By Dorothy York, President and CEO of North American Precis Syndicate (NAPS)
With all the extra time people have had, due to isolation restrictions, many people are writing books for the first time. Now that it’s easy to self-publish, there is little to no cost to getting a book published. As summer reading season is upon us, now may be a great time to get started with your first book.
Have you ever squinted to see what is behind the talking heads on video to see what they are reading? Some people, like Anthony Fauci, have books piled up on the floor all around them. The titles, unfortunately, are nearly impossible to see. Bill Clinton, who spoke at a virtual graduation ceremony, #GraduateTogether, had some interesting books, such as a book of poems by W. B. Yeats. I noticed that Bill Gates did not speak in front of a book shelf, which might have led some to think he reads only digital versions, but he recently posted his top summer read picks with a picture of himself leaning his arm on a stack of printed editions.
One silver lining for those who usually watch a lot of sports, which are mostly cancelled now, is that there is more time to read books. Books about sports may be a great start for those folks. People need advice about which books to read. Based on our experience, the most popular book stories fall into several categories, including biographies, books for children and young adults, advice or self-help books, cookbooks, and many more.
Some books are written to help promote an idea, or sell products or services, and some are for pure enjoyment. If you have a good book to promote, tell your story to the thousands of editors and millions of Americans nationwide who would like to learn about it.
Here are a few successful strategies and expert tips for writing book stories:
1. Photos: Use beautiful color images of your book or a relevant photo.
2. Advice: For self-help books, offer some helpful advice from the book as a teaser.
3. Cookbooks: Include a recipe to whet the appetites of the readers. Use ingredients that are easily obtainable and keep directions simple.
4. College: Tell readers how they can find affordable financing for college or what books will help them to get in.
5. Celebrity: Include information about the biographical background of the celebrity.
6. Business Expert: Include the credentials of the expert, accomplishments and how the person became successful.
7. Investment Advice: Include trends and forecasts for the future and include statistics and quotes from credible sources such as government agencies or trade associations.
8. Children’s Books: Include information from the National Education Association and offer tips on encouraging children to read. Use a doctor’s quote about childhood development.
9. Audiobooks: Include information about the benefits of audiobooks for children to help them learn, commuters who travel long distance and blind people.
10. Travel Guides: Offer tips on traveling and destination highlights.
11. Gift Ideas: Suggest various books as gift ideas for holidays and special occasions.
12. Literacy Campaigns: Tell readers about ingenious ways to help get kids to read.
13. Seasonal: Suggest a book list for summer reading, vacation time or holiday season.
14. Contest: Include information about a contest to help future writers.
15. Health: Offer tips to maintain health and quality of life and to live longer. Include symptoms to look for, available treatments and advice from a doctor.
16. Social Responsibility: Mention that a portion of the proceeds of a book goes toward a worthy charity on behalf of a corporate sponsor.
17. Political: Appeal to people at an emotional level by using heartstring-tugging anecdotes. Indicate why people should care by explaining how they would be affected.
Here are some of our top recent books and online stories (to view the slide show: click here):
1- Biographies:
“Bill Marriott Success Is Never Final”
“Kid Number One/ Alan Hassenfeld and Hasbro”
“A Mirror And A Prayer”/ Gina Rivera
“Homeless To Billionaire”/ Andres Pira
2- Youth:
Writers of the Future / “Ender’s Game” / Orson Scott
Smule / “Stories and Songs Matter More Than Ever Right Now”
BookTrib / ”Children’s Book Holiday Gift Ideas”
Discovery Education / ”The New Discovery Education Experience”
“The Secret To Getting A Job After College”/ Dr. Larry Chiagouris
3- Advice and Self-Help:
“Deep Conviction”/ Religious Liberty
“Women, Minorities & Other Extraordinary People: The New Path For Workforce Diversity”
National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
Penguin Random House/ “The Age Of Overwhelm”
4- Cookbooks:
“Guilt-Free Weeknight Favorites” /American Diabetes Association (ADA)
“Diabetes and Hearth-Healthy Cookbook”/ American Heart Association and ADA
“California Avocado Summer Soundtrack Cookbook”
Weber’s cookbook author, Jamie Purviance
5- Summer Reading:
“Watermark: The Broken Bell Series”
To see the slideshow of our top 100 books stories of the decade: Click Here
For some of our picks for PR books we like: click here
For some of our picks for Social Media books we like: click here
For more information or a free proposal from our experts, visit https://mynewstouse.com/ or email: info@napsnet.com.