The Hartsock Agency » Books

The Media Should Know What You Know

Nettie Hartsock — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 18:31:44 +0000

If you’re an author, whether you are working with a publicist or without a publicist, it’s very important to keep in mind that part of your success is being able to answer the who, what, why, when and how for the media and its listener base.

We’re all curious about the latest trend, breaking news, new innovations, interesting and unique people or products, and the media is exactly the same way. Imagine if you can help create a new trend with your book or ideas. Imagine giving the media a brand new angle for coverage of a saturated topic.

Creativity is key to providing the unique news-hook for your book or your platform so that the media wants to feature you. Authors must think about how their book applies to the hot issues of the day – it’s a constant and ever-changing focus. One of the basic questions to ask is, “Is my story relatable? Does my story tap into something that people are worried about or an issue that might be controversial?”

For instance, some very prevalent issues as I write this column are the environment, the economy, the oil spill, the family crisis in terms of parenting and stresses on family, diets and healthful living. Each day a new opportunity presents itself to pitch your story forward in a meaningful and news-hook fashion.

Think how you can be part of the news discussion almost in real-time, as it is happening. Don’t discount your opinion and how it might be valuable to many other associated topic interviews beyond your book.

Whether it’s hard-hitting news interviews or feature pieces, the key for you is to be able to successfully tie-in these larger issues to your book or your platform, and speak effectively on those when you are tapped by the media.

Reporters and media need credible sources, and you are the best possible source for them as long as you’re well-versed in your topic area and you are armed with verifiable facts.

The media is counting on you to be the expert, to elevate the discussion and help everyone progress to a deeper understanding of the topic or subject manner. If you think of several different angles for the story, this will help you in creating something unique from your expert perspective. Asking questions is key to this practice.

Who is important in this story? How will my interview impact the listeners, and why should they absolutely be listening? How can I effect change in their lives through this interview?

The media aims to establish significance of any story for their listener base, and they rely on their guests to help them do that. The more a news story applies to current events and topics, or is relevant to the listener community at large, the more opportunity and success you’ll have to be a featured expert.

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How Not To Promote Your Book: Drive-By Blog Comments

Nettie Hartsock — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:01:32 +0000

Because I come from an Internet journalist background, I felt compelled to post this comment below that I received on the post I did “I’m not Your Social Media Expert, and That Should Make You Happy” .

I very rarely do not approve a comment to my blog because it’s very important to keep the communication gates open both ways and we’re all here to learn together. With that in mind, please take this lesson to heart. It is not good marketing to post a short blurb about your book in someone’s comment section of their blog. I know there are some book “marketers” and book “social media experts” who for years have touted this as a good idea. Heck, they’ve even published this suggestion in some of their own books!

However, this is never a good idea. Ever, ever, ever.

Think of it like this. What if you decided, in an effort to get more buzz out about your book, that the best possible thing you could do is spray paint the front of someone’s home with your book title and short description?

This would actually make the homeowner feel great rancor toward you and the neighborhood (her community) wouldn’t much cotten to seeing this either. They trust the homeowner to keep her home spiffy, smart and valuable!

A blog is someone’s home. People come to it and the blog author opens his/her doors to a knowledge base that will hopefully be very educational and actionable. And FREE of marketing blather including in the comment section.

With that in mind, here is the aforementioned comment I received (I’ve edited it a bit so not to expose the commenter, so anywhere you see BOLD I’ve changed it from what it actually was.)

“Shoved to the curb and left to fend on her own at the age of 14; AUTHOR NAME eventually went on to receive a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work.

But God was not welcome nor allowed to be spoken on the job… Not able to do so, AUTHOR NAME went on to work for the Archdiocese of St. Paul/ Minneapolis for 8 years.

NAME OF BOOK is a true story of AUTHOR NAME strength & perseverance. That, combined with her strong faith is what makes this story unique and a must read!

This is AUTHOR NAME first book and is currently working on her sequel… NAME OF NEW SEQUEL.”

So here’s the thing, this comment not only violates the good mojo in terms of respecting one’s home blog turf, but also it shows these three things:

1. The author has not ever read the blog she just posted a comment to.

2. The author did not actually read the blog post she posted the comment to.

3. The author is unaware of how one should post comments to a blog.

Lessons Learned:

1. Read the blog you’re going to post a comment to.

2. If you want your book reviewed or want to drive traffic to your book site – research the sites that talk about books, book reviewing and reach out to those blog editors in person through an email pitch, not through an email pitch.

Here are some good ones to check out -

a. BergersBookReviews.com – Alice Berger’s fantastic site.

b. Bookpleasures.com - Norm Goldman’s superb site. Note, on Norm’s link that he has a quick review service, but also offers a free review service.

*I posted the two examples above without the direct contact information (emails etc.) because I’m mean and I don’t want to share. Ok…that’s not really true. I posted them like that so you could learn how easy it is to use this little free tool called the Internet, hit those sites and get the contact information on how to pitch them books very easily from their site!

To sum up: Be your own best advocate, keep pitching and swerving and building strong lists for your book, and don’t listen to everything social media book gurus advise you to do.

And in the words of one of my favorite Monty Python songs, “Always look on the bright side of life, always look on the bright side of life.” How does that apply to marketing your book? There are thousands of blogs you can find to feature your book if you’ll just stay positive, focused and in it for the long haul.

Now go and get your book out there!

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Stop Whining in the Cactus

Nettie Hartsock — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 23:16:10 +0000

Just to get this out at the onset, I’m not an affiliate of FiledBy.com. However, what they are doing for authors is really superb and again I must say that it is an ideal way at a very good price point (starting at free) to get your visibility empowered on the Web.

There’s been quite a bit back and forth about how FiledBy.com is just creating another place that authors have to update, yada, yada, yada and woe is we authors who shouldn’t have to help with our own marketing. I have two words to say to that, “Boots on!” which in Texas stands for “Stop whining in the cactus, put your boots on, stop the woeing and start marching to your next big book rodeo!”

Even if you just are going to use the free offerings of FiledBy.com, who would not want to at least do that? Do you want to be on the lone prairie all by your lonesome book self? Or do you want to take advantage of the amazing opportunities in this new publishing rodeo and ride like the wind to your many cheering denizens?

I pick ride like the wind, and I hope that means you will to and at the very least fill out your free profile on FiledBy.com .

Here’s a great example of the homepage today to “spur” you on. It features Seth Godin, John Perkins and a few other authors you just might recognize! If you can’t see it because the image is too small – that’s on purpose – so you’ll have to go to FiledBy.com today and see it there.

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Sherman Alexie on BigThink.com – ebooks and more

Nettie Hartsock — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:26:53 +0000

Go to Bigthink.com and see Sherman Alexie’s take on ebooks, publishing and more. Really must see if you’re an author or in publishing.

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Shelfari Amps Up New Features for Community

Nettie Hartsock — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 00:58:55 +0000

: Image via Wikipedia

Very cool Shelfari has amped up new features on its site to make it all that more accessible and community-focused. The new feature is still in beta, but I encourage you to check it out and see what you can add!

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Google Books Settlement Heating Up

Nettie Hartsock — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 13:55:50 +0000

Check out this NYTimes article on the Google Books settlement – it’s not over!

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Good Resource for You

Nettie Hartsock — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 00:12:06 +0000

I’ve been at a really interesting conference about book publishing this weekend. The two days were filled with some excellent insight and I’ll be sharing some of the tips out of the conference with you this week, along with links to the folks who put the event on.

While you’re waiting check out Mark Effinger’s company Rich Content and read his company story. We all know I’m a giant fan of folks using PRWeb so there’s an interesting piece on it too at the site.

Check back on Monday!

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Alice Hoffman, Twitter, Yikes

Nettie Hartsock — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:12:11 +0000

Ok, I’m pasting this for now and a link to the story about Alice Hoffman and the Twitterboxing and then I’ll be back. Talk amongst yourselves. I will say in reference to the above image, you can take down a Twitter page (which has now been done with AliceHof) but the cached page is still available!

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Top 10 Things I Overhead Myself Say at the Agents’ Conference (to real agents)…

Nettie Hartsock — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 22:42:30 +0000

10. I’m funny.

9. What’s a query? Can you define it?

8. I have no experience in that subject, but I know I could write an amazing book about it.

7. I don’t need no stinkin’ editorial suggestions.

6. When you say, “That’s not funny,” are you kidding?

5. Couldn’t you just take this book idea because you like me, you really like me?

4. It’s like we’re on a first date, and my Southern accent is overwhelming you.

3. But if you just spent a day with me – you’d know how funny I am.

2. If you don’t take this book I WILL FIND YOU.

1. It’s just like Eat, Pray, Love but less eating, much less praying and bereft of love.

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Get Your Query On

Nettie Hartsock — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 15:44:49 +0000

Go on and get your query on.

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Berrett-Koehler Tips on Amazon – Read them!

Nettie Hartsock — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 15:48:13 +0000

If you only read one thing today it should be this great insight from BK on how to ensure success on Amazon.

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Give Your Book Meaning

Nettie Hartsock — Thu, 21 May 2009 21:47:38 +0000

“I wanted instead to write books that were fire and ice, wind sweeping the earth. I wanted to write books that, once experienced, could not be forgotten, books that would be cherished as we cherish the most exquisite light we have ever seen. I had contempt for anything less than this perfect book that I could imagine. This book that lived in my imagination was small and perfect and I wanted it to live in person after person, forever. Even in the darkest of human times, it would live. Even in the life of one person who would sustain it and be sustained by it, it would live. I wanted to write a book that would be read even by one person, but always. For the rest of human time some one person would always know that book, and think it beautiful and fine and true, and then it would be like any tree that grows, or any grain of sand. It would be, and once it was it would never not be.

In my secret longings there was another desire as well, not opposite but different, not the same but as strong. There would be a new social order in which people could live in a new way. There would be this new way of living which I could, on the edges of my mind and in the core of my being, imagine and taste. People would be free, and they would live decent lives, and those lives would not be without pain, but they would be without certain kinds of pain. They would be lives untouched by prisons and killings and hunger and bombs. I imagined that there could be a world without institutionalized murder and systematic cruelty.

I imagined that I could write a book that would make such a world possible.”

–Andrea Dworkin, 1978

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