Writing a Book Then — Promoting it Now

Everything’s changing. How can your book fit in?

Timeliness, being “new” or “relevant,” is a central driver of media coverage.

Given that the past 9 months—let alone the past decade—have been a time of political tumult, technological change, and broad cultural upheaval, if you’re trying to promote a book that was written before then, you’ve got a challenge on your hands.

So amidst the unending barrage of change that makes even last week’s news feel dated, how do you promote something that was written even 2 years ago? 

First, keep in mind that journalists are not there to cover your book. They’re interested in better explaining a current issue to their audience. So if you want to get media coverage, offer value through your particular insights, perspective, and expertise.This may steer you away from an interview focused exclusively on your book, but as long as you can tuck in a sentence or two about it (for example, by explaining what makes you a subject expert), that’s a win.

One way to make it easier for a producer or editor to book you is to create a concise list of key talking points related to what’s in the news and update them regularly. 

How have we tackled this at our sister company Press Shop PR? Take this example: we’re working on a book about health insurance policy, informed by years of research and first drafted long before the MAHA movement coalesced. At a time when RFK Jr. is upending the entire health establishment of the country, it’s understandably difficult to get people to talk about it, despite the excellent writing and the credentials of the author. Why? Well, if a house is on fire, not many people are going to focus on the flaws in the way it was built. So we pivoted: we emphasized the author’s expertise in the healthcare industry as a whole, landing interviews that set the author up to comment on what RFK is doing now—and getting traction for the book as a result.

In this business and especially in these times, you have to continually adapt. So get creative when you think about how your book still matters—not despite, but because of the insane headlines.