Publicity

What do you picture when you envision a publicist for your book? Someone on the phone, making deals, wearing Armani shades? Perhaps they get you on TV or the radio?

Actually, your publicist will most likely be you and no one else. I listened to a great talk last month by Stephanie Chandler who is a pro at both traditional publicity as well as the more modern uses of social media. What struck me as particularly surprising during her talk was how easy and incredibly useful traditional types of publicity are and how you can get access to them. She herself has spoken on TV, radio, internet podcasts and a variety of other media all the while promoting her published books and engaging a wider audience of readers.

People who work in media always badly need new content, so what can you provide to them? What’s your particular area of expertise? What unique life experiences qualify you to be an “expert” on a given topic?