Do You Have a Media Kit?

Practical useful information is essential to success. So today let's talk about:

Creating Your Media Kit

Your media kit is your resume to radio stations, television stations, newspapers and magazines. It is an all-in-one package of everything the media needs and wants to know about you. Your media kits should be professional from top to bottom. Don't send media kits in plain folders as they can easily be lost in the pile.

The content in your media kit should support your bid for exposure. In fact, your kit should have enough information for the reporter to write a story on you without asking you a question.

To make your Media kit shine, invest in custom designed folders that display your book cover. Your folder should have pockets for your literature and your book, and slits for your business card.  Again, this is an investment, but it will pay off in the long run.  You may also want to use a glossy paper to print your bios, cover letters, etc.

A good media kit must contain the bare minimum of:

ü    Cover letter:

ü    Professional Headshot (B/W  or Color)

ü    Copy of the book (autographed)

ü    Business Card

ü    Ad Copy or Press Release

ü    Interview Questions:

ü    News Angles

One Yes is worth a Bucket of No's

One of the greatest fears of man is the fear of rejection.  I have clients who are professional speakers able and willing to speak to an auditorium of people, but intimidated by the notion of asking one person to buy a book. 

To overcome this fear we must embrace two new philosophies:

1. "GO FOR NO! No is the new yes.
Change your perspective on the word no. For the next 30 days condition yourself to hear no by asking any and everyone for what you want with a goal to get as many NOs as you can. This is not to reject yes. TAKE THE YES! That's icing on the cake. By going for no, you take the power and sting from it; thereby making you stronger and more resistant to it.

2. One Yes is worth a bucket of NOs. Adrian Davis,  my closest friend and confidant set out to create the Christmas with Crown Davis Charity Event. He planned to provide 20 Families with Christmas gifts and dinner who could not other wise afford it. He used the "Go for No philosophy".

Although he sent out 50 sponsorship requests, he got 10 yeses, and essentially 40 NOs. Yet, of the 10 yeses, he raised $2500 to provide Chrismas food and gifts to OVER 20 under-priviledged families. Let's do the math. Every 1 YES he got was worth 50 NOs.

1 Yes is worth a bucket of NOs

Learn more about the Christmas with CDM event at:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/christmas-with-crown-davis-tickets-8602740027?aff=efblike

How To Make Money as an Author

If there was one thing I want to get into the minds of aspiring authors it is this: Most likely, you are not going to get rich from selling books. Your book is your platform, not your income maker. Book producing was the platform that I developed from my book. What door does your book open for you that pays more money in less time?

Platforms are built on 5 Pillars:

1. Books: People want to read your knowledge. The written word can be retained forever. Unlike verbal, where people only remember 10% of what they hear, your audience can always go back and re-read your words of instruction, inspiration, and knowledge. However, once people read your words, they then want to hear them.

2.  Audio: Tele-seminars and CDs are very lucrative platform builders. People want to hear the inspiration behind your words. By hosting tele-seminars, you can engage a massive audience from the comfort of your home. Successful speakers generate more income from audio products. Whereas no one would spend $100 for a book, they will spend $100 on a 7-disc audio set. I know from whence I speak.

3. Video: After your audience reads and hears you, they'll want to see you. People want to look into the eyes of the person they have come to admire. They want to see your humaness, see your personality. Videos allow you to provide this connection. Youtube videos, Social media clips live Vine, Socialcam, Instagram, all provide a platform for you to connect with your audience and build a relationship.

4. Public Speaking: Your audience not only wants to read, hear, and see you, they want to witness you. Motivational speaker, Les Brown told how he made $400,000 for a 1 hour speech... How many books would you have to sell to reach that pay check and how long would it take you?

5. Personal Coaching: Lastly, once people have read you, heard you, seen you, and witnessed you, they want to be coached by you...Most coaches charge $135- $150 per hour to coach. I once read the book of a Professional Coach who said he was in such demand that he began charging what he thought was an astronomical price of $5,000 an hour to get people to leave him alone. To his surprise, people paid without the blink of an eye.

Your book is NOT the money maker. It's your platform to greater opportunities.

(excerpted from the Author's Success Manual copyright (c) 2013 by Timothy O. Bond)

Happy Selling!
www.TrueVinePublishing.org

Be An Authority

"What gives you the right?" This is the question people are thinking when you decide to become an AUTHORity on a subject. As I have always said, "people buy you, not the book."

I say all of this to emphasize the importance of you becoming a recognized authority of your topic. A few tips to help you start establishing your authority:

1. Blogging:
It surprises me how many people know they need to do this, know how free and easy it is, and still don't do it. Becoming a daily source of FREE information establishes your claim that you know of what you speak. I emphasize free, because if you are charging for everything, then people see that you are just looking for their money, and that you don't have a true passion for the topic.

2. Speaking:
Hosting or presenting at workshop, meet up groups and seminars is invaluable to your career. In particular, teleseminars. Most writers are timid when it comes to public speaking. Teleseminars would be a great way to engage an audience and develop your speaking persona. Also, if you don't have a platform yet, this would save you the money and time. I have written more about creating your teleseminar in "The Author's Success Manual" including the best programs to use.

3. Newsletters:
Create a monthly newsletter on your topic or platform. Along with branding yourself as an authority, this will also help you build a database of contacts which will serve you very well in building your audience.

Happy Selling!
www.TrueVinePublishing.org

How to Get Media Attention

 

There are probably a plethora of ways to get the attention of media concerning your book but I'll give four.

1. Do the work for the editor or producer and create a story:
Print media Editors and radio/tv producers want to do one thing: fill pages and time slots. So they actually don't have the time to be creative. They need to be fed the idea. So you sending a random, non-specific press release is useless. However, if you send a story idea about the increase in drug addiction in your city and how you overcame the problem, you're more likely to get that producer's attention.

2. Be prepared to email, fax, or call at the drop of a dime:
Keep a contact list of reporter and editor contacts in your phone, in your email data base, and by your fax machine. Be prepared to reach out to them regularly. When news happens that is the slightest bit related to your topic, you need to move quick and get a release to your list of editors and producers. If your book is about dogs and a story comes out about a local animal abuse arrest, you need to have your release in the hands of the media showing them that you are an expert on the topics of animals and (go back to tip #1) how you would be able to do an interview on what makes people abuse animals.

3. Be brief:
Remember, editors and producers don't have time to read a 2-page letter. You have 30 seconds (if that) to highlight how you can make their day successful. So GET TO THE POINT! Use caps and bold letters for the power points. I suggest you Google how to write a brief but effective ad copy.

4. Add pictures. Images draw attention.
Add a poignant image. If there is an animal abuse story, adding a heart-wrenching image of an abused animal like we see in those animal abuse commercials won't hurt your chances of getting attention.

Happy selling!
www.TrueVinePublishing.org

You are Designed for Success

"Every human being is literally engineered for success by his Creator" -Maxwell Maltz, Psycho-Cybernetics. 

GET THIS IN YOUR SPIRIT!!!! 

How else can I say this??.... You are designed in such a fashion that you can do anything you set your mind to. Just like a car is designed to transport and is equipped with all of the acessories to do just that.

This is worth meditating on all night.

Once you learn how to use your equipment you will succeed at ALL things.

Libraries

Quick tip for you authors who are looking for more exposure and more potential sales. Get your book in the library distribution. With the damaged economy, more people are getting books from libraries instead of purchasing them. Getting your book in the library distribution may prove to be a great benefit.

However, there are a few things you need to know about getting your book in the library distribution:

1. Most libraries are looking for local books. So you may not have luck getting your book in libraries around the country initially. Start locally with the plan to build your reputation.

2. Because library books get heavy use, libraries are usually looking for a very sturdy, hard back, glued or sewn book. If you have paperback, I've seen covers heavily laminated to insure they hold up.

3. The best way to bring your book to a libraries attention is through reviews. A positive review in review journals, such as Library Journal, School Library Journal (for children's books), Publisher's Weekly, Booklist, or any others, will give your book an excellent chance of being bought by PCPL (and other public libraries as well). A list of contact information for
these publications is listed below.

Booklist

Kirkus Reviews

Library Journal

Publishers Weekly

School Library Journal

4. The next best method is  to send a flyer mailed to the Collection Development Office. The Collection Development librarians generally only have a few seconds to look at a flyer, so your best bet is to emphasize the essentials.

• WHAT the book is about. This should be brief.
• WHY the book is appropriate for our collection. (attach a copy of your review)
• WHO the intended audience is for the book.
• WHO the author is. (include qualifications and be sure to mention that you are a local author or publisher.)
• WHEN and WHERE the book was published. provide complete bibliographic data, including date of publication, price (including discount if multiple copies are purchased), ISBN (very important), edition statement, type of binding. If the book is self published. Give some indication of its physical appearance, including how it is bound.
• HOW the library can purchase your book.

Everyone Has a Book Inside

Statistically 83% of Americans feel as though they have a book within them. I have come to realize that 100% of people on the face of the planet have a book within them. Why? Because a book is nothing more than a person's perspective, imaginary projection, or instruction.

You may feel as though you have nothing to write about, but I submit to you that there are things about which you are extremely passionate; whether it be crime, fishing, cars, or even cheese. I submit that you have a level of expertise that only you can explain in your own unique way.

If you're wondering about what you could write, think about that issue that raises your blood pressure or causes you to get as excited as a child in a candy store. In other words, focus on your passion. You are sitting on a diamond field waiting to be mined.

Happy writing!
www.TrueVinePublishing.org

Confidence

There is one characteristic you are going to have to develop if you're going to succeed in any endeavor, but particularly as an author: confidence.
Being an author puts you in a vulnerable position. You are delivering your hearts convictions, your most grand ideas and creativity to a world of skeptics. You have to be confident in the unique gifts and insights that you have been given, knowing that there is someone out there who needs and appreciates your message.

To develop your confidence I suggest:

1. Study more: Speaking for myself, I lack confidence when I don't feel like I know all I should know. I noticed a large leap in my confidence concerning publishing as I began to study the industry and read more and more books that reinforced the information I was telling my clients. So study all you can about your topic. The more you know, the more confident you will be.

2. Hang around like minded people: Yesterday, I hosted the 3rd meet up group and one attendee seemed very nervous. We later talked and he explained he thought everyone would tell him his idea was foolish. I encouraged him to keep coming back because the group would be a nurturing ground and the more he got good feed back from likeminded people, the more confident he would become. People who see what you see, push you to move with confidence.

3. Talk to yourself: I say this literally. Look in the mirror and tell yourself how great your book is, who your book is going to help, why your book is helpful. Tell yourself that you are the best person to tell your message. Do it frequently, with passion and excitement. Just try it. I guarantee you'll see a big difference in your confidence

Happy selling
www.TrueVinePublishing.org