Smith Publicity Blogs

  An author's biography ranks right up there with a well-designed website as the cornerstone of a PR campaign. In book marketing services circles, bio writing is highly respected, and authors who do it well for themselves have a leg up. Besides the news release announcing your book's publication, your bio is often the first thing editors and producers will check. They want reassurance that you can write your book and have other impressive experiences. Getting across the right points in your bio can mean the difference between receiving coverage and being passed over; take bio writing seriously. Thinking about what you hope to accomplish with your bio and its alternate versions is crucial before you begin writing. Author branding is a critical opportunity today; your bio prominently figures into it. PR pros also advise you to write short and long versions. An extended version can go on your website and other places where people may be researching you. Press materials will carry...

Understanding the many aspects of a successful book publicity campaign is crucial if you are a self-published author. Success requires reaching your target audience with news of your book's publication. There are many ways to do it, and they vary depending on your book and its topic. Much can be done online these days, but other viable options for your book's PR may exist. Traditional media (TV, newspapers, etc.) are all online now, and their coverage carries weight because of their reputations that others may not have. Wise authors weigh all the options, and many choose to pursue more than one. Blogs and podcasts can be highly effective for book promotion when carefully selected according to their topics and audiences. They are excellent examples of niche marketing that reaches select audiences with a higher degree of loyalty. If the 20th century was about "mass media," the internet has changed the game in the 21st century. Now, many marketers prefer a higher degr...

If you're an author, optimizing your social media accounts can provide excellent support to your book marketing campaign. Some people are naturally outgoing, and it comes across online, resulting in vast followings of enthusiastic fans. If you're one of those people, keep following your recipe for success – but for all the rest of us, following some advice from book PR pros can be a wise idea. Social media channels are old enough by now that there are some established ways to do better. You don't need to follow a "cookie cutter" approach, and you can be yourself online, but having structure is helpful. First, when someone follows you on social media, they've taken step one of expressing interest. It would be best if you gave them more incentives to learn more. Taking a strategic look at your posts, paying attention to what works best, and planning the timing are all assets. Comments and opinions are acceptable, but anything factual (or things that read like f...