Giselle Koy, author of "The Modern Muse" and host of "Sparkling Intersections" radio. Pictured here giving the Sunday lecture at the New York Theosophical Society in Manhattan on Nov. 13, 2011.

I am so proud of one of my clients, Giselle Koy, who launched her BlogTalkRadio show a few months ago. Giselle is the author of The Modern Muse: How to Create the Ravishing Life You’ve Always Wanted.

I encourage my author clients to consider themselves independent media companies. For so many non-fiction writers of the past, the only way to get a series of messages out to potential audiences was through writing and publishing a book. That is, obviously, no longer the case. The book can, however, be an exquisite piece that shares your core messages. It is a stand alone product that can provide an important point of reference for your work at a particular, strategic point of time in the evolution of your brand, cause or area of expertise.

But everyday, there is a chance to connect, communicate and inform. That’s where social media, blogging, video and radio play important roles. In other words,  YOU are the media.

In that spirit, Giselle decided to have conversations with individual who inspire and delight her. She wants to share these personal, engaging and uplifting conversations with you!

And on Wed., Nov. 30 at 12 noon Pacific / 2 p.m. Central, she will be talking about Enchanted Love with New York Times best-selling author Marianne Williamson. If you can’t tune in, don’t worry. The show will be archived and available to be downloaded absolutely free on iTunes.

In the meantime, check out some of Giselle’s previous “Sparkling Intersections.”

Zan Perrion: The Grand Seduction: Giselle Koy interviews Zan Perrion, about the art of love, from relationship to the divine. With a following of over 25,000 world-wide, Zan teaches the art of romance, seduction and loving women. How does he do it?

Psalm Isadora: A discussion with a gifted Tantric teacher, Psalm and Giselle talk about the emerging role of the goddess in the modern world.

Janet Conner: In her first book, Writing Down Your Soul: How to Activate and Listen to the Extraordinary Voice Within, Janet shared the simple process anyone can use to activate that inner voice, engage in vibrant dialogue, and access the guidance you need to create the life you are here to live.

Wizard World Austin Comic Con featured stars Hayden Panettiere, Adam Baldwin, James Marsters, Juliet Landau and Charisma Carpenter among dozens of celebrities and industry professionals celebrating the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, graphic novels, comics, toys, video gaming, television, sci-fi, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more.

The media came out in droves. Blogs, print, TV and radio all wanted an opportunity to feature celebrities, fan clubs, cosplayers and comic book enthusiasts who were coming out by the thousands to check out artists, stars and vendors.

The dates for the 2012 show will be announced soon!

Here are some photo highlights:

R2-D2 gets some love from a mini-fan.

Actor Kevin Sorbo (Hercules, Battlestar Galactica) signs autographs for adoring fans.

A lady dressed as the Tardis (Time and Relative Dimension in Space) from Dr. Who.

U.S. MEDIA CONTACT:
Jennifer Hill Robenalt, Robin Hill Media
512.653.9656 or jennifer@robinhillmedia.com

AREAS OF INTEREST: Transmedia, Middle Grade Fiction, Fantasy Fiction, Books, Girls, Technology, Contests

Fairy Godmother Academy to Give Away One-Of-A-Kind Laser-Etched iPad2 in Celebration of Sumi’s Book Release
FGA Book 5 is Now Available for Pre-Order of Amazon.com; Will Be Released Dec. 27, 2011 by Random House/Yearling Books

(Austin, TX – Nov 11, 2011) – In celebration of the release of The Fairy Godmother Academy’s Book 5 – Sumi’s Book by Jan Bozarth, FGA Media is giving away a one-of-a-kind laser-etched iPad2.

Readers can enter for a chance to win the 16gb iPad2 featuring a stunning laser-etched FGA logo on the back from Nov. 6, 2011 to Jan. 16, 2012 at 5 p.m. CST.

The iPad2 includes two cameras for FaceTime and HD video recording; dual-core A5 chip; 10-hour battery life; over 200 new software features in iOS 5; iCloud; and much more! [Read the Official Rules]

Sumi’s Book is the fifth in an enchanting Fairy Godmother Academy series. Book 5 features Sumi Hara.  Sumi loves fashion and always looks beautiful. She always wears the perfect outfit. When she arrives in Aventurine, Sumi is thrilled to learn that she is a shape-shifter.

Unfortunately, she’s not very good at shape-shifting yet, so she’s given a guide named Kano—who’s distractingly gorgeous in his human form. But right away they get off on the wrong foot; Sumi can’t understand why this boy doesn’t seem to like her. When they find out that an evil fairy queen holds the final mirror shard needed to complete their mission, Sumi will have to discover what true beauty and perfection are, or she could lose Kano and her chance to become a fairy godmother. Girl-powered adventure filled with danger and magic, Sumi’s Book is perfect for girls who have outgrown the American Girls books and Disney Fairies.

About The Fairy Godmother Academy ™

We know every girl is brave, magical, creative, and rare. Connected by their wisdom and their dreams, girls are a cultural force for good! The Fairy Godmother Academy is an edutainment/fantasy brand for young people featuring books, music, fashion, live performances, online interactive play and more.

About Jan Bozarth

Jan Bozarth is a pioneer in entertainment, specializing in the creation of highly honored and nationally acclaimed entertainment products for thirty years including music, home video, family and children’s programming through her tenure with CBS-FOX, MCA, Warner-Elektra-Atlantic, Esquire Magazine, and others. As an independent creator of family and children’s programming, she has developed, guided, designed, or produced more than 14 home video programs, 3 original stage musicals, 15 CD-ROM games, online games and learning products, and 4 original music CD’s. She is the author of the highly popular middle grade fantasy fiction series, The Fairy Godmother Academy published by Random House. She divides her time between Austin, TX, Marfa, Texas and Los Angeles, CA where she develops television, film and transmedia properties.

The Fairy Godmother Academy’s Book 5 – Sumi’s Book

Reading level: Ages 8 and up
Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Yearling (December 27, 2011 – available for pre-order)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0375865756
ISBN-13: 978-0375865756

• Katherine Connon (The Skeptical Healer)

  is the Irish author of Healing Visions: Essential First-aid for the Soul; True Stories of Healing Through Divine Visions. Kate shares her remarkable story of leaving her secure career to follow a mysterious healing gift that continues to change the lives of people in Europe, the U.S. and India. Now available on Amazon!

• James Fontaine’s first book, Never Mad Again: A Transformational Guide to Living in Peace, will be out in December. But his blog is up and running now. James was prompted to write this book after many people in his life continued to tell him, “You never get mad! How do you do that?” In this straightforward text, James encourages readers to release the powerful influences and habits of the ego in order to liver anger-free and improve relationships. Become his fan on Facebook!
• Aman Bandali’s incredible rags to riches story is coming out in the Spring 2011. But it’s not only about lifting himself out of the desperate slums of Karachi and becoming an American millionaire. His passion is to promote religious pluralism and cultural acceptance among Americans of all faiths. Check out his blog, 21st Century American and become a fan on Facebook!

And to all of you aspiring writers out there, keep going!

1) Get a great headshot– or a few. Do formal, casual, indoors and outdoors. Stick with what’s consistent with your brand. Cost: Free (if you have a friend) – $500 (pro)

2) Start a blog on WordPress, Blogger, Typepad, etc. Cost: Free

3) Start an internet radio show on Blogtalkradio.com, Talkshoe.com or some other internet radio platform. All you need is a phone and a computer– no fancy equipment necessary: Free

4) Start a video blog and post your videos on video sharing sites like YouTube, Vimeo, Blip.tv, Viddler, DailyMotion (and your own blog of course): Free for posting (can upgrade to premium memberships); around $149 for a Flip Ultra camera (2 hours of memory, no tapes).

5) Set up your social media accounts (Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook) to interact with your audience: Free

6) Go to Logomaker.com and create a professional looking logo for your media organization: $49 (you can even order marketing collateral for pretty reasonable costs) But when you make it big, hire a real designer to help you upgrade your look.

Yes, I know this all sounds very easy and it sort of is. But I would recommend spending the vast majority of your time honing your messages, getting clear about your goals, and really becoming the sort of media organization you’d like to read, hear and see yourself.

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For the novice business owner or author, or anyone who is just curious about what this whole press release business is, keep reading.

1) When should I distribute a press release?

Some people think that in order to keep in the public eye, they need to write a press release for every single thing that happens (or will happen) in the business. This just isn’t the case. Press releases should be reserved for actual newsworthy events including product launches, major hires, notable changes in service, events, or news related to other major milestones including holidays, etc. So, in other words, while it’s awesome that you just painted the exterior of your building, or you have a new receptionist, that’s not news. The thinking is that a journalist may get so tired of seeing release after release of information that has no newsworthiness to it all (relevance to her viewers or readers) that your releases may end up in the trash bin once it hits the inbox.

2) I actually have news to report. What now?

Journalists look for a few major things when considering a press release. So before you send one out ask yourself these questions:

a) Is it news? Is it something that would intrigue a viewer or reader? Or is this just something to satisfy your ego?

b) Are you giving the reporter enough time to consider doing a story? Print and broadcast journalists have different lead times and require shorter or longer periods of time when they consider a story idea.

c) Do you actually have time to respond to interview requests? All too often, businesses send out releases without carving time to respond to requests for interviews. This can seriously compromise your relationships with media, especially local.

3) Have an updated and accurate media list. When at all possible, send press releases individually to journalists who you feel would understand and respond to your story. This is particularly important for smaller businesses because you generally have just a few core regional journalists who you will most likely being working with over an extended period of time. Get to know what they write about, and how they like to receive releases (e-mail, fax, mail).

4) Decide how you would like to send out the release. Remember, the very act of sending out a press release indicates to a journalist that EVERYONE has seen this release– including the competition. That’s why you might opt to do a direct pitch to a journalist who you have a strong rapport with so they have some sense of exclusivity with you. For events, however, people expect that your goal is to get as many people as possible to attend, so press release are considered standard. Try sending out a bcc e-mail to your media list or for more major news, use an inexpensive press release distribution service like PRWeb.

5) Track your news. There is a tendency to just forget about a release that has already gone out. But I imagine that you’d like to know where it has been “picked up”. If you use a more sophisticated wire distribution service like PR Newswire, MediaWire or BusinessWire, they offer a free basic tracking service for your press release. It’s a report that essentially tells you where your release has been posted on various news sites. Also, don’t forget to set up a Google News search or a Yahoo! news search so you can receive daily reports whenever your business (or a competitor’s) is mentioned in the news.

MARKETING
In businesses big and small, generally the marketing dept. is the dept. that allocates resources, a.k.a budget, to communications programs that will help sell products and services. PR and advertising programs almost always fall under the marketing umbrella. Other areas of marketing include promotions (contests and giveaways), events, trade shows, webinars, social media, sponsorships and more. When you think “marketing” think of any activity or process designed to help sell!

According to Dictionary.com, Marketing is defined as: The activities of a company associated with buying and selling a product or service. It includes advertising, selling and delivering products to people. People who work in marketing departments of companies try to get the attention of target audiences by using slogans, packaging design, celebrity endorsements and general media exposure. The four ‘Ps’ of marketing are product, place, price and promotion.

Investopedia Commentary

Many people believe that marketing is just about advertising or sales. However, marketing is everything a company does to acquire customers and maintain a relationship with them. Even the small tasks like writing thank-you letters, playing golf with a prospective client, returning calls promptly and meeting with a past client for coffee can be thought of as marketing. The ultimate goal of marketing is to match a company’s products and services to the people who need and want them, thereby ensure profitability

ADVERTISING
Advertising is bought media. Simply, ad agencies or depts. create ads and campaigns to sell products, ideas, services, candidates, etc. Media planners figure out (through extensive demographic research) where and when these ads should run– in print, on the radio or telvision, in the form of internet banner ads, billboards, flyers and more. Media buyers then purchase ad space in the right outlets in order to achieve the greatest success for a client.
Dictionary.com says that Advertising is:

1. the act or practice of calling public attention to one’s product, service, need, etc., esp. by paid announcements in newspapers and magazines, over radio or television, on billboards, etc.: to get more customers by advertising.
2. paid announcements; advertisements.
3. the profession of planning, designing, and writing advertisements.

PUBLIC RELATIONS
There are many areas of public relations including media relations and publicity, crisis management, public affairs and more. On the whole, public relations deals with earned media as opposed to media exposure that is bought through advertising. PR is about building positive relationships with the public primarily through exposure and coverage in the media, i.e. interviews in newspapers, on the radio on or a TV newscast. PR people work closely with marketing people in order to support publicity efforts for promotional events and any other activities that encourage participation from the public. For Fortune 500 companies, Corporate PR is an intregral part of the communications machine. One false statement, however, can send a company into automatic spin.
Dictionary.com says Public Relations is:
1.(used with a sing. verb) The art or science of establishing and promoting a favorable relationship with the public.
2.(used with a pl. verb) The methods and activities employed to establish and promote a favorable relationship with the public.
3.(used with a sing. or pl. verb) The degree of success obtained in achieving a favorable relationship with the public

From School Library Journal: Grade 4–6—Kerka is still recovering from the sudden death of her mother and coming to terms with her new life in New York City with her Aunt Tuula and older sister. Her younger sister remains in Finland with their father. As the eve of her 13th birthday approaches, Kerka has much to learn about her heritage. Human fairy godmothers live among the unknowing, protecting and providing hints of magic where needed, and the women in her family have always held that role. Now, Kerka finds herself embarking on a magical journey where her sister’s future is at stake. This second book does an excellent job setting up the fairy world of Aventurine where Kerka meets the fairies, trolls, and other spirit creatures that lead her on her quest. The writing is refreshingly well done and weaves together the author’s knowledge of art, folklore, and botany to paint a magical world where readers’ senses are piqued by the likes of stone fairies, cave anemones, and a queen named Patchouli.

Kerka’s growing awareness of her family history and events that happened when her mother and aunt were teens helps her find strength as a young woman coming of age. She relies on her brain as well as her own mystical powers to maneuver through the fairy dream world while finding her true place in the real world that is her home.—Cheryl Ashton, Amherst Public Library, OH; Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. –This text refers to the Library Binding edition.

What I also love about this project is the total interactive quality that girls can experience through the website, music, fashion, DIY projects and so much more. Check out one of many sing-a-long songs that are part of the Fairy Godmother Academy Universe. Be a dreamer!