How to Publish a Book for Publicity

Gaining Credibility as an Expert in your Field


How can you gain credibility for writing a book? 
The answer is, by simply letting people know. You could be incredibly talented in your various areas of specialisation but the fact of the matter is, no one will listen to what you have to say until they know your credentials. The best way to let people know your credentials is to market yourself to tell them. People don't know anything until they are told and people don't believe anything until they are told multiple times and from multiple sources.

For example: If you tell someone you are an expert in flying helicopters as you have had 20 years experience they may believe you, but just because they believe you doesn't mean they are ready to put their life in your hands and go for a ride with you. If a friend referred you to them saying, "Joe Smith is the best helicopter pilot I have ever met. I always feel safe flying with him because he has had over 20years experience and knows his stuff", suddenly they not only believe what is said, but it holds more weight because you didn't say it yourself. Knowing you are the best and getting someone else to tell people you are the best is still not enough for someone to put their entire trust in you, they don't only need to believe and have backup that what you say is true, but they need to see and experience it for themselves. In the case of a helicopter pilot, seeing for themselves may not necessarily be taking a flight (as the customer is not yet convinced this is safe) but it could be watching a training video where they see you safely take off and land, or where you talk them through the control panel so they are reassured you know how to operate the helicopter. 

If flying helicopters isn't your thing or making a training video is too difficult, time-consuming or expensive, there is a much easier, quicker and more effective way to gain credibility as an expert in your field... write a book! It may sound too easy but it is working time and time again everyday around the world. People are coming up with fantastic products or services every day, but most of them don't even get a chance to try and make it in the marketplace because nobody wants to listen to what a nobody has to say. You are not a nobody, you are just not a somebody yet.

Do I hear you say:

• But there isn't a market for a book on my topic
• But how do I get publicity just from writing a book?
• But publicity is just too hard to obtain
• But just because I have written a book doesn't mean people will take me seriously
• But I need media attention, not just a bit of publicity
• But I don't know how to be an author
• But I don't have time to write a book
amongst many other concerns.

You don't need to be worried about any of these things. The boxes on the following pages highlight the solutions to each of the common concerns mentioned above.

"But there isn't a market for a book on my topic" 

There is always a market for your book. If there is a market for your service/product, then there is a market for your book. If there isn't a market for your service or product you should really think strongly about why you want the publicity to promote it in the first place. Just because you don't know the market doesn't mean it doesn't exist, it just means you have to find it. There are numerous ways to do this, which are all outlined in Step 7 in more detail.

"But how do I get publicity just from writing a book?" 

There are many ways to do this which will be elaborated on in more detail in Step 7, however you would be surprised how easy it is. The success stories I have heard time and time again always go along the same lines...

"I had this fantastic service/product which could help people everywhere, but whenever I spoke to the media about getting coverage they just laughed at me saying, 'Nobody wants to hear from you' or 'What's your name again?'As soon as I published my book, when I approached people telling them I had just released a book on... which was already available in bookstores, they suddenly had a space for a TV/Newspaper/Radio appearance for me. While I got the media attention because of the book, once I had the interview I could let the people know all about the service/product. Once they knew about it, my sales went through the roof. Better yet, once the media caught hold of what was going on, they were calling me and suddenly all the hard work was done" 

I could substitute numerous products and people's names into the above scenario as I see the same stories happening over and over again. No one wants to know what you have until everyone wants to know who you are.

"But publicity is just too hard to obtain" 

Traditionally, yes... publicity has in the past been very hard to get, but not anymore. You can now have a press release go out to all of Australia & New Zealand or USA & UK relatively inexpensively and you don't even need to write or distribute it yourself ( see Step 7 for more details ). Not bad for creating instant credibility on a global scale practically overnight. Oh, and did I mention that publicity is now also available on time payments or 6 months interest free, so you don't even need to pay for it until after you have already begun making money from the sales of your book.

"But just because I have written a book doesn't mean people will take me seriously" 

Just because you have written a book doesn't mean people will take you seriously, but what it does mean is that people will stop and listen to what you have to say. All publicity does is create an opening and it is up to you to do the rest. If you release a book that doesn't have substance in it, you will still receive publicity, it just won't be of the positive kind. Likewise, if you obtain the interviews/ media attention and your product or service doesn't hold up, then once again you will get plenty of publicity, but not necessarily of the kind you want.

Be very careful if publicity is your aim, as the purpose of the publicity when it comes to writing a book is to gain a reputation as an expert in your field of speciality. If either your personal presentation (both how you dress and what you say) or the substance of your book and service/product don't hold up, while you will get publicity (and once you have it, is hard to get rid of) you will lose any credibility you gained almost as quickly as it came.

"But I need media attention, not just a bit of publicity" 

As already mentioned, the two go smoothly hand in hand. If you follow all the steps outlined in this book you will get publicity. The more you follow them and the quicker you follow them, the quicker it will come. As soon as the media gets wind of what you are doing, you will no longer need to chase publicity. And trust me, when the media frenzy starts, boy does it feel great!

"But I don't know how to be an author" 

You don't need to. If you don't know how to be an author yet, read the entirety of this book and by the end of it you definitely will. If you follow all the steps outlined in this book (and there is a checklist included to help you with that) you will find that you will be an expert author in no time.

"But I don't have time to write a book" 

Alternatively, if you really don't have time to write a book but still want credibility, then pay someone else to write your book for you. It is a quick and easy way to buy the publicity you so desire. For more detailed information on how ghost writing could work for you please check out Chapter 7.

As you can see, the power of a publicity book is in the correct use of the distribution channels, so make sure you study Step 7 in great detail to ensure you receive the publicity you require. It is ideal (not essential, just highly advised) that when publishing a book for publicity that you don't just follow the distribution method specifically for publicity but that you use a combination of every form of distribution, as this will ensure you reach your desired outcome in the quickest possible.way.

Remember, people want to hear the same message multiple times from multiple sources and in multiple media before they believe it or want to become involved. The power of distribution when it comes to gaining credibility works quicker and more effectively if you market in multiple media simultaneously to get your message out there.

Self distribution involves self publicity eg. word of mouth, marketing campaigns, plugs from stage etc. (see Step 7 for more details). Online distribution involves online publicity eg. e-mail marketing, website with good Search Engine Optimisation, Adwords campaigns to drive additional qualified traffic (see Step 7  for more details). Book Store Distribution involves bookstore publicity eg. press releases, online + offline presence in stores, book signings etc. (see Step 7 for more details). The power of effective marketing to achieve publicity is in the combination of all media and their being used simultaneously.

Saying that, if your aim is to achieve publicity then, cost aside, having a physical book is a must. No matter how much money you may be making from selling ebooks, you will never gain publicity from writing an ebook. There are people out there right now making millions from authoring 50-100 ebooks and no one knows who they are. You can't do a television appearance and hold up an ebook, you can't buy an ebook from a bookstore when browsing for a friend, you can't wrap an ebook to give as a present and you certainly can't hold book signings once you have achieved your publicity for an ebook. There is no doubt about it, a physical book is an essential part of your publishing process if publicity is your aim.

Please see the following diagram for the pros and cons of  ' The Printed Book'. Work out what the requirements are for your target market and check 'The Printed Book' meets your requirements.

APPLICATIONS FOR THE PRINTED BOOK	Printed Book	Audio Book	The'e' Product
Suitable for'The Dream Book':	✓
Suitable for'The Passive Income Book':	✓
Suitable for'The Credibility Book':	✓
You can physically hold it	✓
You can give it away	✓
You can buy it in a bookstore	✓
You can buy it online	✓
You can buy it in person	✓
You can find it in a library	✓
You can get it signed by the author	✓
It can be obtained by anyone	✓
There is a growing market	✓
It is free to produce	X
You can keep the first copy	✓
You can release multiple editions	✓
It can be any size	✓
It can be changed quickly and easily	X
It can be delivered instantly	X
It can be read online	X
It can be read while travelling on the train	✓
It can be read while driving	X
It can be read in any location	✓
It is suitable for any target market	✓
There is no risk involved in production	X
There is no risk involved in distribution	X
There is no cost involved if returned	X
There is no need to be actively selling your book	X
There is no need to be actively distributing your book	X
It can be distributed anywhere in the world	✓
You don't need to keep stock on hand	X
It is the most popular way to publish a book	✓
Is it the right format for you?	✓
Is it the best format for your subject matter?	?
Is it the best format for your target market?	?

Even with all the pros and cons the physical book is still the most popular form of publishing a book today and will continue to be so for many years to come. The question isn't whether it is popular, the question is whether it is right for you, your subject matter and your target market.