I am thrilled to have public relations guru, Dana Dobson of Dana Dobson Public Relations and Copywriting as my guest blogger this week. She is a seasoned professional in her field and an all-around great person to work with. She is the go-to person if you are trying to get a grip on DIY public relations or looking to hand it off your business or book publicity. Here’s what she has to say about getting your book noticed.

Authors have told me that, in retrospect, writing their book was easy, but getting word out about it was one of the most difficult challenges they’ve ever faced. Some of the reasons are obvious: competition, lack of publicity know-how, and the sheer amount of man hours involved. Following are some lessons learned by authors who have taken the leap into book publishing:

You realize you’ve got to publicize your work yourself, or it won’t happen, unless you’ve got the money to hire help.

Even if a traditional book publisher picks you up, the amount of publicity support you’ll receive is negligible. Nothing personal! They don’t have the budgets they used to to promote new, untried writers. They’re frank about telling you this up front. If you have any hope of earning back your advance, you’ve got to do your own publicity.  If you are a self-publisher, then you are the CEO and manager of your book, incorporated, and you’re completely on your own, publicity-wise.  Start learning the ropes now while you’re ahead of the game.

You’ve got to start building your platform BEFORE the book is published.

A platform, basically, is your fan base, or the number of people who are aware of you, who follow you, and who may buy your book down the line. Thus, your publicity campaign must begin the moment you decide you are going to write a book. Many authors start by publishing a blog and building a simple WordPress web site. Start building your brand now.

[bctt tweet=”Book promotion starts before you write the book. #bookmarketing #writing”]

You need a media outreach strategy (i.e. journalists and book bloggers)

One of the biggest tools in your book publicity shed is a press kit, and your press kit needs to be online. Include your biography, a high-resolution head shot, the book synopsis, and sample interview questions.

You’ll also need a media contact list. There are services to which you can subscribe to find lists of journalists and bloggers who are interested in your subject matter, but be aware that hours of research are involved. Take it in small steps, and build it over time. Having good media contacts is the secret sauce in successful publicity.

The bottom line is, you need to set up the perception that you are already a successful subject matter expert and writer before your book comes out.

Public relations expert Dana Dobson is the creator of the PR Breakthrough™ Publicity Boot Camp, which teaches authors, entrepreneurs, speakers, small business owners and others how to conduct successful publicity campaigns and step into the media spotlight with confidence. Watch her free, 4-part video series and learn some important, publicity basics. It’s loaded with bonus materials and plenty of great advice! Click here to register: http://bit.ly/1UqZVjo