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I’ve always wanted to write a book. And I finally did a few years ago. A while back I was lucky enough to be working with a guy who was fixing up old houses and reselling them. Before long I was doing it on my own and making really great money at it too. In time, I got married and moved to a new location and never went back to buying and selling fixers. But I had a lot of knowledge in the field and thought I’d write a book to show others how to do it. So that’s exactly what I did.

Like most new authors I wrote lots of letters to publishers all over the country and included a copy of my manuscript. And all I got for my efforts, when I got anything at all, were a pile of rejection slips. But that was okay. I expected a certain amount of rejection. So I branched out a bit and started seeking literary agents as well as continuing my efforts in looking for a publisher. And finally, after nearly a year of mailing manuscripts, I got an agent interested in my book. Boy, was I pleased.

Even With A Book Deal, My 
Success Was Still In My Own Hands
But getting a book deal wasn’t quite what I'd expected. First, I didn’t get an advance on royalties like I thought I would. Next, the small publisher was only prepared to print a limited run of 2000 books to start. And finally, my agent told me the publisher would only commit to a $1000 budget to promote the book. But still, I was going to get my book in print and it was going out to a couple of the national chain bookstores. So I was happy about that.  

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I got to be friends with my agent during the time we worked to get the book out. He told me that if I wanted any measure of success in selling my book I’d have to do most of my own promotion. So I picked up a couple of books on publicity and book promotion and put some of the methods to work. And I got some pretty decent results. I learned to write press releases and get them distributed. But it wasn’t until I heard a guy on a business radio talk show that things really started happening.

He was explaining how just about anyone with valuable information could get free publicity and it was easy to do. He’d written a book of his own about getting on radio talk shows and had sold a ton of books as a guest… and the best part was, he did it from his home phone! 

Radio Publicity Is Not Just About Marketing Books
He said it wasn’t just mainstream authors that talk show hosts are looking for. Offering almost any useful information can get you booked for a radio interview, if, you know how to promote yourself. He went on to say that people promoting various fundraisers, benefits, community service projects and their own products and services can qualify as good guests – again, it’s all in the way you present yourself to the show's host or producer.

Blood Curdling Scream!
I was listening to this guy and taking notes like crazy, hoping he’d give the name of his book or a number or some other way to find out where to get the book. And then something really weird happened. Just as he was about to give out the information I was waiting for, my wife let out a blood curdling scream from the other room. 

I had no idea what was wrong but I took off running. And wouldn’t you know, when I got to her she told me she’d just seen the biggest, hairiest spider in the world but managed to sweep it out the back door before I came to her rescue. I tried my best to conceal my exasperation as I quickly made my way back to the radio. But it was too late. The show’s theme was playing and I’d missed the contact information for the book.

Weird Turn Of Events Makes All The Difference
I was so frustrated I wanted to spit. But as things turned out, missing that info was a blessing in disguise. I got out the phone book and called the radio station right away. I asked the receptionist for information on the business show that had just aired. She connected me with the producer of the show. I asked for the name of the author and information on the book. The producer seemed to be in the mood for chatting so I told him why I wanted the information. After about 15 minutes of talking, I hung up the phone awestruck. I was booked as a guest on the same show the following week to talk about my real estate book! 

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Now I was desperate to get the radio promo book to see if it offered any tips on preparing for the show. I was so excited I wasn’t thinking straight. I drove into town to see if the local bookstore had the book. I was in luck, they had a single copy. I thumbed through it quickly while in the store but didn’t see much about preparing for a radio interview, just a huge list of stations around the country that were always looking for talk show guests. I went home and read it from cover to cover. I discovered a small section that discussed preparing for an interview. But it only covered stuff like stage fright. I needed more.

I went online and did a search, and am I glad I did. I came across a Website that offered lots of information on getting free radio publicity as well as other interview techniques and methods for bumping up sales big time. There was a course for sale and I bought it on the spot. That course has been responsible for me earning thousands and thousands of dollars, but I’m getting ahead of myself. 

I had the course just a day before my interview. One thing the author suggested was to prepare a list of questions for the host. This make things easy for both you and the interviewer. I carefully made the list and emailed it to the producer. He wrote back thanking me and asked if I’d be giving out my toll-free number because the host was more than happy to let his listeners know where and how they could get the book.

Mark Victor Hanson co-author of the Chicken Soup For
The Soul books congratulates me on my first book.

I hadn’t thought of that. But the angels must have been with me because my publisher had just confirmed that my book was now available on Amazon.com so I’d at least be able to offer that information during the interview. Anyway, I prepped for the interview late into the night using the course material. 

Work In Your Underwear!
I was amazed at all the useful stuff in there for getting free radio publicity. And what was so cool is that I could make notes and read them while doing the show because I was doing the interviews from the comfort of home. To be honest, I have to admit I was a little nervous the next day leading up to the show. But when the time came to go on the air, I calmed right down and did a great job.

I realized that I’d been talking about the book so much and for so long that answering the questions I’d prepared was easy. And talking on the phone with the host was like talking to a friend. I sold $407 in books on that interview. But that was just the beginning. Using the information in the course I got online, I got myself booked on a really popular radio show in Seattle just a few weeks later. The host did a regular weekly book interview show with some nationally known authors. I was kind of surprised when he booked me, but I was ready for him.

The interview went like a charm. And by now I had set up a toll free number staffed with professional order takers. I’d also learned that I could buy my own books at wholesale from my publisher and sell them myself – another profitable tip I got from the course. And I’m really glad I did. The interview was a smash success. The host called me a couple of days later and said they’d had tons of calls about the show and the book. But that’s not the half of it. 

$5518 In Sales On My Second Show 
I’d sold $3,547 dollars worth of books from that one interview. I was blown away. A few days later the publisher called me and said they were going to press with 3000 more copies. And it’s a good thing they did because a week later I was surprised to hear from my fulfillment folks that another $1,971 in books had been mysteriously sold to callers who had heard me on the radio. I later found out so many people had called in about my interview that the Seattle station replayed the show during evening drive. I was off to the races.  

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Within a month or so my publisher called to tell me the book had just become profitable – something that doesn’t happen very often with a first time author. Of course I was pleased with the news but it was my own efforts that had made the book profitable.

I guess I need to qualify that statement. Yes, I’d done a lot of work in getting my name out there. But without the excellent information I found in that online course, none of it would have been possible. I had 10 times my money back within a couple of minutes following the interview. And as I became more familiar with the techniques for getting booked on talk shows, it seemed almost too easy.

Let's Do This Again
Eventually I went on to publish three more ‘physical’ books along with a dozen or so ebooks. This time, however, I self-published, which allowed me to keep a lot more of the profits. But I doubt I would have had the interest or initiative to go it alone without the information in that course I bought so long ago – it was an investment that has paid dividends for years, and keeps paying. I figure that if I’d had to pay for all of the free publicity I’ve received over the years, the tab would be several hundred thousand dollars.

I’ve met a lot of really interesting people and made a lot of friends along the way. And the money has allowed me to retire early. Of course, retirement is relative when you’ve discovered a virtual money machine. What a wonderful world. Good luck.

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