Reporters are busy people. On any given day they are fielding
dozens of phone calls, making calls of their own, reading
stacks of newspapers and magazines and rushing to meet
deadlines. So how do you break through all the noise to get a
reporter or an editor on the phone to listen to your pitch?

In my 15 years as a magazine journalist I've fielded hundreds,
if not thousands, of such calls. The following tips are what
I've told many authors and publicists. The ones I eventually
wrote about are the ones who listened and learned from the
conversation.

1.) Ask If the Reporter Has Time to Speak to You

Make "Is now a good time?" the first question you ask when you
get a journalist on the phone. Don't assume that if he or she
is busy, they won't answer the phone because sometimes a
reporter on deadline has to pick up. They might be waiting for
confirmation from a source or to connect with a colleague in
the field, and Caller ID doesn't always give enough information
for proper screening. There were many times when I was on
deadline and answered my phone only to find, to my chagrin, a
non-stop pitch on the other end. But the callers who impressed
me would ask immediately if I was on deadline. All I had to say
was "Yes" and they'd say they would call me in another day or so
and hang up. Totally cool. I made sure I made time when they did
call back. Sometimes I even checked my mail to see if I could
find the caller's press release so I would be ready for our
talk.

2.) Understand This: The Fact That You Wrote a Book is Not a
Story!

You may have written the best book in the world, but unless
you're Stephen King turning to pulp fiction (as he did
recently) or Terry McMillan publishing your first novel in
several years and getting divorced at the same time (as she did
recently), you and your book are not a story. I'm sorry but
that's the plain truth. Of course if you land on the bestseller
lists then we'd have something to discuss. There is one
instance, however, when you would be a story and that's when
you...

3.) Connect to a Story Already in the News

When promoting your book you should be reading the newspaper
and watching the news (local and national) daily. You're
looking for stories related to the subject matter in your book.
Ideally you would have something to say and you would offer that
up to a reporter. For instance, if you've written a book on
cronyism in official government posts you could have put out a
press release and called up a reporter during the Hurricane
Katrina disaster with information such as, "This kind of
cronyism has caused mishaps in government response before. I
can tell you how it happens and where it has happened before."
The press release would list the details in easy-to-read bullet
points. It would be easy to see you'd make a great interview
subject.

This can work for novels as well. Alice Sebold's The Lovely
Bones is an exquisite book in its own right, but it got a huge
publicity boost because it happened to get published at a time
when several stories of missing girls were in the news.

4.) Ask What the Reporter is Working On

If the reporter isn't interested in your story, don't just cut
and run. Engage the person in a friendly conversation and find
out what types of stories he or she is working on for future
issues. This way you get to cultivate a relationship--important
because good media contacts are difficult to come by. You're
also learning what is newsworthy so you can either tailor your
message for other outlets or come back to the reporter when you
do have information he or she can use. I used to love it when
the latter happened--it made my job easier!

One last note: Always follow up on the press releases you send
out. You might be thinking, "Well, if they're interested
they'll call" but nine times out of ten it doesn't work that
way. Your press release could be in the mailroom, in someone's
office under a pile of papers or in the garbage unopened. It
definitely hasn't been read! Don't be afraid to make the call.
Whatever the outcome, at the very least you'll be able to use
what you learn for your next publicity effort.

(c) 2005 Sophfronia Scott


About The Author: Author and Writing Coach Sophfronia Scott is
"The Book Sistah" TM. Get her FREE REPORT, "The 5 Big Mistakes
Most Writers Make When Trying to Get Published" and her FREE
online writing and publishing tips at
http://www.TheBookSistah.com The Book Sistah, 230 South Main
St. Ste. 319, Newtown, CT 06470 203-426-2036,
Info@TheBookSistah.com