The Tip Sheet
‹‹ Previous Tipsheet | Index | Next Tipsheet ››
issue of : May 2007
In this Issue
- QUOTE OF THE MONTH
- PTA KIDS - PTA Kids
- PTA'S FREE TELESEMINARS
- SURFIN' - A Source for Websites - Top 1000 Literature and City Stats
- WHAT HAVE WE DONE FOR YOU LATELY? - Dates for planning your publicity
- TIPS FROM THE TOP - PTA's Top Recent Bookings - USA Today & Sirius
- LOOK WHAT'S COMING UP!!! - Our Monthly Advice Column
- UPCOMING PUBLISHING EVENTS - BEA and Mega Book
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
"In the case of good books, the point is not how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you."
—Mortimer Adler
If you have a great quote to share, please send it to tipsheet@plannedtvarts.com.
Thanks!
top »
PTA KIDS
PTA Kids is a leading publicity group, promoting children's books, authors and organizations. We are spreading the word on some of today's best authors in the picture book and young adult genres. PTA Kids also works with groups across the nation that work to better the lives of children and families.
Since our launch, PTA Kids has worked with leading publishers such as National Geographic Kids, Tommy Nelson, Simon & Schuster, Scholastic, Disney, and Little Brown. Organizations we've worked with include Childwelfare League of America, National Education Association Press, CARE, National Sleep Foundation, and the National Hearing Speech Language Association. Our team has worked with celebrities and well-known authors including Dick Van Dyke, Jane Goodall, Gloria Gaynor, Governor Mike Easley of North Carolina, Meg Cabot (The Princess Diaries - Harper Collins), and Heidi Murkoff (What To Expect When You're Expecting - Workman).
PTA Kids offers tailored publicity campaigns of all types, with the goal of shedding light on important issues, getting children reading and increasing book sales. Amy Hess, who has worked with PTA for more than 8 years, is the Managing Director of PTA Kids. Amy has a strong background in publicity in addition to experience working with children.
For more information please contact Amy Hess @ 843.903.4482 or hessa@plannedtvarts.com.
top »
PTA'S FREE TELESEMINARS
Upcoming TeleSeminars
Free Teleseminar May 23rd, 8-9pm EST
Rick Raddatz is the founder and CEO of Xiosoft, a company that focuses on creating innovative and easy-to-use web services that make marketing fun and profitable. Prior to founding Xiosoft, Rick worked for Microsoft for over 12 years, and had many closed-door sessions with Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, and other industry titans. He will discuss the *Virtual Book Tour* service sharing how:
- This new service builds *event web pages* to help you promote your event.
- This new service can handle virtual events as large as 50,000 people or more.
- It even helps your fans invite their friends -- helping you build your list and sell more books.
Free Teleseminar June 6, 8-9pm EST
Success Coach Carolyn McCormick will teach "How To Make a 6-Figure Income As A Coach" speaking about:
- Why Coaching is ranked as one of the top home-based businesses in this century
- Why top best-selling authors & speakers are becoming "Success Coaches"
- Why Immersion programs are the biggest missed opportunity in the "Information Industry")
- Why Coaching creates life-long clients who keep buying more of your products
- Turn your $20 book into a high-end coaching earning 100-1000 times more per customer
- 3 KEY Secrets you must know about your customers-they will never tell you!
- 10 Steps To Starting Your Own Coaching Program - IMMERSION TRAINING
To participate: Please call 712-338-8100. Then press in the code: 222089#.
Past Teleseminars:
Remember, our TeleSeminars are free (excluding your call cost). If you missed our last TeleSeminar you can dial the replay line at 507-726-3837 (Press the # sign after you dial in) or go to our website at www.plannedtvarts.com. We have about 55 hours of great information for you!
top »
SURFIN'
Our favorite book is probably not yours. Everyone comes up with top 100 lists for all sorts of things. So what about literature? Eric McMillan an editor, author and publisher based in Canada has on his web site http://www.editoreric.com/greatlit/index.html the 1,000 greatest works of literature (according to him an "amalgam of my opinions and the consensus of others. More others than mine.") The works are broken down by era, and the list is easily perusable and you'll find yourself reading about books that should make you want to pick up some of those books and read them for yourself.
You may not be looking to move soon but if you want to know about a city or town there are various places you can check out. An unbiased web site is http://www.city-data.com/ which contains stats about residents (race, income, ancestries, education, employment...), geographical data, state profiles, crime data, housing, businesses, city government employment, weather, hospitals, schools, libraries, houses, airports, radio and TV stations, zip codes, area codes, air pollution, water systems and their health and monitoring violations.
But let's say you are looking to move http://www.trulia.com/ is a good starting point. They are not real estate brokers or agents. Trulia.com is a real estate search engine that helps you find homes for sale and provides real estate information at the local level to help you make better decisions in the process. They help you understand how your future home stacks up compared to similar homes on the market, and similar homes that have recently sold.
top »
WHAT HAVE WE DONE FOR YOU LATELY?
Here's a sampling of our latest bookings.
For Billion: Selling To the New Chinese Consumerby Tom Doctoroff (Palgrave MacMillan), we arranged interviews with:
- USA Today
- The Chicago Tribune
- Newark Star-Ledger
For Younger You by Dr. Eric Braverman (McGraw-Hill), we set up the following interviews:
- iVillage Live (NBC - National)
- Sirius Satellite Radio/Martha Stewart Living Channel & "Heathy Talk with Deborah Ray"
- CNN.com
For How to Get the Health Care You Want by Laura Casey (1LifePress), we secured the following major daily newspapers:
- The Washington Post
- Arizona Republic
- St. Louis Post-Dispatch
- The New York Daily News (Online) Health Blog
For dccomedyfest, PTA booked the following Washington media outlets:
- The Washington Post (Style, Weekend and Sunday Source sections)
- WRC-TV (NBC - Local)
- WRXL-AM/"Elliot in the Morning"
top »
TIPS FROM THE TOP
The Agenting Process Explained - Part 4 - Matchmaking
After the proposal has been edited and is ready for submission, agents begin what many consider the most important part of their work: coming up with a list of editors who could be interesting in buying the book. Matching editors and publishing houses with projects is an art. Many considerations must be factored in, such as:
- What kinds of books is a house buying?
- What have they bought in the past or do they want in the future?
- What's on their list and what gaps do they have to fill?
- In what directions are they moving and what are their platform demands?
"When I get something that piques my interest, I think: What editors do I know that would feel as excited as I do about this project?" agent June Clark relates. "If a half dozen or so people come to mind, then I feel secure that it's a project I want to take on, because the job of an agent is to know who's buying what at publishing houses – it's being a matchmaker."
Most agents keep detailed records on everyone they've worked with in publishing. Some build databases that contain editors' and publishers' names, contact information, what they've bought and worked on, as well as their likes, dislikes, and publishing history. Other agents simply rely on their memories, knowledge, and experiences with editors and the industry.
Agents keep current by regularly reading industry publications like Publishers Lunch, Publishers Weekly and some of the many blogs that are now written on writing and publishing. Publishers Lunch reports recent book sales and states which editors and houses bought each book. Agents keep in contact by frequently meeting with editors and publishing people, usually over lunch. Agents also attend conferences and events with other agents, editors and publishing professionals. In New York, AAR, the agents' association, hosts monthly programs, including one called Meet the Publisher. At these events, representatives from publishing companies bring some of their editors to tell the group about developments at their houses. AAR also puts on programs on subjects of interest to agents, such as copyright, contracts, and recent industry developments.
An excerpt from the National Bestseller Author 101: Bestelling Secrets from Top Agents by Rick Frishman and Robyn Freedman Spizman with Mark Steisel
top »
LOOK WHAT'S COMING UP!!!
These are dates that just might relate to a Morning Drive or Satellite TV Tour topic:
| July 2007 | |
| June 25th - July 8th | Wimbledon (Tennis) |
| 4th | Independence Day |
| 6th - 14th | Running of the Bulls (Spain) |
| 7th - 29th | Tour De France (Cycling, France) |
| 10th | All Star Game (San Francisco) |
| 19th - 22nd | British Open Golf (Scotland) |
| 22nd | Parents Day |
top »
UPCOMING PUBLISHING EVENTS
BOOK EXPO AMERICA 2007
MAY 31st - JUNE 3rd, 2007 in New York, NY
BookExpo America (BEA) combines the largest selection of English language titles on the planet with special industry and author events and unparalleled educational content to create a dynamic environment for networking, sourcing and relationship building. The excitement of BEA fuels the passion for books and sparks new ideas for publishers, booksellers, librarians and rights professionals from around the world. There will be titles and products from over 2,000 exhibiting companies from around the world and over 600 authors at the world's largest autograph signing program. BookExpo America 2007 will take place at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City on the following dates:
- Writer's Conference - Wed, May 30
- Educational Program - Thur, May 31 to Sun, June 3
- Exhibition Halls - Fri, June 1 to Sun, June 3
- International Rights Center - Fri, June 1 to Sun, June 3
For more information go to: www.bookexpoamerica.com
MEGA BOOK MARKETING UNIVERSITY
MAY 31st, 2007 in New York, NY
A Special Invitation for Book Expo America 2007 Attendees ...Attend This Special Book Marketing Crash Course ... and Discover the Truth About What You Really Need to Do to Become a World-Famous, Multi-Millionaire, Best-Selling Author.
Mega Book New York will give you access to six of the publishing industry's superstars - Larry Kirschbaum, Alex Mandossian, Brendon Burchard, Rick Frishman, and Tom Antion - the best-selling authors and top book marketing strategists who sell millions of dollars worth of books and information products for themselves and their clients each year.
And now they're ready to share their proven book marketing blueprints with you. Here's a small sample of the powerful ideas, useful information, and cutting-edge innovations you'll discover during our information-packed day together.
Book Expo America is the co-sponsor of this event with Mark Victor Hansen and Rick Frishman.
For more information go to: www.megabookny.com
top »
