Archive for the ‘Book Publishing’ Category

6 Steps for Finding the Best PR Firm for You & Your Book

Wednesday, October 10th, 2012

By Fauzia Burke

Most authors know that a public relations effort for their book is essential for their success. In order to have a campaign to promote their book comprehensively, many look to augment their publisher’s efforts by hiring a PR agency. But how do you choose the right PR firm for your book? Here are six steps to help make that choice easier:

Step 1: Needs and Goals

Before you begin your search, think about your PR goals. What is it that you want? Do you want to be on TV? Do you want reviews in newspapers? Or, do you want to build exposure online? Whom do you want to reach? Do you know your target demographic? How long do you want to work with a PR agency? Do you want to work with a PR agency for a one-time book or project or for multiple projects longer term? Once you identify your goals, you’ll be able to find an agency that can help you achieve them.

Step 2: Referrals

Your search should always start by asking your agent, publisher or fellow authors for referrals of people they have worked with so you can have some names to begin the process. You can compare and contrast the agencies you have, and find the right fit for you. You can also work the process backward and find a successful book that’s in the same realm as your book, and find out what PR firm that author used.

Step 3: Web Research

Look up the agency online. Check out their website and social networks as well as their current and past projects and testimonials. Find out how long they have been in business and what types of people they work with. In our connected age, it’s easy to do your homework ahead of time to be able to narrow down your list based on your research. It’s 2012 so make sure the agency you select is connected in the social media world — Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. If they are connected digitally, they will be able to help promote and advice you in the social media space.

Step 4: First Contact

Begin contacting several firms to pick the one that is right for you. Collect information on prices, timeline and availability. Find out more about their area of specialty and expertise. Make sure your book is the type of book the PR agency tends to work with and promote. Now you can narrow your list further.

Step 5: Interview

Once you’ve narrowed down your list based on your budget, goals and timing, you should set up an interview with each PR firm by phone or in-person. A good firm will want to talk with you as well to make sure the fit is perfect. They should also encourage you to talk with other PR firms. Before you schedule the interview, give the firm the opportunity to learn about your book so you can hear their ideas and decide if you like what you are hearing. Ask questions just as if you are interviewing someone for a job. Find out the publications and media outlets where they have built relationships. Remember a good PR agency should have an established network of media contacts. Make sure the agency you are talking to understands your brand. You can even request a preliminary proposal of how they would go about publicizing your book. Good PR agencies have strong track records.

Step 6: The Final Decision

The most important part of your decision process should really be your instincts. It’s all about knowing and liking the PR agency you are going to work with, because if you don’t like the person initially, you will most likely be dissatisfied in the long run. Did you establish rapport upon initial contact? During the interview phase, which firm stood out? What agency do you like, respect and trust the most? In the end, go with your gut, and you will make the best decision for you and your book.

Along with results, a good PR agency should give you valuable information for building your brand and to amplify the exposure you are getting. In the end, it is all about the collaboration so pick your team carefully.

© 2012 Fauzia Burke. All Rights Reserved.

Author Bio
Fauzia Burke is the Founder and President of FSB Associates, a digital publicity and marketing firm specializing in creating awareness for books and authors. For online publicity, book publishing and social media news, follow Fauzia on Twitter: @FauziaBurke. To talk with FSB and ask your book publicity questions, please join us on Facebook.

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FSB Associates at Book Expo America 2011

Wednesday, May 25th, 2011

To celebrate 16 years of online publicity business, FSB founder and President, Fauzia Burke, has taken the company to the Javits Center in New York City to officially debut at this year’s BookExpo America 2011. Being a recognized vendor at BEA is a big deal for FSB as it allows the company to better inform the public about its services and how they fit into the ever-changing publishing world which is right now abuzz with digital technologies. The online component of book publicity has become an integral process of today’s successful branding and marketing campaigns and FSB is proud to be at the forefront of this movement. See Fauzia’s BEA digital marketing presentation online if you missed it at the show. You can also hear her discuss these trends in a special podcast presented by BEA.

Each day at the FSB Associates booth a different set of members from FSB’s team along with Fauzia and Vice President John Burke will be greeting attendees with an in-depth presentation on the latest trends in book publicity and personal branding. Keeping with the digital theme, the company’s social publicity brochure and valuable resources are presented on USB flash drives for participants to take with them for later reference. There’s even an Amazon Kindle up for grabs for those that enter FSB’s giveaway.

Midway through BEA, there have already been tons of celebrity sightings and friendly exchanges with the big movers and shakers that make the publishing world go round. The photos below capture a taste of the fun and excitement FSB has experienced so far. Catch more up-to-date happenings on our Facebook page and Twitter feed. Or better yet, come to booth #4304 and visit us in person if you’re in town!

Whether you attend or not, make sure to visit BookExpo America’s web site for information on the large number of programs and events taking place.

BookExpo America (BEA) is North America’s largest gathering of book trade professionals attracting an international audience. It is organized with the support of association partners including the Association of American Publishers (AAP) and the American Booksellers Association (ABA).  BEA is recognized for the media attention it brings to upcoming books as well as for the notable authors it attracts to the convention itself.

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Get Caught Reading

Wednesday, May 4th, 2011

In celebration of Get Caught Reading Month, FSB Associates is proud to announce the launch of the newly redesigned Get Caught Reading Web site. We have been an active sponsor of the web site since 2004, and decided it was time for a facelift. The new site has updated technology, a more contemporary design, and features the Libraries Matter author videos by such authors as Sebastian Junger, Jessica Harper, Garrison Keillor, and more. We’re happy to volunteer our efforts for the Association of American Publishers to show our commitment to literacy.

Get Caught Reading is a nationwide campaign to remind people of all ages how much fun it is to read. May is Get Caught Reading month, although the campaign is promoted throughout the year. Get Caught Reading is supported by the Association of American Publishers (AAP). Launched in 1999, “Get Caught Reading” is the brainchild of former Congresswoman and AAP CEO Pat Schroeder. She saw the opportunity to spread the word about the joys of reading through an industry-supported literacy campaign.

Because of research indicating that early language experience actually stimulates a child’s brain to grow and that reading to children gives them a huge advantage when they start school, the program hopes to encourage people of all ages to enjoy books and magazines and to share that pleasure with the young children in their lives.

The site has celebrity and members of Congress Get Caught Reading posters, which are available for ordering. You can also find information on literacy, newsletters, and information for booksellers, teachers and librarians.

What young child will you enlighten with the power of reading?

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FeatureMe2 Website Reviews: FSB Media

Wednesday, February 16th, 2011

by Ken Ishii

Recall the short story “The Elves and the Shoemaker” by the Grimm Brothers about a shoemaker who went to bed expecting to work hard in the morning and woke to find his job had been miraculously and masterfully completed by a pair of spirited supporters.

The bunch of us here at FSB work hard for our clients, but we also put great effort into letting others know what our mission is and hope to get noticed for the services we provide.  But yesterday we had our own “shoemaker” moment when in our Twitter stream we caught a tweet from the fine folks at the FeatureMe2 blog about a review of FSB.  Unbeknownst to us, FeatureMe2 had written a thorough review of one of our websites, FSB Media, and featured it on their blog.  It was a surprising and terrific discovery that let us know how many of our authors feel when they see their hard work recognized in front of millions on the web.

We would like to thank Kay and Mike from FeatureMe2 for taking the time to review our company, website, and services when their list of priorities is already so long. We’re proud to feature the review below and look forward to answering any questions from the comments section.

For honest, thoughtful and balanced reviews of books, games, movies, software, TV shows, and websites, we hope you turn to FeatureMe2 as they have both the expertise and experience of running an outstanding review site.

The following is a review of FSB Media from FeatureMe2 Website Reviews posted on February 15, 2011 by Mike@featureme2.com. For more reviews on the latest media on or offline, visit featureme2.com.

FSB Media will be of interest to many of you bloggers out there like myself who not only have a love for reading great books but also enjoy discussing or reviewing them as content on your blogs.

FSB Media is an arm of FSB Associates, one of the most talented Book Promotions companies in the business. How FSB Associates was founded and grew into the company it is today is a great story but one perhaps better saved for another day. My interest in this website review is to bring book bloggers a fabulous source for possible content.

FSB Media provides the book blogger with free content from published authors and publishers that helps publicize their book. Their client list is a very long and prominent one so no matter what genre you’re blogging about you are sure to find something that interests you at FSB Media.

Having great content to work with is a blogger’s dream and FSB Media comes through in flying colors. You will not be disappointed in the selections available to you as a book blogger or reviewer. You may be thinking that there is some gimmick here or something you will end up being asked to purchase. Simply put, FSB Media is a business and like any other business they have a duty to their clients (authors) to place books in the most appropriate places on the web. So the only catch here is that you need not apply if you’re running a spam site, link farm or if your site has nothing to do with book reviews/discussion.

Also you need to understand that some books you request may be deemed not suitable for your site. This would have nothing to do with your talents as a writer or reviewer but the audience you cater to. For example if your blog is about tractor pulls and speed racing how many of your readers do you think would be interested in the latest release of a book on ladies fashion?

Ok so you pass the test you say. You love books, you love blogging, you have a great looking site with an excellent readership, and getting a free book now and then to write about sounds like a gift from heaven. So what is the next step?

Use the “Click Here to Visit Site” button located in this review and visit FSB Media. Spend some time there learning what they do and how they do it. Get to know some of the authors by reading their bio’s on the Authors pages. Then contact FSB Media with some details about you and your site and explain why your site would be a good fit for their program.

Once accepted you are in for another wonderful surprise….the helpful service you get from the staff!

Leyane Jerejian, Anna Suknov and Julie Harabedian work very hard to liaise with bloggers and ensure your start with FSB Media is a great one! My wife Kay has reviewed books from FSB Media for a couple of years now and she has yet to need assistance that was not provided in a fast, efficient and friendly manner. It really is like you become part of the FSB Media family once you start blogging about the authors and books they make available to you. The staff are a real pleasure to deal with and their enthusiasm for their work shines through.

Now to be honest it is a give and take situation. FSB Media provides you with the latest content by well known and bestselling authors, as well as the new author just getting that first publication date. In return you as a professional writer/reviewer are expected to give each book you select the best possible open and honest review you can. This is the magic that makes FSB Media such a delight to work with.

Use the red button located at the top of this review and take a little nosey around their site. Meet some of the authors that you may soon be writing about, then contact FSB Media if you feel you’d be a good fit. Their standards are high. Who knows, you may be a perfect match!

FSB Media Connects Bloggers With Books!

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RIP Hardcovers … Long Live the Kindle

Wednesday, December 8th, 2010

By Fauzia Burke

I wonder if manufacturing hardcover books makes sense anymore? In talking with fellow publishing friends, we agree that the current publishing model is not ideal. For example, selling books essentially on consignment, taking huge returns, giving advances that don’t earn out, not having enough marketing dollars, all create huge challenges to the current model. The biggest threat to this model is not the e-book or the Internet, it is the hardcover book.

As a Kindle user I am noticing more and more that I am no longer buying hardcover books. I recently realized that I may never need to buy a hardcover book again, and this is shocking to me! I love books! My husband and I are “book people” — we have worked with books all of our careers. Like all us book people, we have huge bookshelves creaking under the weight of their contents. We have books in our bedroom, under our sofa, in our bathroom. I buy books every week and yet I still find myself wondering if I need to buy a hardcover.

I will, of course, never stop reading or buying books, but I now prefer to download them on my Kindle. Not that the experience of Kindle reading is better than the physical book. (It’s certainly not for me.) I do miss the paper and the feel of a book in my hands, but these days the convenience of a Kindle often dictates my decision. I love the convenience of having multiple books at my disposal. I love the fact that I don’t have to worry about how big or heavy a book is before I decide where I will read it. I love the fact that I can download a book the moment I want to read it. I recently downloaded a book on the train for my ride home. I am just never giving up that convenience. Clearly I am not alone as Amazon enjoyed a “69% surge in third-quarter profit, led by strong sales of its Kindle e-reader [in 2009]” according to CNN Money.

So I wonder, if a person like me won’t buy a hardcover, how soon before no one does? Brian Murray, chief executive of HarperCollins Publishers said in a recent WSJ interview that “hardcover sales in the industry are down 15%.” I have a small office. There are eight of us working together, and three of us have Kindles. All three of us are buying more ebooks than hardcovers. Even here, in my office, the publishing model is changing. We do not require book publishers to provide us with expensive book jackets, paper, transportation, warehouse storage, or bookstore space. We do ask for their word that the book is good, and worth our time and money.

How much energy and money can we save if we stop publishing hardcovers? Book publishing is not dying, it’s evolving. We need good editors and publishers more than ever to show us the best ideas, polish them, and give us books to think about and talk about.

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