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How a Virtual Book Tour Can Expand Your Audience

Wondering how to safely promote your book? Simple! Do a virtual book tour. Check out this article where Jackie Lapin shows you how to launch yours

Virtual Book Tour Tina Dietz Twin Flames Studios

If you are an author or leader with a mission or message, then the pandemic may have actually handed you an unexpectedly positive gift!

While the number of podcasts has been growing exponentially all on its own (now reaching more than 1 million), the number of listeners for podcasts AND radio shows during this shelter-at-home period has skyrocketed.

Even when people begin returning to work, many will still maintain their new “podcast habits” because of their allegiance to new hosts and the vital information they offer. A whole new world has opened up for the listener.

Now, couple that with a figure I just saw that book sales are up 777% since the shut-in began!

While this is a misfortune for so many, for the book marketer it is a perfect storm. And you can stay home and be safe, while still reaching millions of ears. 

Virtual Book Tours are supplanting the old notion of a physical in-person book tour…and with the fact that fewer and fewer people are actually buying in brick-and-mortar bookstores, a radio/podcast tour is an ideal opportunity to reach people not only across state lines, but internationally as well.

A Virtual Book Tour is best launched once your book is available for readers to purchase online, and podcast and radio hosts can be sent a physical copy of the book. Believe it or not, in this era of everything digital, show hosts want a real, old fashioned book to read. They don’t want to read it online or on a digital device.

This isn’t a good strategy for pre-orders, as hosts can get annoyed if their listeners are stuck waiting a month or two to get the book they ordered during or after the show.

But that doesn’t mean you should wait till the last minute to execute. You need to be planning well in advance, selecting the dates you want to be on the air, and then reverse engineer. Figure that if you want the hosts to read the book before interviewing you, you must allow one week for the book to arrive in the mail (preferably using the lower cost “media mail”) and then allow the host two weeks to read the book. So start soliciting the hosts at least a month or so before you want to be doing the interviews.

Now many hosts will be booking for months ahead, as they have already filled up the interviews closer in time. Assume that your interviews can be scattered out as far as five months in advance—which actually gives you plenty of time to work them into your schedule without being overwhelmed. Unlike the “old days,” when everything was crammed into the first 90 days because bookstores would start returning books to the publisher if they didn’t see sales movement, today a book campaign is a marathon, not a sprint.  And the radio/podcast shows welcome self-published authors, not just the traditionally published. Only national TV shows and the biggest NPR shows will snub self-published authors today. 

To get booked on your Virtual Book Tour you should have three things ready to go:

  • A compelling pitch letter that answers the host’s question of “Why you?”—What are you bringing to the table that is distinctive, helpful, newsworthy or unique?
  • A comprehensive media kit with a release on the book, your extended bio, a short on-air introduction, the 20 questions you want to be asked (20 because most interviews are now one hour), your website and your social media links
  • And, if your book is a gateway to other products and services, a free offer that you can also promote on the show that gets people to give you their email.  This should have a simple and easy to remember URL. Buy a domain that is memorable to make this easy for folks to remember and for you to deliver.

So don’t lament that the virus crashed your original book tour plans. This is a great opportunity to build momentum without leaving your home. A Virtual Book Tour is a great way to launch a book, revitalize an older book, continue to sell your products using your book as the hook for the interview, or build your movement.

Click here to discover the 20 Factors That Will Tip the Scales in Your Favor to Get Booked on a PodcastVirtual Book Tour Tina Dietz Twin Flames Studios

Jackie Lapin is a leader in helping entrepreneurs, authors, practitioners, speakers, leaders and messengers connect with their next followers around the globe. For the past 10 years, her internationally acclaimed Conscious Media Relations has been providing radio/podcast tours and speaking engagements to support leaders and authors. Conscious Media Relations offers authors to 9000 podcasts and radio shows, guaranteeing 30 interviews.  Learn more at Conscious Media Relations and Speaker Tunity Cities

Jackie Lapin – founder of Conscious Media Relations, and accomplished Book Marketing Coach to help emerging authors navigate the marketing of their books

3 Ways B2B Enterprises Can Leverage Podcasting

Podcasts' popularity has the potential to open doors for every company, including B2B. Here are three ways B2B enterprises can leverage podcasting

The most popular podcasts are businesses unto themselves. From interview formats to history lessons to true-crime storytelling, long-form spoken content has captured the imagination of the public. A staggering 165 million Americans have listened to a podcast at some point. Top podcasts earn millions of viewers and attract top-paying advertisers.

If you operate a business-to-business enterprise, this may seem to have nothing to do with you. Your warm market is not millions strong—you may only be a few thousand appropriate prospects in the world. Even if all of them became avid listeners, it wouldn’t attract big advertising dollars.

Still, a successful podcast isn’t just about direct revenue. Podcasts are relatively easy, cheap, and even fun to produce, and their popularity has the potential to open doors for every company, including B2B.

Here are three ways B2B enterprises can leverage podcasting.

1. Establish Yourself as an Authority

Producing an authoritative podcast makes you an authority. Podcasting can up your cache in your industry, even if your content does not specifically target your B2B warm market. 

If your podcast resonates with the consumer base of your B2B vertical, B2B prospects will take notice. It could lead them to favor your brand over competitors as their B2B vendor. They might agree to be guests on your podcast, establishing their own authority and forming a bond of reciprocity that could blossom into a business relationship.A quality podcast could open the door to speaking engagements, exclusive invitations, and VIP industry insider status. No convention MC is mad about including “Host of the popular podcast XYZ…” when they list the credentials of the keynote speaker in their introduction.

2. Laser-Target Your Warm Prospects

The smaller size and specialization of your warm market is a good thing when it comes to podcast promotion. There may not be many of them, but all of them will be interested in what you have to say. There may only be a handful of podcasts targeted directly to their needs. You could target your prospects with paid search or email campaigns with your podcast as the content.

Consider—a prospect may spam-file a marketing email or scroll right past a social media ad … but a podcast with an attractive subject matter specific to their industry? That may go on the Bluetooth media player of your prospect’s car on the drive to work. Talk about making a warm prospect even warmer.

3. Hone a Brand Message

To cut through the noise in a crowded marketplace, you need a brand message that sets you apart. B2B companies probably already know this, but they may not know how to communicate that voice to the world.

One of the keys to the podcast boom is the unique ability of the format to humanize the podcaster. Like FDR’s fireside chats (arguably the original podcast), it’s a chance for listeners to dive deep into an aloof public persona and find the genuine person beneath.

Podcasts allow you to tell your story—articulate the journey that led you to your position of expertise. Even if a mass audience does not gravitate to your content, it’s an opportunity to forge a personal connection with the B2B prospects who will resonate with your message. 

It’s a chance to be edgy, honest, unflinching and authentically you, to put your brand purpose out into the world and see what comes back.

Ready to put into the world your voice and your brand's purpose?

What’s The Right Book To Write For Your Mission?

Let me guess…you've got at least 3 book ideas clamoring in your head, but you can't sit down and write ANY of them! Here's the help you need, from publisher and book development expert, Julie Ann Eason.

Write For Your Mission - Tina Dietz Twin Flames Studios

Let me guess…You’ve got about 3 different books in your head, all clamoring to be written. So why can’t you just sit down and write them?

They’re all important. They all help people. They’ll all position you as the expert in your industry. You just have to figure out the right one. Right?

I see it every day, unfortunately. Would-be authors going around and around in their brains trying to figure out which direction to go.

There’s probably a book you really want to write, one you think you should write but it doesn’t excite you, and then there’s the real book. The gem. The one that’s going to set you apart and truly showcase your unique brilliance. The book of your heart. You may not even know it exists, but it’s there. You just have to uncover it.

The Right Book Will Align With Your Audience, Purpose, and Goal

The mistake most nonfiction authors make is starting from the inside. They think what do I WANT to write about? That’s where they get stuck because they know so much about their topic that they could write ten books! They struggle for months or even years puttering away on a draft, trying to figure out what’s the most important information they can share with their audiences. That’s a lot of pressure. It wastes a LOT of time and often money. And it’s why my clients come to me for book development, even when they’re already great content creators.

Instead of working from the inside-out, we switch it up and think from the outside-in. That means instead of trying to figure out what you want to say, think about your reader and what they need to hear. We start by answering three questions.

1. Who’s your audience?

Who, exactly, will be reading this book? What’s their problem? What’s your solution? This is the starting point for any book, especially a nonfiction book that’s going to attract people to your business.

2. What’s the purpose or promise of your book?

What will those readers be able to do when they finish your book? How will they be changed? What will they believe? If this isn’t clear from the start, no one’s going to read your book. It won’t even get noticed.

3. What’s the goal for you as the author?

What do you want the reader to do when they’re finished reading? Do you want them to hire you? Buy a product? Donate to a cause? Change their life? Feel better about themselves? Vote a certain way? Writing and publishing a book is a major investment of time, energy, and money. There should be an ROI for you as the author.

These three questions form the foundation of your book development. They must align, if you’re going to have a successful book. Think of your book the missing link between you and your reader. If the book is aligned with what they need and what you want, you have a direct connection and they will likely want to know more about you and what you do. If your book is completely off-base and misaligned, well, that connection may never happen.

I recently consulted with a well-regarded public speaking coach. She wanted to grow her business helping people feel more comfortable delivering value from the stage. When she came to me, she wanted to write a book on women’s empowerment. She told me she had no idea how to get her book out of her head and onto the page. She just couldn’t understand why she was having so much trouble getting started. The reason was simple: her business goals and her book topic didn’t align with what her readers needed. She needed to write a book like How To Nail Your Next Presentation, not one about women’s issues. Once we worked through her book development, she changed direction to align with her clients’ needs and all the pieces just naturally fell into place. The actual writing flowed easily after that.

If you’re not sure where to start or you’re struggling to get the words down on the page, you might be trying to write the wrong book. Remember, work from the outside-in. Once you’ve got your book subject, target audience, and overall business goals in alignment, things tend to move along more smoothly.

Good luck, and I can’t wait to read your book!

Write For Your Mission - Tina Dietz Twin Flames Studios

Julie Anne Eason is a book development expert and the author of The Profitable Business Author and The Work At Home Success Guide. She had ghostwritten New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling books for industry leaders like Russell Brunson, Annie Grace, and Cristy “Code Red” Nickel. Her publishing company Thanet House Books offers a variety of writing and publishing services for nonfiction authors. She also founded The Nonfiction Book Academy to help people write and publish their books on their own. Want some help with your book? Click here to tell us about your project.

Julie Anne Eason – Book development and self-publishing expert

Ep 2493: Twelve Minute Convos w/ Tina Dietz [Podcast]

​I am back with Engel Jones for another amazing Twelve Minute Convos podcast. Such a great concept to spread so many voices(Podcast on Twelve Minute Convos, October, 2019)

twelve minutes convos - Tina Dietz

Tina Dietz is an award-winning and internationally acclaimed speaker, audiobook publisher, podcast producer, and influence marketing expert who has been featured on media outlets including ABC, Inc.com, Huffington Post and Forbes. Tina’s first podcast, The StartSomething Show, was named by INC magazine as one of the top 35 podcasts for entrepreneurs.

In 2016, Tina was the recipient of the Evolutionary Business Council MORE award and in 2017 she received the award for Outstanding Audio Company from The Winner’s Circle. She is also a member of the EBC leadership body and a founding member of the Forbes Coaches Council. Tina was also the lead interviewer in the podcasting documentary “The Messengers” and featured in the film.

Tina splits her time between the US and Costa Rica where she’s part of the leadership team building a community of conscious leaders called Vista Mundo.

Time Stamped Show Notes:

  • How are you doing? [01:01]
  • What’s the latest with you? [01:52]
  • Is the StartSomething Show podcast in hiatus? [03:11]
  • Where is the best place to connect with you? [04:04]
  • On being a stem from an entrepreneurial family. [05:04]
  • Is David in the picture still? [07:13]
  • In closing, is there anything else you’d like to share with our amazing audience? [11:58]

Do Your Press Releases Tell “The Story Behind the Story”?

Great easy tips by Shel Horowitz, book marketing copywriter and strategic marketer, about how to write your book press releases.

Press Releases - Tina Dietz - Twin Flames Studios

Which would you rather read: “Electronic Privacy Expert Releases New Book” OR “It’s 10 O’Clock—Do You Know Where Your Credit History Is?”

If you follow most advice about how to write a press release for a book, you’d end up with something like the first example. You’ll put all the 5Ws in the first paragraph. And you’ll put your readers to sleep.

But when a client hired me to write a press release for a book on electronic privacy, I turned in the second example. The main text repeated the headline and continued: “It's 10 O'clock—Do you know where your credit history is? How about your employment records? Your confidential medical information?

“How would you feel if you found out this sensitive and should-be-private material is “vacationing” in computer databanks around the world—accessible to corporate interests who can afford to track down and purchase it, but not necessarily open to your own inspection?”

The book and author weren’t even mentioned until the third paragraph.

Any book has multiple angles—news hooks you can use to gain media and reader attention. I chose to focus on data privacy that time. If I were writing that press release today, I might focus on identity theft, hacking, or the influence of fake news on elections. But NEVER on “expert releases book.” Publishing a book, by itself, is not news. Just in the US, it happens about a million times a year. That’s 2740 books published every day! You want to stand out in that crowd.

So if you’d rather not imitate a snooze button, try something different. Tell “the story behind the story” and create a press release that people will read (and act on). For nonfiction: What problem does your book solve, what pain does it alleviate, what success does it lead to (financial, relationship, career, personal growth, etc.) Ask yourself who needs the information, and why.

For fiction or memoir, what kinds of people will identify with your main character? What exotic situation or fascinating career fills in the backstory? For either—what seasonal or charity tie-ins, awards, or superstar endorsements make your book newsworthy? If your press release is fun and exciting, readers will realize that your book is also going to be fun and exciting.

As a book marketing copywriter and strategic marketer who writes a lot of press releases and book covers for books, I do this constantly. Here are some actual press release headlines I’ve written for clients (starting with one for my own tenth book):

NONFICTION:

FICTION:

  • If Romeo and Juliet Had THIS Magical Parrot, Things Would Have Been Different: Romeo and Juliet Meets Robinson Crusoe Meets House of the Spirits—in Africa
  • Kidnapping…Terrorists…A Foreign Land: Carinci’s Latest Suspense Thriller Chases Danger Across the Emerald Isle
  • A Children’s Picture Book Where the Good Guys Don’t Win? Yes, Really!
  • Still More Honors for Debut Novel, “The Dark Dreamweaver”—Named an iParenting Media “Greatest Product”

In spite of their “just the facts, Ma’am” training, journalists love these kinds of press releases. And in today’s world where readers can find press releases in search results, you might even capture reader interest directly.

Shel Horowitz writes press releases and book covers and develops strategic marketing for authors, green and social entrepreneur businesses, and nonprofits. His 7th book, Grassroots Marketing for Authors and Publishers (2007), was endorsed by Dan Poynter, Fern Reiss, and other publishing gurus. His 10th book, Guerrilla Marketing to Heal the World, is endorsed by Seth Godin and Chicken Soup’s Jack Canfield. Discuss your next marketing project with Shel: 413-586-2388 (8 a.m. to 10 p.m.US Eastern) or https://goingbeyondsustainability.com/contact/ – and pick up his free gifts for you at https://goingbeyondsustainability.com/freebies/

Shel Horowitz – Book Marketing Copywriter, Strategic Marketer & Book Publishing Consultant

What Authors Need to Know NOW to Solve the Biggest Publishing Mystery

Why do fewer than 10% of nonfiction authors leverage their books into audiobooks? Take a look at what authors need to know to solve this mystery.

Authors Need to Know - Tina Dietz

In the last eight years, the self-publishing industry has EXPLODED. Bestseller campaigns abound and books have become the new business card. Nonfiction authors often invest anywhere from $5,000-20,000 to develop and launch their book and become a bestselling author.

Here lies the mystery…why do fewer than 10% of nonfiction authors leverage their books into audiobooks?

The audiobook industry is growing at 3X the rate of any other kind of publishing, with sales up 34% in the last year. In 2015 alone, 1.5 million more audiobooks were downloaded than ebooks. In 2016, audiobook sales were were up 25%+ over 2015’s sales numbers. Digital Book World names audiobook production as one of the top 11 key trends for authors.

And to top it off, the cost of audiobook production has dropped 50% since 2009.

My team and I searched for the answer to this mystery – talking with authors, publishers, editors and book coaches – and we heard the same thing over and over again.

  1. Authors had no idea that they could dramatically increase their audience, influence, and income with audiobooks.
  2. Authors didn’t know that they didn’t have to give away their royalties or that it was so easy to get a return on their investment.
  3. Worst of all, authors didn’t know their options for audiobook production or where to get started.

Audiobooks are certainly not a new medium and they’re definitely not a fad. Audio has have a long track record of durability and popularity. In fact, audiobooks are simply an extension of oral history and storytelling, which is part of every culture in the world, and much, much older than the written word. Your listener develops a relationship with you when you’re in their ear. Even if the narrator’s voice on the recording isn’t yours, your Voice (capital V) comes through and stays with the listener. Your words, your messages are going directly into someone’s brain like a software download.

We’re wired to listen to stories and that’s something that is not going away.

Most books that have a good, solid narrative are a good candidate to be turned into an audiobook. There’s an especially big opportunity for nonfiction authors right now as well, because very few nonfiction books have been turned into audiobooks yet. That’s a market advantage for any author with good content. Even if your book is technical, putting it into audio can be a big advantage because it allows people to feel as though they’re being taught the material. Many times, people will purchase both the print book and audiobook version so that they have multiple options.

If you find yourself wanting to google audiobook production at this point, then I would recommend you look deeper into audiobook production. However, utilizing outlets like audiobooks and other audio options like podcasting need to be part of a leveraged marketing strategy that is ultimately going to connect you with the right audience, build that audience, and convert them into fans, and clients and customers.

Find out the facts from reliable sources so you can make powerful choices for your business, protect your royalties and skyrocket your audience, influence, and income.

Audio Narration: It’s Not As Easy As It Looks Or Is It? You Decide… [Podcast]

​There are a lot of tricks to narrating your book and putting it out to a wider audience – punch recording, mic technique, breath technique to name a few – and the generally accepted equation is five hours of recording will give you one hour of finished recording.(Podcast on Writer On The Road, November 9, 2016)

Audio Narration Thought Leader - Tina Dietz & Melinda Hammond

Breathing is about getting in touch with your torso; then there’s tone, tempo, flow and sonority. Still with me? Because I haven’t even mentioned audio quality. Narrating a novel requires a level of focus that some of us may just not be able to summon and by the end of my chat with professional narrator, Tina Dietz, I was starting to create a strategy to choose and hire a professional. Did I mention that Tina’s a professional? Book narration is a performance and our books deserve to be treated well. You can find out more here and don’t forget to download your free checklist. I’m going to…

My team and I can help you figure out the best solution to narrate your book

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