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