Interview with Publicity Pro Susannah Greenberg/
Leon: Tell us a little about you, hobbies and family.
Greenberg: I have been in the book publishing business my entire career. I began at Random House, and many jobs and years later decided to start my own business, Susannah Greenberg Public Relations, a book publicity firm.
Leon: How did you begin your writing journey? (Or business if it applies)
Greenberg: My business began as a series of freelance book publicity projects between jobs. It grew organically from there and then by more deliberate tactics to maintain and grow the business.
Leon: What audience (or clients) do you want to reach?
Greenberg: My clients are book publishers, authors and book industry organizations. Because of the digital book revolution, I am working with many more self-published authors than in the past. The opportunities are much bigger for the self-published author because of eBooks.
Leon: What are the most effective ways you have promoted your book or business? The internet! Also, real life networking by serving on the board of groups including the Women’s National Book Association, by speaking at important trade conventions such as Bookexpoamerica and more.
Leon: What ways have you used social media?
Greenberg: I use social media to promote my business and my clients’ books. Creating web sites, Facebook pages, author profiles on social reading sites like Goodreads, and also building the buzz by reaching out to bloggers and web sites.
Leon: What is the importance of tools like Twitter, Facebook, SEO, Web Optimization, Blogging, Podcasting, etc. to author promotions?
Greenberg: CRITICAL, they are critical. Any book pr campaign worth its salt must include social media tools like these. All my campaigns integrate both traditional and social media. But traditional media, especially book review, is shrinking. So, social media is very important.
Leon: What are 5 things you feel every author should know about book marketing?
Greenberg: 1. Book pr campaigns need to begin well in advance of the book’s on sale date, at least 3-4 months, you should have your pr strategies in place and be ready to execute. 2. It is never too early to start building your web presence and online community. 3. Research your niche communities of interest and make contact with them. 4. Know your strengths and limits. If you think you can’t do it all on your own, you need to hire a pr firm like mine. 5. Find your message. Without over scripting yourself, create an “elevator pitch” for your book, that is a concise and appealing way to describe your book and what is about that communicates clearly to the media and the reader.
Leon: What are 5 things you want the audience to know about the importance of your business?
Greenberg: 1. Discoverability is key. PR is the key to that. If you don’t have the proper PR for your book, no one will hear about it and know to buy it. 2. Experience counts. I have worked with numerous best selling authors and books for years. 3. I specialize in book publicity. Not all public relations is alike. It is important to know book publicity specifically and I do. 4. Creativity is important. I try to look at all the ways a book can be promoted, all different aspects of a book that can become a story for the media, as well as look at external trends and current affairs for ideas for ways the book can be tied in to them. 5. Staying current with the digital revolution is a must for a book publicist and I am always on the leading edge of using new medium and technologies to maximize book pr. I was on the internet with bookbuzz.com way before my peers in book publicity. I was one of the first to move into social media. SGPR is always searching and learning to stay ahead of the curve in developments in book marketing online.
Leon: How would you like to be contacted for people to purchase your book or service? You can go to my web site bookbuzz.com or e-mail me at publicity@bookbuzz.com. You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and more.
Leon: Please give our authors a closing word of encouragement.
Greenberg: You gotta be in it to win it, no wallflowers allowed. If you are proud of your book, get out there and shout about it! Tell everyone you know about your book. Wonderful low cost and effective opportunities are now plentiful because of the social media revolution. Jump in and take advantage. Build your buzz from early on and it will grow and you will succeed!
Susannah Greenberg is President of Susannah Greenberg Public Relations, a book publicity firm in the Greater New York City area. Her clients are authors, publishers, and book industry organizations. She has represented best selling authors including Spencer Johnson and Alan Dershowitz; launched the campaign for April is National Poetry Month for the Academy of American Poets; handled public relations for the Book Industry Study Group; and is the Publicity Chair for the Women’s National Book Association in New York, NY. She gets features, reviews, and articles for her clients in TV, radio, print and online. Media placements by her firm include the Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio, New York Times, the Today Show and more. Most recently, she assisted in the 2011 launch of Albert Whitman Teen, a line of books for young adults. Prior to founding her own firm, Susannah Greenberg was employed at Simon & Schuster, M. Evans & Co., Cambridge University Press, and Pantheon Books.
