BOOK BUZZ FROM BOOK EXPO AMERICA

by Amy Hess, guest columnist


We all want buzz. To be a part of what everyone is talking about. This is especially important in order to for authors who must be a part of the buzz to sell books. At a Book Expo America/PMA panel I attended yesterday, Sandy Trupp, Managing Director Planned TV Arts (and primary writer of this blog) launched a discussion on the fine art of creating it. Diane Rehm of NPR, Dan Raviv of CBS News and Marie Arana of Washington Post’s Book World were the featured guests who dished on what journalists really want and how to get your message out there in a super saturated world. Diane Rehm who gives significant air time to books is cutting back on the number of authors she has on her show. She says that with everything going on in the world, she just doesn’t feel that it can be justified and instead must talk about news. It’s sad because so many do enjoy author interviews and the break from the news headlines. Many people say they enjoy author interviews in their cars, but at the same time, more and more shows are doing shorter author interviews.

As publicists we advise our authors to find a news hook and tap into that. At the same time though, we have to be careful that we can separate our author’s voice from the masses that flood the media with their opinions on the latest headlines. How much is too much coverage on a topic? When does it become saturated? The panelists agreed that you need to show a new angle on a topic in the news to be covered. It’s very difficult to appear without a news hook although lighter topics that interest the host can be covered. Dan Raviv will occasionally do a story on a biography or historical non-fiction, even if the headlines don’t warrant it. But it’s still rare. Diane Rehm admits that she won’t cover something that she doesn’t find interesting. Marie Arana is partial to international affairs and history, but tries to balance her coverage of those types of books with other subjects to be fair.

And there are guidelines that will get you in the door. As busy as Marie Arana is, she personally reads every email she’s sent. She may not respond, but she prefers an email. She doesn’t like to hear from authors themselves, only publicists. Diane Rehm’s staff doesn’t work with publicists very often. You have to mail Diane’s producer a book. And no self-published books. In order to compete with the 150 books a week she receives, make it as easy on the producer as possible.

All of the journalists want the information they need at their finger tips in an easy to read, short, and smart format. Dan Raviv likes to have a biography but finds Question and Answer sheets a waste, wanting to come up with his own questions. Diane likes them because it may point her to an angle she hasn’t thought of before.

All agreed that they are cynical of blurbs which they feel are now manufactured and mean nothing. Same with endorsements. And backlist books aren’t likely to be covered. However, positioning the person with a backlist book as an expert on a topic in today’s news could work.
When you do get a hit, it may go further than you realize these days. Podcasts, streaming video and audio, and online radio often use coverage from other venues so your message goes further. This can be hit or miss. Getting covered on a blog though doesn’t seem to do much good-yet. Journalists follow the track record of bloggers carefully and unless the source is very reliable, they just can’t trust it.

They all agreed that books that are well-written and meaningful should have a chance in this sometimes celebrity-driven news world.