|
In one of my past magazine jobs my office was next to that ofthe book editor. He would get boxes and boxes of books daily.There was a separate room devoted to storing these books, butthat still didn't keep them from piling up in his office.Whenever he returned from vacation he practically had to use abulldozer to get his door open! You see the problem, right? How do you get your book noticed,let alone reviewed, when it is just one among stacks of books inan editor's office? Here are a few tips to help you map out awinning strategy. 1. Determine which magazines are the best for reaching yourtarget market. As you plan to market your book, decide first who your idealreader is. Is it a 35-year-old urban professional man? Is it astay-at-home mom who lives in the Midwest? Is it female collegegraduates who also happen to be sports fanatics? Once you decidewho you're targeting, ask yourself: What magazines does my idealreader read? Those will be the magazines you'll focus on. Thatway, you won't waste time and money pursuing dozens of magazineswhich, even if they did review your book, wouldn't give you muchin terms of gaining readership. With my novel we focused onmagazines with large female audiences. Ideally you should bedoing this a few months before your book comes out because thegoal here is to either write a story for the magazine or getinterviewed in the magazine, and have the article appear beforeor just as your book is published. 2. Find out what the editors need. When you have chosen the magazines, buy them and read them. Dothey have a certain writing style? What kinds of articles appearin the magazine again and again? If you can, write, email orcall the features editor and find out what kinds of stories themagazine is looking for. You'll have more success if you canfill the editorial holes the magazine is already working on. 3. Let an editor know what you have to offer. Start sending query letters to get article assignments. If youhave a particular expertise, you can let an editor know thatyou're available for interviews if they ever need an expert on aparticular subject. Often an editor will assign a story to awriter and give them a few possible interviewees to help themget started. I contacted editors at Essence a full year beforemy book came out to let them know that I was working as apersonal and career coach. Within a few weeks I began gettingcalls from reporters to interview me for working mom stories forEssence. 4. Mention your book or get it mentioned. When your article gets published, make sure you get the littleitalicized blurb at the end that says that you are "a writerwhose next book, The Best Book in the World, will be publishedthis month by Big Press, Inc." You get the idea. If you arebeing interviewed for an article, chances are they won't haveroom to mention your book but you should still tell the reporterabout it anyway. You can even ask them to put it in their notes.As the story gets discussed in meetings, someone might say "Didyou know she also wrote a book?" This builds awareness. 5. Check in with your contacts, but don't pester them. Once your book is sent out for review, you can call or email tomake sure that the editor got the book, but leave it at that.You've done all you can. I've never met the book editor atEssence, but when I heard that he was aware of my novel I wastotally psyched. I kept my fingers crossed after that. You cansee the review here. One last note: Some magazines andnewspapers don't review self published books. Find outbeforehand so you can make your efforts elsewhere if that'snecessary. ? 2005 Sophfronia Scott |
| Book Review | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||
