1. Organise way in advance. If you tell a journo you need them to turn up tomorrow, they will already have made other arrangements. Rule of thumb: contact people at least 3 issues before the one you would like to be in.
2. If you don't pay for it, you don't get to decide what goes in and when it goes in. What you can do is to make your publicity work along topical themes that encourages journos to put it in when you prefer: like pointing out the Christmas recipes in your cookbook in an August launch that will get you December coverage, etc.
3. Advertisers get an edge of non-advertisers. If you really need to be in print, paying for ads works.
1. Forget to hand out press releases on paper and a CD with the text and nice pictures. The easier you make it to put out your stuff, the more likely it will be used.
2. Forget to write your contacts on all your press stuff. Your name and telephone number must be on each page so people can contact you five minutes before the deadline for that "extra something."
3. Ask journos to RSVP for a press conference or publicity party. If they say they'll come they probably will, however, the schedule changes when other things overrun their time, if a VVIP doesn't show up on time (COMMON!) and also according to "what's hot". Just try to make sure that your parties/speeches etc are hot!
I appreciate the time you are putting into this series. I am learning all kinds of helpful information. I would love to create a historical romance one day and these pointers from someone "in the know" help.