Getting Publicity for Your Mini Author/Speaker Tour

Getting publicity for mini author tours is easy with a good action plan. It often makes the difference between a humdrum event and a supersuccessful event and lots of associated book sales.

Here are some of the lessons learned I've picked up from conducting publicity campaigns with fax and e-mail for authors and publishing companies using the Internet to Media Fax service (http://www.imediafax.com). Follow and innovate these steps to follow for planning, implementing and leveraging publicity before, during and after a mini-author media tour:

1. Lay out your tour schedule identifying points of contact which will work both in advance of the event, and while at the event, so media can contact you before hand, and on short notice.
2. Prepare a one page release describing who, where, when, why, what, why it is important, and why it's going to be a great event and who to contact. You can use one press release per location or one press release for multiple locations, depending on how you select your media list and transmission schedule. Make sure you localize your news release to the maximum extent possible, to show the media the event has significant local readership and editorial interest.
3. Create a custom targeted media list covering the daily and weekly newspapers, news services and syndicates, radio and TV stations and shows (talk shows by subject, news feature and news) in the market areas at your event locations. Research and consider sending the release to local metro entertainment and general interest magazines in the market areas because they can result in publicity with a long term effect, long after the event.
4. Send out your first news release three weeks before the event. For daily and weekly newspapers, target the calendar editors, metro editors, and the feature editors.
5. Follow up by phone with the most important media on your list at each event location, to achieve coverage of the event at each location and to invite the media to come to the event, or interview the author before, at, or even after the event. Invite feature or specialty editors to come to the event. Offer tailored articles, interviews, and site visits if your schedule allows.
6. Send out a second news release seven to ten days before the event, and follow up once again, to get and confirm media attendance or interviews.
7. Conduct the event and do the interviews. Treat the media in attendance very special. If they came in response to your release, thank them and make it worth their while. Have media kits ready to go. Give the media review copies if you haven't already done so. Be quick to take advantage of an opportunity to get more publicity, or better media coverage.
8. Send out a final news release on or immediately after the event to leverage the event. The event itself is news. This release should be a short article which summarizes the high points of the event and provides book, ordering and contact information.
9. Call to say thank you to media contacts for the coverage and to request tear sheets. Offer additional information, articles, or interviews by phone as appropriate.

Paul J. Krupin
Direct Contact/Imediafax
dircon@owt.com 1-800-457-8746

James A. Cox
Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129
phone: 1-608-835-7937
e-mail: mbr@execpc.com
e-mail: mwbookrevw@aol.com
http://www.midwestbookreview.com

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