Sell your Message; Sell your Book; Sell Yourself

I've been doing book publicity for a number of years now, and my clients can attest to the fact that I insist upon media training for each book that is released.

There are several reasons for this.

1. Each book is its own entity with its own key messages. You must take the time to be able to deliver these key messages in an informative and often entertaining way. This doesn't come naturally to most. Training will help you become more effective and engaging.

2. Confidence. The time to learn how to deliver your message is not while you are on the air. The time to learn this and figure it out is before you interview with a host, journalist, or blogger. Knowing how to handle any situation thrown at you will give you great confidence in your message and your abilities.

3. It can take a long time to build your brand, and you can blow it in seconds. Don't let that happen to you.

4. Ask yourself, "What subject am I most worried about being asked about during an interview?" That is the place to begin. Train until you are so good at answering this question that you actually hope each interviewer will ask you that. Then you are ready.

Being able to communicate your messages in a powerful, pursuasive way does not come naturally. It is a learned skill, and that's the good news. You can learn it.

So take the time to consult with your publicist, publisher, or media trainer about how you can be more effective and ultimately sell more books.

Have you been media trained? What was the best tip you got during your training?

Apolo Ohno & Joanne McCall

You just never know who you are going to meet next.

That life lesson was brought home to me again recently while on a business trip from the West Coast to Orlando, Florida. I was on my way to visit my client, Dr. Richard Bandler, the co-founder of NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) when I had a three-hour layover in Salt Lake City. (I prefer non-stop flights--doesn't everybody?--but for circumstances beyond my control I found myself on my laptop at the airport getting some work done while I waited.)

I didn't pay much attention when a couple of guys sat down next to me and started talking. At some point I looked over and before my eyes was one of the few people in the Universe I would be tempted to interrupt for a photo.

Speed skating great, Apolo Ohno. For those of you who watched the Winter Olympics, you know who I'm talking about. If you didn't, well, you might wonder why I am writing this at all. Trust me, he's very, very good and he's pretty darn cute too. I remember reading that during his training season he has four two-hour workouts a day. I complain when I have to exercise for an hour, but four two-hour workouts each and every day? Amazing. He looks it, too.

So there I was, blackberry in hand, when I posed this question to my Facebook friends: "I am sitting here in the Salt Lake City airport and Apolo Ohno is sitting next to me. Do I interrupt him for a picture?" Within moments I got a response from Amy who said, "Throw caution to the wind. Go for it!" and from Lisa, a publicist friend of mine who said, "YES!" That's all I needed to hear, so I grabbed my phone and in my most pleasant manner found a moment to break in. He was very, very gracious (made me swoon even more) and his friend snapped the photo. I'm not sure who his friend was and I feel a little bit bad about that. After all, he may be the #2 best speed skater in the world, which is pretty darn good, but Apolo is #1.

I thanked him and got back to my seat, immediately uploading the photo onto my Facebook page. Then I looked at the picture. He looks great. I am closing my eyes...Dang it! But, aside from that, not a bad pic.

Which reminds me: You just never know who you might meet next. When you are in line at the grocery store and you casually strike up a conversation, you have no idea who you're talking to. You may find out the most incredible thing about him or her. Yes, I had an advantage here. I watched Apolo skate for a couple of weeks and he is a celebrity now. But people don't have to be a celebrity to make an impact on us. He or she could be an agent (and you're looking for one for your next book) or a radio or TV producer (and you have a segment that would be perfect; he or she thinks so, too), or you might be next to someone who has just suffered a tremendous loss in this life and they are grieving. A smile from you might do wonders for his or her spirit. The person next to you might some day become your best friend, your husband, your wife.

Life is full of mysteries. When it comes to promoting your book, the process can sometimes seem mysterious (haha) but there are lots of steps you can actively take, and there are other coincidences that simply seem like fate. The stars lined up and you found the right people along the way. Stay open to life. Expect the miraculous. You never know who you're going to meet next. Enjoy each and every moment. I sure enjoyed my moments with Apolo. Oh, and Apolo? If you're looking for a publicist, I'm one of your Facebook friends.