Leveraging current events and tying them into your book publicity campaign can increase the coverage you receive online and in legacy media. Some books are seasonal, the tie-ins are apparent (and inescapable), and others require more creative thinking. Finding story angles for pitches helps make them more effective, and connecting them to timely events or news items can help. It's one of the most effective tactics in securing coverage – and getting audiences interested. Some authors go as far as becoming paid sponsors of events. It works well if they are carefully chosen for the book's topic.
If you're an event sponsor, whether paid or unpaid, you have an assured publicity opportunity. Media often cover event openings, and you can be on hand to meet them if you're a sponsor. Building relationships is part of successful publicity, and they can continue for years. Sparking people's interest in your book can happen in many ways, and events may lead to mentions and interviews if you meet someone and have a connection. Your publicist may also leverage your event connections in pitches they make. There isn't an exact formula, and no two books are alike so that yours will be unique.
You can also hold or participate in virtual events, which have been widely used since the pandemic. It instantly increased their effectiveness and made them accepted by many more than had been willing to consider them before. If you aspire to sell books internationally, participating in virtual events held in places where you could not travel allows you to participate. Success with any ties-in or event concerns the audience. You need exposure in areas where your target readers are watching or reading. Connecting with them is the object of marketing campaigns that help your book sell actively.
Working your event ties into a well-rounded publicity campaign with varied elements will also help bring success. Most successful books today have benefitted from professional marketing support. The competition may overtake you without it because competing books will be actively marketed. Gone are the days when the marketplace was hungry enough for new content that merely writing a book was enough. Big-time publishers have long understood the need for publicists to spread the word about their books proactively. You can follow their lead and help your book become a bigger success.
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