(DGIwire) Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins: it used to be that if an author landed a contract with one of these or another of the major publishers, they knew they had “made it.” They’d typically receive an advance that would be enough to live on—for a short while at least—and the publishing company would make sure the book was stocked in stores across the country and the author lauded throughout the media.

Times have changed. Now there are more authors than ever, and while it’s exciting to have so many different literary voices available to read, it can be hard for the publicity department in a publishing house to promote its new authors individually, giving each of them the attention he or she deserves. After all, books need to be sold, and there always seems to be a newer, flashier author coming up the ranks. In a rapidly changing and increasingly competitive market—where many bookstores have closed, people are buying online and frequently opting for downloadable versions of books—publishers have to keep trying for the better-sellers to make up for the ones with mediocre sales. Their small PR staff is often burdened with a large number of new books and can’t keep plugging away at any book that doesn’t take off almost out of the gate. Of course, their authors complain, but that’s the reality of the situation. On average, the publisher’s public relations person will give the book no more than two to three months of media exposure, and even then it’s largely restricted to soliciting reviews. No one can blame the publisher: it’s the nature of the business today.

So what can publishing houses do to make sure all of their published authors’ books are adequately supported and positioned to reach the wide readership they may well deserve? How can they make sure they are selling all of their books, not just the new ones?

“If you find that your publicity team is straining under the weight of so many authors, you might want to consider hiring an independent public relations firm to represent them, or at least form a bond with them—so that if your authors pay, the retainers are affordable and their books are on the PR firm’s front burner,” says public relations specialist Dian Griesel, Ph.D. “An independent firm will have the resources to give your authors specialized attention and reach out to both traditional and social media to get featured interviews and appearances, all of it with the intention of selling a large number of books.”

As President of DGI Comm, an award-winning media relations and news placement agency based in New York City, Griesel has successfully represented a wide range of clients, from large corporations to individual authors. “We have an all-hands-on-deck approach to public relations,” adds Griesel. “No client is too big or too small for us to represent.” Griesel has a special passion for representing authors because she is an author herself. With 10 books to her credit, her most recent title is ENGAGE: Smart Ideas to Get More Media Coverage, Build Your Influence & Grow Your Business.

“The key to helping an author find and maintain a solid readership is to constantly keep their name and their titles circulating in the news and online, featuring them in articles and interviews, and writing content,” says Griesel. As she explains, her company also actively pursues opportunities for authors to write bylined articles, “which can then be ghostwritten by us if they don’t have the time. The name of the game is always the same: we make sure to get our publisher clients’ authors in the news, and we keep them there.”

(DGIwire) Blogs and websites that have rich content are always going to do better than those that don’t. Logically enough, that’s just common sense. It’s easy to write about a topic you’re passionate about, but even the most passionate of bloggers can come down with a case of “blog-block” and run out of things to say. So where do these bloggers get their ideas? Are they turning to tools and other sources available on the Internet?

The absolute best way to provide rich content for your blog is to develop the content yourself. Developing original content gives you the power. You, as the content developer, can establish yourself as a credible source on the subject while remaining personable and relatable to your followers. One way to find fresh ideas is to look for an appealing news article. Pay attention to those trending topics and news stories. Pull from those topics and center your content around that while the story is hot!

Blogs are meant to be casual. There’s no need to be as structured as you would be in a formal news article. If you’re struggling with what to say, try drafting an email to your best friend. What would you say to him/her about what’s going on in your life? How would you tell him/her about your thoughts on a certain topic? Use that tone of voice in your post to allow your personality to break through the text and connect with readers. It’s always a good idea to add in a personal anecdote or two.

“If you’re still struggling to write and keep it casual…don’t write,” says Dian Griesel, President of DGI Comm, a traditional, digital and social public relations firm. That’s right, she says: “Don’t write, talk. There’s nothing worse than that blank page staring back at you when you’re feeling creatively constipated. Talk through this mental blockage; try recording a conversation. This stream of consciousness will lead to a wealth of ideas to cover on your blog. You can transcribe your recording and edit together the post or even upload the original recording itself to provide your more auditory followers with a new way of consuming your content.”

To work through a creative blockage, turn to your followers and community for content ideas. Through social media and newsfeeds, you can tune into any subject for discussion. The hashtag was literally created to track trends, so use this to your advantage! Search hashtags in your wheelhouse to find out what is getting people excited. What are they talking about? Tapping into this resource allows you to be in the know on all the trending topics and stories in real time, get involved in the conversation and create content based off of it.

Finding inspiration can seem hopeless sometimes, but there are so many resources to utilize and methods to unclog your blockage. “Readers want to see original content, so free your mind, let your creativity flow and generate that creative content,” says Griesel. “If you are struggling, it might be time to seek the help of a professional firm that specializes in creating custom content.”

 

(DGIwire) — Celebrities, especially comedians, have been known to put a well-heeled foot in their mouth at times. Perhaps an off-color remark is overheard by a reporter or captured on a smartphone. Maybe a well-planned joke that was intended to make people laugh was taken the wrong way, and instead offended and angered a large group of people.

It seems as if it’s human nature to gawk at a car wreck: watching a celebrity talk him or herself into a publicity disaster is no different. Let us not forget celebrity chef Paula Deen spouting racial epithets, or actor Mel Gibson’s sexist and anti-Semitic rant following his DUI. Most recently, actor and comedian Adam Sandler found himself the subject of a scandal. While filming his movie The Ridiculous Six, which is supposed to be a spoof on The Magnificent Seven, approximately a dozen Native American actors and actresses—as well as the Native cultural advisor—walked off set.

The actors, who were primarily from the Navajo Nation, left after Sandler’s script repeatedly insulted Native American women and their elders and “grossly misrepresented Apache culture,” according to Indian Country Today Media Network. Among the actors who walked off were Navajo Nation tribal members Loren Anthony and film student Allison Young. While Anthony said that he understood the movie was intended to be a comedy, he and others of his tribe felt the portrayal of the Apache was severely insulting and the insults to women were offensive.

Clearly Sandler was in need of some help on the publicity front. On May 12, Sandler appeared on Late Night with David Letterman, where he broke out his acoustic guitar—a throwback to his Saturday Night Live days—and played an original and charming song. While this may not have been an overt apology, and while many people may not soon forget Sandler’s offensive script—especially since the movie is due out in theaters in late 2015—his talk show appearance served as a pacifying measure for the time being to remind his long-time fans of his goofy appeal.

“Many celebrities wind up having to make these public apologies, whether explicitly or subliminally, after they’ve been caught saying or doing something that put a stain on their reputations,” says public relations specialist Dian Griesel, Ph.D. Sandler isn’t the only one to have toed the line between famous and infamous. Celebrities such as Jonah Hill, Justin Bieber, Alec Baldwin and even Reese Witherspoon have all recently had to make public apologies.

As President of DGI and author of ENGAGE: Smart Ideas to Get More Media Coverage, Build Your Influence & Grow Your Business, Griesel knows the importance of creating and maintaining a solid plan if—and when—a public relations crisis occurs.

“Celebrities are human; they make mistakes,” says Griesel. “But being a public figure requires a high degree of prudence and tact, especially since any passerby can catch a snide remark or belligerent action with a smartphone camera. Their videos can go viral within minutes, taking your reputation down with it.”

For public figures, companies and organizations alike, Griesel recommends having a solid PR plan in place just in case one’s reputation is on the line. “It’s better to be prepared,” she adds, “than to have to scramble at the last minute to do damage control.”

 

(DGIwire) – Ever since the massive 9/11 terrorist attack, New York City has been on continuous high alert for any suspicious activity. A loud noise, wisp of smoke or increased police activity can rouse anxiety. Now, with the near ubiquity of smartphones and social media, people have come to expect this kind of news in real time, giving rise to a whole generation of “citizen journalists.” These are everyday people who take it upon themselves to report events via social media, whether that means snapping and posting a picture of a growing crowd outside a delayed subway rain, or tweeting about growing police activity in midtown Manhattan.

Because of social media, people no longer wait patiently for The New York Times to arrive the next morning, or even for the evening news. Of course, what they contribute is far from journalism in the traditional sense, since so many of these “citizen journalists” report incorrect, incomplete or skewed information—potentially causing uproar and worry for no reason.

Take, for example, the NYPD’s pursuit and detainment of a man who had been menacing people in Union Square with a hammer in early May 2015. According to the New York Post, the spree of hammer attacks came to an end when the attacker turned his tool on a cop in midtown. In response, the cop’s partner shot him down on a crowded street.

The shot didn’t kill the man, but the entire city block was roped off as a precaution, which stirred public concern. The public had been tuned in to police violence, since this happened in the wake of several other headline-making incidents of alleged police brutality. While this was not an instance of police brutality—but rather two cops doing their job to detain a very dangerous man—it still triggered a slew of frantic tweets and Facebook posts, most of which were wildly speculative.

That a story like this can go viral in less than an hour proves just how powerful tweets and Facebook posts can be. In fact, 71 percent of Americans aged 18 to 29 now cite the Internet as their main news source, according to a recent study by the Public Relations Society of America. But social media doesn’t just disseminate national, local and even hyper-local news, if used correctly it can be a powerful public relations tool.

“For companies that wish to get their message about new products and services out to thousands—if not millions—of people at once, social media is the way to go,” says public relations specialist Dian Griesel, Ph.D. “Social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram allow companies to directly interact with their consumers, providing a more personalized brand experience. However, if your social media platforms or personal blog are outdated or poorly represent you or your business, you might as well not have them at all.”

As President of DGI Comm, an award-winning media relations and news placement agency based in New York City, Griesel is well-versed in crisis management. She has successfully represented a wide range of clients—from multinational corporations to creative individuals in the throes of crisis situations—and assisted them in shaping their social media strategies.

“By pre-emptively creating a solid social media plan in advance, in conjunction with more traditional tried-and-true methods, you’ll be one step ahead of citizen journalists,” adds Griesel. “They might even be moved to tweet positively about you.”