We care that May is National Salsa Month – and you should, too.

POSTED BY elaine ON April 22, 2010

You’ve probably seen the statistic by now. More than one million books were published last year alone. Did you hear that? ONE MILLION! Needless to say, competition for air time and review space is fierce, so books have to stand out in a big way in order to stand a chance of being covered.

Hooking a book’s topic or the author’s expertise to current news is what we do on a daily basis. In a saturated book market, being newsworthy is the single best way to get noticed. Ask yourself, how do I relate to what is making news today, this week, this month?

You’ve probably heard that Children’s Book Week is in May and you know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month – both valid hooks that many authors (and PR by the Book) will be leveraging. But we say, the wackier, the better.

Just this week, Monday was “Fresh Celery Day.” Who cares, you ask? Food journalists and bloggers, for starters – that’s who. Do you have a cookbook? Offer recipes highlighting celery. A book on healthy living or raising healthy kids? Share fun things to make with celery so your kids will eat it (it’s not just ants on a log anymore!) Are you a dietician or nutritionist? Explain why celery might be one of the more under-appreciated veggies and tell us WHY these green stalks deserve more respect!

Also, the media are buzzing about the mini series, “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution.” Tie into this craze by joining the revolution and encouraging readers to make a vow to include at least one fruit or vegetable in each of their children’s meals.

Several years ago, I worked with a professional organizer. Not only is January the optimal time to discuss organizing your life, but to make it even better, we tied into “National Clean off Your Desk Day” that fell in the middle of the month. To say she was busy during the first 3 weeks of January would be an understatement. What I found really interesting is that nearly everyone who covered her during this time connected to the cleaning off your desk idea – the more specific of the two angles. She stood out from everyone else vying for New Year’s coverage.

We hear all the time that journalists like a story idea, but just need the right reason to use it. So look into how you can relate to Baby Safety Month in September, Fire Prevention Week in October and yes – even National Go Barefoot Day on June 1st!

Tags: journalists, newsworthy, story idea

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