CREATING THE BEST MEDIA PITCH FOR YOUR BOOK Ben Cameron Cameron Publicity and Marketing Ltd

CREATING THE BEST MEDIA PITCH FOR YOUR BOOK

Ben Cameron

Cameron Publicity and Marketing Ltd

What is a Media Pitch?

Media

ReadersYou

You Readers

TRADITIONAL PUBLICITY SOCIAL NETWORKING

Know Your Media:Media Targets

• Television• National

• Local

• Radio• National

• Local

• Magazines

• Newspapers• National

• Local

• Journals / Organisations / Newsletters

• Online• Traditional media websites

• Websites

• Bloggers

Know Your Media:Targeting Journalists

• THINK LIKE A JOURNALIST

• Media bias

• Journalist specialisations

• Workload

• Interviews / points of view

• Deadlines / pressure

Break Down Your Pitch

• YOUR BOOK• Focused message for every

subject area

• What is unique?

• Special dates / occasions

• News

• YOU• What an you talk about?

• Experience / expertise

• Interests

• Writing / inspiration

• Personal contacts

• You need to stand up for your work!

How to Pitch

• Be honest about the appeal of your book to journalists

• Focus on the most likely journalists

• Email / phone

• Follow-up and be persistent!!!

• Accept rejection (eventually and politely)

• Turn interest into coverage

Grumpy Old MenopauseCarol E. Wyer• Book

• Health

• Humour

• Women’s interest

• News: Emma Thompson

• Author• Previous Books

• Humourist

• Former physical trainer

• Social Media

The Dead, The Dying and The DamnedJohn Hollands

• Book• Previous bestseller

• 50th Anniversary of end of Korean War

• Literary interest

• Military interest

• Author

• Korean War vet

• New book about real experiences

• Story about why he joined up

• Story about Churchill

Carnaby Street’s Great UninvitedSafia Shah

• Author• Lives in Morocco and Surrey

• Drives a black taxi

• Commissioned knitted cover for taxi to tie in with Knit and Stitch show

• Endangered words campaign

What Happens Next?

• Make the most of it: Broadcast coverage with social media

• Build small media placements up to large media placements

• Add quotes to Amazon, Goodreads and other descriptions

• Let sales people know

• Don’t take bad reviews personally, don’t bite back and don’t obsess