PR TODAY with Marsha Friedman

A shocking realization occurs to many corporations not long after their product hits the market: The corporations realize their products are invisible.  It quickly becomes apparent that consumers simply can’t see their corporate products.  That comes as no surprise with hundreds of thousands of new products hitting the market every year!

With this much competition in the corporate marketplace combined with no media coverage the result is no connection to the buying public.  The corporate product hasn’t been discussed on successive talk radio shows or seen on TV.  Neither has there been any newspaper coverage nor conspicuous product reviews in popular publications.

In other words, all the known antidotes for “Product Invisibility” are absent.  Small wonder this affliction has reached epidemic proportions, shortening the life cycle of so many of them.

A horrible waste, especially since “Product Invisibility” is so readily treatable.  The antidote involves specific PR (public relations)  techniques that can quickly promote otherwise unknown products.

Here’s How It Works

We use the very latest broadcast media (talk radio and TV), print and internet publicity techniques in order to create an integrated marketing effort that has a contemporary hands-on approach!

*  For talk radio-the watering hole of the reading public-EMSI is one of the few national pr firms to guarantee 10-to-20 minute radio phone-in interviews.  And not on bottom-feeder stations, either.  Interviews are in the top 100 markets around the country, boasting 5,000 watts of power or more on the AM dial.  The corporate clients who appear on as many shows as they can possibly get on swear they owe their corporate product success to talk radio interviews.

*  For coverage in print, we first review the corporation’s product and the science behind it.  From there, as public relations specialists we write a 400 to 600 word article, designed to grab the media’s attention.  We accomplish this by writing our articles in the same journalistic style as newspapers and magazines.  This will go out to a customized database of targeted journalists at major daily newspapers, weekly newspapers, wire services, national magazines, regional magazines and trade publications that match the demographics of your target consumer.

Add to this distribution a special industry tool used by journalists looking for “that one special story,” and you end up with perhaps the most comprehensive print campaign available.  This will lead to a successful communication strategy for your product.

Of this service, one client proclaimed, “We’ve had more inquiries from journalists in the past two weeks than I’ve gotten on my own in the past year.”

*  For internet marketing, we distribute your article to a targeted group of article banks.  Article marketing is extremely valuable in building your corporate profile with consumers on the web in addition to strengthening your own corporate webpage in search engines such as Google and Yahoo!

*  Yet another way to cure “Product Invisibility” is to appear as a guest on local news shows in your hometown in addition to cities you may be traveling to.  TV appearances combined with local talk radio interviews can create hot buzz for your product and build the word-0f-mouth for your company or corporation.

*  Although appearances on major network TV shows can be a great public relations (PR) hit for you - National Cable TV opportunities can be a bonanza as well.  Now, with cable networks offering so many specific channels on so many specific topics, chances are far better for you to reach your precise target markets.   For example, let’s say you have developed a fitness product.  Maybe a show on the Discovery Health Channel or Fit TV would be a perfect, cost-efficient match.

By the way, when it comes to arranging TV appearances for our clients, we work on a contingency basis - so clients only pay when a TV appearance is actually confirmed.

Invisible No More

So you now have more targeted media options to build your corporations profile and tell your consumers about your new product than ever before.  Needless to say, pinpointed national coverage like this can instantly yank your product from the depths of obscurity…all from effective media relations.  If you’ve suffered from the ravages of “Product Invisibility”, take heart.  Your company or corporation can beat this affliction today.

A shocking realization occurs to many authors not long after they publish their books: They realize they are invisible.  It quickly becomes apparent that the book-buying public simply can’t see them…or their books.  That comes as no surprise with 270,000 books published in 2007 alone.

With this much competition in the marketplace combined with no media coverage the result is no connection to the buying public.  The author hasn’t been interviewed on successive talk radio shows or appeared on TV.  Neither has there been any newspaper coverage nor conspicuous book reviews in popular publications.

In other words, all the known antidotes for “Author Invisibility” are absent.  Small wonder this affliction has reached epidemic proportions, killing the careers of so many promising writers.

A horrible waste, especially since “Author Invisibility” is so readily treatable.  The antidote involves specific publicity techniques that can quickly promote otherwise unknown authors and books.

Here’s How It Works

We promote you using the very latest broadcast media (talk radio and TV), print and internet publicity techniques.

*  For talk radio-the watering hole of the reading public-EMSI is one of the few publicity firms to guarantee 10-to-20 minute radio phone-in interviews.  And not on bottom-feeder stations, either.  Interviews are in the top 100 markets around the country, boasting 5,000 watts of power or more on the AM dial.  The authors who appear on as many shows as they can possibly get on swear they owe their book success to talk radio interviews.

*  For coverage in print, we first review a client’s book and then do in-depth research of the topic.  From there, we write a 400 to 600 word article, designed to grab the media’s attention.  We accomplish this by writing our articles in the same journalistic style as newspapers and magazines.  This will go out to a customized database of targeted journalists at major daily newspapers, weekly newspapers, wire services, national magazines, regional magazines and trade publications that match the demographics of your book buyer.

Add to this distribution a special industry tool used by journalists looking for “that one special story,” and you end up with perhaps the most comprehensive print campaign available.

Of this service, one publisher (a client) proclaimed, “We’ve had more inquiries from journalists in the past two weeks than I’ve gotten on my own in the past year.”

*  For internet marketing, we distribute your article to a targeted group of article banks.  Article marketing is extremely valuable in building your profile on the web in addition to strengthening your own webpage in search engines such as Google and Yahoo!

*  Yet another way to cure “Author Invisibility” is to appear as a guest on local news shows in your hometown in addition to cities you may be traveling to.  TV appearances combined with local talk radio interviews and book signings can create hot buzz for you and your book.

*  Although appearances on major network TV shows can be a great hit for you - National Cable TV opportunities can be a bonanza as well.  Now, with cable networks offering so many specific channels on so many specific topics, chances are far better for authors to reach their precise target markets.   For example, let’s say you wrote a book that focused on fitness.  Maybe a show on the Discovery Health Channel or Fit TV would be a perfect, cost-efficient match.

By the way, when it comes to arranging TV appearances for our clients, we work on a contingency basis - so clients only pay when a TV appearance is actually confirmed.

Invisible No More

So you now have more targeted media options than ever before.  Needless to say, pinpointed national coverage like this can instantly yank you from the depths of obscurity.  If you’ve suffered from the ravages of “Author Invisibility” for more than one book now, take heart.  You and your writing can beat this affliction today.

Understand the reality of publishing:  you need to do more than simply write a book.  In order to be successful, you need to create national recognition and awareness of your book to the largest audience of potential readers as possible.  The bottom line is that your book needs to stand out from the 270,000 books published EVERY YEAR…in addition to the millions that are already out there!

My firm can help!  For over 20 years we have been curing “Author Invisibility” through dynamic media campaigns covering national and local talk radio, television, print and more.  In fact, here’s an unsolicited testimonial we received just last night from one of our clients.

“After weeks of intense investigation of several publicity companies, I chose EMSI to help me create and promote my book tour and I am so glad that I did. I love the fact that you pay for the work you get and there is no monthly fee like so many other firms and I have nothing to lose! EMSI got me booked on seventeen national radio shows and over a dozen television shows in less then one month of me buying those specific packages. I will continue to work with them as my publicist for the rest of my career. They get the job done and more. Thank you EMSI.”

There is no time like the present to start getting your book in front of millions of consumers!  Call me today on 727-443-7115, Extension 202 or email me at steve@emsincorporated.com to discuss a national media campaign your book deserves.

You have been working yourself to exhaustion for countless hours and it’s finally finished.  After a lifetime of dreaming, you are finally holding it in your hands.  Your book: the focus of all of your energies and a labor of love.  You want the whole world to hear about it (and hopefully buy it), but you aren’t sure how to make that happen.  If you have limited budget, one of the best and most cost-effective ways to let people know that your book exists is talk radio.

There are publicity firms who specialize in booking authors on talk radio, but what are the advantages of hiring them?  Here are 5 advantages of hiring a publicity firm to promote your book on talk radio:

1. They Know How to Play the Publicity “Game.”

Most authors know that they need media exposure, but have no idea where to start or who to call.  Generating publicity can be difficult and even complex.  You have to know the right shows, the right stations, the right producers, and the right time to call.  Hiring a publicist takes out all of the guesswork.

2. They Will Help You Develop Your Message.

One of the most valuable things a publicity firm can do is help you develop the right message or angle to use to get the media’s attention.  They will examine your book and message and will be able to pick out the angle that will maximize interest in you and your book.

3. They Will Get Your Message to the Right People.

While it’s true that you can call radio stations and attempt to book yourself, you may not get very far.  Many hosts and producers won’t even consider a guest unless they are represented by a publicist, assuming they even take your call in the first place.  A good publicity firm knows how to provide a show producer with everything they need to book you as a guest.

4. They Have Established Relationships with the Media.

Experienced publicists have cultivated strong relationships with talk radio hosts and producers.  In some cases, these relationships last several years and help open up doors that might otherwise be closed.  Often, a host will book a guest solely based on the recommendation of a trusted publicist.

5. They Have the Experience to Guide You.

Going out there and doing interviews without any tips or any guidance can be quite daunting.  A good PR firm will be able to coach you on the fine point of “talk radio etiquette” and will be able to help you correct any missteps you might make.

You know how hard it is to develop a product.

It may be a labor of love, but it’s still a labor.  And while you’re not out there cracking rocks with a sledgehammer, some might even call it hard labor.  That’s okay.  Nothing good comes easy.  And there’s no question that you’re wonderfully suited for this kind of labor, right? But the challenge comes shortly after you finish laboring on your masterpiece.

What do I mean?  You’ve got to jump into the promotional trenches and fight, tooth and nail.  Consumers need to know that your product is out there and national media exposure is the best way for you tell them.

Call it the double whammy of product development - as hard as it is to develop a terrific product, it can be even harder to promote it.  Which has, sadly enough, turned out to be the death sentence for far too many “could-have-been” best-selling products.  After all, how many companies have been great at the first “whammy” only to throw their hands up at the second (and then, tragically, and out of sheer frustration, given up altogether)?

Fortunately, good product promotion doesn’t have to be as mysterious as the pyramids - you can put some little-known (but wonderfully effective) publicity “tricks” to work for you starting this very day.  For example…

Ever notice how every month comes with “awareness themes?”

Take April, for example.  Among its other awareness themes, April is Cancer Control Month, National Decorating Month, Physical Wellness Month, National Humor Month, National Autism Awareness Month, Lawn and Garden Month, National Car Care Month and Alcohol Awareness Month.

And that’s just April. Every month has its own theme list.  And you can bet many of those months have themes aimed at your product.

So what’s the strategy here?  Pretty simple, really: Tie the message of your product to a month’s theme.  Do a good job of that, put your press release right in front of the media’s “nose,” and you could just land several high-profile interviews.

That’s one nice way of cracking into the formerly impenetrable “media fortress.” Here’s another:

You’ve got to be a bit more agile for this.

Whenever there’s a news story that relates to the message of your product, cook up a strong press release and shoot it right over to talk radio producers, TV news producers and newspaper editors.  These people are ALWAYS looking for credible guests with great slants on today’s news.

How long do these kinds of news windows stay open?  Not long at all.  That’s why, as I said, you’ve got to be quick and agile.

Either that…or you’ve got to enlist the help of a PR professional who is quicker and more agile than you’d ever care to be.

Welcome to the next installment of my series: 50 Tips on How to Be a Top TV Guest.  (Haven’t received the first three installments? Click here and request your FREE copy today!)

Here’s another 10 tips to help you capitalize on the valuable air-time when you appear as a television guest.

1.    Use “Tips” as part of your segment! If your topic offers helpful advice then tips are a great way to communicate your message.  Television producers want to provide their viewers with useful content presented in a manner that is easy to understand.  Develop five tips that solve a problem your topic addresses.  Are you a fitness guru with a unique formulation for fat loss?  Then offer five fat burning tips!  Does your book offer advice about how to live a happier life?  Then come up with 5 ways to live happier today!

2.    If you’re pitching local TV, find the local angle. Local network affiliates are extremely valuable, so a great method to grab the producer’s interest is to find the local tie-in for your topic.  If you are a real estate guru, before going on air do your homework and find out what the real estate market is like in that city.  Have you written a book about the American economy?  Be prepared to talk about the economic climate in that particular city.  By highlighting a local angle, your interview will resonate more with the host and the viewers.

3.    Monotone doesn’t work. The alteration of your pitch and tone will keep your audience interested.  Stay animated. It’s not only what you say, but how you say it that counts!

4.    Prepare for personal questions. The job of a producer is to do research for the host about you and your topic, in preparation of your interview.  If simple web research unearths two previous bankruptcies and you are promoting a CD series on how to make millions… be prepared!  Often the best comeback is a real and even comical answer.  It will not only endear you to the audience but can deflect the tone of an antagonistic interviewer.

5.    Don’t overload your interview with statistics. Use stats and numbers wisely.  For example, if you have written a book about natural methods of preventing diabetes, the fact that 20.8 million Americans are diagnosed with diabetes is important.  But if you also mention that 85,000 diabetics have their feet amputated and 12 million people will go blind from it - these statistics will create more of an emotional impact on the host and viewers.

6.    Double-check your contact information. Before you go on-air, make sure your website is up, your toll free phone number is working and you have a list of the retail outlets where your book can be purchased.  Why? If you share the incorrect contact information during your interview, you defeat the whole purpose of your appearance.  Also, if you give a great interview and viewers can’t find your book, the TV station will get overloaded with calls from viewers asking for information - and reflects poorly on you as a guest.

7.    Record and critique your interviews. Watch your interview numerous times and observe the different elements of your performance.  How well did you answer the questions?  Did your clothes send the right message?  What did your body language say about you?  Did you seem natural or rehearsed? Did you remember all of your sound bites?  Did you interrupt the host?  Identify the points you felt were weak and do whatever you can to strengthen them before your next interview.

8.    Look good / feel good. Sleep and good nutrition are obviously important to our daily mental and physical well being; it makes us look better, feel good and think clearly.  But these health points are even more important when you factor in the stress of an important media interview.  So try to get a good night’s sleep - and a healthy breakfast before your interview.  Don’t overdose on the caffeine either!  You want to be at the top of your game for your TV appearance.

9.    Be gracious on and off the air. Remember to thank the host for the interview while you’re still on-air.  Make sure to thank the producer as well.  It’s also a good practice to send a brief thank you note to the host and the producer.  It’s good manners and presents you as a consummate professional.  It can also increase your chances of being remembered in the future, when they need to interview an expert on your topic.

10.  Prepare for the pre-interview. When it comes to National TV, you may be asked for a “pre-interview”.  Don’t take this lightly.  Be prepared with your message; be energetic, informative and appropriately entertaining. The interview isn’t completely secured until you pass this test!

Welcome to the newest installment of my series: 50 Tips on How to Be a Top TV Guest.  (Haven’t received the first three installments? Click here and request your FREE copy today!)

Here’s another 5 tips to help you capitalize on the valuable air-time when you appear as a television guest.

Double-check your contact information. Before you go on-air, make sure your website is up, your toll free phone number is working and you have a list of the retail outlets where your book can be purchased.  Why? If you share the incorrect contact information during your interview, you defeat the whole purpose of your appearance.  Also, if you give a great interview and viewers can’t find your book, the TV station will get overloaded with calls from viewers asking for information - and reflects poorly on you as a guest.

2.    Record and critique your interviews. Watch your interview numerous times and observe the different elements of your performance.  How well did you answer the questions?  Did your clothes send the right message?  What did your body language say about you?  Did you seem natural or rehearsed? Did you remember all of your sound bites?  Did you interrupt the host?  Identify the points you felt were weak and do whatever you can to strengthen them before your next interview.

3.    Look good / feel good. Sleep and good nutrition are obviously important to our daily mental and physical well being; it makes us look better, feel good and think clearly.  But these health points are even more important when you factor in the stress of an important media interview.  So try to get a good night’s sleep - and a healthy breakfast before your interview.  Don’t overdose on the caffeine either!  You want to be at the top of your game for your TV appearance.

4.    Be gracious on and off the air. Remember to thank the host for the interview while you’re still on-air.  Make sure to thank the producer as well.  It’s also a good practice to send a brief thank you note to the host and the producer.  It’s good manners and presents you as a consummate professional.  It can also increase your chances of being remembered in the future, when they need to interview an expert on your topic.

5.     Prepare for the pre-interview. When it comes to National TV, you may be asked for a “pre-interview”.  Don’t take this lightly.  Be prepared with your message; be energetic, informative and appropriately entertaining. The interview isn’t completely secured until you pass this test!

Welcome to the next installment of my series: 50 Tips on How to Be a Top TV Guest.  (Haven’t received the first three installments? Click here and request your FREE copy today!)

Here’s another 10 tips to help you capitalize on the valuable air-time when you appear as a television guest.

1.    Use “Tips” as part of your segment! If your topic offers helpful advice then tips are a great way to communicate your message.  Television producers want to provide their viewers with useful content presented in a manner that is easy to understand.  Develop five tips that solve a problem your topic addresses.  Are you a fitness guru with a unique formulation for fat loss?  Then offer five fat burning tips!  Does your book offer advice about how to live a happier life?  Then come up with 5 ways to live happier today!

2.    If you’re pitching local TV, find the local angle. Local network affiliates are extremely valuable, so a great method to grab the producer’s interest is to find the local tie-in for your topic.  If you are a real estate guru, before going on air do your homework and find out what the real estate market is like in that city.  Have you written a book about the American economy?  Be prepared to talk about the economic climate in that particular city.  By highlighting a local angle, your interview will resonate more with the host and the viewers.

3.    Monotone doesn’t work. The alteration of your pitch and tone will keep your audience interested.  Stay animated. It’s not only what you say, but how you say it that counts!

4.    Prepare for personal questions. The job of a producer is to do research for the host about you and your topic, in preparation of your interview.  If simple web research unearths two previous bankruptcies and you are promoting a CD series on how to make millions… be prepared!  Often the best comeback is a real and even comical answer.  It will not only endear you to the audience but can deflect the tone of an antagonistic interviewer.

5.    Don’t overload your interview with statistics. Use stats and numbers wisely.  For example, if you have written a book about natural methods of preventing diabetes, the fact that 20.8 million Americans are diagnosed with diabetes is important.  But if you also mention that 85,000 diabetics have their feet amputated and 12 million people will go blind from it - these statistics will create more of an emotional impact on the host and viewers.

“Bookstores are the meeting place of the 21st Century,” says Marcia Bliss of Bliss Connections in San Diego.  In working with authors to help them promote their books, she cites numerous benefits of book signings:

1.  BOOK SALES (first and foremost);

2.  gains local exposure for author;

3.  meet prospective book buyers;

4.  involves people in author’s worthy cause;

5.  a chance to inspire and educate others;

6.  an excellent tool for local publicity; and

7.  the opportunity to promote a seminar on the author’s topic.

But our years of experience in working with authors has shown us that there are also tremendous “hidden values” in doing book signings that often have very little to do with the above or even with signing books!  (Unless, of course, the book is authored by a famous person whose fans are lined up ten deep to meet this celebrity and get his autograph.)

But, for those thousands of authors whose names don’t inspire instant recognition, the value in booksignings may have more to do with the following:

HIDDEN VALUE #1  -  DISTRIBUTION IN EVERY MARKET!    It’s a known fact that distribution is a problem for publishers of all sizes.  The reason is simple - with over 100,000 new books coming out each year, bookstores have to be very selective about the inventory of titles they choose to keep on their shelves.

But, when a bookstore agrees to schedule an author for a booksigning, that store will automatically order a significant number of copies for the booksigning event - forcing distribution into each market the author is doing a signing in!  
HIDDEN VALUE #2  -  FREE ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION!    As book- stores normally promote their books igning events through promotional mailings to their book buyers or through newspaper advertisements, your author becomes the beneficiary of the store’s advertising in every city he or she is touring.

HIDDEN VALUE #3  -  FREE MERCHANDISING THAT NORMALLY COSTS THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS!    Let’s face it - stores are highly motivated to promote book signings as these events are known to be a successful action for bringing people into bookstores and stimulating sales.  Prior to a scheduled book signing, stores will often set up a prominent display of the author’s book along with other high quality promotional material provided by the publisher.

HIDDEN VALUE #4  -  WORD OF MOUTH PROMOTION!    When authors are at booksignings they have the opportunity to meet all the sales people at the individual stores.  Those authors smart enough to recognize the value of this opportunity will take the time to introduce themselves, shake  hands, talk about their book and make each person feel very important (as they are!).

Then, when asked about a book on the author’s topic, you can bet those sales people will recommend that author’s title, as it will no longer be just one of the thousands of titles sitting on the shelves!

Bill O’Reilly, host of Fox News Channel’s The O’Reilly Report, was quoted in Talkers Magazine about how he cracked the bestseller list.

“In the beginning, we couldn’t get on Good Morning America, or the Today Show or any of that.  Elite newspapers wouldn’t review the book.  We had to rely on talk radio,” O’Reily said.  “Talk radio has shown a much better return (than our advertising dollars).”

There’s no doubt that talk radio is a great vehicle for authors, because it allows them to give in-depth answers and puts them in direct communication with people who may want to buy their book.

But talk radio is not what it used to be.

The hosts of major-market radio talk shows with great audiences used to bring authors into the studio for long chats.  An author could knock off a couple of those interviews and send sales on the way to the top.  Those days are gone.  Unless an author is a truly big name, the chances of hitting pay dirt with a couple of big radio interviews are history.

The reasons for this are two-fold.  First, there are not as many big stations that accept talk show guests - many have gone to a music format or no longer accept guests that have a product or service to sell.  Secondly, the amount of time an author will probably be on the air has dwindled.  Radio talk shows have found that listeners are more likely to stay tuned if they have 3 10-minute guests on a show than one guest for 30 minutes.

So if you want your book to sell, you now have to pound the pavement and knock on every door.

Fortunately, in radio publicity, quantity works.  There are hundreds of radio stations, and book authors shouldn’t thumb their noses at some of them just because they don’t have a hot host or 5,000 watts.  Even with a 1000-watt station, you are still reaching an audience.  Look at it this way.  If a 1000-watt radio station has only 100 listeners, you might say it is not worth the trouble.  But what if you could go to an auditorium and talk to 100 people about your book?  Would you go?  Of course you would.  Not only that, but small stations allow you to practice for that big interview down the road.

A rookie baseball player doesn’t throw his first pitch against the New York Yankees.  In print publicity, an author’s first interview is rarely with The New York Times.   But an author who has had an interview with a hometown newspaper and a couple of magazines will be more prepared if The New York Times does call.

The Plus Side of Small-Station Bookings

It is the same thing with radio.  It takes at least 10 radio interviews before most authors get comfortable behind the microphone. Small power radio stations allow you to practice how to be a great guest.

Some people seem born to be great communicators but an author’s expertise is in the written word, and it is rare to find a great author who is also a great verbal communicator.  First time authors are especially prone to stage fright - yes, even on radio.

Typical errors for first time guests include not giving out the Web site address or 1-800 number, or not giving them out frequently enough.  It’s also a mistake to mention these too often and upset the host, who will let you know that the show is not an infomercial.  Technical authors have a tendency to slide into techno-babble, and even good guests inevitably walk out of their first few interviews knowing they could have been better.  When first-time authors make these mistakes (and they will), it is best if huge audiences do not hear the error.

Booking small stations in quantity to get a high number of interviews helps you to get the explanation of your book down to a succinct few words.  Talking with multiple interviewers, even though they don’t have huge audiences, will enable you to crystallize your thoughts on your book.  It may even give you new ideas about your topic that you never realized before the interviews.

Booking small stations can be also an adventure.  Be prepared to run into some hosts who are unprofessional, and make sure you confirm an interview at least twice before you will be on the air.  Most of these hosts will not be as prepared as their big-time counterparts (meaning they probably have not read your book), so you’ll have to be ready to walk them through the major topics.  Prepare for these interviews as though you have just met someone on the street for the first time and you are telling them about your book.

But if the hosts are not as prepared as they should be, you should still be on your toes.  Very bright people listen to some very small radio stations; so don’t talk down to your audience.

Sorry; nothing will surely save you from the 1000-watt radio station in Peoria that is being hosted by a kid right out of broadcast school.  But remember, even that small-time interview may prepare you for the big time.

It’s hard to say it any better: “Publicity is the voice of visibility.”

That’s from the book, High Visibility. And its lesson to authors is clear-nothing can spotlight your book faster than good publicity.

But how do you find a publicist that best fits you and your book? Here are ten easy rules to follow:

1.  Publicists often specialize in different genres of books (e.g., non-fiction, fiction, children’s books, religious titles, etc.).  So, if your book is religious, find a firm that specializes in religious media as they’ll have the strongest contacts and will know which shows and publications represent the best exposure for you.  Same holds true for fiction publicists, children’s books.,

2.  If your book has a very unique subject or audience — e.g. charitable giving, or secrets of the cable TV industry, etc. — it’s unlikely you will find a publicist who specializes in just that topic. Instead, you’ll want a publicist who will take the time to familiarize themselves with your topic or book and will craft a campaign to match your special needs.

3. Find a publicist who specializes in the medium of choice for your book.  Not every publicist is a master at every medium.  Many publicists specialize in one medium and will refer business to other specialists when it’s best for their client.  So, if for example you’ve written a book on fashion or photography - the best exposure for your book would obviously be print or TV, as they’re both visual mediums.  In this case, you want a publicist who procures print and TV placements on an ongoing basis.

4.  Ask for sample campaigns. Sure, it will be the publicist’s best foot forward, but a sample will still demonstrate their skill and proficiency at obtaining media.

5.  Along with reviewing sample campaigns, speak to past clients, too, if you have the slightest hesitation about engaging their services.

6.    Find a firm whose fees are in range with other firms.  No need to find the most expensive because they have a fancy address in a major metropolitan city.

7.  And speaking of fees - in the book industry you’ll find many publicists who work on a performance or project basis.  This is not at all common with PR firms in other industries -and an opportunity you want to take advantage of.  So, steer clear of monthly retainer based firms.

8.  Get past a prospective PR firm’s sales hype and find the firm you feel will get the job done.  The problem an author can run into is the sales person they speak with and build confidence in, is not always the person who will be handling their campaign.  So, don’t be shy about asking who will be writing your press releases and who will be pitching you to the media. Find out how long they’ve been with the firm.  Ask what their level of experience is.  After all the time, money and hard work you invested in writing your book, you want to make sure your campaign isn’t being delegated to a rookie out of college.

9. In your search for the right publicity firm - don’t just talk to local agencies. Especially if you’re looking for regional or national reach.  Virtually none of the work with your publicist will require “face time”, so just look for the best … period!

One last point - find a firm that has an understanding of your topic and an enthusiasm for your message! Their determination alone can often be the driving force behind prime media placements for you.So think about it: Nothing can get your book more visibility than the right publicist!