtain pre-publish reviews and is yet another resource available to authors and publishers to reach a community of avid readers.
Book publicist Scott Lorenz is President of Westwind Communications, a public relations and marketing firm that has a special knack for working with authors to help them get all the publicity they deserve and more. Lorenz works with bestselling authors and self-published authors promoting all types of books, whether it’s their first book or their 15th book. He’s handled publicity for books by CEOs, CIA Officers, Navy SEALS, Homemakers, Fitness Gurus, Doctors, Lawyers and Adventurers. His clients have been featured by Good Morning America, FOX & Friends, CNN, ABC News, New York Times, Nightline, TIME, PBS, LA Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Woman’s World, & Howard Stern to name a few.
Learn more about Westwind Communications’ book marketing approach at https://www.WestwindBookMarketing.com or contact Lorenz at [email protected] or 734-667-2090 or fill out the form below. Follow Lorenz on Twitter @aBookPublicist. Want help titling a book? Check out Scott Lorenz’s new award winning, bestselling book: Book Title Generator- A Proven System in Naming Your Book www.BookTitleGenerator.net.
Would you like help promoting your book?
If so, tell us a little about your book. What is the title? Do you have a publisher? What is the publish date? How many pages is your book? What is the cost? Do you have web site? What is your specific goal I.E., to make money, raise awareness, get the attention of an agent or publisher, sell the story to a movie or TV studio or something else?
Submit the form below with this information and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you!
by Scott Lorenz | Audiobooks, Author Advice, Blog, Book Marketing
Audiobooks are quickly becoming a popular method of “reading,” with estimated revenue reported at $2.5 billion for 2023 according to Publisher’s Weekly. Busy readers are opting to listen to their favorite books while jogging, driving, and even washing the dishes—usually on their smartphones. Most listeners are under the age of 45, but the numbers are increasing. Now with Spotify entering the market this will no doubt lead to more listeners and more accessibility to millions. As an author with a published book, you need to get in the game.
A lot goes into making an audiobook: you need a narrator, a sound technician, a good place to record, and distribution for the finished product. While hiring your own technician and recording studio can cost a lot, there are other ways— even free ones— to produce your own audiobooks.
Here are your options:
Complete marketplace production: This is probably the easiest and most cost-effective way to produce an audiobook. These marketplaces connect authors with narrators, engineers, recording studios, and others capable of producing a finished audiobook. Currently, the most popular is ACX, but more are popping up.
ACX has a “Royalty Share” option, in which the narrator does the reading with no fees in exchange for a cut of the royalties. It’s no upfront cost to the author and distribution is through top retailers Audible, Amazon and iTunes. The downside is ACX /Audible claims distribution rights to your book for seven years.
Voice actor Thomas Miller, who narrates books for author Frederick Dodson, has a love/hate relationship with ACX/Audible. “You almost need to use them because they control so much of the market,” he says. “But, as both an author and narrator, if you have other pipelines of distribution, you should think long and hard before you lock your book up for Seven. Long. Years.”
Other options are quickly popping up. New York Times best-selling author Colleen Gleason used ACX for the six books in her Heroes of New Vegas series. She was happy with her narrator and found the ACX interface easy to use. But when it came time to make audiobooks for her new Stoker and Holmes series, both she and her narrator switched to Findaway Voices.
Findaway Voices offers the same services as ACX, but upfront costs average $1000-$2000 for a 50K word book, or about $250 per reading hour for the narrator. The royalties are all yours and you aren’t locked into a contract of years, except with their distribution through Audible.
“I had such a good experience with Findaway, and they have such a broad distribution system that I ended up moving all of my six Heroes of New Vegas books to that platform as well,” says Gleason. “Audiobook usage is on the rise and users are increasing in double digits each year; I decided I wanted my books to be available to as many readers/listeners as possible. So for now, I’ll continue to use Findaway Voices for any future audiobooks I do.”
Find your own narrator: Some authors prefer to have celebrities read their books, which can add to the appeal to purchasers. But just because they’re famous, doesn’t mean they are qualified. You need to find out if they have narrated a book before. For every hour of reading, there are several hours of editing work that has to be done, so you want a smooth and qualified reader. “It was learning how to read well that took some time,” says Miller. “That’s where your 10,000 hours comes in. The one thing nobody estimates properly is editing time.”
There are other places where narrators are selling their talent. A thorough Google Search will reveal some sources. An inexpensive, although not necessarily fool-proof place to find narrators is fiverr. Some authors have found narrators through Suchavoice.
Remember, much of an audiobook’s success is tied to the narrator. Before you hire someone, listen to examples of their work, and give them a section of your own book to try. If yours is a work of fiction, pick a part with dialogue so you can see how they voice different characters. If it is nonfiction, be sure they lend the right authority to what you are trying to sell. Also, do you want a male or female narrator? Someone with a solemn voice or a perky one? These are all things to take into consideration.
Narrate your own book: William H. Coles, a prolific author, professor, and musician, has an extensive line of his own books that he narrated himself. “I believe, when possible, the best reading is by the author,” says Coles. “However, I think recording experience is necessary.” Coles has radio experience recording live air segments. He also hired the best sound technician he could find, which he attributes to his success. Coles’ most recent recording is a podcast, “Story in Fiction,” which has already surpassed 1000 downloads.
But self-recording isn’t for the faint of heart or the low-budget author. “There is a lot of time and energy spent, and I wouldn’t suggest any author lightly go through the process,” says Coles. “It’s much easier to hire a company that works with authors and/or hires an actor.”
Also, if an author is going to work alone, he or she will need an expert in distribution to get the audio books out to their market. Most of the marketplaces such as ACX and Findaway Voices have wide distribution. Kobo, Google Play and others have gotten into the audiobook market, and libraries find a large percentage of their borrowers request audiobooks now. Recently, Scribd has partnered with Waze so you can listen to your book in your car while your GPS leads you to your destination. Life has never been better for the voracious reader-on-the-fly.
Overall, making your books into audiobooks seems to be worth the effort and cost.
“The growing use of mobile devices for reading fiction makes it all worthwhile,” says Coles. Most authors would agree. The reach is even to the youngest kids. Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri will now read your books—or your children’s bedtime stories—aloud.
Amazon best-selling author Dan Milstein created an audiobook of his most recent business book Rule #1: Don’t Be #2. “With more readers turning to audiobooks, it’s a wise business investment and a great way to reach more readers who don’t have the time to sit down with a book in their hands,” says Milstein. “It makes sense to do it.”
Audiobooks stand on their own now as a medium. Forbes magazine calls audiobooks “THE publishing industry trend.”
The Bottom Line: Authors – It’s never been easier and more affordable to get an audiobook for your book. I encourage you to explore these options ASAP. Do it now!
Book publicist Scott Lorenz is President of Westwind Communications, a public relations and marketing firm that has a special knack for working with authors to help them get all the publicity they deserve and more. Lorenz works with bestselling authors and self-published authors promoting all types of books, whether it’s their first book or their 15th book. He’s handled publicity for books by CEOs, CIA Officers, Navy SEALS, Homemakers, Fitness Gurus, Doctors, Lawyers and Adventurers. His clients have been featured by Good Morning America, FOX & Friends, CNN, ABC News, New York Times, Nightline, TIME, PBS, LA Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Woman’s World, & Howard Stern to name a few.
Learn more about Westwind Communications’ book marketing approach at https://www.WestwindBookMarketing.com or contact Lorenz at [email protected] or 734-667-2090 or fill out the form below. Follow Lorenz on Twitter @aBookPublicist. Want help titling a book? Check out Scott Lorenz’s new award winning, bestselling book: Book Title Generator- A Proven System in Naming Your Book www.BookTitleGenerator.net.
Would you like help promoting your book?
If so, tell us a little about your book. What is the title? Do you have a publisher? What is the publish date? How many pages is your book? What is the cost? Do you have web site? What is your specific goal I.E., to make money, raise awareness, get the attention of an agent or publisher, sell the story to a movie or TV studio or something else?
Submit the form below with this information and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you!
by Scott Lorenz | Author Advice, Book Clubs, Book Marketing, Book Promotion, Marketing a Book, Promoting a Book
By Scott Lorenz
Westwind Communications
When promoting a book, many authors think national promotion. And that’s fine, but I also suggest authors consider solid local promotion using book clubs. While national campaigns can be effective, reaching out to a nearby audience is certainly cost-effective and, when done right, can help start word-of-mouth promotion every author covets.
The obvious appeal of a book club is that it is a prime niche target. The simple equation is that book clubs consist of people interested in books and people who like books can like your book as well as any other.
The investment is driving 15-20 minutes to where the club meets, speaking for 30 minutes, answering questions for 10-15 minutes, and then greeting members as they depart at a table filled with your books.
If 20 members attend that week’s book club session, and six buy your book, they will return to the following month’s meeting and at least two or three will talk about your book. Others will then go out and, on the recommendation of club members, purchase your book. All will tell friends outside the club, some of whom will buy your book. It doesn’t take long for 100 sales to rack up from a 90-minute investment by the author.
And, by the way, a book club in another state or another country still can have value to an author because it can easily be arranged to “appear” as a speaker to any distant club by using SKYPE, Facebook Live or other technology. Visiting a book club offers many benefits beyond sales, although generating sales should be number one. Other benefits include:
- A way to better identify target audiences.
- Getting new thoughts and ideas for future books
- Increased understanding of what characters or plot lines were of interest to readers in your target audience.
- Having an instant focus group without having to pay for one.
- Meet and relate to reviewers who often are book club members.
- Meet people from all different walks of life, greatly adding food to the writer’s observational brain.
- Learn about new books to read. Remember Stephen King’s advice: “If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have time to write.”
To find book clubs nearby do a Google search. Then, (now don’t laugh), actually go to your local library and ask the librarian! Chances are some book clubs may even meet in the library. Others will meet in private homes, but the librarian will know. In fact, the librarian will belong to local book clubs and probably would be willing to recommend you as a speaker at a club event or at the library itself. Besides the library, visit local community colleges and universities to get information on book clubs.
Book clubs also can be located by searching on Facebook, Goodreads and other online sites. You can visit local coffee shops, sandwich shops and even bookstores and look for a community bulletin board that book clubs are apt to use for announcements.
Another way to locate nearby book clubs is to go to www.readerscircle.org, https://www.readinggroupguides.com/ and https://www.bookbrowse.com/bookclubs/.
There are some things an author should do to make the visit worthwhile to club members so they will be invited back or invited to another club, such as:
- Provide study questions in advance.
- Have some great stories ready to talk about writing and the creative process.
- Seek their help by asking them to review your book on Amazon, BN, Goodreads, or talk about it on Facebook or Twitter
- Keep in touch. Take a picture with the group and offer to email it to them. Save the contact information and email them updates.
- Bring something – bookmarks, a bottle of wine, or a batch of homemade cookies. Best of all bring free books to give away.
After you have visited all the book clubs within a 50-mile radius, you will have become an expert at promoting books using book clubs. After all, paid speakers begin by speaking free to local civic clubs and become better speakers by this training method. The same goes for authors and book clubs. These new skills will prepare you to speak at seminars, workshops, book fair conferences, etc.
One more thing. There are several celebrity book clubs promoted by Reese Witherspoon, Jimmy Fallon and Sarah Jessica Parker to name a few. Getting picked up by these are a long shot at best for most authors. So, for best results and mental satisfaction, I’d focus on the plan I’ve outlined above.
The Bottom Line: Authors, pursue book clubs to promote your book and get the local buzz going!
Book publicist Scott Lorenz is President of Westwind Communications, a public relations and marketing firm that has a special knack for working with authors to help them get all the publicity they deserve and more. Lorenz works with bestselling authors and self-published authors promoting all types of books, whether it’s their first book or their 15th book. He’s handled publicity for books by CEOs, CIA Officers, Navy SEALS, Homemakers, Fitness Gurus, Doctors, Lawyers and Adventurers. His clients have been featured by Good Morning America, FOX & Friends, CNN, ABC News, New York Times, Nightline, TIME, PBS, LA Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Woman’s World, & Howard Stern to name a few.
Learn more about Westwind Communications’ book marketing approach at https://www.WestwindBookMarketing.com or contact Lorenz at [email protected] or 734-667-2090 or fill out the form below. Follow Lorenz on Twitter @aBookPublicist. Want help titling a book? Check out Scott Lorenz’s new award winning, bestselling book: Book Title Generator- A Proven System in Naming Your Book www.BookTitleGenerator.net.
Would you like help promoting your book?
If so, tell us a little about your book. What is the title? Do you have a publisher? What is the publish date? How many pages is your book? What is the cost? Do you have web site? What is your specific goal I.E., to make money, raise awareness, get the attention of an agent or publisher, sell the story to a movie or TV studio or something else?
Submit the form below with this information and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you!
by Scott Lorenz | Author Advice, Author Spotlight, Book Marketing, Book Promotion, Book Publicity, Book Spotlight, PR Stunts, Television
By Scott Lorenz
Westwind Communications
PR Stunts get a bad rap because many are either ill-conceived or poorly executed. But I like them and have been involved in many successful ones.
One recent PR Stunt of note paid huge dividends when Elon Musk sent a TESLA into outer space. The car had an astronaut behind the wheel and the radio played David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” about Major Tom. Who didn’t talk about this fantastic just-for-fun extravagant stunt? It was the best one I’ve seen in years. Funny thing, nobody is really calling it a ‘PR Stunt’ but that’s exactly what it was… a beautifully executed PR Stunt. When you have a perfectly performed stunt that catches people by surprise and makes them smile, you got ‘em. The value of TESLA went up and the photos did the talking.
Cowboy digitally signed his book
One very creative author I know personally pulled off a PR Stunt that even I was impressed to read about. He rode his horse into “publishing history” by becoming the first author to conduct a book signing and an e-book signing on horseback.
Author Carew Papritz, a working cowboy, rode his horse in front of a Barnes and Noble in Tucson, Arizona and digitally signed his book The Legacy Letters on his iPad in front of a cheering crowd. He made some press and history at the same time. Check out this video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKEsxqmzs9g
One of the keys to the success of a good PR Stunt is the mashup of two disassociated things: cars in outer space, horses in book stores and in one I did last year, hot air balloons and violins.
Violin in a Hot Air Balloon
As a book publicist and hot air balloon pilot I take to the skies like some people play golf. It’s my main recreation. One day I met a University of Michigan Music Student, Stuart Carlson, and asked him to join me on a balloon flight and to bring his violin. The result: 42,000+ plus views of two videos on YouTube and Facebook. Here’s ‘Hail To The Victors’ https://www.facebook.com/HotAirBalloonMichigan/videos/10153980344308667/
How can authors benefit by using this technique? Think about the bigger picture. Don’t just focus on selling books. Think about how you can connect with readers on a personal level. Let your audience know you’re both a person and a writer. By that, I mean let your audience glimpse into your personal life. Share things that are important or interesting to you. You can share details on your website, blog, and social media outlets. Utilize your mentions on Twitter and generate conversations with your followers on a personal level. Respond to comments on your blog or on review pages of your work. By sharing more details about yourself, you’ll provoke commonalities between your fans, ultimately appealing to more people.
If you are a romance writer, share with the audience your love of cooking. If you’re a mystery writer, illustrate your travels abroad and how a visit to a particular city was woven into your book. Connect with your following on whatever level you can. Your goal should be to reach as many new audience members as possible. To do so, dig deep into your being and ‘open up the kimono’ and show the audience who you really are, pen aside.
The Bottom Line: PR Stunts Work!! Take a page out of Carew Papritz and TESLA’s book and appeal to your audience on an emotional level; it’ll get them to connect with you on another level and it may get them talking about you too!
Book publicist Scott Lorenz is President of Westwind Communications, a public relations and marketing firm that has a special knack for working with authors to help them get all the publicity they deserve and more. Lorenz works with bestselling authors and self-published authors promoting all types of books, whether it’s their first book or their 15th book. He’s handled publicity for books by CEOs, CIA Officers, Navy SEALS, Homemakers, Fitness Gurus, Doctors, Lawyers and Adventurers. His clients have been featured by Good Morning America, FOX & Friends, CNN, ABC News, New York Times, Nightline, TIME, PBS, LA Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Woman’s World, & Howard Stern to name a few.
Learn more about Westwind Communications’ book marketing approach at https://www.WestwindBookMarketing.com or contact Lorenz at [email protected] or 734-667-2090 or fill out the form below. Follow Lorenz on Twitter @aBookPublicist. Want help titling a book? Check out Scott Lorenz’s new award winning, bestselling book: Book Title Generator- A Proven System in Naming Your Book www.BookTitleGenerator.net.
Would you like help promoting your book?
If so, tell us a little about your book. What is the title? Do you have a publisher? What is the publish date? How many pages is your book? What is the cost? Do you have web site? What is your specific goal I.E., to make money, raise awareness, get the attention of an agent or publisher, sell the story to a movie or TV studio or something else?
Submit the form below with this information and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you!
