What the most common mistake made by authors who want to DIY publicity?

Authors who want to do their own publicity should work hard on a pitch, introduction, author bio, backgrounder which includes a short synopsis of the book, questions and answers and website. Have jpeg of your book cover, link to purchase your book and author headshot ready to send to the producer (this should all be on your website as well)

Send the pitch first and upon securing the interview, send the other information so you can control the message. The easier you make it for the person interviewing you, the more success you will have with the interview. And the more likely they will be to bring you back.

Also, don’t limit your audience to just an interview about your book. Make pitches that leverage news items. Don’t expect the interview to be solely about your book—it is about what you can bring to the table as a guest. You are the entertainment so be sure to talk. You still get book publicity through your intro and if you send a jpeg of the cover, the host will usually post it on their website with information about your interview.

The biggest mistake I regularly see is the author pitch which goes on and on-please just pitch the genre of the book and why your book aligns with something being talked about in the news. Two paragraphs max. Include your name and contact phone, email, and website. 

Good luck! Great publicists have solid contacts and can get results that a do-it-yourselfer will never achieve.