editorial

To Pay or Not to Pay for Television Interviews - What's the Answer?

Irene Watson

I received this from Jill Ammon Vanderwood, children's books author, through Facebook:

I want to share some information that will help your readers. Please post in your weekly editorial.

As authors you may encounter many marketing experts who want to line their own pockets. I have had phone calls on my voice mail in the past from producers wanting to do television spots for my books. When I call them back, they are only marketing for internet TV and they want to charge fees for the segments they produce.

This week we were very excited to receive an email from the Lifetime Television Network. The producer found out about our book, Drugs Make You Un-Smarter through The Indie Excellence Awards. He said he's the producer of a morning show called the Balancing Act, and wants to have us on the show for an author segment. He asked for my phone # so he could talk to me.

He called the next day and asked me questions about the book and why we wrote it. He had me go to the website for The Balancing Act and look at the show hosts and the testimonials of past guests. He told me how they do their segments with only 5 minutes of airtime. Then he told me I would have the rights to use the Lifetime Logo, the Balancing Act Logo and even the Interview on my website and anywhere around the web.

I thought, Wait a minute, no one gives you that kind of rights! Then the other shoe dropped. He said it would cost me $5900 to buy the licensing rights.

The first thing out of my mouth was. "You're not paying our airfare and hotel, are you?"

"No, you will need to be in Florida for at least two nights. We usually film on Monday mornings and we film it over, as many times as necessary to get it right. This is not a commercial."

I'm not going to tell you the name of this guy, but his last name was very similar to Swindle!

He then said, "I'll be honest with you, you probably won't sell enough books through this appearance to earn back the amount you spend. Since you have already been on TV, maybe you don't need this exposure."

What? He decided to be honest with me?

I told him I would need to back out!

Later in an email I said, "Most authors are hoping to be the next big thing, but I don’t think this is the way to do it."

I've been approached by this company on many occasions because of the press releases we send out for authors.  I have personally talked to them to find out more information as to what they actually do.  Basically, it's a form of advertising even though the producer that talked to Jill said it wasn't.

After Jill wrote the above to me I decided to check their website to see how many authors they have actually contracted.To date 147 author interviews have been posted. I scanned the list and found one author, Edna Thayer, that I know and immediately sent her an email asking her if she sold enough books to cover the expenses and how many she actually sold.  This was her response:

I did not sell enough books to pay for my experience.  However it was a marvelous experience that I am very happy I had.  Many people did see the show and it was much fun to do.  I would do it all over again.

As a business proposition, it is not worth it, but it was all income tax deductible.  I used frequent flyer miles to get there.

And it's hard to put a value on the joy of doing the show.

For direct sales, I probably only had about 8 or 9.  But I did get newspaper articles, speaking engagements, and radio shows as a result of it.  My sales at Amazon and through Partners increased also following this.  I sell most of my books at speaking engagements.  I do between 25 and 50 a year.

Edna also wanted me to add:

I want people to know that the people at The Balancing Act were great and I loved the experience even though I didn't get many direct sales as a result of it.  It's impossible to know how many indirect sales I received as a result of this interview.  And Florida is a great place to visit when you're from MN.

So...what does one do?  We are hammered by "experts" that we should never pay for a media interview, or in fact any type of interview.   We are told that the media should flock to us.  We also get an attitude that publicity should be free for us as authors; after all we have just published a best seller.  Maybe so...if we are narcissistic.  (Or don't have a marketing budget and don't want to admit it.)   But, let's think about this realistically.  As in Edna's case, she could be considered an "unknown" author to the masses. She chose to allot some of her marketing budget to this venture to help get known.   Is that wrong?  I don't think so.  For her, spending the $5900 plus was worthwhile while someone else would cringe at this type of advertising but be willing to pay the same amount for an ad in a newspaper or magazine.  Or is it any different than paying $15,000 to a publicist only to sell 6 books and not get any interviews or speaking gigs? (Yes, a livid author told me that!) What one thinks is a good marketing strategy another may pooh pooh it.  In Jill's case, doing the 5 minute paid-for gig is not the way she wants to spend her marketing budget. Edna and Jill are both right; they are choosing how to spend their marketing budget in the way they think works best for them.

What is your opinion on this?  Do you have any experiences you'd like to share?  I'd like to hear from you here.

After you post your comment do come back to watch this video. It's good for a belly laugh.

Why it's important to marry a good speller

PS - We are DONE reposting the reviews to Amazon.com! If you have a review from us please check your book listing to be sure the review has been reposted. We reposted all 7000 but it seems that about 700 didn't show up. At this point we don't know which ones Amazon didn't make live and they aren't responding to my query. If yours is missing please let me know.

PSS - Be sure to scroll down to see who is featured this week.

featured this week

Nonfiction - Science, Philosophy, Societal Issues

The Human Hologram: Living Your Life in Harmony with the Unified Field

Dr. Robin Kelly

Energy Psychology Press (2011)
ISBN 9781604150629publisher (2008)
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (7/11)

Synopsis

Dr. Robin Kelly, author of such award-winning books as The Human Antenna, provides readers with a new perspective on human existence through the revelation in his new book, The Human Hologram, that we live in a holographic universe. Evidence to support this theory is discussed in detail, but in an easy-to-follow manner; Kelly breaks his theories down into the Ten Guiding Principles of the Human Hologram. His conclusion is that humans themselves must be holographic, which means people can play an active role by connecting with a unifying field of consciousness to co-create their future and their environment.

Unlike many authors who write metaphysical books sprinkled lightly with some scientific jargon, Dr. Kelly is well-experienced in the medical and scientific fields, with a knack to explain difficult theories and provide sufficient evidence to support them so the lay reader can easily follow his argument. Drawing upon holographic, fractal, and quantum science, and Eastern and Western philosophies, Kelly demonstrates that although humans are a small part of the universe, even the smallest part has access to the whole.

Read review of The Human Hologram
Read interview with author
Visit author's website

featured this week

Fiction - Novel, Gay, Lesbian

Stealing Angel

Terry Wolverton

Spinsters Ink (2011)
ISBN 9781935226451
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (7/11)

Synopsis

Maggie Seaver is not stealing Angel, she is saving her. On the run in Baja, Mexico with the seven-year-old girl she raised with her estranged ex-partner, Yoli, Maggie believes she had no choice but to rescue the abused child. Driving 1100 miles of rugged road, headed toward an audience with the guru of a spiritual community, she must elude not only the FBI, the Federales and the American media, but also self-doubt about the rightness of her actions.

The closer she gets to the guru, the more Maggie realizes that her real quest is one of the spirit, and all she must overcome in order to heal her family. Stealing Angel, by author Terry Wolverton, is a riveting journey through the spectacular landscape of the Baja peninsula and the landscape of a woman?s spirit. The book asks the question: how do we get beyond our own misguided actions and those of others?

Read review of Stealing Angel
Listen to interview on Inside Scoop Live
Visit author's website

Spotlight - reader views literary awards winner

Honorable Mention in Humanities

Hana-lani: A Novel by author Christine Sunderland 

OakTara (2010)
ISBN 9781602902602 

Christine Sunderland grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and graduated from San Francisco State University Cum Laude with a BA in English Literature. She attended the Squaw Valley Workshop and the Maui Writers Retreat where she studied under the acclaimed novelist Jane Hamilton.

Spending considerable time in Italy, France, and England, she has developed a keen interest in history, the ability of the individual to change events, and the power of belief. In her stories, she brings to life the effect of the past upon the present, the puzzle of perception, and the mystery of time. She is also fascinated by the miracles of life and the pleasure of the senses, from a flaming candle lighting the dark to a rose petal glistening with dew, from the cherry and berry in a fruity Chianti to the yeasty aroma of fresh baked bread.

Synopsis: Old Nani-lei lives in Hana-lani, her family home in rural Hawaii. She looks after her grandson Henry, 52, and his daughter Lucy, 6, who have returned to Maui from Berkeley after the death of Maria, Henry's wife. Henry and Maria, both professors, had been working on A History of Ethics, and now the grieving Henry struggles to finish it.

City girl Meredith Campbell, 36, fast-paced, self-centered, and beautiful, believes her body will ensure her happiness. After losing her job and finding her lover unfaithful, she flies to Maui, sure he will follow... but her plane crashes near Hana-lani. In Hana-lani, both their worlds collide in a natural world both beautiful and dangerous, Henry will be forced to act on his words, and Meredith will come face-to-face with her own life choices.

Read review of Hana-lani: A Novel
Visit author's website

Enter Literary Awards Program
List of 2010 Literary Awards Winners

Spotlight - reader views literary awards winner

First Place in Memoir/Autobiography/Biography

After the Murder of My Son by Mary Rondeau Westra

Mary Rondeau Westra
North Star Press of St. Cloud (2010)

Mary Rondeau Westra grew up in Northeast Minneapolis. She graduated from Macalester College and taught French for eight years before becoming a stay-at-home mom. While raising her two daughters and son, she started a book club, counseled breast-feeding mothers, and was an active community volunteer, tennis player, soccer mom and marathon runner. “When my kids became teen-agers, they didn’t need devoted mothering anymore and I knew I couldn’t run marathons for the rest of my life, so I went back to work.” She started a ten-year career of fundraising for arts organizations and retired from The Minneapolis Institute of Arts in 2002 shortly after the murder of her son. She now serves as a volunteer guide at the museum and directs a capital campaign at her church, while continuing to write.

Synopsis: “Your son’s been killed,” say the blue suits on the other side of the screen door the hot morning of July 8, 2001. Twenty-four year old Peter Westra, a promising investment banker, has been kicked to death by bouncers outside a club in Atlantic City NJ where he was attending a bachelor party. Time stops for Mary. Shock gives way to grief, sorrow, isolation, shame. Fear sets in as the family prepares for lengthy judicial proceedings. “What will I learn about Peter’s final hour? Will I have to look at his killer?”

Mary vows to uphold the honor of her son. “I want my son, even in death, to be proud of his mother.” Justice in the courtroom proves elusive, and Mary, disappointed, must dig deep for hope. Inspired by the legacy of her son’s too short life, she redefines her life and purpose and reaches out with compassion to others suffering loss or adversity. After the Murder of My Son heralds the triumph of the power of the human heart over tragedy.

Read review of After the Murder of My Son
Visit author's website

Enter Literary Awards Program
List of 2010 Literary Awards Winners

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