The Boomerang Publicity Effect

by Fern Reiss ~ September 6th, 2006. Filed under: Advertising & Promotion, Book Marketing, Publicity, Publishing Basics.

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This week, I received email from a top literary agent informing me that my Publishing Game books are going to be featured in her forthcoming book—which is already a bookclub selection and will be displayed in a Barnes and Noble endcap for two months. Will this help my own book sales? You bet. And being mentioned in other people’s books is just one way to generate attention for your own book. Here are a few more:
Write a series. Writing one book is good, but writing a series is always better. If you can figure out a way to slice and dice your topic, you can come out with a series of books on the same topic—thus enhancing your credibility. And the more shelf space you have in a bookstore, the more people are prepared to believe in your expertise. When someone goes to a bookstore, and of the ten books on the publishing shelf, three are my Publishing Game books—which book do you think they’re most likely to buy?
Get good endorsements. Find a few key people who are well known in your topic area and ask if they’ll consider writing you an endorsement. Endorsements can be useful on book jackets—they definitely sell books. And they can also be useful on websites, and in marketing materials. It’s much easier to get endorsements than people think—I’ve gotten endorsements from renowned writers to famous politicians.
Endorse other people’s books. Other writers are often very hesitant to ask me if I will endorse their books. But I’m happy to endorse books (if I think they’re well written and fill a need) because my endorsement on the back of your book also helps my book sales. So be open to endorsing others’ books—and look for opportunities to do so.
Try for mentions in other books. Nonfiction books in particular often have extensive bibliographies or resource sections. Try to get your book mentioned in as many of these as possible. The more times people read about your book, particularly in another book they’ve enjoyed, the more likely they are to seek out your book.
Get website mentions. Don’t stop at mentions in books. Try for mentions in listserves, blogs, and websites. The more your book is mentioned, the more it will be remembered and possibly purchased. And the more your book’s website is linked to, the more highly it will place in search engine results, thereby making it easier for other people to find. So don’t neglect this valuable, non-book arena.
Boomerang publicity can be one of the easiest—and most effective—means of publicity. So start making your own list of valuable places for your book to be mentioned. And if you see my Publishing Game books mentioned in the Barnes and Noble endcaps next month, be sure to let me know.

Fern Reiss is CEO of PublishingGame.com, offering books, workshops, and consulting on how to get a literary agent, publish, and promote a book. She is also CEO of Expertizing.com, teaching people how to get more media attention for themselves and their business; in the past six months, she’s been quoted in over 100 publications from the NY Times to Wall Street Week. Sign up at http://www.PublishingGame.com/signup.htm for her complimentary monthly email newsletter on how to get more media attention for yourself, your book, and your business.