Getting a book published is no easy task, but promoting it may be even harder. Promote Like a Pro: Small Budget, Big Show helps self-publishers (and other entrepreneurs with projects to promote) reach the audiences that want their books. Promotion and marketing are the keys, but many self-publishers don't have the finances to hire professionals to make the pitch, and that's where Promote Like a Pro steps in. "Promoting and marketing an unknown author is about as challenging as it gets," says publisher and book producer Linda F. Radke, and Promote Like a Pro sets out to help self-publishers to meet that challenge. "Self-publishers definitely need this kind of help because the competition is so intense." More than 50,000 books are published and more than 7,000 new presses come into existence each year. "With this kind of competition, you just can't expect your book to make it by word of mouth," she says. Radke, president of Five Star Publications, Inc., has spent 15 years advising authors on how to produce and market books. In Promote Like a Pro she shares what she's learned, providing a roadmap to successful marketing with clear, step-by-step advice. In addition, Radke has assembled experts-including Mary Westheimer, president of BookZone.com; Alf Nucifora, who syndicates his Shoestring Marketing column to 40 business papers nationwide; Jeff Todtfeld, an associate producer at Fox News Channel 24-hour cable network; and Charlene Costanzo, who has sold more than 250,000 copies of her own self-published book-to give readers an inside look at how to get publicity in print and broadcast media and how to create an effective marketing campaign. Promote Like a Pro lets self-publishers "join the club" and learn the secrets of successful promotion. Although aimed primarily at self-publishers, Promote Like a Pro contains valuable advice for anyone who's new to mounting publicity and marketing campaigns.
Since 1985, veteran publisher Linda F. Radke, owner of Five Star Publications, has been ahead of her game -- self-publishing before it was commonplace, partnership publishing before the rest of the world even knew what it was, and producing award-winning traditionally and nontraditionally published fiction and nonfiction manuscripts for adults and children.
Among her many accolades, Radke is author of The Economical Guide to Self-Publishing (a 2010 Paris Book Festival first-place winner in the "How-To" category and a Writer's Digest Book Club selection, now into its second edition) and Promote Like a Pro: Small Budget, Big Show (a Doubleday Executive Program Book Club selection). She is also a founding member of the Arizona Book Publishing Association, was named "Book Marketer of the Year" by Book Publicists of Southern California, and received numerous public relations and marketing awards from Arizona Press Women.
In addition to the honors Radke garnered for her own publications, she is responsible for producing premium quality books for clients and authors. Just since 2005, more than 35 received recognition for excellence on local, national and international levels, with a plethora of others receiving the same prior to 2005. Using her award-winning marketing and public relations skills, she also promotes her authors' books and those of others, increasing their visibility and recognition exponentially.
History:
Five Star Publications' journey to becoming one of the nation's leading consulting firms in the areas of book production, marketing, publicity, and distribution began simply enough with Radke's desire to print a few books to complement the household employment agency she owned. For Radke, who on more than one occasion has been teased about having "printer's ink in her veins," the experience of publishing the books was exhilarating, prompting her to change careers and launch Five Star Publications without looking back. Eventually, Radke added services and acted as a publishing eDistributor for other self-publishers, ventured into traditional publishing, and pioneered partnership publishing to allow her to publish more authors and make them a more integral part of the creative process of publishing.
In 2010, Five Star Scripts was launched. The spin-off company is comprised of a team of film/television producers and screenwriters who use their insiders' expertise to morph books into screenplays and pilots, and then market them to television, film, and stage producers, directors, and studios across the globe. On the flipside, Five Star Scripts also transitions scripts and screenplays into books, including writing and editing, graphic design, layout, packaging, and promotion.
The electronic book market was entered in the summer of 2010 with the birth of eStarPublish.com, which transforms a PDF, InDesign, Word or other type file into electronic files that are compatible with Amazon's Kindle, Sony, Kobo and Apple's iPod, iPad, and iPhone, and downloadable through Amazon.com, iTunes' iBookstore and others. Select books are also offered on eBookery.com, the eStarPublish's eBookstore.
Mission Statement:
Committed to providing the highest level of publishing services to authors and other publishers, Five Star Publications, Inc., has for 25 years taken pride in each and every printed page. We strive for excellence in publishing as well as in our business relationships. By regarding our clients as partners, Five Star has set the standard for professionalism and excellence, earning a reputation as one of the preeminent small press publishers. We dedicate a percentage of profits to The Mark Foster Youth Fund and other charities chosen by our authors. For more on Five Star Publications, the Mark Foster Youth Fund, or charities supported by other Five Star authors, visit www.FiveStarPublications.com.
