Building the Buzz: Day 21 More Press Releases

Remember all those people you sent press releases to a few weeks ago? You kept all their contact information, right? Good, cause it's time to send more releases.

Have you seen the movie "Newsies"? It's a little known Disney flick that they swept under the table, but a personal favorite. It follows a group of good looking, singing, dancing newsboys. In one of its many great songs there is a line that is important for authors to remember. "Tomorrow they'll wrap fishes in it, but I was the king for one whole minute."

What does this have to do with you? Everything. You may be lucky enough to score a bunch of profile pieces and draw some serious media attention. But even when the main source of news came from hand-sold newspapers, a story was only a story for a day. In today's age of constant information, it's even harder to stay in the spotlight.

It's up to you, as the author, to keep yourself newsworthy. A great way to do this is with updated press releases. You can send these out any time, but keep in mind that the media wants a story, not an advertisement.

I suggest sending new press releases out when you have events such as launch parties or book signings, when you reach certain milestones in sales or reviews, and when you win any awards. Don't forget that you are a story as well. What about a story six months after your book release to showcase what your life is like now. You are a local celebrity, but only if you make an effort to stay one. 

Since we are consolidating your marketing into a month, you may not have reached any milestones yet. That's okay. For today's task, make a list of all the reason you will send a new release such as 10K books sold, A spot on the NYT's book list, an upcoming signing. Now set a reminder for yourself either on your computer, your phone, your day planner, wherever, to think about press releases. Designate a day of the week to review your calendar and benchmarks and consider sending  a press release. Most of the time, you won't have anything to send, but setting the reminder means you won't forget when the good news rolls in.