Book PR | C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists

4 Ways to Write Winning Bylined Articles and Boost Your Book Publicity

July 6, 2021July 6, 2021 by David Lewis

Today more than ever, targeted online article placements are an author’s ticket to success.

In an era when content is king and more than 8 in 10 Americans get news from digital devices, authors must know how to write bylined articles that not only win over online media outlets, but also wow readers to view, click, like, and share.

Targeted online article placements are an author’s ticket to success — the quickest, easiest, and best way to boost a book publicity campaign. Especially en masse, they help build awareness, momentum, and social media traffic better than any other strategy.

In These Difficult Times, Decide to Make Your Book Publicity a Force for Good

December 3, 2020December 3, 2020 by Cathy Lewis

These are difficult times in America. The coronavirus has given way to a series of historic, cascading crises: a lethal once-in-a-century pandemic, Depression-era levels of joblessness and economic despair, and glaring racial disparities and health inequities afflicting communities of color, only to be exacerbated by the continued killing of Black Americans like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor at the hands of police. It’s no wonder that people of all stripes are living with unthinkable angst and uncertainty.

The ‘So-What’ Is the Secret Sauce in Book Publicity

May 20, 2020 by Cathy Lewis

In a crowded, hypercompetitive, and oh-so-noisy marketplace, book publicity isn’t getting any easier. To succeed, especially at the highest levels, it’s important to know why a book matters.

I’m not talking about peppy platitudes, gross generalities, or heaven forbid, shameless self-promotion. I’m talking about current, concrete relevance — in the here and now, in the real world — preferably communicated in a sentence or two.

I call this “the so-what.” And in respect to every media decision maker — whether in print, broadcast, or digital — it answers an all-important question: Why should I care?

7 Ways to Never Run Out of Book Publicity Content

July 25, 2019 by Cathy Lewis

By any measure, content marketing is the new and ever-expanding ‘it’ in business and branding circles everywhere. Regardless of type — consumer or B2B, digital or traditional — marketing campaigns now run on content. Today, even Coca-Cola spends more money creating its own content than it does on television advertising.

For authors, book publicity and promotion is no exception: Content is king — if you never run out of ideas. For articles, blogs, podcasts, videos, social sharing, media interviews, and more, you need a constant pipeline. Or as one content marketing expert put it, “you need to keep feeding the beast.”

But how can you keep the ideas coming? Here are seven surefire ways to ensure you never run out of content.

Book Publicity Does More Than Promote Books. It Builds Brands

April 17, 2019July 25, 2019 by Cathy Lewis

Why do authors write books? For most, their primary reason is clear: They want to build their personal brand — a smart first-line strategy, particularly now when the average nonfiction book sells less than 250 copies a year.

Today, book publicity — a must-have marketing tool in the new, overcrowded publishing world — does more than promote books. It is purposely designed to build brands.

Consider these key reasons, all proven brand builders, why.

Book PR – Authors Should Avoid These 11 Mistakes

June 13, 2018June 20, 2018 by Paul Blanchard

Here’s the surprise about PR: getting great media coverage for your book is as much about knowing what not to do than it is about knowing what to do. You can learn to master the media yourself — from social media to digital channels, print media, radio and TV — if you know what tactics to avoid.

A high tech looking image black and day glow green depicting a metal know that says media, and choices of radio, television, newspapers, magazines & internet in white letters.

The first step is to stop thinking PR is all about you. PR is about the audience: the reader, the listener, and the viewer — via the journalist. Even Twitter is about getting on journalist’s radar. To do that, you have to offer quality (not throwaway) content, and working on building a good relationship.

As with any courtship — and that’s what this is — you want to be on your best behavior. So here are 11 PR mistakes to avoid:

SEO Strategies for Authors & Books

September 15, 2017September 15, 2017 by Ralph Legnini

SEO search engin optimization written as clouds in a sky between two tall buildings as viewed from the ground. If an author stood alone in the publishing marketplace, driving potential customers to a website would be easy. But with hundreds of thousands of new titles published in the U.S. each year, attracting people to your author or book website becomes like any other marketplace — competition rules. It’s a race for discovery, exposure, and on-line real estate.

That’s why web presence and search engine optimization (SEO), which help people who search the internet to find you, need special and consistent attention.

Can Facebook Advertising Sell Your Book?

June 16, 2017July 13, 2017 by Cathy Lewis

A row of books sitting on a black bookshelf.

Ads on Facebook are creating amazing successes for many different types of products and services. As a way for an author to connect with the desired audience, these ads are a great tool and well worth considering. The social network has been deeply mining data for years — on what people like, find amusing and interesting, along with users personal information and demographics — and the result is a gold mine for hyper-targeted advertising. Costs are flexible, options are infinitely customizable, and the results generate powerful data in real time that’s easy to track and work with.

Self-Published Authors Need Book PR Most

May 1, 2017August 10, 2017 by Cathy Lewis

Self-Published Authors Can Benefit From Professional Book Publicity Services

Self-published authors and book publicity services go hand-in-hand. That’s because self-published authors need help; they don’t have a big publisher’s publicity department behind them to write and send out press releases, pitch story ideas to target media, and book interviews on radio and TV.

Large book PR firms sometimes don’t take on self-published authors because they feel that top-tier media is more skeptical of self-published authors and their expertise.

But the times, they are a’changing.

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.

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.

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?