When I completed my first book, I was trying to keep things kind of under wraps at work. However, the cat got out of the bag and it was no longer a secret. I was surprised by my manager’s reaction. He was incredibly supportive of this endeavor and actually purchased a marketing package for me of my own choosing.
Having very little understanding of book marketing, I was soon swimming in a flood of possible opportunities of all different shapes, sizes and price tags. I finally settled on the Readers Favorite’s Book Promotion Package which I found to be reasonably priced and reputable. One of their strategic partners, The Authors Show, welcomed me as a preferred guest as part of said package.
I had never been on the radio before and was rather anxious about sounding like a moron. I didn’t worry for long, though, because it was clear that The Authors Show staff had the interview process down to a science. They sent me an author interview form to complete. It asked for pertinent information about the book. They allowed me to create 8-10 suggested questions that would relate to its content, and would connect with an audience. There was a place to create a synopsis, a call to action to encourage buying behavior and a list of preparatory questions, so I would have an idea of what to expect. Some of the questions were very thought provoking and have helped me during other marketing initiatives as well. For example: What benefits will the buyer get from reading the book?
After I completed the interview form and submitted it, I didn’t wait long until the interview was scheduled. It was conducted over the phone by Don McCauley, who was very kind. Before we got started, he encouraged me to relax and be as natural as possible. He assured me that they would edit the interview and remove any pauses or filler words.
When the time for the interview came, there was no better place to have it than in my office at work. I used a headset and stared out the window the whole time. Ideally it should be in a remote location without any distractions or background noise. Even though it felt odd to be interviewed in that capacity, Don was very gracious and made me feel very good about the experience, which only lasted about thirty minutes.
Once the interview was edited, it came out to be fifteen minutes in duration. The radio interview was featured on The Authors Show for an entire month. During this time, I leveraged all the social media tools in my arsenal to get the word out: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, my website, et cetera. After my time on The Authors Show website was up, they sent me an MP3 file of the interview. It’s still available on YouTube and accessible through my website. People have marveled, “You sound so knowledgeable!” That’s nice to hear, but it’s because the marketing company set me up for success. Aside from Amazon, it has been the best marketing vehicle I have found so far, and it’s by far the most impressive facet of my campaign. I will always be grateful to my boss, to Don and to the good people at The Authors Show for providing me with this great facet of my marketing toolbox.
Have you leveraged radio as a media outlet? How do you get the word out about your interviews?
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