The practicalities of dealing with the media
The recipient – understanding journalists
How to sell ideas to journalists by email and telephone
Features and reviews of books in the media are one of the most influential ways of promoting purchase. Coverage is important to almost every kind of reader, from academics noting reviews in a journal they respect to general readers in a bookshop (on- or offline) turning to the back cover to see which newspapers or columnists have endorsed it. For some material it is not even important that the coverage is favourable; negative coverage can do tremendous things for sales.
Coverage in the media is often dubbed ‘free advertising’. But even if you set no value on your own time, done well it takes an immense amount of time and effort. This chapter is devoted to telling you how to go about it.
Opportunities for media coverage go far wider than their traditional location on the book review pages. As well as the traditional section-heads (home and foreign news, features), other specialist sections are growing too (cookery, travel, family, gardening, home) – and these are echoed in opportunities in broadcast media too.
The internet has also vastly increased the possibilities for both specific and mass market coverage, in as many specific fields as there is publishing output – and each community is likely to have its own specific forum(s), whether on- or offline, official or independent.
In all these locations, presented as editorial content (rather than as an advertisement), you have the chance to inform and re-orientate popular debate, or simply to spread information by word-of-mouth. Similarly, getting authors on to ‘talk shows’ or news programmes as an expert can make a tremendous difference to their public image and interest in their material. When coverage is harnessed (as it always should be) to information on the associated product or service available for purchase, you should achieve the real aim: larger sales.
The practicalities of dealing with the media
Who liaises with the media?
The large general publishing houses usually have a team of specialist press officers or publicists that liaises with the media on behalf of a variety of lists. There are also specialist press and PR agencies and it’s common for large campaigns to be contracted out to them. In smaller houses, this is a job that generally falls to the marketing department.
What you need to succeed in dealing with the media
The personal attributes for dealing with the media are an effective combination of determination, charm and originality. This needs to be supported by knowledge and belief in the range of products being promoted (whether it’s a physical entity or access to an individual, the need for an assured presentation is essential) and an ability to summarise a complex argument in a couple of sentences, a skill that can be particularly hard for publicists working for academic or technical publishers. An ability to think on your feet is also important, so that an alternative idea or scenario can be put forward if the first suggestion is rejected. Creativity and imagination are vital in order for the ideas to feel fresh and innovative. Finally, a good memory is a big asset – for particular journalistic and author preferences or what has worked well or gone wrong before.
When to start pursuing coverage
The best time for thinking about media coverage is early in a title’s development. Radio and TV series are commissioned at least a year in advance, and the lead time is often longer for television. Literary festivals start planning some 6 months in advance. Magazines, newspaper features pages, radio magazine programmes work around 2 to 4 months in advance. Author tours, competitions, entry for literary prizes and other publicity-promoting initiatives are also best thought about well in advance as they take a lot of planning. Social media by contrast usually needs to be planned early but implemented late as those who pick up on something online tend to want it to be available immediately – it can however work well for longer-term teaser campaigns, to build up demand and pre-orders – see Chapter 9.
If you are liaising with authors you will have their long-term commitments to consider too; the author publicity form should have alerted them to what kind of involvement may be needed. Of course having written a book does not necessarily make them fluent speakers, but it does generally mark them out as experts of some kind. Whereas in the past authors may have preferred to leave it to their publishers to organise publicity, working through an established range of publications and broadcast channels, a process of media fragmentation1 has made it much harder to predict where an audience is likely to be spending time. Today authors generally understand that their help is vital in getting their work better known – and a requirement to contribute to marketing their work is increasingly included within their contract.
Whom to contact
Planning press coverage is easiest if you have an existing network of media contacts with whom you are in touch on a regular basis. It is a good idea to make a list of all the publications and programmes likely to be significant to your list, and to find out the name of the features, news or production editor. Ring up and introduce yourself, confirm that they are the right person to send information to, and check the address and spelling of their name. Ask if you can meet the most important contacts – suggest you treat them to a coffee or lunch: it will be easier selling ideas if your face is already known. PR specialist Ruth Killick2 comments:
I can’t overestimate the importance of personal contacts. Journalists get literally hundreds of emails a day. Why are they going to bother opening yours? You can send out dozens of pitch emails (and feel comforted that you’ve ‘done something’) but on their own it probably won’t generate much (unless you have a star author or are yourself someone the journalist already knows and trusts). Don’t be shy of getting on the phone! It’s amazing how many publicists don’t.
Your list of contacts might include:
• national daily newspapers;
• national Sunday newspapers;
• local and regional newspapers;
• specialist newspapers (e.g., the religious or educational press);
• free-sheets (from city newspapers distributed at transport hubs to pickups within specified locations);
• national monthly consumer magazines;
• news weeklies;
• special interest magazines;
• B2B (business-to-business publications, including professional journals);
• contract magazines (magazines produced on behalf of an organisation, e.g., titles for supermarket customers bearing the organisational brand);
• society and membership journals, often free with a subscription;
• alternative press (e.g., independent titles, often produced by pressure groups or lobbyists, generally working on low resources towards a collective goal);
• national and local radio;
• national and local TV;
• digital and online publications (all the sub-categorisations listed above apply here too);
• blogs (ditto).
Details of formally published titles can be found in databases and media publications. For online publications, society membership magazines and blogs it may be a case of discovering relevant media opportunities through online searches. For each publication, however, there will almost certainly be an associated website where more information can be found, including details of whom they consider to be their audience. You can learn a lot about them from the way in which they write about themselves. You may also be able to see back issues, which will give you a sense of their scope and format.
If you are starting completely from scratch, or are particularly short of time, one way to get information out to the press is to subscribe to the services of a media agency. For an annual subscription you will receive access to a website that lists all the press names you might need. You can then get in touch whenever you want to send out a press release – you won’t own the list, but you can access it whenever you want. Although this will give you a pleasingly large number of destinations for your press releases, in the long run it’s a good idea to develop your own list of personal contacts to whom you can send information you know will be of interest – and then follow up with a phone call.
Don’t just pursue contacts in the media that you read or watch yourself – and don’t let your own reading prejudices get in the way. Try to get into the habit of buying a variety of different papers to see the kind of opportunities for coverage that they offer; watch and listen to broadcast programmes of all kinds; pick a theme about which you know relatively little and search online for information. What you observe may surprise you. For example, mass market newspapers have more regular book-buyers among their readers than the ‘quality’ press, simply because their circulations are bigger – and they are also often quite inventive in how they run a book story. The Richard & Judy3 promotion in the UK showed that, contrary to many assumptions, the viewers of chat shows are big book-buyers.
Remember to send copies of your press information to the news agencies (e.g., Reuters and the Press Agency) – they may feed it to many different regional papers. The local papers or radio station in an author’s hometown will almost certainly want to do a feature too.
Whatever system you decide on for the management of your lists (in-house or out-of-house) do keep a basic point of reference available and ready to refer to at all times. Be very methodical about recording ideas that particular contacts have responded well or badly to in the past, their particular interests, days off, deadline days, the best times to contact and so on.
The recipient – understanding journalists
You have to remember that there are two kinds of people, those who do things and the drones who carp about what has been done. Those I interview tend to be doers. Journalists are drones.
Jeremy Paxman, journalist4
If you are going to get coverage for published content, it is almost certain that the ideas presented will be mediated – most usually by a journalist. The journalist(s) to whom material is either given, or passed on, will make a range of decisions from whether it merits coverage at all to how the story is presented, so it’s worth spending some time thinking about how best to communicate with them as a species. Here is Joanna Prior, a publisher who had a brief sojourn at The Sunday Telegraph, before returning to publishing as publicity director at Penguin, commenting on the experience:
It is the most cut-throat, uncaring and tough environment I can imagine. Teamwork is not something they are into. Journalists like the mystique, [to give the impression] that when they are being rude on the phone it’s because there is something very important happening.
Now she understands press deadlines. ‘We expect far too much of journalists – we expect them to read our books’, she says. Now she knows that pressure of work means that they will not read anything on spec. She knows that pitches should be made in the morning when journalists are able to listen, and not panicking about the day’s stories. Her experience has made her more aware of editors’ priorities. ‘One revelation was how uninterested they are in their readers. They care about numbers, they care about circulation.’5
This was written about working at the extreme end of the profession, on a prestigious magazine supplement with a large readership and in a hugely competitive market. But although journalists may be operating under a variety of different pressure levels, in a range of different roles, there are several issues that can be extracted from this:
• Journalists will see those contacting them in the hope of coverage as PRs rather than publishers. This is not a compliment. Associate professor Beth Brewster6 comments: ‘Journalists are irritated by those who relentlessly pursue them with the same idea, over and over again. They are immune to the “charms” of the PR, whom they see as a regrettable necessity rather than a friend.’
• Journalists operate in an atmosphere of constant busyness. They can come over as abrasive if not rude – or just otherwise engaged (eating or typing while on the phone are both common).
• Journalists want special treatment. They like things made particular to their format/needs and for the material you present to be available to them exclusively. In return, if a stronger story comes along, they will change their minds about featuring yours – or have the decision made for them by their bosses. Ruth Killick: ‘Journalists don’t see it as their job to promote your product. It’s up to you to make it attractive to them.’
• Journalists expect you to know their format and market really well, as well as what they have recently covered. Even if their publication is not mainstream or their programme on at a time of day when a working person could not be expected to catch it, they will expect you to know. So ensure you are familiar with the audience they approach and their viewing figures before you get in touch. Beth Brewster comments: ‘What journalists hate is PRs approaching them with ideas that would never run in their publication. Journalism is a carefully targeted product with a very specific readership.’
• Journalists see their role as keeping their readers or viewers interested and hence continuing to buy or remain tuned in to their particular format. It follows that their job is not (as is widely assumed) to tell their readership the latest news, but to tell it from the viewpoint of their particular readership, to find stories that reinforce their readers’ and viewers’ sense of valuing the publication or programme and feeling part of the associated community.
• Journalists specialise. There are editors, programmers, writers of features/news/leaders/comment pieces – and many more roles. All want to be fed information on stories according to their particular speciality based on what you know they have covered in the past. So a weekly columnist, a gossip columnist and a leader writer will have very different requirements. Having written the information for them, in a format they will find easy to absorb, the risk is that they then present the finished piece with their byline at the bottom, failing to mention the product or service being promoted, and which provided the starting point for the story you sent them.
• Journalists are ambitious. They want to see the story they present highlighted in the eventual format, so the more ways in which you can help them do this, the better (offer a list of interesting anecdotes; an effective and as yet unused quotation from someone relevant; an eye-grabbing photograph opportunity; a short quiz).
So it follows that they want relevant stories with:
• Emotion. Beth Brewster: ‘Journalism is about what makes people tick’; a story that attracts empathy from the readership in question. As famous newspaper editor John Junor said: ‘An ounce of emotion is worth a ton of fact.’
• Absorbability. An author or their publisher can probably think of many reasons why their work is fascinating, but these will have to be condensed into a pithy format before they are passed on to a journalist. Remember the information you offer will have to be re-communicated many times – to section/programme heads, producers, editors and others. It will survive best if it is slimmed down to its essentials.
• Examples and quotes. If you are telling them a story, they will need examples of how this works in practice – because readers and viewers find it easier to engage with an issue if there are accompanying (and preferably photogenic) examples. They will need empathetic individuals who can be quoted (or are available to talk), statistics that can be absorbed easily (fractions or percentages are easier to hear than numbers).
• Relevance for their readers and viewers. You need to think about who their readers are, what they want to know and how you can assist the journalist or publication in giving them what they want.
How to please a journalist, by Beth Brewster
• Offer well-placed, and preferably exclusive, story ideas that fit their audience.
• Suggest interesting ideas for coverage (the chance to meet a relevant interviewee somewhere unusual; access to a building or point of view that is not generally available).
• Make yourself into the expert – do the research for them, go the extra mile.
• Join the conversation – via social media, tweet links to their pieces (not just about your products) showing that you are interested in their opinion and will work with them to extend the coverage they offer.
• Thank them afterwards. It’s a simple courtesy.
How to irritate a journalist:
• Offer them a story as an exclusive that you have pitched to other people at the same time. They will not trust you again. If you are offering a story as an exclusive, do so to one medium at a time, giving a deadline for an expression of interest and waiting to hear back before offering it again.
• Offer a story with no sources (finding their own, with nothing to go on, is harder work).
• Supply quotes that aren’t attributable (so can’t be used; they then have to find their own) or quotes from people who are not available for interview (cannot be checked, or built upon to ensure their story is different from the line other journalists are taking).
• Press releases that are sent out by someone who then goes away on holiday (so the story cannot be followed up). For this reason, give the names of two people who are able to provide more information on the story, and give their mobile numbers so they can be called out of hours.
• No contact phone number (can’t follow up on the story).
• Undated press release (so you don’t know how old it is).
• Ring at the wrong time. The best time for catching them at their desk seems to be after about 10.30am until about 12.45pm, then from about 2.45pm until 4.30pm (although not in the afternoon for daily papers). It isn’t that those are the only times they work, just that those times provide the best opportunities of catching them at their desks and willing to talk to you.
A campaign for coverage usually starts with the sending of a press release to a list of journalists, often tailored to the specific needs of the recipient. This is often followed by telephone calls to try to secure definite features or other promises of coverage.
The press release will probably go out as an email attachment, but you will need printed copies to go out with review copies of books and to hand out as and when you meet relevant people. Never assume that just because you have sent a journalist a piece of information once, they will either remember or hang on to it. Journalists are inundated and as it is you who want something from them (coverage), the onus is on you to give them what they need in order to be able to write about your title – even if you have sent it to them before.
If you are charged with preparing a press release, what should it say? The most important point is that a press release should contain news. It is far more likely to be the news value or topicality of the subject matter that appeals to the journalist, rather than the fact that another book has been written. News is like infection, it should get passed on quickly.
Don’t devalue the impact of your press releases by producing them too often or sending them to the wrong homes. If you send information ‘just in case’, journalists will almost certainly take a similarly marginal view. The danger is that they may then devalue what you send in future. Don’t feel you have to justify your role by sending out press releases to as many possible homes as possible. A targeted, bespoke pitch to a publication central to your market may be worth far more than a scattergun approach.
How to write a press release
A press release should tempt the recipient to want to know more, but provide sufficient coherent information for inclusion should they decide to use it straight away.
Press releases get read (and often used) from the top downwards, so the information needs to be presented in a similar order. Sub-editors, especially those on regional papers or local radio, may have gaps to fill and be looking for copy. If your information is succinct and sufficiently interesting it may get used whole (in which case it will be cut from the bottom upwards).
The first couple of paragraphs of the release should tell the basic story (who, what, where, why and when?). Follow the initial explanation with an expansion of your arguments, illustrated with examples from what you are promoting. Tell enough of the story to make the journalist want to know more, but not so much that there is no angle left to discover.
• Consider organisational fit. Will the message you are sending detract from or add impact to the overall brand you seek to create, whether you are a publisher, an author or from another stakeholder within the industry?
• Aim for pithy and interesting – and a maximum two pages. One is even better.
• Cover the basics: date of publication, author information, publisher and contact details (at least two people should be available to provide more information and give their phone numbers – mobile and landlines – and email addresses). Ensure the date includes year of publication in case the book gets put to one side for use later. Correct information saves the journalist time and makes it more likely that your material will be used. If they have to stop and make a call they may not bother.
• Keep language simple and avoid jargon. Use short sentences and avoid hackneyed adjectives: ‘leading’, ‘unique’, ‘world-beating’. Keep tenses consistent: past, present or future. Check spelling and grammar – recipients really do care.
• Provide a list – ten things you did not know about. Offering information in a variety of formats (headline, body copy, list of bullet points, photograph and interesting caption) can help the journalist extend the coverage they get.
• Offer a list of questions and answers to give people an idea of what’s in the book, or a crib sheet for radio interviewers who won’t have time to prepare. Any additional material sent with a press release can make the whole package more useful to the recipient.
• Find out when the ‘copy day’ is (i.e., when publication is sent to press or the decision about programme content made) and target material accordingly (to arrive just before it). For example, for a Sunday paper, Friday is a very good day for news material to arrive. Other sections of the paper may have gone to press by then, so features need to be negotiated much further ahead.
• As with all promotional formats, the conventional can bore, whereas the attitudinal sound-bite or quirky approach may attract attention.
• Adding an embargo date to your release means every journalist has the same chance to prepare the story before publication; no one should print the information before that date and ‘scoop’ their rivals (very important if you have sold serial rights). The release (or the date) risks being ignored for precisely the same reasons.
How to write an effective headline
The biggest mistake publishers make here is to assume the book title is the headline, and then to start the body copy by saying how pleased they are to be publishing it. Think again. Consider the news contained in the story, ask a question, extract a stimulating example of the point you are making. Talk about the story, not the organisation. So, for example, to launch a new book on typefaces, rather than:
PROFILE BOOKS IS DELIGHTED TO ANNOUNCE PUBLICATION OF A NEW BOOK ABOUT FONTS
try instead:
What do the Beach Boys have in common with easyJet and Ikea?
or:
Comic Sans not your type? How we learned to lighten up.7
Figure 10.1 Diagram of how a press release can be effectively structured.
Supporting quotes
All journalists want quotes to support the story they write, so it’s helpful if you provide them, enabling them to reinforce their argument without having to go look for further amplification (useful if they are in a hurry). What they don’t want is to feel that every angle of the story you are offering has already been explored. So if you include quotes:
• give the name of the source (it’s good practice for journalists to attribute all sources, so if you don’t tell them they will have to spend time finding out);
• don’t provide too many;
• remember that an interesting quote from the author can be effective, prompting the journalist to suggest an interview.
If you are absolutely sure where you want your information to appear, tailor your approach to an individual medium. Ring and discuss the prospect of a ‘special’ and ‘exclusive’ feature with your editorial or production contact, offering sole access if they move quickly. Such a call may also establish how a particular format wants information presented, and suggest the angle from which your title will be considered. The easier it is for a paper’s staff to assimilate your material, the more likely it is to be used. Make reference to what else they have done recently, to extend a story that appealed to their readership in the first place.
In addition to getting editorial coverage, there are also lots of opportunities for getting images used. And don’t forget that the trade press in particular likes to receive relevant pictures.
Top ten tips for getting images into the trade press, from The Bookseller
• Make the images interesting. Four people lined up with drinks in their hands is not interesting. Editors of the trade press do not want their pages to look like wallpaper!
• Send them in at the right time. Unsurprisingly, the main seasons for launching books are when most images get sent to the trade press. So be imaginative about when you send them in. In January, Easter and the summer holidays journalists are often actively searching for images, so you stand a good chance of being included if you approach then.
• Send the image in the right format. About 70 per cent of the images received cannot be used because the resolution is too low. Use at least 300 dpi.
• Close-ups are more interesting than long shots, unless the building is particularly significant (and if so, say why).
• Say who is in the image – and be specific. Don’t assume the magazine knows who the marketing director is, however well-known he or she is within your company. Ensure all names are spelt right – if it is wrong, it’s the journalist who gets the blame.
• Submit a caption too. The publication may or may not use it, but it gives a starting point on how to write about the image sent. Avoid in-jokes that only you understand.
• Be exclusive. Don’t send the same image to competitors without telling them (in which case it probably won’t get included). If you are sending it just to one publication, say it is exclusive, and it is much more likely to be featured.
• The trade press likes images that reflect the whole trade, so if you can line up your author with a bookseller, or member of the publisher’s staff, that is great. They like to reflect all jobs, so don’t assume an image has to be of the great and good within your organisation – it’s good to have pictures of the more junior staff too.
• They would love more images of promotional highlights, ‘screen grabs’ or stills from television advertising or features. This is an excellent way to extend the coverage you have already paid for – but not often thought of by publicists.
• By all means let them know an image is coming, or check to see they have got it, but don’t keep contacting them. The high quality of the stories and images you send should speak for themselves.
Rather than sending out a uniform press release it often pays to make a specific pitch to those journalists you particularly wish to take up the story. Whether or not you get coverage is often due to not just the interesting nature of the story you present but the surrounding package of ideas you offer. You are trying to tempt journalists to cover your story to the exclusion of all the others they have competing for their attention, so do be imaginative! For example, could you offer a specific journalist an interview in an interesting place featured in a forthcoming title (with afternoon tea or cocktails?) or a tour around a building/along a beach important to the plot of a novel? Many authors do not want to be interviewed in their own homes (too revealing), so offering a third-party venue might suit all parties – and can become part of the piece they eventually write.
Suggest ideas that sound appealing – locations, people, vehicles – perhaps in unusual combinations. Features do not have to be written by the paper in question. If you can arrange for an author to write an article for a particular magazine, he or she may receive a fee8 and the book a valuable push (publication details should be mentioned at the end of the piece). Similarly, can you persuade the educational press to accept an article by a teacher on how your new reading scheme works in practice, or one by a mother for the parenting press on how her son, through using it, has at last learned to read? Often the personal stamp on this kind of feature gives it more authority and makes it more interesting to readers, who in these two examples would consist mostly of other teachers and other parents.
You will be required to put together a review list for almost every title published by your organisation as having a title reviewed for its peer community or natural readership is of great importance; reviews can be quoted in subsequent editions and marketing materials. Sending titles to publications that offer to review them within your market sounds simple, but the process takes organisation and patience. National dailies may be able to offer a relatively quick turnaround from receipt of book to appearance of review, but in academic journals it can take months, during which the author is impatiently waiting to see the title featured.
How to compile a review list
Many marketing departments already have an established review list, either in print or as a shared digital resource. It may be a fairly extensive document divided into different subject areas or perhaps consist of a series of different screens or sheets, each one listing specialised media in specific areas. The fact that this list is readily available should make you suspicious. Magazines and broadcast media change their readership and formats extremely quickly these days: new ones are launched, old ones go out of business; a media agency reckoned that each month there are more than 2,000 changes to its contacts directory.
A ready format means it has been around for a long time and probably no one has got around to updating it. Use it as the basis for your review list and you will end up opting for journal and magazine titles because they sound right not because of what they currently are. Worst of all, ticking a list and sending it off for central despatch deprives you of the chance to add a personal message, and unless your mailing list is very up to date, address it to the relevant review editors by job title. Media agencies specialising in publishing insist on sending out the books themselves, for precisely this reason.
When considering where to send materials for review, search the book’s title file for suggestions; locate the author’s publicity form; have a think. Look through media directories. Use your wider contacts: do you have any friends or friends-of-friends who work or are interested in the relevant area? If so find out which publications they read and which are most influential. Ask the title’s editor. Keep an ongoing reference point for review editors you have worked with in the past and those who represent journals that are important to you – and update it as you go along.
If this throws up potential media where you have no contact, ring up and find out who the review editor is. Introduce yourself. Mention the title in question and ask if the publication would be interested in reviewing it. Better still, if it is a journal likely to be useful to your area of responsibility in the future, suggest you meet up. You can use the opportunity to guide the review editor through your company’s publishing programme for the next 6 months, and perhaps offer them page proofs of forthcoming titles before other journals as a ‘scoop’. Ask about the reviewing policy (time taken, where to send, the kind of books they like to see, etc.). Note it all down.
Then, prompted by the information you have secured, remain in touch. Tell review editors about the books you want to send; suggest how they could feature them; gently remind them they have not yet reviewed what you last sent. Such contacts often enable you to speed up coverage: can the book be sent directly to the reviewer, to the editor at home or to a new feature writer?
When not to give books away
If you have a limited number of copies available for review (and, if the print run is low, giving away five more than you need can make the whole project uneconomic), send out a press release to the journals you think may feature the title and ask the various review editors to contact you if they would like a copy. The national papers, however, won’t respond to this kind of approach – they expect to be sent the book.
Similarly, bear in mind that today it isn’t just the marketing department and magazine staff who know the meaning of the term ‘review copy’: you will receive many requests for free copies of the titles you are responsible for promoting. Don’t erode your basic market.
What to send out with review copies
It is essential that review copies do not go out unannounced. It is surprising how many publishers forget to enclose a ‘review slip’ giving title and author details, ISBN, publication date (including year) and recommended price (which is not always shown on the jacket). Provide a name, address (email and physical) and telephone number from where more information can be obtained and to where copies of any review should be sent.
In addition, send any other information you think may secure the interest of review editors: a press release, a copy of the book’s promotional leaflet if you have it already, photograph of the author (not for use – there should be a version available digitally if they want it – just to whet their appetite and make them think the author looks interesting), a copy of an illustration from the book, reviews of a previous book by the same author, ‘puffs’ from others, and a handwritten note from you saying why you think coverage of this title will appeal to their readership. In fact, send anything that might encourage them to select for review the title that you sent, in preference to all the others received the same morning.
Sending out very expensive/desirable titles for review
What happens to all these books once they have been considered for review? In general those doing the reviewing regard the books as a perk. They are usually sold on to specialist bookshops; the prices paid depend on how recent they are. A difficulty arises here for the publisher of very desirable or expensive books: to decide whether requests for review copies are genuine. Send out a large pile of books to a comprehensive list and you will still get calls from editors on the list to say that they have not yet received their copy.
One solution adopted by a fine art publisher was to send out review copies by special delivery/taxi and ask for a receipt from each magazine before handing the book over. Publishers of very expensive (e.g., encyclopaedias) or confidential (e.g., long-awaited works from highly prized authors) may hold a viewing day for journalists to attend in a hotel, or send out review copies with an invoice that they cancel once the set is returned. Alternatively, they may offer to sell the work at a trade discount to the reviewer. When the final Harry Potter book was due to come out, in order to avoid information leaking, early reviewers were invited to see the early finished copies in the publishers’ offices – but they had to sign confidentiality agreements that they would not release information about the title before an agreed date.
Literary editors form a subsection of journalists, but one that is particularly important to publishers. It’s they who control access to the book review pages and their tastes and specific foible are therefore much pored over. It’s ironic therefore that the book sections within much of the media have started to look a little beleaguered of late; they attract little associated advertising revenue, and have therefore been increasingly under pressure – with some high-profile literary editors being made redundant.
In addition to spotting interesting titles to feature or review in their pages, literary editors may also provide access to other journalists; they tend to get personal satisfaction from seeing book features on pages other than the literary section. Paula Johnson, previously literary editor of the Mail on Sunday, told me that every Friday she would put together a list of book-based snippets that might be useful to other journalists on the paper – perhaps the news editors or the gardening correspondent. With this list she would send copies of all the relevant press releases sent in by publishing houses. So even if you do decide to send your review copy and press release to the news or sports desk, it is often worth sending one to the literary editor too.
Top tips for putting together press releases for literary editors:
• Do you really need a press release? Would an email or phone call to a key contact work best, particularly if you want to make them an exclusive offer (e.g., you have taken on a new author or an existing author has been chosen as a judge for a major literary prize – and you want to offer the chance to talk to them)? This may spark them into asking your author to write or review something, giving valuable pre-publicity.
• Bear in mind the environment in which your material will be received. A literary editor on a prestigious newspaper will get 40 to 70 book packages a week, into an office already overflowing with other titles, press releases and people. Titles are generally shelved by the month in which they are scheduled for publication, but additional piles of books soon build up wherever there is floor space. It follows that clearly laid out information that is easy to digest is best.
• Put the press releases inside the book you are sending so they don’t get separated on opening.
• Get the name of the literary editor you are sending it to right – they do notice misspellings or if you are sending it to their predecessor. Neither is appreciated.
• It’s absolutely unforgivable to send a literary editor material containing grammatical errors.
• Be sure to mark paperback originals as such; they will be given special treatment as they have not been reviewed as hardbacks. If you fail to make this clear they are likely to appear in the ‘new in paperback’ feature with much less space accorded.
• Don’t put copy that is on the book jacket in the press release that accompanies it. Literary editors consider this an insult to their intelligence.
• Think carefully before sending free gifts to attract attention to your title (lavish cakes delivered in a taxi with the book; burn cream in the package to show the title enclosed is ‘too hot to handle’). When asked, literary editors often say that the book should stand on its own merit and that they therefore take a dim view of ‘bribes’ or additional enclosures. But if no one else is doing this, an occasional stylish package with intriguing contents may find itself written about on the diary pages. Tony Mulliken, chairman of Midas PR, commented that they will sometimes use intriguing packaging to draw attention to a title – wrapping, ribbons, boxes and shiny bags. Parcels that are a particular pleasure to open may stick in the mind.
• If you are to follow up a press release with a telephone call, ensure your timing is right and that you have a real reason for calling. So send out copies 4 to 6 weeks before publication and phone up when the copy should just have landed on the review editor’s desk. When making a call, you can begin by checking it has reached them. Most will respond by saying they will look at what has been sent, and this is your opportunity to say why they should feature the title or author. Ensure you have a reason for their interest before you make the call – maybe they reviewed the author’s last book or they are a supporter of literature in translation. Whatever you do, don’t give the impression you are ‘ringing round’ – which feels inappropriately unspecific to both their medium and role.
• Don’t ring and remind literary editors if they haven’t yet covered a book – most hate it! Rather, find a reason for contacting them again. For example, you might be able to follow up a press release on the grounds that you have some new information that was not made available when you first contacted them – perhaps the author has been nominated for a prize or the story they highlight is in the news for another reason. But again the pitch should be specific and the approach respectful, enhancing the overlap between the title/author you are suggesting and the readers whose interests they represent, rather than chasing them.
The recommended reading lists produced by academics and teachers feature only the briefest of details (author, date, title, edition and publisher) but inclusion is vital. Most educational publishers offer ‘inspection copies’ for this market, sending unconditional free copies to particularly influential figures. Be sure to keep the market informed on the availability of new editions as not all recommended reading lists are fully up to date. See Chapter 15 for further information.
As well as considering setting up interviews in newspapers and magazines, would your author come over well on radio, television or perhaps through hosting a forum on a website? Are there specific programmes that would be interested in recording their point of view? Local radio stations offer lots of opportunities for coverage. If the author is unavailable, could you do the interview yourself? Alternatively, offer a different author from your list for interview and you may still secure coverage for your house’s titles (‘switch selling’).
If you set up interviews, be meticulous in confirming all the details to everyone concerned, even if you are planning to accompany the author. Write down the name of the programme and interviewer, and where the author should be and when. Suggest they listen or read the medium for a few days beforehand so they understand the presenter’s style. Brief the author on the programme’s reaction to the press release you sent. This may give hints of the type of question to be asked. When it’s all over, if it went well, consider sending a postcard or email of thanks to the relevant journalist or producer, or even a small memento (you have a warehouse full of suitable items). You may want to be in touch again.
Other opportunities for getting authors interviewed may arise when they do not have a new book out, but when a story relating to their work is in circulation and the media is looking for a relevant spokesperson to interview or gain an associated quote. An author may be immensely knowledgeable about a particular area, but need help in learning to speak to the media. If you are charged with helping an author prepare, the following guidance may be helpful – and hopefully ensure they get asked again:
• They have been asked for an interview because they are an expert – so they need to come across accordingly. Authors generally sound authoritative in print but can be inclined to self-deprecation in person; there is some research to be done on whether authors generally typify the stereotype of big ego, low self-esteem. The author being prepared for the media needs to be reminded that people will tend to take you at your own estimation and just before an interview is not the time for a crisis of confidence. If a commercial publisher has paid to publish your work they have invested in you and believe in you. Encourage them to take support from this.
• Encourage them to summarise their contribution to the debate; this does not imply they are ‘dumbing down’, rather ensuring that they can be understood as widely as possible. Get this right and they will really see their ideas spread.
• Encourage them to practise responding to questions without their notes in front of them; an interview will have more impact if what is said is spoken to an individual than read out. Those interviewing will be very resistant to allowing speakers into the studio with sheaves of notes.
• Encourage them to contribute interesting accompanying personal information that makes them sound interesting.
Writing interesting author information
Most authors think their book is the most interesting thing they have to offer to the media; the media is often just as (if not more) interested in who wrote it. They will want to know why a particular author is worth featuring and so it’s helpful if you run through this with the author before writing a press release. Encourage them to share human details. These need not be invasive, but help create a rounded sense of the individual in question, and may help prompt a more empathetic interview. Nor need the information they provide be directly relevant to the title in question. The following questions from Tony Mulliken of Midas PR may help you get started:
• What is interesting about you? What have you done that would interest our readers and viewers?
• Where do you live and who lives nearby?
• What about your family – size, age and location? Any interesting relationships?
• Who are you friendly or unfriendly with?
• Any unusual hobbies or pets?
• Any odd experiences or jobs in the past?
• Who have you met who is famous?
• What have you done that would interest me?
• Why do readers need to know about your research?
• Why should they care?
• What new angle can I bring to an existing story?
Authors do, however, need to bear in mind that stories they release without sufficient thought may remain in circulation long after they wish they had not mentioned them. There is a big difference between attention and approval and while short-term attention may deliver headlines, it may not support their longer-term ambitions to be taken seriously. See the interview with Kit Berry in Chapter 11.
Coaching an author to speak effectively on radio and television
How you or your author prepare for a presentation on the air will depend on the attitude of the interviewer: whether it is likely to be ‘hard’ (typical for prime-time current affairs slots) or ‘soft’ (like the majority of local radio interviewers). Think carefully about your aim(s) when accepting an interview. Authors who are not experienced may find it easier to start with a soft interview.
Politicians react to a hard interviewer by ‘spring-boarding’, using each question as a possible launch pad for conveying what they have decided are the essential points to get across (‘I’m glad you asked me that, but of course we must not lose sight of the really important issue, which is … ’). The ‘hard’ interviewer resists tangents and puts forward difficult questions that demand real answers. A ‘soft’ interviewer will allow the interviewee to shape the discussion, guiding or prompting with questions to ensure an interesting programme, or to change the subject (about 4 minutes per topic is considered sufficient to satisfy the attention span of the audience for popular radio).
If you are doing the interview yourself, immerse yourself in all the information you can find and practise answering questions in your head on the way there. Don’t over-rehearse; you will sound wooden and unconvincing. If it helps, take along a postcard with three or four prompt words to remind you of the key points you want to get across, and perhaps a couple of important statistics to refer to, but certainly no more than that. Lots of notes will confuse you and produce ‘rustle’ – and many presenters will not allow them on to the set or into the studio. In any case, talking from memory enables you to concentrate fully on the questions being asked. Talking of key statistics, remember that figures are hard to absorb at first hearing. Don’t use too many. Alternatively, can you restate them as fractions? Whatever you do, don’t read out prepared statements; not only does this sound very impersonal, if it is information in your press release then the interviewer will probably have used it to introduce you.
Live interviews need not be daunting. The knowledge that it is for real (not for editing later) can help you to marshal your thoughts. It is easy to forget how many million listeners there are when you are actually talking to just one.
Programmes like to match up contrasting points of view and you may be invited along to take part in a discussion; sometimes you are warned of this, sometimes not – and the first time you meet the opposing viewpoint may be in the studio. It’s important that the best discussion takes place on the programme, not in the green room – the audience does not know what you said to each other there so don’t assume this is part of what they know already. Ruth Killick again:
I always encourage authors to ensure they have some really good stories to give colour to an interview. Also to remember that if you’re asked a question, don’t answer it concisely (as you probably would in a normal conversation). ‘How was your trip to India?’ ‘Lovely thanks, especially Delhi’ might be a good answer to a friend but an interviewer asking you about your book on India will expect something more along the lines of ‘a real eye-opener actually; I had no idea that people still went to Ashrams in such huge numbers. When I was researching my book (and try to mention the title) I talked to this fascinating Yogi who … ’ A question is an opportunity to tell a story.
Dealing with authors who don’t see achieving publicity as a career positive
There is not always a complete overlap between the author’s reasons for writing and their publisher’s requirement for the resulting product to sell. Within the academic community in particular, it’s very difficult for material to achieve both academic and popular recognition and it’s not uncommon for authors of highly academic works to be relatively resistant to cooperating over the more widespread dissemination of their work. If this is a difficult issue for you, an argument that is gaining ground, and governmental support, is of academics displaying the wider impact of their work within society – material that allows the academic, and their university, to engage with the public and have a positive effect within society. You could also quote Alain de Botton, the champion of public engagement:
What are you proudest of achieving?
We live in a world that’s divided between academics and the general public. On the one hand, you’ve got people saying culture is getting dumbed down. On the other you have people saying you have to do lowest common denominator stuff. I’m trying to build a bridge between what’s serious and what’s popular. I’m proud to have made a programme about Schopenhauer that got 2 million viewers. I like to think of how I can use unconventional means to get sensible ideas across.
Are you bothered by the negative reviews you’ve received?
I’m frustrated by the monstrous snobbery of certain academics that surrounds conveying serious ideas to the wider public. I’m trying to do something like Brian Cox is doing with physics – which is to transmit ideas.9
How to sell ideas to journalists by email and telephone
How successful you are in setting up the kind of coverage suggested in this chapter will depend on the kind of titles you look after and the way you target and present information on them. But equally important will be your own personal contribution: how persuasive you are when suggesting ideas to journalists and following up by talking to them on the telephone. Here is some basic advice on how to sell ideas by email and over the phone.
Begin by trying to put yourself in the right frame of mind; you are contacting them to offer something that should be interesting and that (if you are in touch with the right person) is both relevant and useful to them in their role. You are the interpreter or negotiator, with assets at your disposal, not just someone interrupting their day. If it helps, think of yourself as playing a role, one in which you are going to professionally represent your organisation; offer access to interesting material they do not yet know about and talk knowledgably to the person you reach.
How to write a persuasive email to a journalist
• Write the title line last. It’s so vital you should come back to it – but in the meantime delete whatever is sitting in that space at the moment, just in case you forget to change it later. Keep it compelling and concise.
• Think about the tone of voice you will use. You have no eye-contact to soften what you say, and need to match the level of formality to the relationship you have with the recipient or product you are promoting and organisation you are part of. Achieving a flow of information that they absorb rather than question is much harder than it looks.
• Get to the point – what do you want the recipient to do as a result of receiving your email? Begin with what you have to offer and what outcome you are seeking. Cut out the long introduction that warms them up to the subject – they need to know quickly why you are getting in touch: ‘Your readers are clearly concerned about global warming and in his new book Dr Fred Blogs offers proof that the situation is much worse than previously thought. We are offering an exclusive interview when he is in the US next month.’
• Include space. Most writers concentrate on the words, but space is the part of any document that pulls in the reader’s eye. It follows that including space in your text, through bullet points, indenting paragraphs (ensuring your paragraphs are of different lengths so that the text does not look ‘blocked’) and other space management devices will make what you send more readable – and hence likely to be more easily absorbed.
• ‘To make your arguments “digestible”, break them into small “chunks”, and present each point with a similar format and sentence structure.’10 For example, an interview with Dr Blogs would enable you to:
1 Build on your recent coverage of this issue.
2 Allow your readers to put their own questions to him.
3 Redirect the debate to what surveys have consistently shown most people are concerned about – and politicians do not seem to understand.
• Give specific proof of your case, in a way it can be heard – fractions, percentages, nth selections (‘one in ten people think’). If you have to use large numbers try to use words (‘a million’ not ‘1,000,000’) or restate them figuratively (‘the population of Texas’).
• Provide a quote that confirms what you say – so your case is widened and it’s clear the message should be taken seriously.
• Conclusion. At the end of the email, restate the conclusion in a way that provides the recipient with the next logical step. Keep it simple and specific; it should be a benefit to both parties, not just confirm that a book is about to be available.
• Now write the subject line. This matters hugely, which is why it’s best drafted last – once you have worked out what you are asking for and what evidence you can offer in support of your request.
Ideally, a subject line should accomplish two important tasks: (1) interest the recipient enough so that the email gets opened and read, and (2) imply the conclusion that you want the recipient to accept. In most cases, the best way to accomplish both tasks is to encapsulate a benefit (or benefits) that will result from the decision that you’d like the recipient to make.11
For example:
‘What your readers don’t yet know about global warming’
‘Why the deadline for running out of fossil fuels is closer than we think’
‘Children’s author denies suspicion that no one reads any more’
‘An explosive book!’ (a title about volcanoes)
‘Simon Singh launches Simpsons book in Springfield (Wales)’ (a new title on the long-running television series)
How to make an effective phone call to a journalist
If you are unused to ringing journalists, whether to propose ideas for coverage or follow up a press release you have already sent, making the call can be daunting. So here is some advice on how to approach the task.
Most workplace offices are open-plan these days, so it’s likely you will be trying to concentrate in the midst of other noise – and that your colleagues will be able to hear what you have to say. All the more reason for taking what you have to do seriously.
Before you start, make sure you have to hand:
• Notes on what you plan to say, so you don’t forget anything – but it’s vital to make this a directed conversation rather than the delivery of a monologue.
• A short pitch. How can you describe this title/author/opportunity most effectively? This is often referred to as an ‘elevator pitch’.
• A clear idea of what you can offer (an author interview with rough dates when they might be available, a visit to a school to see a major new scheme in progress with times that might be possible, a new angle on an existing news story that your new title permits).
• The right information. If you are following up a press release be sure to have a copy of what was initially circulated – highlight the important points that you think will most interest them. Many of those you call will say they have either not received or can no longer find it. In which case you will need to send it again – and to do this straight away so that the new copy of your release is received while your conversation is still in their minds.
• An alternative proposition. So that if they say no to your initial idea, but seem disposed to talk further (or even ask you what else is coming up), think about what else you have that might interest them. ‘Switch selling’ is when you replace one idea with another, to ensure you still get the sale.
And here are some top tips for making the calls:
• Start with a list of people to call. Somehow it’s easier to break the inertia if you are working your way down a list. Whatever you do, however, don’t give the impression that this is what you’re doing!
• Think about the best time of day for finding your contact at their desk. Ask for them by name. If you find an answerphone in place, leave your name, briefly state the issue you are ringing about, and say you will call back. Remember to do so.
• If the correspondent you want to speak to is not available, and someone else answers their phone, find out if they work together – in which case you could deliver your pitch with someone who is more likely to influence a decision over coverage than you are.
• If an assistant answers your call, and you cannot be put through to the person you intended, be polite. They are getting dozens of calls like yours, so even if you have been repeatedly fobbed off, stay bright and courteous. If they suggest that the journalist you are seeking will return your call, don’t expect it will happen; it probably never will. You are the salesperson and the journalist will expect you to ring back with your story.
• If you get through straight away, don’t be put off by the abrupt manner in which some journalists answer the phone (‘Yes? What is it?’). Concentrate on the job in hand and speak (rather than read) to the person you are calling.
• Say who you are (first name is fine), the organisation you represent and why you are calling – which is to give them early or exclusive access to an author or to tell them about a newsworthy issue – and not because the firm you work for is publishing a new book.
• Ask if now is a convenient time to have a quick word with them (because you know they are busy). If it is not a good time for them you will generally be offered a time to call back. The journalist you call may be in the middle of writing something, and just launching into delivery of your message can be irritating.
• Make it relevant to the person you are calling. Involve them. If the format has covered the author before, jog the journalist’s memory about the story that appeared last time, and say how this one builds on it or differs. If you are talking about a well-known author then provide some little-known details to perk up interest. Mention other familiar instances in the media of the issue your story highlights.
• Make this a two-way process. Listen. Ensure you are being heard by putting your points across clearly and using open-ended questions that invite a reply (‘Do you remember Mary Robbins? Would your readers be interested in hearing about why she decided on this topic? How does that idea sound?’).
• Don’t talk too fast or be afraid to hesitate. If you listen to some of the best radio interviewers you will hear they repeatedly rephrase their questions, and use ‘um’ and ‘ah’ to ease the impact of hard-hitting ones. It is all designed to involve interviewees, and coax them into answering responsively. Think of yourself in the same position: you are trying to persuade the journalist to take interest, but with no eye-contact or body language at your disposal, your voice has to do it all.
• Try not to be too complicated. Use words that are readily understood and that you won’t stumble over. Keep listening to what they say in response.
• Don’t overwhelm the listener with information. A brief description of the story on offer followed by two or three good reasons why the journal you are ringing should cover it is plenty. And listen.
• Note down what was said immediately after the call (you may think you will remember, but soon will not be sure which call or contact was which).
• They will very often say they’ll think about it or talk to their editor. In which case you could ask when a good time to call back is. Then get in touch with useful information at a later date, perhaps an update on progress or a related story.
• If an interview or visit is promised, confirm everything by email, ringing the contact numbers you were given (just to make sure they are correct) the day before to make a final check on the arrangements. Make friends with the secretary or production assistant who is more likely to spot double bookings.
• Don’t forget to let your reps know about forthcoming coverage; anything that is likely to increase demand can encourage retailers to take more stock. Let the trade press know. Tell your colleagues: it’s motivating to know that your authors are being featured in the media, and they may get the chance to talk this up further.
• Track the coverage you get. Scan the papers to which you circulated the press releases for what subsequently appears, or employ an agency to do this for you. Stick a copy of each item of coverage in the title file so it can be incorporated in publicity or used on the jacket of a new edition.
Don’t give up
Getting a journalist to come along to hear at first-hand the story you are pushing is not the end of the matter: you then have to hope that the promised feature appears. Someone may accept your call, turn up to talk to your author and then come back with supplementary questions – but this can serve only to increase your anxiety as the days go by before the story finally turns up in print or on screen.
It’s so frustrating when, as often happens, your carefully nurtured feature is squeezed out at the last minute by something much more up to date, with the added annoyance of having to start all over again with a now rather dated story. Or having offered a scoop, you are turned down at the last minute when it is too late to fix up an alternative.
If, after much effort to set something up, a journalist calls you to let you know they can’t run an idea, recognise that they called because they felt committed to the idea or to you. They did not have to. So acknowledge the effort they made: ‘That’s a shame but I do appreciate your letting me know/telling me why.’ Don’t sulk, even if you feel like doing so!
It is worth remembering that you would have scant respect for a medium that featured everything it was offered. In dealing with the press, a very large part of your success will depend on the skills you develop in matching your expectations to journalists’ ability to deliver. Like so many other parts of marketing, it can be both utterly frustrating and absolutely exhilarating.
A final piece of advice from Ruth Killick:
Keep on pitching. Whatever success I’ve had in this business has been because I don’t give up. If you’re in a hole with no coverage for a book there are two alternatives: do more research (who else has written on this area that I could contact?) or get out more pitches. Go back with helpful information: ‘I know you’re thinking about that feature on Vanessa Able’s journey around India in a tata nano12 – you might have seen this news story that shows how utterly unsafe it was. Perhaps she could write something on “my love affair with the little car that was just too cheap”?’ (This got me a ‘Comment is Free’ piece in The Guardian.) I often think I’ve had ‘hits’ because I’ve kept on going while most publicists have given up.
Finally, do pat yourself on the back when you do get a yes! In our office we have a bell we ring when we get a hit. It started as a joke but now ‘ring that bell’ is an office slogan!
Notes
1 i.e., many new forms of media.
2 Ruth Killick Publicity, www.catbrook.co.uk.
3 In 2004, the Richard & Judy Book Club, along with the Richard & Judy Summer Read, was responsible for a revolution in the nation’s reading habits that still remains a literary phenomenon. The Richard & Judy Book Club titles have sold in excess of 10 million copies and generated more than £60 million in book sales. Its featured titles are known to increase sales by as much as 3,000 per cent overnight, and it has turned at least eight authors into multimillionaires. The Richard & Judy Book Club continues today exclusively with WH Smith. Their first set of book club titles, which launched in June 2010, broke all records with Sister by Rosamund Lupton making Number 1 in the paperback chart and becoming the fastest-selling title by a debut author in WH Smith’s 200-year history. All 8 of their titles went into the top 12 paperbacks in their first week of sales with close to a million copies sold overall; www.richardandjudy.co.uk.
4 Speaking on Saturday Live! BBC Radio 4, 31 May 2014.
5 Interview with Danuta Kean, www.guardian.com, 1 March 1999.
6 Head of department, Journalism and Publishing, Kingston University.
7 Garfield (2010). Text from press release by Ruth Killick, adapted by Beth Brewster.
8 The question of fees is increasingly tricky. It’s worth having this conversation with your author. Some authors will on principle not write something without a fee, even if they have a book to promote, while many newspapers expect to get it for nothing in return for a book plug.
9 Alain de Botton, My Rules for Atheists are Based on Virtues, http://metro.co.uk/2013/02/13/alain-de-botton-my-ten-commandments-for-atheists-3446357.
10 www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/how-to-write-a-convincing-email.html.
11 Ibid.
12 A very small but fuel efficient car.
