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How to Get Booked on "Oprah" By Susan Harrow
How to Get Booked on "Oprah"
By Susan Harrow

Most authors believe that getting on Oprah will make their book blockbusters. For your book to zoom to the top of the best-seller list, you must prepare to make the most of your appearance. Here are some hot tips to help you get invited as a guest on the show, rivet your audience on the air, and ultimately sell more books. As a media coach and marketing strategist, I have helped many people get booked on Oprah, so I know there is a strategy that, if followed, will help authors increase their chances of getting on the show.

Pitch and Prepare
Before you actually get booked on Oprah, you need to know how to pitch an idea to the show's producers and how to prepare yourself for the big day.

1. Tape and watch Oprah
Dozens of authors call me every year. The first words out of their mouths are: "I want to be on Oprah." When I ask them if they watch the show 90 percent say, "No." Part of preparing for success is becoming familiar with the content, format, rhythm and pace of the Oprah show. Your first step is to record two to four weeks of Oprah. Then, sit down in a comfy spot and watch them all at once. This will give you a sense of what's hot on Oprah for the next few months. (It does change and go in cycles). Notice which producers (listed on the credits at the end) are responsible for each particular type of segment. Send a producer information only after you are sure of who you'd like to approach and why.

2. Pitch a hot topic.
Never pitch your book. Instead pitch something that's newsworthy now: a pressing national issue, a controversial subject, a problem for which you have the solution, a common myth debunked. Propose a topic that is relevant to Winfrey's audience (controversy, relationships, personal triumph, makeovers) then prove you are the expert on that topic by telling only the information that is relevant to the idea you're pitching.

For acting coach Cynthia Brian, author of Be the Star You Are! (Celestial Arts), we created a pitch about how she helps teenagers work out their problems by role-playing with them on camera. We proposed a makeover show with before and after footage for parents with difficult teens. Although the show idea isn't directly related to her book this is an area of Brian's expertise--and Winfrey has been doing a lot of shows around parent/teenage relationships. Think about the areas in your personal or professional life where you're an expert and connect that to a provocative theme.

3. Put together a winning press package.

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