Patricia “Trish” Gallagher of Worcester, Pa. writes:
“My husband, John, and I are doing a print on demand book and need help to publicize it and try to book paid speaking engagements.
“The book is Don’t Jump! Out of the Shadows about Depression and Suicide. It’s about how John tried to commit suicide by jumping from a building onto a cement slab. The attempt failed, and he was seriously injured.
“For nine years, he stood behind a wall of silence, hiding the truth of his resulting injuries, and sabotaging his relationships. In January this year, after reading about a teenage boy who tried suicide but was unsuccessful, John knew it was time to end the silence.
“His message will help anyone who is personally dealing with a crisis or tragedy, and will inspire caregivers, people struggling with addictions, and anyone who wants to learn how to help others during times of despair.
“We have a possible 700 Club interview, a local NPR affilitate interview, and we were featured in an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer. No luck with any paid speaking or major interviews that have helped with expenses. So we’re putting out the white flag.”
Unless I’m missing something, Patricia, I don’t see a website or even a single page at your site, http://www.teamofangels.com, devoted solely to the book. I even Googled the title and couldn’t find anything. That could be much of the reason why the book isn’t selling.
furthering Joan’s thought I feel that you could add some FREE downloadable samples of the book , & tie this all together. Was John’s depression related to a military experience? market to the military, many come home from active duty without adequate re-conditioning & could realy need guidance & empathy.
Contact your VFW, American Legion, Senator…& see where your experience can help others. Check out local VA hospitals too
Patricia and John – congratulations, and thank you, for taking on this worthy but very misunderstood issue. Have you tried collaborating with the National Institute of Mental Health (http://www.nimh.nih.gov/), and/or the Depression and Bi-polar Support Institute (http://www.dbsalliance.org/site/PageServer?pagename=home) A particular angle you might want to focus on in your promotional materials is referencing important figures through history who have suffered from depression, including Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Billy Joel, J.K. Rowling, Michelangelo, and many, many other intelligent and creative people. Best wishes as you help educate the public about this very real and very debilitating issue!
My first question was, What is John’s message in the book? His story is so complex–a failed suicide that involves a jump, severe injuries, years of lying– that there are a number of possible messages.
Patricia and John,
I applaud both of you for stepping into the light with this difficult memory.
I would recommend starting a blog and inviting your own children to post on it- what it was like for them.
I also recommend making a podcast ( reading that part from your book – which might make others who want to jump – THINK and hopefully prevent it) The podcast you then upload to I-tunes on your own blog, which makes you web-visible the quickest possible way. Whether you only make one or several podcasts is up to you, but I believe hearing your voice reading your own words makes it a more grabbing, moving experience.I would then contact all the suicide hot lines, prayer lines. I would also look up a national index for cities with highest suicide rates – then contact church & temple & youth groups in those, and psychology, human resources department in colleges of such towns. I would inform them of the free podcast.I would also inform any private organization working with teenagers. I would design a pdf- downloadable booklet for sale, which should be mentioned in your free podcast ( and your website) . If you research whether more girls or boys are prone to suicide – you could then again contact private organisations, TV- shows, radio shows all geared toward teenagers. You can offer both your free podcast ( as a good prevention tool) and sell to them the rights to use your booklet with their logo on it. This way you market and recoup some cash. ( Joan has a pdf about brochure creation I believe) I would also come up with a cool graphic image ( like stick figure kids holding one kid who wants to jump) with the words : DON’T JUMP. If you can’t do it yourself – post a sign in a college graphic arts department or on craigslist.com in the barter, artist or service section . You can then upload your graphic to http://www.cafepress.com and they will print on demand for you – no money upfront from you. So in your booklet you can have a link for people to buy T-shirt, messenger bag, coffee mug, etc – all which will help to increase your platform and make you look more enticing selling your booklets to organizations. Cafepress won’t make you much money – but make good gift ideas for organizations for the upcoming holiday season and grows your platform. If you want to become visible even faster through amazon – research other suicide books , especially teenage suicide – as this will always get more PR coverage. then buy some books and thoroughly research what’s good about them . then post your book review, but also your own website or blog. ( again Joan has a pdf for amazon marketing) Don’t think of them as your competitors – but authors who try to spread love – just like you.All this is inspired from our wonderful publicity hound, Joan.
PS: of course if you round up some inner city kids or waspy teenagers and do a video as they read from your text and have them discuss it in front of camera – you can hit all the different segments easily – and highlight how to help kids with a video will get you TV to knock on your door faster – than if you did the same with adults.( for some humor – print your website logo- http://www.dontjump.com – and glue it on a skateboard or a pair of flip-flops) So I guess if I were you – my main media story would be focused on teenagers- which is also what moved you to step forward ( there is a PR story: moved by teenager’s story & now hoping to help to save other kids)
PS2: I would stay away from any mental health, public school, or government anything. Bureaucrazzzies !!!
They are too close to the wallets of drug companies.
Thank you and best of luck,
Gabriele
I once read somewhere that jump suicides go way up in the warmer months – this might provide a timely pitch approach.
What about owners of tall buildings (especially landmark buildings)and others who have a vested interest in preventing jumpers — such as security organizations…I wonder if you can do appearances at events where such folks gather?
Patricia and John,
From your posting, I’m not sure if the book is available for sale yet, but promoting the authors and the book in advance allows you to build a following before publication.
The first step is to clarify your goals and create an online presence. I recommend a blog-based website (on TypePad or WordPress), which is much easier to create and will allow for interaction with others. You could even ask readers to share their stories on the blog and use some of those stories in the book (with permission).
It will probably be difficult to get paid speaking engagements at first. Start with small groups and work your way up to larger ones, as you gain experience and hone your speech. Be sure to ask for testimonials from the organizations you speak to and create a video clip of one of your speeches. You can promote your speaking service through a page on your blog and get listed on some online speaker banks.
Also, I recommend creating a marketing and publicity plan for the book as soon as possible. Good luck with your project!
Dana Lynn Smith, the Book Marketing Maven
People have already mentioned working with groups to try to get speaking arrangements that pay, but what about approaching them to buy in bulk? They would use the book as a give-away resource.
Before you approach anyone though, I recommend checking to see if you can get bulk pricing from your publisher. If you can’t get books at a rate that gives you a decent profit and you would like to pursue this avenue, hopefully you can work with a different publisher or publishing method at some point.
One way around nonprofit red-tape is to offer staff training. Put a clinical twist to your presentation by adding a few learning objectives and PRESTO…you have a valuable training to offer. Most health care agencies and social service providers have substantial training budgets as they want to keep their staff up on their certifications and licensure, etc. Offer them a low cost or free training with the option of purchasing your book for the attendees. Unlike for profit agencies or corporations, do not start with marketing or human resources. Call the department directors and/or supervisors directors. Some larger organizations have training directors, but most mid-sized social service agencies leave the training decisions up to the individual departments. I believe this is a great way to get your foot in the door and be sure to ask for testimonials about your presentation as well as leads for where you could possible speak next. More than likely, if they like your presentation other departments within the same agency will book you as well. Good speakers/trainers are hard to find. Be sure to leave a tip sheet or stack of brochures for their reference as well. Good luck and God Bless!
Jennifer Melnick Carota, MS, LPC
The Gift Therapist
“Shop Smart GIVE MORE”
http://www.theGiftTherapist.com
It takes great courage to break any wall of silence. Many who have gone through any difficult period say, “Silence is the enemy of recovery.” So…thank you both.
John’s message in the book is heartfelt. However, as owner of Cat Tales Press, which debuted “Consummate Connecticut: Day Trips with Panache,” I learned that in order for the book to “fly off the shelf,” I had to apply the WIIFM (what’s in it for me) principle in marketing.
Certainly, John’s story of his failed suicide attempt makes a great story, but the bottom line is: What can people gain from the book that will make them want to shell out money to purchase it?
When I market my book, I present a multi-media presentation called: “Day Trips for Wellness and Healing,” a spin-off from my own travel guidebook. My personal struggle involving depression and alcohol/addiction takes about two-minutes, the rest of the talk focuses on my audience’s needs; places where THEY can go to refresh, heal, feel good, breath…etc.
In my presentation, I focus on material from my book and, in addition, illustrate the mental, physical and spiritual benefits of travel. The book’s first run is nearly sold out. I plan to write and publish many more books under Cat Tales Press in the future.
So my recommendation for your book is to get the researcher’s hat on and focus on these questions: Who will benefit from your book? Can you get statistics of HOW MANY people suffer from depression? Can you incorporate some medical studies? What tangible benefit will the book provide?
After your research period is over, instead of promoting a book signing, unveil a program in which the audience will reap valuable information. Consider, too, giving out a bookmark with your contact information, which also lists the warning signs of depression or other helpful tips. Allow your audience to celebrate in your victory while claiming a stake in their own. In this way, you will sell books and maybe even receive a stipend for speaking, too! I WISH YOU SALES GALORE!
Thank you so much, Publicity Hounds. You guys are brilliant. I will keep you posted.
Suicide prevention? I don’t know – it sounded like pro-suicide. I know, I’m weird – just saying that’s how it hit me. I do have a good connection though you can share with your contact. A good friend and business associate (created and heads the CEO Club of Baltimore among other things), lost a college-aged daughter to suicide and subsequently started a support/education group in her name http://www.krsf.com. His name is Doug Strouse and you are more than welcome to use my name.
with the economy in the toilet, people facing foreclosure or in debt up to their eyeballs – many are going to look for desperate ways to put them out of their misery. Since all everyone is writing about is the economy – it somewhat sidelined the “green” news peg – she has to hook into this subject and pitch accordingly. As the economy worsens, anxiety will escalate, people will be out of work, expenses will climb many will be feeling extremely desperate. Even desperate enough to end their lives. Not everyone has the where with all to rise above and find a solution to their problems. Some wish for death so the suffering is over.
Depressing but true. She needs a really compelling subject line for reporters to open the email – not new suicide book. She should see if there are statistics on a higher rate of deaths linked to bad economic times. What happened during the depression or other recessions over the years.
Anxiety and depression is one hell of a nasty disease. even if you have everything but if you have clinical depression, you are still nothing.”’