The Tip Sheet

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issue of : January 2008

In this Issue

• QUOTE OF THE MONTH
• PTA CHANGES
• PTA Interactive (PTAi) - Interactive
• PTA'S FREE TELESEMINARS
• SURFIN'
• WHAT HAVE WE DONE FOR YOU LATELY? - PTA's Recent Bookings - Press Conferences Coverage and Trend Spotting for 2008
• PITCH IDEAS - Ideas for anchoring your publicity - Cookbooks, Health, Sports and more
• TIPS FROM THE TOP - Our Monthly Advice Column - Agents Checklist
• PUBLISHING EVENTS

 

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

"Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing."

—Albert Schweitzer

If you have a great quote to share, please send it to tipsheet@plannedtvarts.com.
Thanks!

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PTA CHANGES

Rick Frishman, who celebrated the conclusion of 2007 with 31 years as the president of Planned Television Arts, now begins the new year in the role of Founder and Senior Counsel, working closely with PTA's management team, mentoring staff members, and continuing to bring in new authors and clients to PTA.

David Hahn, Senior Vice President and 22-year PTA veteran, has been named Managing Director and will assume overall responsibility for the agency.

Rick says, "David and I have been planning on this transition for a year now so PTA will run very smoothly as it always has.  I’m going to be focusing more on several book projects I currently have, taking on additional speaking engagements and seeking new business opportunities for PTA.  I’ve also taken on the position of Publisher at Morgan James Publishing so PTA will be partnering closely with many of their authors.

David adds, "There is a great tradition of excellence in service and innovation at PTA that I look forward to continuing.  We have ambitious growth plans for 2008 opening new offices in Chicago and San Francisco and expanded offerings in our interactive division.  We appreciate everyone’s support and look forward to connecting with old and new clients and colleagues this coming year."

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PTA Interactive (PTAi)

In this WEB 2.0 World (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0), Web-savvy authors have more opportunity than ever to connect directly with their audience via the Internet.  With more than 200,000 new titles published every year, competition among authors for traditional media is fierce. Helping clients stay on the cutting edge, PTAi (PTA Interactive) helps authors capitalize on the myriad new opportunities available to have their voices heard online. 

New division head, Jeff Nordstedt, a 10-year publishing veteran, says, “PTA has always targeted online outlets to get attention for clients. However, the new PTA Interactive division will offer a full suite of new Web-based services.”  These services include Social Media Marketing (working with blogs, podcasts, Myspace, Facebook, etc.), Unique Viral Content Development and Distribution (online article postings, e-book reviews, online interviews, book excerpt postings, links, and Web site coverage --Content is King!), and Basic Search Engine Optimization. We will also be offering content-managed websites and web development consulting to help bridge the gap between your Webmaster and the book industry. 

Our service, like many of PTA’s services, comes with a combination of clear-cut objectives, weekly reports, targeted outreach, and benchmarks for measurable success. Authors can utilize our entire package of online services or customize a campaign to meet his or her specific short and long-term goals and budget.

Some of our recent web hits include:

• http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/13/business/smallbusiness/13toolkit.html
• http://www.bookpleasures.com/Lore2/idx/0/3185/article/The_Inside_Advantage.html 
• http://mojoey.blogspot.com/2008/01/book-review-new-american-judaism.html
• http://businessmajors.about.com/od/booksonleadership/gr/InsideAdv.htm
• http://www.drewsmarketingminute.com/2007/10/grow-or-die-how.html
• http://fantasyscifibookreview.blogspot.com/2007/11/charon-covenant-by-brenda-munday.html

Below are a few authors blogs that PTAi helped create:

• http://www.theunorthodoxrabbi.com/blog
• http://www.energizeyourheart.com/blog
• http://www.theringintherubble.com

Please contact: Brian Feinblum @ 212-583-2718 and feinblumb@plannedtvarts.com

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PTA'S FREE TELESEMINARS

Upcoming TeleSeminars

Free Teleseminar January 16^th, 8-9pm EST

Leading Internet marketer and publishing expert, Ruby Yeh reveals how you can maximize multimedia exposure through publishing an ebook.  The former Silicon-based entrepreneur and Fortune 500 executive is the founder of a new venture that produces high-end Multi-Media e-books for authors and infopreneurs, www.AliveEbooks.com.  She answers the following questions:

• What is a multi-media e-book and why is it a publishing breakthrough for authors?
• What are the editorial benefits and business benefits?
• How can an author use the Multi-media e-book concept?
• Do you need to have much technical knowledge?

Free Teleseminar January 23^rd, 8-9pm EST

Barry Spilchuk is the first Canadian to coauthor a Chicken Soup for the Soul book. While Barry was President of the Chamber of Commerce - he and his team raised membership 28% - in 3 days - in the middle of a recession!  Barry once gave a man $100.00 to encourage the man to raise money for his idea. The man has now raised over $9 million and had the hottest toy in the 2006 Christmas season.  He'll discuss:

• The three questions to ask yourself to choose your # 1 priority in business.
• The two questions to ask yourself so others will choose to play with you or do business with you.
• The one question you have to ask yourself everyday to maintain your integrity.
• Thinking "Outside the Box" can severely limit your growth - What to do, to move farther - faster!
• How to design a compensation system that will make everyone happy.
• The #1 way to spread the word about your Vision - It does not cost you a thing!
• The three questions to ask yourself to choose your # 1 priority in business.

Free Teleseminar January 30^th, 8-9pm EST

Bill O'Hanlonhas authored or co-authored 28 books, the latest being Write is a Verb (July 2007); Pathways to Spirituality (W.W. Norton), Change 101: A Practical Guide to Creating Change  (W.W. Norton), and Thriving Through Crisis (Penguin/Perigee; winner of the Books for a Better Life Award). He has appeared on Oprah (with his book Do One Thing Different), The Today Show, and a variety of other television and radio programs. Bill has given over 2000 talks around the world. After stumbling around clueless in publishing-land for years, he is currently passionate about helping people get their books written and published. He will share the following:

• Why editors and agents are always on the lookout for new authors and books, but why they also turn down most authors who approach them (and how to get them to say "yes" to your book).
• How he got an agent in one day (He'll share his strategy with you).
• The secret behind bestselling book titles (based on research of 100+ years of bestselling books).
• The four types of energy that can get your book written in record time (identify yours on the call).
• The four elements to ensure your book is unique and readers/agents/editors will want to buy it.

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 with Jason Oman, 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 67 hours of great information for you!

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SURFIN'

This month we focus on New York starting off where most of our ancestors passed through – Ellis Island.  The Ellis Island database http://www.ellisislandrecords.org/ has the records of every passenger ship that came through the Port of New York and the records for 22 million passengers from 1892 – 1924.  The search for your ancestors is free.

While Coney Island is imminently going to be shut down, there have been many other New York City amusement Parks.  Did you ever hear about Freedomland in the Bronx?  Where the sprawling development of the apartments of Co-op city now stands, was once a theme park that lasted only four years from 1960-64.  The web site http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/robfriedman/ devoted to this short lived New York attraction lives on however and describes in loving detail the rise and fall of Freedomland.

Coming to New York for a visit soon?  Your choices of what to see and where to go are limitless, but where should you stay.  Clay Irving’s web site http://www.panix.com/clay/nyc/query.cgi?H3 provides links to accommodations to many of the hotels around New York and is a good starting point for searching out digs while staying in the “Big Apple”.

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WHAT HAVE WE DONE FOR YOU LATELY?

Here's a sampling of our latest bookings.
Larry King Live

For a PRESS CONFERENCE announcing release of ground-breaking report on diet and cancer for The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR)/Ruder Finn DC, PTA DC secured 12 camera crews and coverage on virtually every network morning and evening news show, including:

• GOOD MORNING AMERICA
• THE TODAY SHOW
• THE CBS EARLY SHOW
• CNN WITH SANJAY GUPTA
• THE CBS EVENING NEWS
• NBC NIGHTLY NEWS
• ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT
• ABC RADIO NETWORK
• CBS RADIO NETWORK

J. Walter Thompson Advertising Agency(JWT) released their 3^rd Annual Trends Report (“10 Trends for 2008”) on the top trends of the coming year.  For Ann Mack, the director of trendspotting at JWT, PTA booked:

TELEVISION

• CBS SATURDAY EARLY SHOW
• FOX AND FRIENDS

PRINT

• USA TODAY
• NEW YORK TIMES
• ASSOCIATED PRESS
• MCCLATCHEY SYNDICATE
• CHICAGO SUN TIMES
• WASHINGTON TIMES
• NEWSDAY
• PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE
• THE SEATTLE TIMES
• THE BERGEN RECORD (NJ)
• SACRAMENTO BEE
• MEDIA POST
• NATIONAL POST (CANADA)
• HOTELS MAGAZINE

INTERNET

• PSFK.COM
• FOOD PROCESSING.COM
• SHOOTONLINE
• SMARTMONEY.COM

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PITCH IDEAS

Looking for an event to anchor your pitch idea? Some of these ideas just might translate into a Morning Drive, a Satellite TV Tour, or a road tour topic:

February 2008

Business:

• 3^rd - 9^th – National Leadership Week & National Networking Week

Health:

• American Heart Month
• Low Vision Awareness Month
• 1^st - 7^th – Women's Heart Week

Health:

• American Diabetes Month
• Lung Cancer Awareness Month
• National AIDS Awareness Month
• National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month

Cookbooks:

• 18^th - 24^th – National Pancake Week

Sports:

• 3^rd – Super Bowl
• 6^th – National Girls and Women in Sports Day
• 17^th - 50^th Running of the Daytona 500 (Auto Racing)
• 18^th – NBA All-Star Game (New Orleans)
• 22^nd – Miracle on Ice: USA Hockey Team Defeats USSR at the Olympics

Holidays:

• 2^nd – Groundhog Day
• 6^th – Ash Wednesday
• 14^th – Valentine's Day
• 18^th – President's Day

General Interest:

• African American History Month
• 5^th – Mardi Gras
• 1^st – First Car Insurance Issued (1878)
• 1^st – First Session of the Supreme Court (1790)
• 10^th – 50^th Grammy Awards
• 28^th – 80^th Academy Awards

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TIPS FROM THE TOP

Checklist for Interviewing Agents

When you are trying to find an agent, you have every right to question and interview them. Unfortunately, most writers don’t interview agents and simply sign with whoever agrees to represent them. While agents are qualifying you as a prospective client, qualify them as potential agents.  The questions that you should ask prospective agents will vary project to project. However, the following basic questions are appropriate in most situations:

1. Do you specialize in a particular genre of books?
2. What have you recently sold that you are most excited about?
3. I noticed that you sold X; how did that author get your attention?
4. May I have a list of your current and past clients?
5. May I contact your clients?
6. May I have a list of the books you sold in the past year?
7. What books that are similar to mine have you sold?
8. Are you a member of AAR?
9. Will you adhere to the AAR Canon of Ethics? If not, please explain.
10. How much should I expect my book to sell for to a publisher?
11. Who will lead my account? What is his/her experience?
12. How much time will he/she spend on my account?
13. Who else will work on my account and in what capacity? What is his/her experience?
14. How much time will he/she devote to my account?
15. Who will supervise the work on my account? What is his/her experience?
16. How much time will he/she put in on my account?
17. What is your plan for selling my book?
18. How long do you expect it to take?
19. What more can I do to increase my book’s chances of selling?
20. How much input will I have in my campaign?
21. How often will I receive communications/updates about my account?
22. In addition to selling my book, what services will I receive?
23. In what time frame will I receive each of these services?
24. What can I do if I don’t receive the results promised?
25. Can I fire you? If so, when?
26. Will you still be entitled to fee payments? ]If so, for what and how much?
27. What are your strong points, your advantages over other agencies?
28. What is the best way and best time for me to contact you?
29. How long should I expect to wait before hearing from you?
30. Do you have a protocol for how we will work together?  If so, what is it?
31. Do you have an author/agent agreement? If so, may I see it?

An excerpt from the National Bestseller Author 101: Bestselling Secrets from Top Agents by Rick Frishman and Robyn Freedman Spizman with Mark Steisel

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PUBLISHING EVENTS

The National Indie Excellence 2008 Book Awards competition presents an opportunity for all independent, small press and self-publishers seeking more recognition within the publishing industry. For more information and to apply, please consult: www.indieexcellence.com.

MEGA BOOK MARKETING UNIVERSITY:  Feb. 29, Mar 1-2 in Los Angeles

Now You Can Get Your Very Own Roadmap to Book Marketing Success and Finally Become a Best Selling Author!  At Mega, the world's top expert authors, publishers, and literary agents will be together in one location, with one common purpose to discover the next great author.  Rick Frishman will be speaking and is bringing 15 agents, editors and publishers for you to meet!

For more information, please go to: http://www.markvictorhansen.com/cmd.php?af=115423&p=1

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