Are you one of those people? You're in a book store, randomly grabbing hard covers and paperbacks off a shelf, based on the book cover, and then you either flip to the back cover or crack open the back of the book to sneak a peek at the author's photo?
- Dress for success: Think about the type of material you write. If you're reading a book about investing in today's market, would you trust a photo of a woman in business attire or will the blue-jeans-and-T-shirt gal draw your attention. A photo tells a story in one frame. What story are you attempting to tell?
- Black and white vs. Color: Which is most effective? I pulled books off one bookshelf, and came to a split decision. Thirty books showed black and white photos; the other thirty displayed author's in full color.
- Professional photo session: More than likely, an author will end of covering the cost of author photos. Do you need a professional photo session? Can a friend or significant other point and shoot your digital camera? Most computers come with digital photo editing
software, which makes creating, cropping, and perfecting an author photo a click!
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By: Wow!,
on 2/12/2011
Blog: WOW! Women on Writing Blog (The Muffin) (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Deborah Riley-Magnus, book publicity workshop, writing press releases, author publicity, online class, Add a tag
Publicity is probably the sexiest, most intense and exciting element of the communications world! Like all the positions of the Kama Sutra, it spins, it bites, it scratches, it penetrates and it reaches amazing climaxes! If you think about it, nothing is shinier, more polished and meant to catch attention like a well planned publicity campaign.
Publicity can announce, entice, bolster and even repair the direction of a product's perception, and never doubt for one moment, you the author, may be selling yourself and your book...but at first all you are selling is the PERCEPTION of you and your book.
Like the positions of the Kama Sutra, you'll need to follow the steps for good publicity to accomplish this goal to your advantage. Trust me, if you don't, someone else will and it won't always be in your favor. For example...
Dateline, January 12, 2011. New York City: Today, first time novelist Mary Smith announced the launch of Calling on an Angel, a psychological thriller published by XYZ publishing. The book can be found on Amazon and in selected bookstores across the country. A launch event is scheduled for Friday evening at the CrossRoads Independent Book Store in New York City at seven PM.
-OR-
Dateline, January 12, 2011. New York City: Author and psychologist, Dr. Mary Smith, announces the release of her psychological thriller sure to take the bookshelves by storm. Calling on an Angel is a spectacular novel developed around the twisted dreams and actions of twin autistic youths who, while living in a parallel world all of their mutual making, save victims and become heroes. This emotionally charged tale explores the hope and possibilities surrounding the great strides being made to prevent and treat autism by a powerful internationally funded consortium. To attend the book launch event scheduled for Friday, January 16 from 7-9 PM at Manhattan's beautiful CrossRoads Independent Book Store on 54th St. please call for reservations (123) 456-7890.
Which one appealed to you? Publicity is all about the details, the flash, the sizzle. The first press release is as correct as the second. It covers the basics, the who, what, why, where and when of making an announcement but does it tickle your desire to learn more? Too-flowery publicity can be easily discounted as not believable, but bland publicity is more likely discounted as unimportant. Finding the balance is what the true sexy savvy of publicity is all about.
Join me for the Tantric Publicity for Authors workshop, 2/14 - 2/29/11.
Thanks for the tips!
Here are a few suggestions that will work even if you're using a point and shoot camera, since most people don't have or aren't quite sure how to use a more elaborate camera.
• Get the help of a friend who is into photography, even if he or she is not a professional. Take a look at some of their people photos in advance to see if you like them.
• Shoot your picture outside on a cloudy or slightly overcast day. This will help you avoid harsh shadows.
• For an outdoor shoot, bring a piece of white tagboard or foam board which can be angled toward your face to help reduce the contrast of shadows.
• During inclement weather, try shooting by a well-lit window without using a flash.
• Don't stand facing the camera directly. Turn to one side or the other at about 45 degrees and then turn your head to look toward the camera.
• Take a few shots in which you aren't looking directly the camera.
• Don't be timid about experimenting with sharing the limelight with a favorite pet.
• For more formal shots, if you're a business writer, think about what is going to be in your background. City buildings? A library? An office? Make the background work with you to communicate more about you.
Hope these help. : )