Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Meet Book Expo America Young Adult Buzz Authors 2015

Meet BEA Young Adult Buzz Authors 2015

Fri. May 29| 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM | Uptown Stage



NEW YORK, NY - Book Expo America Show, Javits Center.

Meet the BEA Young Adult Buzz Authors for 2015




SPEAKERS

Susannah Greenberg, Moderator
President



Marie Marquardt - Dream Things True, St. Martin’s Griffin; (On Sale: September 1, 2015);


Marie Marquardt CREDIT Kenzi Tainow.jpg“Marquardt's DREAM THINGS TRUE vividly weaves to life the thrill of falling in love in the South while awakening readers to the struggles of US-Mexican immigration policies. In this touching coming-of-age story, full of hope and possibilities, Marquardt captures the bittersweet world of undocumented teens living in the US and the power of true love.” —Malin Alegria, author of Estrella’s Quinceañera and the Border Town series


“DREAM THINGS TRUE by Marie Marquardt is a story that must be told and needs to be read.  With sensitivity and care, Marquardt deftly illustrates the struggles and hopes of Alma, an undocumented teenager living in the United States.  Alma's story reflects the lives of millions of young people trapped between countries and cultures, longing for a place to belong.  An important story that's full of heart, it will forever change the way you view those who live their lives in the shadows.” —Jennifer Mathieu, author of The Truth About Alice




Nicola Yoon Author Photo.JPG



Nicola Yoon - Everything, Everything, Delacorte Press; (On Sale: September 2015);


This innovative, heartfelt debut novel tells the story of a girl who’s literally allergic to the outside world. When a new family moves in next door, she begins a complicated romance that challenges everything she’s ever known. The narrative unfolds via vignettes, diary entries, texts, charts, lists, illustrations, and more.


NICOLA YOON grew up in Jamaica (the island) and Brooklyn (part of Long Island).She currently resides in Los Angeles, CA with her husband and their daughter, both of whom she loves beyond all reason. Everything, Everything is her first novel.




Jake Halpern and Peter Kujawinski - Nightfall, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers;  (On Sale: September 22, 2015);


A story where edge-of-your-seat horror meets post-apocalyptic thriller, perfect for fans of Lois Lowry and The Mazerunner. Night is coming. On Marin’s island, sunrise doesn’t come every twenty-four hours--it comes every twenty-eight years. Each sunset, the townspeople sail to the south, where they wait out the long Night. None of the adults will tell Marin, Kana, or their friend Line exactly what happens when they leave the island, but when the three are accidentally left behind in the gathering dusk, they learn the truth: at Night, their town belongs to others, and those others want them gone. Fleeing through the now-alien landscape that used to be their home, the three confront shocking transformations and uncomfortable truths about themselves.  They are challenged to trust one another or perish. Marin, Kana, and Line must find their way off the island . . . before the Night finds them.


Jake Halpern is an acclaimed journalist, author, and radio producer who has written for several publications including The New Yorker and The Wall Street Journal.  As a contributor at NPR, Jake produced one of the most listened-to episodes of This American Life. He co-wrote the Dormia series with Peter Kujawinski and is the author of Bad Paper, a nonfiction book for adults.


Peter Kujawinski is an author and diplomat, currently serving as US Consul General for Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories. He co-wrote the Dormia series with Jake Halpern and has written for The New York Times.





Daniel Kraus - The Death And Life Of Zebulon Finch, Volume 1: At The Edge Of Empire, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers; (On Sale: October 2015);

“A splendidly rendered, macabre picaresque—muscular and tender, imaginative and grotesque, cynical yet deeply moving.” —Rick Yancey, The 5th Wave


Daniel Kraus is a Chicago-based writer and filmmaker. His novel The Monster Variations (2009) was selected to New York Public Library's "100 Best Stuff for Teens." Fangoria called his acclaimed, Odyssey Award-winning, Bram Stoker-nominated second novel, Rotters (2011), "a new horror classic." Scowler (2013) was a Junior Library Guild selection. Upcoming novels include Trollhunters (June 2015), co-written with filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, and The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch, Volumes 1 & 2 (2015, 2016). Kraus has written regularly for such magazines as Cosmopolitan, Playboy, Maxim, and Salon.com.


Estelle Laure - This Raging Light, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers; (On Sale:December 22, 2015)


"A funny, poetic, big-hearted reminder that life can—and will—take us all by surprise.”
—Jennifer E. Smith, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight


laure$estelle.jpgThe story of Lucille. Her dad went crazy. Her mom left town. She has bills to pay and a little sister to look after. Now is not the time for level-headed seventeen-year-old Lucille to fall in love. But love—messy, inconvenient love—is what she’s about to experience when she falls for Digby Jones, her best friend’s brother. With blazing longing that builds to a fever pitch, Estelle Laure’s soulful debut will keep readers hooked and hoping until the very last page.


The debut author Estelle Laure is a Vonnegut worshiper who believes in love, magic, and the power of facing hard truths. She has a BA in theater arts and an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts in writing for children and young adults. She lives with her two children in Taos, New Mexico.
Estelle was inspired to write this book by her own unorthodox teen years. At the age of sixteen, she graduated from high school and moved into a tiny apartment in New Mexico with a group of friends. She got a job, bought a car for $500, and began to learn how to be an adult. Without their parents around, Estelle and her friends raised each other. She learned to depend on her “tribe” for support, much like Lucille leans on her friends in the book.
Estelle says that “everyone is messed up, but most people have a great capacity for kindness.” In This Raging Light, Lucille and Wren receive much-needed gifts of food and household supplies from unknown “angels.” As a teenager living without parents, Estelle herself received support and kindness from adults who gave her sack lunches for school and rides to doctor’s appointments. Similarly, the character Fred is a based on Estelle’s real life friend, mentor, and former boss Fred Muller, owner of El Meze restaurant in Taos.


Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Panel on Authors and Social Media to Take Place at BookExpo America

Book Publicist Susannah Greenberg to Moderate and Speak at Panel on Authors and Social Media; At uPublishU at BookExpo America

With Denise Alicea, Daniel Langston and Dorri Olds


New York, NY, May 30, 2015, Javits Center -- Susannah Greenberg of Susannah Greenberg Public Relations, an independent book publicity firm, which has publicized numerous best selling books including the perennial business book bestseller Who Moved My Cheese?, will moderate and speak at a panel entitled "Connecting to Readers With Social Media" with Denise Alicea - book blogger and professional freelancer; Daniel Langston Co-Founder and Chief Sales Officer of BookGrabbr; and Dorri Olds, award-winning writer, web designer and social media consultant.

The panel is part of the uPublishU Conference at BookExpo America also known as BEA. uPublishU is a conference on self-publishing for authors. BookExpo America is the largest book trade show in North America, running from May 27-30 at the Javits Center in New York, NY. 

Denise Alicea is an award-winning author of YA and Romance, and a member of Romance Writers of America, Denise has won two awards for her short stories.

Bookgrabbr is a new web-based marketing firm with proprietary social media tools which will generate and drive new readers to authors and publishers. It launches in May 2015 at BookExpo America.

Dorri Olds is an award-winning freelance writer whose work has appeared in book anthologies, and numerous publications including The New York Times. She writes about her obsessions: Movies, A-list celebrities and dogs. Olds is also a web designer and social media consultant with marketing and branding expertise. She has close to half a million views on her YouTube channel, 34.5K followers on Twitter and 5,000 likes and friends on her Facebook pages.


CLICK to read the entire list of speakers at uPublishU at BEA



PANEL DESCRIPTION:

Connecting to Readers—With Social Media

Tools & Marketing Mania
DAY & DATE: Saturday, May 30, 2015
PLACE: Javits Center, NY, NY
Time 1:30pm-2:20pm
Room 1E08
So many readers…so little time to make the right connection!! For authors, with busy schedules, and always working on the next book, it is important to find ways to connect with your loyal readers and engage with new readers. Join this panel of industry professionals as they share opportunities and tools that will help you stay productive and reach readers. Learn how to use Hootsuite to connect your readers all while making your writing life easier. Get insight into new ways to find and share content that can raise awareness about your book and engage in direct promotion. Learn how to schedule posts, manage your writing announcements, monitor your mentions, and engage your readers. Get insight on specific steps authors can (and should) take to expand their profile, their brand, and their platform with unique social sharing strategies.

Moderator:
Susannah Greenberg, President, Susannah Greenberg Public Relations
Speakers:
Denise Alicea, Book Blogger and Professional Freelancer
Daniel Langston, Co-founder and the Chief Sales Officer for BookGrabbr
Dorri Olds, Award-winning Writer and Webmaster


Register here for uPublishU at BEA.

uPublishU at BEA: Learn from industry experts all about the tools and technology to self-publish a print book or an ebook. Meet with a selection of the industry's most respected self-publishing service providers who offer services to aspiring authors or those looking to package their content in book form.

Saturday, May 2, 2015

Books And Authors On The Radio: Notes Toward My Presentation for the American Society of Journalists and Authors 2015

ASJA 2015 Conference - The American Society of Journalist and Authors

THE RADIO BOOK TOUR: 

PROMOTING YOUR BOOK WITHOUT LEAVING HOME



Panelists: Author John Rosengren, Lee Mason - The John Batchelor Show, Sarah Russo - Literary Publicist, Susannah Greenberg - Susannah Greenberg Public Relations




May 2, 2015, Roosevelt Hotel, NY, NY


These are my notes for my presentation


BOOKS AND AUTHORS ON THE RADIO


FIRST: WHY RADIO IN THE INTERNET AGE?


Talk radio is convenient, especially radio interview by phone, as it is in the title of this panel, with the radio book tour, you promote your book without leaving home.


National and local markets can be reached. Both national and local markets are important. National, local, syndicated, terrestrial, AM, FM, Satellite, or Internet, all radio helps you reach your readers with relative ease.


Talk radio has an educated audience of readers and potential book buyers.  One could argue that an NPR booking is more valuable than a Today show booking because it has more readers in its audience and because it allows the author to have a more intelligent, in-depth conversation about his or her book.


  • Talk radio audiences are educated and engaged.  According to the most recent Talkers magazine Talk Radio Research Project in News Talk Radio:
    • 72 percent of listeners are ages 35 to 64.
    • 70 percent are college graduates or have attended college or graduate school.
    • Men comprise 58 percent; women 42 percent.
    • Almost three-fourths of listeners earn $30,000 to $79,000 a year.
    • 79 percent of those eligible to vote do.


Talk radio now has an extended life and reach by virtue of the Internet. Most radio interviews are now shared and archived indefinitely online reaching a global audience. In addition, links to your interviews can be shared across your own social media sites. VERY IMPORTANT.


MEDIA is MEDIA.  Radio is part of the media landscape and exists on social media and online as well. We no longer need to distinguish between “legacy” media and internet and social media. They are all interconnected and they all spell opportunity for authors and journalists to get media exposure.


ON RADIO TOURS: Leave no stone unturned. Do not ignore the “small” markets or show. There is much to be said for bookings on local radio done by telephone. Indeed an ENTIRE CAMPAIGN can consist of local radio done by telephone. You can reach all the markets in all the cities in all the country that way. and get long, attentive interviews. And, circling back to an earlier point, because of the internet, radio shows now have global reach and long lives and can be circulated via posting of links on all your social media. A marvelous benefit.




PR TACTICS


POSITIONING - Identify what your subjects are and all its related subjects too. Specificity.


MESSAGE - Plan your message. Know how to answer these questions. What is your book about? Who is it for? What will readers take away from reading it?


TRENDS - Leverage trends to increase your chances of getting booked. Follow what is: In the News; Trending in Social Media.


MILESTONES - A surefire PR tactic. Connect your story to: anniversary dates, birthdays, celebrations, seasonal, national days, weeks and months.  


Examples: My co-panelist, John Rosengren and his book Hank Greenberg: The Hero of Heroes. Positioning: Sports, Baseball, American History, Culture, Religion, Judaism, Books, Authors, News Talk. Trends and in the News - watch for stories relating and be prepared with talking points and to be a pundit, Opening Day for example. Milestone Marketing: World Series, All Star Game, Baseball Career Statistics, Jewish Heritage Month (May), Jewish Book Month (November), Greenberg’s Birthday, January 1, 1911,  Regional interest - played for Detroit Tigers and Pittsburgh Pirates, born in New York City.


Even poetry, and April is National Poetry Month could be a milestone, because Greenberg was famous for not playing the World Series on Rosh haShana, the Jewish New Year, because of his religious observance.  It was memorialized in the lines of columnist and poet Edgar Guest: in a poem titled "Speaking of Greenberg." The poem ends with the lines "We shall miss him on the infield and shall miss him at the bat / But he's true to his religion—and I honor him for that."


I was the launch publicist for National Poetry Month and can testify to the success in raising awareness, media coverage and sales of poetry books every April because of National Poetry Month.


General Examples of Milestone Marketing: For example, in May, you have Mother’s Day, Cinco de Mayo and Memorial Day. So, if you can establish and articulate a clear relationship between your book or expertise to a particular date or commemoration, and make that your pitch to the media,  in a timely manner, that is in advance of the date, you're very likely to get booked. 

May is national observance month for dozens of causes and issues, to name a few:


Google, Wikipedia and Twitter are all free ways to research trends, milestones, and events.


You can also purchase the book or e-book:

Chase's Calendar of Events 2016

The Ultimate Go-to Guide for Special Days, Weeks and Months, 59th Edition

 
KNOW YOUR MEDIA - Matching your content to the right media outlet is key. Tune in and listen. Microtarget with specificity. Use Google and Google Alerts to research which media contacts, journalists and producers are covering your topics.


CONTACT THE MEDIA or NUTS AND BOLTS:
You must create a pitch letter, press release, online press materials. Press materials should  include a book description, author biography, sample Q&A, list of and links to previous interviews, reviews and articles. Create an online audio sample interview if you have never been interviewed, using blogtalkradio.com or other similar site. Upload a short YouTube video of yourself talking about your book. Create social media sites where you can post your press materials. Then, email and call media contacts, journalists, producers, general managers, news directors, bookers, by show or by beat as is appropriate.  


Pitch letters by email are your foot in the door. They must be concise and to the point. Link out to your online press materials and further information. That information is best housed on your web site.


While it important to reach a wide swath of media contacts, it is still best to hand sell to individual producers and show who are a good match and fit for your topic and book.


TOP RADIO SHOWS FOR AUTHORS INCLUDE:
A subjective and hardly exhaustive list, there are so many shows! So many opportunities for authors to reach readers.


Any show on National Public Radio or its affiliates: AWESOME FOR AUTHORS!
NPR Morning Edition, and Saturday and Sunday Morning Editions
Studio 360 (NY, books, authors, the arts)
Diane Rehm Show (Washington, DC)
Invisibilia (science, behavior, psychology, new show on NPR)
Rush Limbaugh Show (conservative politics)
Hannity and the Hannity Book Club (conservative politics)
The Dave Ramsey Show Real Talk About Life and Money - Nationally Syndicated,  8.5 Million listeners and 550+ affiliates
Dr. Joy Browne - the number one host in relationships shows, with 19 consecutive years in the Talkers Heavy Hundred.
The John Batchelor Show, great for authors! 770 WABC-AM in New York City, 630 WMAL-AM in Washington, D.C., 630 WPRO-AM in Providence, and streaming on iTunes.


Note: Shows sometimes lean to the right or the left, politically. A liberal can appear on a conservative show and vice versa, but if you do this, you need to be prepared to stand the heat, or don’t go in the kitchen.


Note that this subjective list of top radio shows is by no means exhaustive, and more importantly, these are some of the most difficult and competitive shows to get booked on, so it would be wise to cast your net wider and pursue shows with smaller audiences too.


LAST BUT NOT LEAST: If you simply do not have the time or the inclination to do all or any of the above, outsource, meaning hire a publicist.  If you are an author, hire a book publicist, specifically a book publicist, that is important.   Book-specific publicists are attuned to communicate complex information concisely.




If you can’t remember my name, just remember http://bookbuzz.com


Also:


SUSANNAH GREENBERG PUBLIC RELATIONS
Greenberg’s clients include publishers, authors, and book industry organizations. She was the launch publicist for the bestselling business book WHO MOVED MY CHEESE?, worked with bestselling author Alan Dershowitz, publicized BIRD SONGS, an illustrated bestselling book from Chronicle Books, and helped launch April is National Poetry Month. She is a member of the Women’s Media Group, past president of the Women’s National Book Association - NYC, and is slated to speak in May 2015 at Bookexpo America, the largest book trade show in North America.  She has also served as a publicist for the Book Industry Study Group, a judge for the Audies (audiobooks awards), and helped select the BookExpo America Young Adult “Buzz Picks.”




Some Tips My Distinguished Co-Panelists Shared:


Lee Mason of the John Batchelor Show:


  • They plan months or weeks in advance for reviews, and as little as a few days for short segments.
  • They need the topic of your book to have a clear relation to the news.
  • She recommends you never say no to any interview opportunity.
  • It is always best to email your pitch, include links, and send a finished book.
  • They actually read books and books must be well copyedited.
  • Emails should be brief and elegant, written with “lucidity and brevity.”
  • Frame the discussion.
  • Have a beginning, middle and end to your show idea.
  • Always use a landline.

Lee Mason


John Rosengren, author of numerous sports books including Hank Greenberg: The Hero of Heroes:

  • He thinks hiring a radio specific book publicist is the best bang for the buck.
  • Be personal, persistent and polite when pitching yourself.
  • Tailor your pitch to the interests of each show, be it national or regional or a particular kind of show.
  • Warm up your voice before going on air.
  • Have a glass of water on hand.
  • Have anecdotes ready.
  • Let the host guide the show.
  • Expect most hosts will not have read the book.

John Rosengren



Sarah Russo, Literary Publicist:

  • Strongly advocates active engagement on Twitter as a way to get booked on radio.
  • Referenced working with Harvey J. Kaye @harveyjkaye and Roxane Gay @rgay as examples of authors leveraging Twitter to get bookings on radio and other media

Sarah Russo

A trailer for The John Batchelor Radio Show which does author interviews and book reviews: