So...you’ve not only written, but also sold your first book or two or three. Congratulations! Although you’ve probably still got a long road ahead of you to bestsellerdom, at least you’re on your way and, hopefully, traveling in the right direction.
One of the things you may choose to do to ensure you are is self-promotion, and the reason for this is that it’s rare for publishers to invest extensive time and/or money into the fledgling careers of as-yet-unknown authors.
Because Rebecca obtained her B.A. in journalism and her M.A. in communications --- a dual sequence degree in both interpersonal and mass communication (broadcasting) --- and she was not only one of the first two romance authors ever to do self-promotion, but she was also extremely successful at it, she knows quite a bit about it and the media from both sides of the fence. Here are some of her suggestions with regard to self-promotion and handling the media:
The first and foremost of these is that if you don’t personally know how to effectively self-promote, then don’t even try. Instead, hire a reputable public-relations person or firm to represent you. Although this may initially prove a costlier alternative, it will nevertheless wind up saving you a considerable amount of time and money in the long run. The road to bestsellerdom is littered with the faux pas of those who didn’t know what they doing when it came to self-promotion --- authors who have unwittingly done more to damage their careers than to help them.
Because despite what many blogs, online forums and writing websites, trade magazines, and writers’ organizations would have you believe, effective self-promotion is neither easy nor cheap. If it were, then every single author paying thousands of dollars for book tours and virtual tours, for full-page ads in trade magazines and in writers’ collective sales brochures, and for mailing thousands of fliers and free bookmarks to both new and used bookstores all over the country, would now all be publishers’ number-one lead titles of the month and on the New York Times bestseller list --- and they aren’t.
Think about that.
While there’s certainly nothing wrong with such endeavors, and they can be useful in concert with others, the real truth of the matter is that effective self-promotion ultimately has very little to do with such efforts --- or even with autograph signings at bookstores (although these are delightful for meeting fans and readers!) --- and everything to do with the media. Television, radio, newspaper, magazine, and, nowadays, Internet interviews aimed at publicizing yourself and your books are your best bet when it comes to self-promotion. In other words, getting the word about yourself and your books out to thousands instead of just dozens of people.
Look at it this way: If you could sell twenty-five thousand copies of your book by touring the country or the Internet, holding autograph signings, buying ads in trade magazines and writers' collective sales brochures, and sending fliers and/or free bookmarks to bookstores, or you could sell two-and-a-half million copies of your book by appearing on a national television or radio talk show or in a national newspaper or magazine article, which would you choose to do?
Of course, not every single author is going to wind up being interviewed on a national television or radio talk show or for a national newspaper or magazine article. In fact, the vast majority aren't. Fortunately, however, there are countless regional and local television and radio talk shows, newspapers, and magazines that are all usually in search of entertaining, interesting people to fill their programs and to be interviewed for articles.
If you appear on several of these former, then you can achieve almost an identical impact to what you would obtain by being a guest on a national television or radio talk show --- and it works just the same for newspapers and magazines. If the Big City Gazette won’t have you, then you can garner comparable results by getting articles in all the Big City’s smaller suburbs’ newspapers or magazines.
So...what makes an interviewee entertaining and interesting? If you don’t know, then take a look at or a listen to your own regional and local television and radio talk shows, newspapers, and magazines. Make a list of what appeals to you about their interviewees --- and what doesn’t. Because there’s not only an art to interviewing someone (which is why not just anybody can succeed at hosting a talk show or being a reporter), but there’s also, believe it or not, an art to being interviewed.
One of the most common mistakes neophyte interviewees make is to respond to an interviewer’s questions with monosyllabic "yes" and "no" answers. Not only is that exceedingly boring to viewers, listeners, and readers alike, but it’s also an extreme disservice to the interviewer, compelling him/her to carry the entire burden of the interview him/herself, providing him/her with little or no natural opportunity for appropriate follow-up questions. Think you’ll be asked back as a guest on that talk show or be interviewed by that newspaper or magazine a second time around after that? Think again.
It’s bad enough to do it to a television or radio talk-show host. But doing it to a newspaper or magazine reporter is even worse --- simply because they have both the time and opportunity to hammer out quite an unflattering article about you afterward.
So if you’re the kind of Nervous Nellie who freezes when the cameras, microphones, tape recorders, or notepads come out, then do yourself a favor: Either learn how to successfully overcome your stagefright --- or else stay at home and off the stage, concentrating on your writing instead.
At the completely opposite end of the spectrum is Limelight Liza --- the interview hogger, who, following the interviewer’s initial question, is off and running...and running and running...never again giving the interviewer a chance to open his/her mouth. Think Limelight Liza is ever going to get a second crack at the interviewer? Think again.
So if you’re the kind of Limelight Liza who continually upstages everyone else in sight, then, just like Nervous Nellie, do yourself a favor: Either learn how to successfully share the limelight --- or else stay at home and off the stage, concentrating on your writing instead.
How can you find out if you’re at one end or the other of these two extremes, or happily somewhere in between? Simple. Have a family member or friend conduct several mock interviews with you, rolling film and tape. Take a good, long, hard look at and listen to yourself afterward. If you need help, then get it --- and practice, practice, practice. Even great actors take acting lessons. Also be sure to ask your mock interviewer to do the unexpected --- because in real life, they will.
Not every single interviewer is experienced, competent, courteous, considerate, pleasant, and professional. Unfortunately, some are inexperienced, incompetent, rude, inconsiderate, downright nasty, and/or unprofessional. And if you’re going to deal with the media, then, although, thankfully, there aren't many of them, you’re still inevitably bound to run across one or two of these offensive types.
"How do you do all the research for those steamy sex scenes?" and "How much money do you make for grinding out all that trash?" are two of the most frequently asked, highly insulting questions to which romance authors, for example, are subjected by the media. So it’s wise to have some stock answers for these kinds of questions prepared well in advance. Hopefully, you won’t ever need them, but just in case you do, you’ll have them at your disposal and won’t be caught off guard.
It’s really best to deflect such questions with unfailing politeness, graciousness, and a dash of humor. Angry Anne or Horrified Holly will only amuse interviewers prying and/or malicious enough to play these sorts of games in the first place, invariably inciting them to even worse behavior --- and neither Angry Anne nor Horrified Holly will endear herself to viewers, listeners, or readers in the process. Witty Winona, however, can succeed at turning the tables and exposing the interviewer for what s/he really is --- someone more interested in titillation than in conducting a professional interview.
When you feel you’re actually ready for the media, prepare a professional press packet for yourself. Find a "hook" --- something that makes you interesting and unique, thereby setting you apart from every other author around. Unfortunately, because so many in the romance genre have touted self-promotion to the hilt, the media has been deluged by requests from romance authors, especially, for interviews. So it's a great deal more difficult to get one these days. Thus the more you stand out from the crowd, the better your chances will be.
If you write historical romances set during the Middle Ages, and you’re also an expert on medieval costuming, then say so --- and be willing, as well, to show up wearing a medieval costume and to explain about the history of medieval costuming, in conjunction with your books. Now is not the time for shyness and/or false modesty about your abilities and accomplishments!
Send your press packet out to the media. Begin at the local level. If you screw up on Small Town’s Morning Show, only Small Town, USA will know. If you do it on Good Morning, America, the whole world will know.
Follow up with telephone calls, as it can often take weeks to get a definite "yes" or "no" answer to the question of whether the media are going to consent to interview you. Be polite but persistent, while at the same time avoiding making a pest out of yourself. Or have a family member or friend make the calls for you.
Work three to six months ahead of your book’s scheduled publication date (that's about how long it will take you to set up a media tour to coordinate with your book's release date). If your publicity arrives too early, readers will have forgotten about you by the time your book hits the bookshelves; and if it arrives too late, your book will have already disappeared from the bookshelves by then. So timing is crucial and should be carefully coordinated with your book’s lay-down period.
A few final suggestions:
For television: Try to avoid wearing white, as it drains the color from most people. In addition, darker colors are more slimming, and television cameras generally tend to add ten to twenty pounds to the average person. To further avoid being drained of color, wear slightly heavier makeup than usual (don’t go overboard, however --- or you'll wind up looking like a circus clown!).
For television and radio: Avoid wearing heavy jewelry (necklaces and bracelets) that clanks against microphones. Don’t slurp beverages into microphones. Don’t ever chitchat with interviewers or anyone else until you are sure all the microphones have been closed.
Several years ago, two of Rebecca’s dear friends and colleagues (both now deceased) did a radio interview that, because of the disc jockey’s attitude, did not go well. Afterward, the female colleague turned to the male colleague and drolly inquired, "Wasn’t that the f***ingest interview you ever did in your life?" Unbeknown to her, all the microphones were still open --- so her question went out all over the airwaves. Needless to say, that radio station did not ever ask either of them back again. Fortunately, they both had a delightful sense of humor and laughed about this incident for years afterward!
For television, radio, newspapers, and magazines: Find your most flattering camera angles. No matter what anyone says to the contrary, preferring to present your prettiest profile for the camera does not a Diva make. Remember...you’re not just selling your books, but also attempting to sell yourself as an author to both the media and the public --- and both like beautiful people.
You don’t have to be Glamorous Gloria, but you do want to appear at your very best. Don’t smoke, chew gum, twist strands of your hair, say "Ya know?" every other breath, or otherwise engage in any annoying and/or distracting habits (you should have already observed and ruthlessly excised all these from your repertoire during your mock interviews).
Last but not least, have fun! Try to remember that even if, despite all your best intentions and efforts, an interview does go poorly, it isn’t the end of the world. Even highly embarrassing and/or unflattering press can be better than none at all --- and ultimately turned to your advantage.
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Rebecca's titles are available in several other languages besides English, including Chinese, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Rumanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish (languages for titles will vary). Book-club and large-print editions are also available.
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BUY ANY of REBECCA'S TITLES NOW FROM
AMAZON BOOKS or  BARNES & NOBLE BOOKS.
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