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Welcome to Season 4 of The Book Marketing Action Podcast with Becky Robinson, where we give you information you can immediately implement to increase your influence and market your books more successfully.
This episode is all about the world of public relations for authors. Becky is joined by PR coach and publicist Lilian Sue. During the episode, Lilian talks about how impactful mindset is when it comes to PR, some of the most important components of a PR strategy for authors, and how PR supports book promotion and marketing.
Key Points From This Episode:
[01:44] Lilian shares a little bit about herself and her work in the world.
[05:40] Lilian reveals how authors can shift their mindset on issues related to publicity and how to make PR more approachable.
[11:16] What are the crucial components of a PR strategy for authors? Lilian outlines them.
[19:08] Lilian talks about the value of an author doing their own pitching to media outlets versus outsourcing to a publicist.
[23:12] Lilian explains why PR is such an important piece of the book promotion puzzle.
[27:17] For any fiction authors who listen to the podcast, Lilian provides some inspiration and guidance as it relates to marketing and PR for fiction books.
Action Steps:
- Sit down and start brainstorming about what your goals are. Don’t just say that you want more sales—figure out how you are going to get there and what different methods you could use to get there.
- Think about whether you have some self-limiting beliefs that are holding you back. Reflect on what your mindset is and the role it might be playing as you market your book.
Resources:
- Follow Lilian on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.
- Contact Lilian through her website.
- Learn about Lilian’s first nonfiction PR book, The Powerful Publicity Prescription, and consider supporting her launch campaign.
Key Quotes:
I empower authors to gain the confidence to push past limiting beliefs such as fear, anxiety, and impostor syndrome to really learn how to use the tools, resources, and skills to launch successful campaigns. —Lilian Sue
Instead of looking at a media outlet, a podcast, a freelance writer, or a blogger as a stranger, find some common ground. —Lilian Sue
What makes your story unique, as an author and for your book, and why should a media outlet care? How is this going to appeal to them? How is it going to appeal to their audiences? If you can answer those questions in your pitch, it’s going to make it a lot easier and much more likely for you to get a response from a media outlet. —Lilian Sue
I always put an emphasis on the promotion piece and say, “Hey, this is awesome. We had that interview that went live. Now we have to work together to really promote it and make sure audiences see it.” They listen to it, and they follow you, subscribe to your newsletter, or buy your book because of it. —Lilian Sue
If you’ve never done publicity before, reach out to your community and your fellow authors who may write in similar genres to see who they would recommend. —Lilian Sue
To connect with Becky Robinson, send her an email here!
I am the founder/CEO of the Weaving Influence team, the author of Reach: Creating the Biggest Possible Audience for Your Message, Book, or Cause, and the host of the Book Marketing Action Podcast. I’m a wife and mom of three kids, and I enjoy running, reading, writing, coffee, and dark chocolate.