Meryl's Notes Blog

Authors believe that going on Oprah is the ultimate thing to do for a book. Being an Oprah Book Club selection, no doubt, leads to a best seller. But what about those authors who just appear on the show when it covers their subject? Dan Janal has posted an Oprah PR Leads Challenge.

He asks folks to send proof if they’ve sold more than $10,000 books after appearing on Oprah. The top five get a free subscription and glowing testimonials (in other words, he’ll eat his words). He announced the results and no one beat his challenge. But then again, how many people knew about his challenge?

Regardless, while appearing on Oprah is indeed a big PR coup for anyone who appears as a professional rather as someone who has been scorned, lived a rough life, or some other sob story — it’s no magic bullet. A good place to start is with the local media (newspapers, radio stations, and organizations). Build from there. Your chances are greater when you start small than trying to shoot for a national program.

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