Blog | C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists - Part 2

The Three Key Elements of Book Promotion

January 8, 2017August 10, 2017 by Cathy Lewis

With effective book promotion, your great ideas will fly.

Authors who’ve just finished their book often experience a rude awakening. After spending a year or more writing their book, and several more months shepherding it through the production phases of editing, proofreading, and design, they wonder, “How do I get the word out?” Assuming you, the author, have figured out the bookstore distribution piece of the puzzle, and have your book up on Amazon and the other online sellers, it’s now time to put your energies into the next stage: book promotion.

Targeting the Three Pillars of Book PR

Book promotion can be a full-time job–as much work as writing the book itself–depending on how much time and energy an author wants to devote to it. That’s why it’s often a good idea to hire a book publicist to help you. Here are three elements of effective book promotion that you and/or your publicist will target.

Marketing Your Non-Fiction Book with Speaking Engagements

December 21, 2016August 10, 2017 by Cathy Lewis

Speaking engagements are ideal venues for book PR.

You worked long and hard to write your non-fiction book, and you were driven by passion. Now you have a very expensive business card—your book!—that can open all kinds of doors for you. We’ve talked in the past about how to get good media placements to help you promote your book. Now let’s look at how to use speaking engagements to promote you, your business, and your brand—and sell books in the process.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) for Non-Fiction Author Websites

November 12, 2016August 10, 2017 by Cathy Lewis

Writers are artists, and what better place to show off your creativity than on your own website? You can have gorgeous, big images of your book covers, stunning visuals, provocative blogs, interactive surveys, and much more at a site that represents the essence of your expertise and talents.

To optimize your web traffic, you need to know about the Google algorithm.

As a published author, you’ve probably worked with an agent, publisher, or editor who has offered feedback and recommendations to make your book more readable, accessible, and marketable to your targeted audience. These publishing world pros understand that a well-written book with great content needs readers, just as an actor needs an audience.

Likewise, your website needs viewers. You can generate something akin to “feedback” from Google, Yahoo, and Bing – the major search engines – to make your site into a highly effective, lively, interactive marketing tool for your book. Authors generate this constructive feedback by using search engine optimization, or SEO.

Most authors don’t know how SEO works – or even why they really need it or what it is. The purpose of this three-part article is to demystify the topic, providing authors with the basic information they will need to hire an SEO expert or do it themselves.

Part II: SEO for Non-Fiction Author Websites –13 Insider Tips

September 1, 2016August 10, 2017 by Cathy Lewis

In Part I of this three-part series on search engine optimization (SEO) for non-fiction author websites, I explained the importance of understanding how the Google algorithm indexes your website—determining whether your site will appear on the first page of a Google search or the tenth.

Here, Part II features 13 insider tips and strategies that will help you get your author website to show up near the top of Google searches. This translates into more visitors to your site, more publicity for you and your book, and hopefully more book sales, speaking gigs, new client acquisitions, and fresh publishing opportunities.

Follow these tips to make Google SEO work for you.

Some Basic Google Recommendations for Your Book Author Website

For good basic SEO for your website, follow this logical concept. Google has to totally understand what your website is all about, determine the focus of the site as well as what each page is about, and evaluate the content as credible and resourceful information that is appropriate to show people searching for exactly what you are offering. That sounds like a relatively simple thing—but you’d be surprised how many websites do NOT do that!

Here are a dozen tips for your SEO that will help focus your website better:

SEO Marketing for Author Websites, Part III: How to Find a Good SEO Pro

July 4, 2016August 10, 2017 by Cathy Lewis

The most crucial time for marketing a non-fiction book is just before and right after it is released. You don’t get a do-over! It’s wise, therefore, to bring in an SEO specialist several months in advance of the release so they

An SEO specialist working with a book author using a laptop computer. — A smart SEO professional can help promote your author website–and help you sell books.

can create a digital marketing strategy for your new book. In Part I of this series, you learned why SEO is important for non-fiction authors. In Part II, you learned some of the most important tricks and traps of using SEO to promote your book.

Below are 7 tips for finding the right SEO specialist to help you generate media attention for your book, which could translate into book sales; radio, TV, and print interviews; speaking gigs; and new clients and business opportunities.

Personal Branding for Non-Fiction Authors

April 4, 2016August 10, 2017 by Cathy Lewis

Apple iPhones. The Huffington Post. Coke. Everything we consume, from technology, to media, to a sugary soft drink, has a brand that defines it and determines how we relate to it.

Take Coca-Cola, the most recognized brand in the world. The association this company has created is more than just the enjoyment of their carbonated beverage. It’s one of fun, freedom, and empowerment. Their branding continually invents fresh ways to tap into the nostalgic aspects surrounding a product that has moved through generations, connecting grandparent to teenager, and merging new times to past decades.

A Good Brand Turns Author-Experts into Thought Leaders

What about branding for people? Business people, celebrities, and politicians all develop their brand with the help of managers, agents, publicists, political handlers, and advisors. The same can be true for author-experts. A focused brand-building strategy, with the help of a good book publicist, can turn a non-fiction author into a recognized thought leader, who then becomes a sought-after speaker, media commentator, and professional consultant.

Marketable Non-Fiction – Part Two

February 21, 2016August 10, 2017 by Cathy Lewis

In some ways, it’s best to think about the finished product before you start writing the book. Every successful non-fiction book can be summed up in one sentence. That’s your big idea. It’s like a 10-second pitch that would “hook” a reporter on the spot — or a book publicist! Once you know your big idea, create a structure that can be grasped at a glance. This will become your table of contents. 10 Steps. 5 Strategies. 7 Lessons. In this age of short attention spans, you need to create a skeleton that has an internal logic that can be easily understood before you flesh it out.

A woman with pen and blank book thinking about what kind of non-fiction book to write. — Image courtesy of Feelart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Writing a Highly Marketable Non-Fiction Book – Part One

November 2, 2015August 10, 2017 by Cathy Lewis

A skillful novelist can take us on a journey so compelling that we keep reading without any mid-chapter temptation to insert the bookmark and go to sleep. We get completely absorbed in the novelist’s imaginary world of intrigue, romance, adventure, betrayal, or beauty. The images and emotions we create in our brain bond us to the work like a powerful magnetic force.

Woman author with maroon shirt with pencil writing a non-fiction book. — Photo by anankkml

Is Writing Non-Fiction a Completely Different Experience?

In many ways, it is exactly the same. Like a novelist, a good non-fiction writer needs to be involved with the reader’s emotions. Her words and ideas have to create that same feeling and experience of connection in the reader. The non-fiction writer wants her reader to be thinking, “This book speaks to ME.” Whether it’s a self-help book or a business book filled with new strategies for success, a writer’s aim it to move and inspire the reader.

When Publicizing Business Books, Target the Right Business Readers

July 28, 2015August 10, 2017 by Cathy Lewis

In the past decade, business has become mainstream. The average person now has knowledge of stock market trends, corporate takeovers, and competition within global industries. From a book publicist’s point of view, this means that there are more “business readers” than ever.

Book promotional targets like Bloomberg, Forbes, Wall Street Journal & Inc. for business book publicity.

On the one hand, this is good news, because the universe of media venues that need business content has grown. On the other hand, serious business readers now have to be more choosy about the content they consume.

For Best Book Promotion Results, Target Top-Tier Business Media

For this reason, we like to target top-tier business media whenever possible. Why? Because when we’re trying to move and motivate leaders, managers, and entrepreneurs—and hopefully get these readers to buy a business author’s book—we have to go to the media places they frequent. We also always have to be agile and creative in our approach to book publicity. Every book has its unique promotional challenges and publicity opportunities to define, explore, and make happen with great success.

Publicizing Parenting Books – 4 Common Questions

February 19, 2015August 10, 2017 by Cathy Lewis

We love parenting books. We’re happy to promote parenting books that are well written and offer lots of fresh, practical advice that’s based on solid science or the author’s well-credentialed expertise in a discipline—such as pediatrics, pediatric psychology, pediatric nutrition, or child development, to name a few.

Four parenting books that CS Lewis & Co. did book publicity for.

Here are some of the common questions parenting authors ask us.

What Type of Parenting Books Are Most Successful?

Our decision to take on a parenting book is based on some of the same criteria we use for all our books and authors. Primarily, the reason we choose one book over another often comes down to where we’re going to place it. For example, when we took on Dr. Charlotte Resnick, a child and educational psychologist, author of The Power of Your Child’s Imagination, we were wowed both by her credentials and the originality of her strategies to help children solve problems using their imagination and creativity. We knew her upbeat, interesting ideas would be perfect for daytime TV, which is dominated by female viewers. We got her appearances on Good Morning America Online and the ABC morning show in San Francisco. She landed many high-profile print placements as well, from Good Housekeeping to USA Today.

Read more…

Book Marketing Tips: 6 Reasons You Don’t Have to Travel to Do Book Publicity

August 2, 2014August 10, 2017 by Cathy Lewis

One of the questions authors frequently ask me is, “Do I have to travel to do book publicity?” The answer is no.

As a matter of fact, one of our longstanding clients is shy when talking on the phone. Another client doesn’t like to travel. In each case, we developed a robust campaign that accommodated the author’s communication preferences.

We’re a New York book publicity firm, with a satellite office in Florida as well, but our authors are from all over the country. We have authors from all the major media marketplaces, such as New York, LA, DC, Dallas, and Chicago, and many who live in more remote areas. However, you absolutely don’t have to live in one of these big cities to have a successful book PR campaign.

Business Book Authors Expand Their Brand with Successful Book Publicist Strategies

March 26, 2014August 10, 2017 by Cathy Lewis

Four business related books by publicist Cathy Lewis. We’ve publicized many business books and career books over the years. Business authors come to us with one goal: to generate book sales. But they end up with a great side benefit: they acquire a new source of prospective consulting clients and a stronger business brand.

That’s why we tell business authors to think of their book as a tool to build their business. A good book publicist can shape a PR campaign that’s aligned with the author’s overall business objectives.

Here are some book and author publicity and promotion strategies we’ve used to help authors grow their business, brand, and book sales.

From Health Author to News Maker: A Good Book Publicist Can Spread Your Message

August 5, 2013February 1, 2016 by Cathy Lewis

Lots of doctors and health experts write books and ebooks. They usually do so because they’re passionate about getting important healthcare information out to consumers. Not only can a skilled publicist do book promotion for these health authors and sell their books, but she can turn them into news makers and position them as thought leaders so their message reaches the widest possible audience.

One of the genres our book publicity firm specializes in is health books, and we’ve helped nutritionists, naturopaths, pediatricians, cardiologists, spinal surgeons, women’s health specialists, and many others shape their message and spread it far and wide.

If you’re a doctor or other health professional with an important message to share, you can benefit from hiring a publicist who will customize a publicity campaign that brings your message to the healthcare consumers you’re trying hardest to reach. This will increase the success of your book promotion.

A Skilled Publicist Can Position You as a News Maker

Here’s how a publicist can promote your book and leverage your expertise to turn you into a news make

6 Ways to Boost Your Book Publicist’s Success Rate

July 1, 2013February 1, 2016 by Cathy Lewis

By Cathy S. Lewis

When I initially interview authors to assess whether they’re a good “fit” with what we do, I always remind them that book publicity is a collaborative effort. Contrary to what many authors think, writing the book and getting it published isn’t the end of their job. It’s the beginning. Book promotion works best when the author actively participates in coordination with their publicist.

When a book publicist has a highly motivated and involved author to work with, one who’s willing to put time, energy, and creative ideas into the publicity campaign, the synergy of efforts can produce results far greater than if the publicist worked on her own.

Bottom line: If you want to maximize your publicist’s success, reach a lager audience in your book promotion campaign, and increase book sales – try these six book publicity strategies.

Promoting Your Book: 8 Ways to Pitch Media Outlets

June 16, 2013February 1, 2016 by Cathy Lewis

By Cathy S. Lewis

This article originally appeared at Build Book Buzz.

A common misconception new authors have about book promotion is that their topic is so fascinating, different, and groundbreaking, the media will automatically want to interview them once they hear about it.

Unfortunately, that’s not how the media works. Columnists, editors, bloggers, and producers aren’t just waiting for the “the next big thing” to land on their doorstep. More often, they create the next big thing by seeing potential in a good story idea that’s been pitched to them.

And that’s where a good media pitch comes it. Your pitch should position you as an expert, and offer story ideas that are so compelling that the media contacts will feel they’re missing out on something if they don’t run with the story before anyone else picks it up.

Authors: Be the “1 Percent” Whose Message Gets Through

June 6, 2013February 1, 2016 by Cathy Lewis

By Cathy S. Lewis

This blog was originally published at Sellbox.com, an ebook consulting and publishing service for businesses, publishers, and authors.

You have a great idea for a book. Everyone has been urging you for years to write it. Your concept is truly original—it’s destined to be a bestseller, right? But here’s some news that may surprise you: It’s easier to write a good book than to sell one.

According to the most recent Bowker Report, 3 million books were published in 2010–and that number is growing. That’s a lot of competition for shelf space and media time. Meanwhile, book sales have been on a downward trend since 2007, according to Publisher’s Weekly.

Are you going to be among the 99% whose book languishes boxed up in the warehouse, or the 1% who gets noticed by the media, generates a loyal fan base, and achieves steady and growing book sales?