Nick's Writing Blog: Interview: Patricia Fry on Book Promotion

Posted: 09 Apr 2014 03:02 AM PDT

I'm pleased to bring you today a syndicated interview with successful writer and book publicist Patricia Fry.

The interview is conducted by Francine Silverman, and as you will see it refers extensively to Patricia's latest book of promotional advice for authors (pictured above).

Over to Francine, then....

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Patricia Fry is a full-time freelance writer and the author of 41 books, including 11 related to writing/publishing/book promotion.

Her latest book for authors is Promote Your Book--Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author. She is executive director of SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers' Network), and speaks on such topics as successful book promotion and how to promote your books though article writing.

Patricia has more than 40 years' experience marketing her own self-published and traditionally published books, consults with clients on issues of book promotion, edits manuscripts for authors, teaches an online course on book promotion, and writes a monthly newsletter that focuses on book promotion.

Q: What should we do before even putting pen to paper?

A: I always recommend that hopeful authors study the publishing industry before getting involved in this highly competitive business. Most new authors consider publishing an extension of their writing--something they can ease into once the writing is done.

But while writing is a craft, publishing is a serious, complex business. Before ever entering into it, an author needs to know something about his or her publishing options, the possible ramifications of their choices, and their responsibility as a published author. Nearly 78% of all authors fail--that is, they sell fewer than 100 books in total. And the two main reasons are, they do not fully understand their publishing options and, either by choice or ignorance, they do not put enough effort into promoting their books.

Q: You state in your book that "by getting your stories published, you are creating a following...by landing an article writing assignment in appropriate magazines and newsletters you will get attention from your target audience." (You write for my newsletter - does it get you attention?)

A: You're talking about building the authors' platform. The key is to become known in your field or genre so that when your potential readers happen across your book, they will be more apt to purchase it. If they read your published articles and stories and enjoy them--if they consider you credible in your field or a good storyteller in a particular genre--they will be more interested in reading a book you wrote.

You can create a following (build your platform) in a number of ways--go out and speak on your topic/genre, run workshops, create and maintain an active blog site, and (my favorite) submit articles or stories to the publications and websites read/visited by your potential audience.

Do my articles published in The Book Promotion Newsletter get my audience's attention? Most certainly. But writing for just one publication probably isn't enough. You want your name to appear alongside good stories (for a novelist) and credible articles (for a nonfiction author) in numbers of magazines, websites, newsletters, e-newsletters, blogs and so forth. Successful book promotion is a full-time job.

Q: In your chapter about press releases you write that when seeing an article about you and one of your books, people often ask "How did the reporter find out about you?' Your answer is "I contacted them and asked for an interview." Can you give an example from your own experience how this worked?

A: Many authors assume that all they have to do is write the book and people will find it. Some also believe that if the book is good, reporters, interviewers, radio personalities, etc., will come to them.

The reality is, however, that, unless you put yourself out there in front of your potential audience numbers of times and unless you start contacting journalists and interviewers, you probably won't receive any such invitations for interviews, reviews, etc. At least in the beginning of your author's journey you will need to make the contacts. YOU must spread the word about your book. YOU must approach conference organizers and ask for a speaking platform. YOU will have to contact reporters and blog hosts to request publicity. It is up to the author, YOU, to get publicity for your book.

Q: In the chapter heading, "Position Yourself As An Expert," you write that because you're the author of the most comprehensive local history book about your community you are known locally as an historian and are frequently asked to comment on an aspect of valley history. You have also been quoted numerous times about writing, publishing and book promotion, which have come about from your many published articles, active blog and your book. This sounds reasonable for non-fiction authors. But what if you're a novelist who has written a love story? Does that make the author an expert on love? Or a murder mystery? Are you then an expert on murder?

A: Funny! I wouldn't say that, but if your story is well-received by your particular audience, you are certainly gaining a name as a darn good writer in that genre.

I've recently started writing fiction. I'm writing in the cozy mystery genre (or sub-genre). And my stories all involve cats. I know a lot about cats and have had a lot of experiences with them. But I'm not an expert on cats. However, I'm striving to become known within the realm of mysteries and cats. Along with the three Klepto Cat Mysteries I've published so far, I've written a book of cat stories and I have a blog featuring cats and fiction-writing. This is in addition to my publishing blog. I'm also on Facebook with fun things about cats and mysteries.

Q: You have an "active blog" and talk about using your blog to promote your book, but how do you promote your blog? You encourage pings. What are they?

A: I'm coming up on my 2,000th post at my publishing blog. I post every day most days. And I promote my blog through my handouts, bookmarks, brochures, in my new enewsletter (Publishing/Marketing News and Views), in the promo tag at the bottom of my articles and at Twitter and Facebook. And I talk about it when I go out and speak.

While it is important to promote your blog, it is also critical to offer viable content. It isn't enough to have a blog. In order to attract the audience you want, you must provide the information or entertainment that will draw them and, as Fran indicates in this question, promote that blog so your readers know about it.

Byline: Patricia was interviewed by Francine Silverman, editor of Book Promotion Newsletter, an online publicist, compiler of 16 ebooks of talk radio shows and host of a weekly radio show, Fraternizing with Fran - where interesting people come to chat. Check out her website at http://www.talkradioadvocate.com and her blog at http://talkradioadvocate.blogpot.com.

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Thank you to Patricia and Francine for an interesting interview and some helpful tips. Do check out Patricia's latest book on this subject as well for further advice and information.

And if you have any comments or questions, as ever, please do post them below!

Craft Brewers Guild promoting Georgia-grown beer | Drink: A ... - Blogs

Posted: 09 Apr 2014 05:37 AM PDT

Some 2,000 people gathered March 22 at Red Brick Brewing on Atlanta's Westside for the inaugural Georgia Craft Beer Fest.

At a time when beer festivals have become commonplace, and craft beer is present everywhere from fine dining restaurants to gas stations and growler shops, it wasn't obvious that there was anything out of the ordinary going on.

But the sunny early spring afternoon was historic because it marked the first Georgia-only beer event, bringing together 26 breweries and brew pubs, including widely distributed and well-known brands such as Sweetwater from Atlanta and Terrapin from Athens, and fledgling companies such as Reformation from Woodstock and Omaha from Omaha, Ga.

"It was the first time we had Georgia breweries stand together like that," said John Pinkerton, the brewmaster and co-owner of the Moon River Brewpub in Savannah and president of the Georgia Craft Brewers Guild, which put on the festival. "There's never been a festival where it was all Georgia beers."

Of course, as many at the festival noted, not too long ago there were only a handful of craft breweries in Georgia.

In the past few years, though, the likes of Burnt Hickory in Kennesaw, Jailhouse in Griffin, Jekyll in Alpharetta, Monday Night in Atlanta, Red Hare in Marietta and Three Taverns in Decatur have joined the ranks of new breweries in the state. And a dozen or more are now in the planning, design or building stages.

Founded in 2010, the guild's stated mission is "to promote, protect and further, in every lawful manner, the common interests of the members and the licensed brewing industry in Georgia."

"A big part of the fest was to demonstrate to the public that Georgia beers have landed in a big way," Pinkerton said. "There was a real positive vibe of pride. Everybody I talked to had something good to say about what the guild was doing to further and elevate the cause of Georgia craft beer."

Still, with all the growth in craft brewing, Georgia laws lag behind almost every other state (including neighboring North Carolina and Tennessee) when it comes to the balance of power between breweries and beer wholesalers.

As chairman of the guild's Government Affairs Committee, Pinkerton has lobbied the Legislature to implement changes that would help small breweries and brew pubs, winning a few battles but losing on some important bills filed in the 2014 session, including a measure to allow breweries to sell a small amount of beer directly to consumers.

"We all had a genuine stake in getting something done last session," Pinkerton said. "But the Legislature made it very clear that it wasn't even on the table for them this year. That's unfortunate because the changes we are suggesting are safe. We all value our wholesalers and we are not trying to tear down the system. We know the changes we are suggesting won't do that because they are working in 48 other states and they are good for the economies of those states."

With the 2014 session and the Craft Beer Fest behind it, the Guild is looking forward to another first. On April 19, it's sponsoring the Southeastern Craft Brewers' Symposium — a one-day event in Decatur aimed at advanced home brewers and those seriously considering opening a brewery, with seminars on the science of brewing and the business of brewing, featuring brewmasters, brewery owners and beer distributors.

"A number of other Guilds around the country put on conferences and symposiums," Pinkerton said. "We decided to target folks who are looking at the possibility of getting into the brewing business. What we're hoping to provide is some good technical knowledge and some real-world knowledge on the business side."

Southeastern Craft Brewers Symposium, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. April 19th, Courtyard Marriott, Downtown Decatur. Tickets, $130: xorbia.com/e/gcbg/southeastern-craft-brewers-symposium.

By Bob Townsend, AJC Drink blog.

Ethical Blogwalking

Wednesday, 9 April 2014