Having a line-up of interviews and reviews surrounding your book launch is the dream of most writers. But how does one plan for that?

I chatted with publicist, Mel Carrey, to get her insights into how to make that a reality. As a publicist she has worked with a variety of clients including authors, the Toronto International Film Festival, and ‘passion projects’ like Canadian Blind Hockey, which she helped grow significantly. Read on for a summary of our conversation where she shares her five-month plan for media outreach.

Get a step-by-step plan to secure interviews and reviews for your book launch plan in this interview by Sarah Sambles with Mel Carrey.

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When should you reach out to media about your book launch?

Sometimes people underestimate how far in advance you should start your publicity plan. I’d say five months is the ideal amount of time. Here’s how I break it down:

MONTH 1: SET LAUNCH DATE

Think about your timing. If your book is a romance and you’re self-publishing, you might want to launch it around Valentine’s day. If there’s a season that corresponds well with the theme of your book – like Christmas, back-to-school – you can aim to coincide your launch with that. Or maybe it’s an event, like the Olympics. Then, work back from there.

MONTH 2: BUILD TARGET MEDIA LIST

Start researching your media list as soon as possible. This is what takes the longest! Start by finding book reviewers. All national newspapers have them, but don’t forget local/provincial papers too. You’ll also want to look into journalists who have written about the topic of your book, especially if your book is non-fiction. Make a list of radio, TV, bloggers and podcasters. There are a ton of great podcasts out there. Lastly, consider review sites. Research them carefully – you want any reviews to be from credible sources.

MONTH 3: REACH OUT TO MEDIA

Once you’ve made your long list, pinpoint the journalists you think would be most interested in your book. The length of your ‘short list’ will depend on where you are based and the topic of your book. Make sure to include the major newspapers as well as local ones. If you’re in Toronto your media list may be around 50. If you’re in Ottawa, it might be more like 10.

Start building a relationship with your target list, beginning with an introductory email. The crucial thing to do here is to make a link between their work and the content of your book. When you’re deep in the writing or editing of your work this can be hard to do, so seek outside help if you need it. Sometimes someone new to your work can more easily see the hook, a new angle or a link between your theme and current hot topics in the media.

Make sure to send a media kit with your email. It should include a press release, a digital copy of your book, as well as several different hi-res images of your book and you that the journalist can use on their blog, magazine, newspaper, TV segment. I can’t stress this strongly enough: Good images make a journalist’s job much easier. They want to grab a reader’s attention too! You can send a physical copy of your book, but in the interests of time, send the digital version too. In my experience, they get read more quickly.

MONTH 4: FOLLOW UP

Be considerate of a journalist’s time so follow up with them after a month if you haven’t heard from them. They need a chance to read your book, but you also need to hear back from them in time for your launch so now’s the time to call or email a second time. At this point, send a Fact Sheet with some key points about your book. If the journalist isn’t convinced, consider a different angle.

Schedule interviews with those who have expressed interest in your book. Again, remember podcasts and blogs! Try and plan the interviews so the schedule is manageable for you and interviews fall close to the launch date of your book. If you can, confirm those journalists who will be reviewing your book, though they can be hard to button down on this.

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MONTH 5: INVITE TO LAUNCH PARTY

With just a month to go until publication date, you’ll likely be busy planning a launch party. This is why you want to start your media outreach five months before! At this point, invite local media to your launch party.

This sounds like a great plan, but what if you’re a little late to the party? What are the top things you should do if your book is being published in a month, for example?

  • Focus on online. Update your website with buy links for your book and details about your launch, and be active on social media. With Facebook you can create forums and groups, engage in conversations, invite interaction, post videos, contests, give-aways.
  • Create key talking points. This is something writers often don’t think to do but it’s a useful guide for you for interviews, Facebook live videos, your launch party. You’re an author, not a public speaker, so you will likely need some guidelines on what to say about your book. It should include what the book is about in a few sentences, the hook, the pitch, the main themes, what inspired you. You can send it to journalists after interviews/your launch, and it can serve as a great FAQ on your website.
  • Arrange a launch party. Even if you haven’t had time to reach out to journalists ahead of time, invite them to your launch. Some are used to last-minute invitations and you never know who will turn up!

You mention Facebook. How crucial is social media and which platform would you recommend for a book launch?

Social media is a reality that is here to stay! Facebook is a great platform for a book launch. You can upload longer posts and do things like create groups and events. It’s a tool you can use to raise awareness of you and your book. Here are a few things you can do leading up to your launch:

  • Make a list of different angles, topics, neat facts about your books. Think about the kinds of headlines you might see in newspapers – that’s the kind of content you want to create.
  • Create shareable content. You need to entice people to share your posts so this might be something like a give-away. This is how you’ll get organic growth.
  • Boost your posts. You set your budget and you can target your audience by demographics, geography, interests, behaviour. Targeting is crucial here and the Facebook platform walks you through it. For example, if your book is aimed at foodies, you don’t want a teenager who is only interested in video games seeing your posts.

What are some common mistakes you see with book launches?

  • Don’t forget the additional products you’ll need for the media and for your launch party. Things like a printed media kit, an autographed copy of your book and other book-related swag depending on the topic.
  • Don’t jump to your next book idea immediately after the launch. Maybe you’re writing a new book, but don’t waste this opportunity to promote your current project for at least a year! Think of new angles for your current book. For example, if it’s a romance and you targeted Valentine’s Day but now it’s several months later, is there another demographic the book would also appeal to, or another theme it covers? What new facts can you share about your book? What about facts or stories happening in the industry?
  • Stay active on social media. Use the cover of your book on your profiles and pages. Follow up with frequent posts using the angles you’ve brainstormed.

Mel, thank you for sharing your expertise. Reaching out to media can seem daunting but your step-by-step plan makes it feel much more manageable.

You can connect with Mel Carrey on Twitter.

If you’d like help planning your book launch, contact me.