• December 14, 2011
  • Featured, Staff Articles
  • Comments Off on How OK! Magazine Taught Me a Thing or Two About Book Promotion

How OK! Magazine Taught Me a Thing or Two About Book Promotion

OkMagazine2 How OK! Magazine Taught Me A Thing Or Two About Book Promotion

Let’s say I’m the editor of a weekly supermarket tabloid that focuses on celebrities. I’m writing an article on a certain celebrity couple’s relationship that’s been all over the news lately and I need quotes from a relationship expert.

And…I’m on a deadline. The few relationship experts I have in my Rolodex are either out of town, won’t answer their phone or are tired of being harassed by weekly supermarket tabloid editors.

Whatever the reason, I’m sweating, hyperventilating and don’t have a moment to spare. Then, a light bulb goes off. This isn’t old journalism, I scream! Get with the times!

So…I go to the Internet.

I know which search words I want to use and I fly over to Google and put them in. “Relationship expert” seems to be the operative phrase here and I frantically type it in their search box. As I’m busy, I stop at the first 3 pages of search and jot down what names I find (btw, the average Internet user finds what they are looking for in the first three pages of search).

And…I send out emails.

Less than 24 hours later, a “relationship expert” responds to my email. She is more than happy to give me a quote and I give her a call. Bingo bango, I have her quote and I send them off to the presses just in the nick of time.

A week later, the tabloid is sitting proudly on grocery store and bookstore shelves and I thank God for the wonderful powers of the Internet.

I can personally relate to this story because I am the relationship expert that the editor of OK! Magazine phoned whose quote appeared in the October 12, 2006, edition of one of the most popular tabloids on the supermarket shelves.

As an author who was learning how to promote her books online, I knew the powers of adding key search words to my press releases and blog posts, or anything else that was posted online. I knew I had to focus on the set of key search words that people (in this case a very important editor) would be using to find me.

And this is what I do for my clients at Pump Up Your Book. Before you even think about promoting online, you must come up with a set of key search words that will bring people to your website or blog where they can find out more about you and your book. Your name out there isn’t enough. Your book’s title out there isn’t enough. Whether you write about relationships or historical fiction or poetry or the latest antics of your dog, if you want notoriety, if you want your star to shine, you must add to your online exposure by incorporating those key search words so that not only will your readers find you, but those hungry editors and journalists who write for big time newspapers and magazines, will too. Who knows? Maybe you’ll get that email or phone call that will have you thanking God for the wonderful powers of the Internet just like I did.

Do you incorporate key search words in your blog posts? Have you ever been contacted by an editor because they found you online due to those strategically placed tags?  Don’t forget that in order to strengthen your author platform, using those key search words will definitely get the results you are looking for no matter if you’re a nonfiction or fiction author.

Dorothy_Thompson

Dorothy Thompson is the compiler/editor/co-author of Romancing the Soul: True Stories of Soul Mates From Around the World and Beyond, as well as other relationship ebooks such as How to Find and Keep Your Soul Mate and 101 Facts You Never Knew About Soul MatesHer relationship columns have appeared in eNotAlone, SistersDiva Magazine, MindBodySpirit Magazine, Singles Cafe, SinglesStop, Innerself, Single Again, Free Spirit Centre, Holistic Harmony, SpiritualMinds, Self-Growth, Into the Mystic, Romance Stuck and many other relationship ezines as well as The Eastern Shore News and The Daily Times, both Gannet Publications.  She has been featured in the supermarket tabloid, OK! Magazine as well as appearing as a special guest on many radio programs including Lifetime Radio, Single Talk, Cuzzin Eddie Show and A Book and a Chat.

Dorothy is also CEO/Founder of Pump Up Your Book, an innovative public relations agency specializing in online book publicity and social media.  You can visit her website at www.PumpUpYourBook.com or follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pumpupyourbook and Facebook at www.facebook.com/pumpupyourbook.

Dorothy lives on the beautiful island of Chincoteague, Virginia.


Comments are closed.