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The Tip Sheet
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issue of : April 2006
- QUOTE OF THE MONTH
- PTA FAITH - Say hello to the Christian Side of Publishing
- PTA'S FREE TELESEMINARS - Publishing Trends
- AUTHOR 101 CONTEST - $20,000 of free publicity
- SURFIN' - A Source for Websites
- WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY? - PTA's Recent Bookings
- TIPS FROM THE TOP - Our Monthly Advice Column
- LOOK WHAT'S COMING UP!!! - Events You Have To Know About
- UPCOMING PUBLISHING SEMINARS - BookExpo America
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
"If the doctor told me I had six minutes to live, I'd type a little faster."
—Isaac Asimov
If you've got a great quote you want to share, send it to kohand@plannedtvarts.com. Many thanks!
PTA FAITH
PTA Faith is the full service Christian division of Planned Television Arts. Headed by an experienced and dedicated team of Christian publicists, PTA Faith has worked hand in hand for more than 25 years with many Christian publishers and authors to promote their books, and bring their message to both the CBA market and general mainstream market.
PTA Faith has established an excellent reputation for not only helping religious publishers reach the mainstream media with their crossover titles but also for helping mainstream and Christian publishers reach the secular and Christian media with their religiously themed titles. In addition, PTA Faith has represented a number of Christian organizations that want to reach both Christian and mainstream audiences for their events, such as, The National Bible Association promoting National Bible Week, Women of Faith (New Life Clinics) promoting their conferences, and others.
PTA has developed relationships with religion writers at Associated Press, Time, Newsweek, USA Today, Religion News Service, and the major dailies across the country. Recent campaigns have included national broadcast appearances on NBC's Today Show, ABC's The View & Good Morning America, Fox News Channel and CNN. PTA Faith also maintains close ties with all major Christian media (The 700 Club, Hour of Power, Life Today with James Robison, FamilyLife Today, Christianity Today, New Man Magazine, Today's Christian Woman and CBA Marketplace, etc.).
Please contact: Sharon Farnell at 212-593-6337 or farnells@plannedtvarts.com
PTA'S FREE TELESEMINARS
Upcoming TeleSeminars (Please note the new time):
- Wednesday, March 1st from 2:00-3:00pm ET
Jeremy Katz, New York Time's Bestselling Author, will discuss "How to Make a Great Book Proposal" and "Secrets to Getting Published." - § Wednesday, May 3rd from 8:00-9:00pm ET
Lisa Berkowitz, Executive Editor at Meredith Publications, will discuss what is being published successfully today, how the role of editing is changing, and how book publishing is evolving.
Here's how to participate:
Call 580-474-3600, then press in the code: 222089#.
Remember, our TeleSeminars are free (excluding your call cost). If you missed our last TeleSeminar with Grace Freedson, a literary agent and book packager, or Gary Krebs, an 18-year veteran of the publishing industry, you can dial the replay line at 507-726-3837 (Press the # sign after you dial in) to replay them or go to our website at www.plannedtvarts.com to download past TeleSeminars.
AUTHOR 101 CONTEST
In conjunction with the launch of the Author 101 Series by Rick Frishman and Robyn Friedman Spizman, send in your book proposal and win a publishing contract from Adams Media - and up to $20,000 worth of book publicity from Planned Television Arts and The Spizman Agency! Register online and submit your proposal at http://www.author101.com/contest.tpl. Deadline: 11:59:59 p.m. on April 15, 2006.
SURFIN'
We all love books but very few of us know the proper way to take care of them. The Tippecanoe County Library in Indiana has compiled a list of links to web resources about the care of books. There are links to dozens of websites and among the many topics are storage; repairs; how to properly shelve; dealing with water or insect damage; a glossary of book terms; etc. The links to these websites will prove invaluable to anyone who cares about books.
You really miss Howard Stern on the radio but can't commit to buying a satellite radio? Well, luckily for you, there are so many Stern fans on the internet that many of them have set up websites devoted to the daily utterances of The King of All Media. The best among these sites is Mark Mercer's www.marksgfriggin.com, which has a complete daily rundown of the show plus a wide array of staggering features, including a ten plus year archive of what has transpired on the show.
"Oh, your great-grandfather had his name changed at Ellis Island. The family name was really Strombolini." Or so goes the family legend according to your great aunt. Over 25 million people passed through Ellis Island from 1892 - 1954. There's a good chance that one of your relatives came to this country and was received at Ellis Island. The Ellis Island website has tons of information on the immigrant experience including a searchable database of all the arrivals. For beginning genealogists interested in their family history, the Ellis Island website is a good place to start. By the way, the Ellis Island officials say that no one's name was changed by them!
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY?
Here's a sampling of our latest bookings.
The Office Survival Guide by Dr. Marilyn Puder-York (McGraw Hill)
- Fox & Friends (National Television)
- Marie Claire Magazine
- Miami Herald
- Boston Globe
Offices2Share.com (President and Founder Jeff Landers)
- Associated Press (Syndicated Article)
- Scripps Howard (Syndicated Article)
- Contra Costa Times
- Forbes.com
- Costo Connection
Inside Every Woman by Vickie Milazzo (Wiley)
- Gannett News Service (Syndicated Article)
- Tribune Media Services (Syndicated Article)
- Newark Star Ledger
- Baltimore Sun
- Fort Worth Star Telegram
- Tennessean (Nashville)
TIPS FROM THE TOP
Eat, Sleep, and Breathe Publicity
"In this business, you can never wash the dinner dishes and say they are done. You have to keep doing them constantly." -- Mary Wells Lawrence, Advertising Legend.
Publicity never sleeps it's an ongoing 24/7 process that never stops. Since you're the product, you're also your own best marketing tool. Publicity accompanies you everywhere. Even when you hire marketing or promotion professionals, you're still responsible for your own publicity.
Self-promotion is essential; you must become your own PR firm. You can't be shy or embarrassed, or rely on others to champion your cause. Look at the successful people you know. They quickly let everyone know who they are, what they do, and how important it is. Follow their lead.
- Learn to spot promotional opportunities and how to capitalize on them.
- When you meet people, take the opportunity to sell yourself.
- Carry your product, brochures and business cards with you - everywhere. (If your product is too big to lug around, carry pictures that you can show easily.)
- Become a walking advertisement. Put your logo and company name on anything that people might see.
Self-promotion conveys enthusiasm. It inspires, excites and makes people want to help you out. So give them the chance!
An excerpt from the National Bestseller GUERRILLA PUBLICITY: Hundreds of Sure-fire Tactics to Get Maximum Sales for Minimum Dollars by Rick Frishman, Jill Lublin and Jay Conrad Levinson.
LOOK WHAT'S COMING UP!!!
These are dates that just might relate to a Morning Drive or Satellite TV Tour topic:
| August 2006 | |
| August 28th-Sept. 10th | US Open Tennis Championship |
| August 14th - 20th | PGA Championship (Golf) |
| 1st | Air Force Day |
| 1st | Jerry Garcia's Birthday (1942) |
| 3rd | Columbus sets sails for the New World (1492) |
| 4th | Coast Guard Day |
| 6th | Friendship Day |
| 9th | Atomic Bomb Dropped on Nagasaki (1945) |
| 19th | National Aviation Day |
| 26th | Women's Equality Day |
| September 2006 | |
| National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month | |
| Be Kind To Editors & Writers Month | |
| 1st | Titanic Discovered Anniversary (1985) |
| 1st | Gloria Estefan and Dr. Phil McGraw's Birthdays (1950) |
| 1st | World War II: Germany Invades Poland (1939) |
| 2nd | V-J Day (1945, Victory over Japan) |
| 3rd-4th | Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Association Telethon |
| 5th | "The MacNeil-Lehrer Newshour" Premiered (1983) |
| 6th | First Radio Broadcast of a Prizefight (1920, Jack Dempsey knocked out Billy Miske) |
| 7th | Google was founded (1998) |
| 7th | Lunar Eclipse |
| 8th | Oprah Winfrey Show Premiere (1986) |
| 10th | Grandparent's Day |
| 15th | USA TODAY First Published (1982) |
| 22nd | Rosh Hashanah Begins |
| 22nd-24th | Ryder Cup Matches (Golf) |
| 23rd | First Day of Autumn |
| 29th-Oct.15th | New York Film Festival |
| 30th | Babe Ruth sets Home Run Record (1927) |
UPCOMING PUBLISHING SEMINARS
BEST BOOKS 2006 AWARDS DEADLINE: APRIL 30, 2006
ENTER YOUR TITLES NOW IN THE FASTEST GROWING LITERARY COMPETITION IN THE NATION!
Enter your title(s) before April 30, 2006 and receive these incredible extras:
- A Four Month Automatic Listing on USABookNews.com in your category with a full-color cover, paragraph about your title and a link to your website!
- A HOT! Review Blurb from USABookNews.com! Use this testimonial on your book cover, marketing material or website!
- Publishing Industry Exposure! A free sponsorship ad in PubInsider Magazine Online distributed to over 10,000 in the Publishing Industry!
To Enter: Visit www.USABookNews.com.
AUTHOR 101 UNIVERSITY - A CRASH COURSE IN PUBLISHING SUCCESS - DC
MAY 18, 2006 (ONE DAY PRIOR TO BEA) - 8:00a.m. - 6p.m. EST
Are you curious about what publishers like Adams Media, Harper Collins, Wiley, Random House and Simon & Schuster are looking for? What is the best way to get your manuscript read when you're an unpublished author? Want to know the biggest mistakes to avoid when writing book proposals? You'll be engaged as these top pros share their expertise, reveal the inner workings of the publishing industry, and debate various approaches to common marketing and publishing challenges. Get your seat early for this can't-be-missed panel discussion. Fourteen speakers, including: Rick Frishman.
To Register: Visit www.author101university.com.
BOOKEXPO AMERICA (BEA) - MAYCH 19-21, 2006 IN WAHINGTON DC
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, educators, and rights professionals from around the world.
To Register: Visit www.bookexpoamerica.com.