EMSI

It’s Not About the Technology, It’s About the Customers

When I started working with authors on their publicity campaigns, the landscape was reasonably simple. Arranging phone interviews on talk radio shows, appearances on TV and getting reviews in major newspapers and magazines drove consumer interest. Everyone bought their books in bookstores and the only people interested in the Internet were some computer geeks.

Boy, have things changed. Today 44 percent of ALL books sold in North America are sold online at Amazon.com. What’s more, e-books now account for nearly 30 percent of all of Amazon’s sales. Read more on online book promotion →

How About NOW?

“What may be done at any time will be done at no time.” — Scottish Proverb

Okay, don’t ask what the Jewish grandmother from New York is doing with a Scottish proverb. My chief strategist found it for me, and it fit the tone of my message today. Read more on when to start your PR campaign →

You may have heard me say this over and over – but it’s a fact: Talk radio is a great avenue for getting your message in front of a wide audience. With such an abundance of shows airing on terrestrial stations, online stations and satellite radio, and covering such a wide range of topics, you’re sure to find many that will be a good match for your message.

So how do you get on the air? Here are six tips designed to get you talking: Read more on 6 tips for getting booked as a talk radio guest →

Ever since the days when every TV set was a massive 12 inches, and millions of Americans tuned in to watch I Love Lucy in glorious black and white, television has been in the center of our living rooms.

Today, the screens are larger, the picture is in high-definition color and the programming choices are near infinite. Also, in addition to shows of general interest, there are now literally hundreds of cable network shows that cater to specialized niche markets. Plus, millions are now watching TV shows on their cell phones and computers. All in all, TV viewership continues to soar. Read more on how to make the most of your on-air time →

Then You Need to Get the Media Talking About You

If I had a nickel for every client or potential client who asked me if I could get them on Larry King, Oprah, Ellen, Charlie Rose, Keith Olberman, Glenn Beck, Bill O’Reilly or Rachel Ray, I’d have retired long since. Read more on how to get on the big talk shows →

Many new authors think the answer is either “when the book is done” or “doesn’t the publisher take care of that?”

But unless you are a Glenn Beck or Dan Brown, both of those responses are dead wrong. Read more on when an author should start to think about book promotion →

Achieving success as an author isn’t like instant mashed potatoes – you don’t just add hot water and stir.

I speak with new authors every day, and occasionally I find myself saying this during a phone conversation. More often than not, the author I’m talking to has been telling me how frustrated he is about promoting and marketing his book. He’s come to the painful realization that the lengthy and arduous process of writing his book is just the first step along the road to literary success. He never really understood that the work and effort needed to get his book onto the nightstands of readers could be just as demanding, just as arduous as the writing, editing and publishing. Or, he just didn’t know how to make it happen. Read more on why you can't become a successful author without publicity →

One of the things I love about my job is solving problems.

Sure, it’s great to have a client walk in the door who has a unique product or service, solid credentials and a compelling angle. It makes the work easier, certainly, but it sometimes is more satisfying to solve what a client thinks is an unsolvable problem in a creative way. Read more on the 5 steps for using creative PR to become an expert celebrity →

I speak with authors on a daily basis, usually about the promotion of their book, and all too often they are sitting somewhere on the scale between frustration and apathy.

If this is you, and you are ready to throw in the towel, then I’m writing this for you. Read more on giving up on your book promotion →

VIP Authors host, Shelley Lieber, invited Marsha Friedman to share her tips for authors to become well known in a teleseminar on March 24, 2010.

Click here to listen to teleseminar.