5 Tip Series: How to Make the Most of Your Media Exposure

by Dan Smith

In book publicity, it's tempting to wait for publicity to "do its thing." After all, your book has been featured in newspapers and magazines, you've been interviewed on countless radio programs, appeared on TV, and even enjoyed some glowing published reviews. Now, you might think, it's time to sit back and watch the book sales rack up and your book rocket in popularity.

Publicity isn't an "end," it's a beginning; it's now more of a tool than a process. To maximize the benefit of media exposure in today's market, you have to use your publicity. To paraphrase a famous American president, "Ask not what publicity can do for you, but what you can do with your publicity."

The following tips are meant to get your mind thinking in a new direction when it comes to your book and publicity; the possibilities of what you can do are only limited by your imagination.

Tip #1: Use Media Exposure to Make You and Your Book More Appealing to Publishers and Agents

Authors are increasingly going the self-published route first and the traditional publishing route second. Self-publishing is no longer the "ugly stepchild" of the publishing industry, and agents and publishers are taking notice and offering publishing contracts to self-published authors who've proven their merits. But simply writing and publishing a book isn't enough.

High sales numbers will certainly open eyes, and media coverage will too. The classic query letter to an agent or publisher can be transformed into a magnet for attention if accompanied with press clippings and highlights of media coverage. Your odds of getting the attention of an agent or publisher increase substantially if they see that others have already taken an interest in you.