May 12 2008
Book Publicity Tips for Authors: Hold Your Audience’s Attention
When I hosted my own television show, I interviewed an author who had written a neuroscience book about how the human brain processes information. At least, that’s what I think it was about. To tell you the truth, the whole subject matter was way over my head. Prior to the interview, I told the author, “I’m sorry but I can’t understand a word of your book. Can you tell me what it’s about in plain English?” He laughed and said, “You know, my 12-year old daughter always tells me the same thing.” I said, “Okay, talk to me like I’m your daughter.” And he did! It was one of the most fascinating interviews I’ve ever had with an author.
Follow the neuroscientist’s example and speak in plain, easy-to-understand language that any 12-year old can understand. If your book is about a specialized field or industry, if it’s highly technical or esoteric, you must find a way to talk about it in plain, simple language. Tell stories and use analogies that drive home your points. Otherwise, no one is going to understand a word you are saying and consequently you won’t sell many books from that TV exposure.
Even though you may use certain jargon and acronyms everyday without thinking about it, the average person finds such terms foreign and off-putting. Leave the jargon at home and find a way to tell your story without it. If you have to use certain terminology, be sure to explain it simply or, better yet, give an illustration that makes it easy to understand. Perhaps you can use some very simple props that “show and tell” your message.
The bottom line is make is simple. If you want people to buy your book as a result of watching you on TV, you have to talk about it in a way that is appealing and comprehensible to everyone. Talk in plain, simple language and you’ll make an excellent guest in any TV show. And you’ll sell more books!
To Your Media Success,
Author’s TV Image and Media Expert
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