The “So-What” Is the Secret Sauce in Book Publicity

Authors pour their hearts and souls into writing their books. They believe the world is awaiting their masterpiece. But in today’s crowded, hypercompetitive marketplace, publicity for their book is a major hurdle to getting their book into readers’ — and reviewers’ — hands. To succeed in this daunting endeavor, and to ensure the book receives its well-deserved attention, it’s important to articulate why a book matters.

Book publicity isn’t about shameless self-promotion, over-the-top assertions, or peppy platitudes. Instead, it’s about establishing current, concrete relevance in the here and now that can preferably be communicated in a sentence or two.

Think of this as “the so-what” of the book’s overall message. The so-what communicates to every print, broadcast, or digital media decision maker the all-important answer to their pre-eminent question: Why should I care?

Ask yourself: What is the so-what of your book?

Is it Illuminating a hot topic? Sounding an alarm? Issuing a call to action? Solving a problem? Exposing misinformation? Questioning the status quo? Igniting a national conversation?

What makes your book timely and relevant? What difference does your message make?

In defining your impactful so-what, think about the mindset of your target audience or market. Then ask yourself these key questions.

1. What are the day’s hot topics and how are they relevant to my targets?

2. What current issues or events are keeping my targets up at night?

3. What are my targets’ major pain points at this moment?

4. What present-day problems must my targets solve to be more successful or secure?

5. What newly emerging opportunities should my targets know and care about?

6. What newly emerging threats should my targets know and care about?

7. What late-breaking news do (or should) my targets most care about?

8. What in the modern-day beliefs or trends are holding my targets back?

9. What new or increasing misinformation should my targets be warned against?

10. What big, audacious questions are my targets asking or seeking answers to right now?

11. What stories are my targets telling or wanting to hear in these times?

12. What new or below-the-radar research and data should my clients know about today?

The so-what is the secret sauce in book publicity. Make sure you know yours, and learn to communicate it with ease.

Then, as you pitch your book and ideas to the media, you’ll be able to artfully answer that all-important question: Why should I care?