ACPR Blog

You’d have thought after running my own business for five years (and writing a book on the subject) that I’d have  this family friendly working business sorted. However, Mothers’ Day saw me setting off for Birmingham International Conference Centre to talk to 600 opticians about PR. It’s one way to promote my PR book, but radio interviews are easier and impinge less on the family.

I’m in the Bexhill Observer this week after the launch of Family Friendly Working, and just did a short interview this morning on BBC Radio Solent. It’s nice to be back on the radio again - hopefully there will be a few more interviews in the next few weeks. The Radio Solent researcher found me on Expert Sources - check it out if you want to be called on as an expert.

If you combine work and a family, you will enjoy Working Mothers - the Essential Guide by Denise Tyler (£8.99 Need2Know Books) I started the book expecting that there would be little new in it for me - I’d already researched plenty of information for working parents as part of my book, Family Friendly Working. The first few chapters on Flexible Working, Childcare and Starting Your Own Business were the ‘essential guide’ as advertised, full of clear facts presented in an easy to read way, perfect for someone returning to work after maternity leave and wanting to gen up.

I found the second part inspiring and interesting. And if, like me, you have been juggling conflicting demands for years, this is the part that will make the book worth buying. Denise, a working mother herself, manages to get the right level of inspiration and encouragement, gently coaching worn down working mums on subjects such as Your Health, Staying Positive and that old favourite, Guilt. I managed to read the book in stolen moments on the train: it is light enough to slip in your bag and browse when you have a chance.

I sent a press release about my PR book to a range of trade magazines, and as a result Accountancy Age asked me to write an article. The article has now appeared on three different websites, here, here and here, which I hope will get a few accountants and IT pros to check out and buy the book.

I went on a short Wordpress course today at the eBiz centre in Hastings. Wordpress seems straightforward, and I could probably have managed without the course, but it was fun to do and I met some good people and made a useful contact. I now have to decide about how to attach it to my site(s). I have three sites running currently, ACPR, PRBasics and Family Friendly Working. ACPR is simply the site for my PR Business, and the other two are the sites for my latest books. I have one further site which is deeply out of date, and I’m too embarassed to link to. I think in reality I need to update that and add the blog to it, and use it as a way of bringing the other three sites together. I could also do with creating a website for my Dad’s Glass Book, and another for a very sector specifc area of PR training which I don’t mention anywhere online yet!

Something to think about over Christmas perhaps! 

I got a call from the publishers of my book, Family Friendly Working to say that they have the first copies in, which is exciting. I am looking forward to a few copies landing on my doorstep. It is still a couple of months until the official release dates, but early copies will go out to the press for reviews.

This week has been pretty slow going - I have done lots of admin but struggled to make progress with a few big jobs. However, I have had a nice boost with a couple of bits of coverage for A Guide to Promoting your Business, in Craft Business Magazine and In House magazine. The later goes out with every Viking Stationery order, which is a great way to get news out about the book to thousands of small business owners who I would not reach otherwise. If you want to BUY this practical guide to business promotion, read the first chapter for free or download templates for a press release, visit www.prbasics.co.uk

I got both bits of coverage after responding to requests on Response Source. Journalists place requests for information on the site - a very useful place to know about. It is a subscription service, but if you are serious about promotion, an investment of a few hundred pounds a year is worthwhile.  

PRBasics is a site I created with some PR Resources to support my book, A Guide to Promoting Your Business. Over the last month or so, I created a BTTradespace for PRBasics. BTTradespace is a free business showcase – you can have a limited number of products on offer and add blogs, podcasts and photos for free, or choose to pay a fee of around £15 a month to sell unlimited products. Since I set up the Tradespace page, around a thousand new people have found out about my book, and the site had now been  picked as BT Tradespacer of the week.

My new book, Family Friendly Working, has its first review. The Bookseller magazine previews books so the book trade can get orders in pre-publication. Their reviewer writes:

“Many parents have to make tough decisions about returning to work after having a baby. So there is excellent potential for this guide in which a mother and small business advisor shares her ideas for finding work that fits comfortably around having kids.” The Bookseller Caroline Sanderson

My book is reviews in Craftsman Craft and Design magazine - which, by the way, is looking gorgeous and has a fab new makeover.

You can also see my tips in Prima Baby. The news article looks a little out of place, but it’s all good coverage, and will hopefully get lots of potential businessmums onto PRBasics