Star Magazine

About 6 months before my book was published, I had
a dream of getting listed as "Hot Book of the
Week" in the Star Magazine "Hot Sheet." So, I
made a phone call to the editor and told her
about my book. She seemed pleasant enough, as I
mentioned that several A list celebrities were
mentioned in the book, as well as the fact that
15% of the proceeds would be going to the Breast
Cancer Research Foundation. Over the months, I'd
let her know, via email, the progress of the
book. I'd get pleasant little responses, here
and there. I knew that getting in Star Magazine
was a big deal, and rather a long shot, as most
of the featured books are those by celebrities
themselves, or #1 bestsellers that are put out by
major publishers such as Simon and Shuster,
Wiley, Random House, etc. My book was simply
self-published via POD, and I knew that this was
going to take a miracle. But I kept affirming
that this was my goal - to get listed as HOT BOOK
of the Week!

As my plan was to launch around Mother's Day, I
persistently contacted the editor, with news of
pub date, my marketing plans, etc - basically
chit chatty little emails - always, always
mentioning how much I loved her column and how I
had actually bought a certain item she had
mentioned in the previous week's issue.

Finally, the date was getting close. I decided
that some guerrilla tactics were going to be
needed if I was going to have any results. So, I
printed out a cartoon image of a dreaming girl,
with a cartoon bubble coming out of her head. I
then, pasted in a collage-like manner, Star
Magazine HOT Sheet in the bubble, with an image
of The Daughter-in-Law Rules where the HOT BOOk
of the Week was going, with some copy, as if it
really was in the magazine. The caption below
the montage was "Just Dreamin'!" I filled a box
with 4 of my music CD's along with the collage,
and sent it off. Talk About Results?: On May
10th, I got an email from the editor, telling me
that although she could not fit me into the
actual magazine, she was able to fit The
Daughter-in-Law Rules into the Online version of
Star Magazine - and that it would be listed as
HOT BOOK of the MONTH - for a full month!!!
This was one of the most exciting days of my
life, and I think I jumped up and down doing the
happy dance for about an hour! Now, I always
include "As Seen in Star Magazine" in my
signature block, and I have a nice screen shot
print out of The Daughter-in-Law Rules: Hot Book
of the Week - just like I had dreamed.

The results? Since the Star Mag mention, I was
recommended by Dr. Laura, was a guest on Martha
Stewart Whole Living Radio, hit #1 in "Wedding
Showers" on Amazon.com, the Learning Annex asked
me to submit a video workshop on how I became an
Amazon.com bestseller, and I was asked to join a
panel of writers at the ASJA convention in New
York City this spring. I've been a guest on over
65 radio shows and listed in several print
magazines such as Obvious, For the Bride, My Day,
and have been featured in Tyra.com and
MomLogic.com. I've been a repeat guest on the
nationally syndicated "The Daily Buzz" as a
mother-in-law expert, and am on the brink of a
corporate sponsorship from 1-800-flowers.com.

As well, I auditioned for and got the position of
co-host for an exciting new online radio show
that will debut on January 21st. To quote the director of
programming on BlogTalkRadio, “Over time, this
show could supplant Oprah’s now-defunct Book Club
as the leading book show in America.”

So, being in Star Magazine was the catapulting
piece that gave me the credibility I needed to
launch my career. Thank you to Cristina Everett
of Star Magazine for making a dream come true.