How to Find and Work With a Book Publicist—Successfully

Boston Public Library

This past weekend, I had nan grant of speaking astatine nan San Francisco Writers Conference. While attending, I sat successful connected 2 sessions focusing connected book publicity, pinch panelists Penny Sansevieri, Andrea Dunlop, and Natalie Obando (all publicists aliases trading consultants).

Because trading and publicity thief is nan astir communal petition I receive, I was very willing successful proceeding proposal from these publicists astir what authors tin expect from a master patient and really nan process works. What follows is simply a summary of their comments from some panels.

First: Understand the Right Mindset for Working pinch a Publicist

All panelists agreed that—even though you’re hiring a publicist—all authors have to beryllium consenting to study really to marketplace their book. Good trading and publicity is simply a squad effort, and nan writer is portion of that team. Each publicist looks for clients willing to do some things on their own, and they besides look for authors to beryllium realistic. For example, if an writer wants their book to beryllium a movie, astir publicists will not beryllium capable to meet those expectations if you’re a first-time writer pinch nary platform. The panelists activity clients who know marketing and publicity is a process and cognize that it will return immoderate clip to spot nan effects of an effort. (There are nary overnight successes.)

All panelists emphasized nan competitory quality of getting accepted media coverage, and nan increasingly limited options erstwhile it comes to accepted publicity, particularly for independently published books. Traditional outlets for illustration people and power person really shrunk, while astatine nan aforesaid clip nan number of books being published has greatly expanded. So nan title is fierce for a mini number of slots. Furthermore, though accepted media sum feels very bully erstwhile it happens, it doesn’t needfully move nan needle each connected its own. The authors who activity champion pinch a publicist are those who understand what they’re up against, but consciousness affirmative astir really overmuch location is they tin do.

Publicity seeks to find, identify, aliases target nan assemblage to make them alert of your book. Therefore, Obando said, the best authors are those already acquainted pinch their assemblage and who person aspects of their level already successful place. That way, erstwhile you do prosecute a publicist, nan publicist has immoderate starting assets: societal media, websites, and different devices that are starting to link pinch nan book’s target reader.

Remember: You’re hiring a partner. A batch of authors show publicists, “I don’t want to do it.” Yet that’s nan job. Of people you tin prosecute group to thief you, and you tin prosecute group to do parts of it. Especially successful position of pitching accepted outlets, that’s not thing authors astir apt should do, but it is basal to look astatine what you can do.

Does nan property of nan book matter? Sansevieri’s patient (and others) person worked pinch authors astatine each stages—even pinch books that were 2 years old. The main request for an older book is that it must still beryllium relevant—it can’t beryllium retired of date.

How to Build Momentum Before You Hire a Publicist

Andrea Dunlop, who started her career as an in-house publicist astatine Doubleday and now helps authors pinch societal media, says there’s a batch authors tin execute connected their ain utilizing integer media.

Obando recommends that authors learn each nan societal platforms that their potential aliases target assemblage uses. Being well-versed successful those different languages of societal media really helps—you statesman to understand really to effectively reach imaginable buyers and create a bully thought of who your marketplace is, and what they move to for entertainment.

To beryllium a bully partner and marketer, each panelists discussed nan request to understand your assemblage amended than anyone. Even though galore books person crossover appeal, you person to determine and attraction connected your halfway market. (And yes, 1 of nan large things a publicist does is thief you fig retired who your assemblage is.) If you’re focused and clear astir your target assemblage and your objectives successful reaching them when you start your marketing/publicity campaign, you person a amended chance later of reaching a larger aliases much nationalist market.

Part of knowing one’s assemblage is also knowing what authors are your “competition,” aliases those who scope nan assemblage you should besides reach. Dunlop said, “I cognize we each consciousness for illustration typical snowflakes pinch our book, but you want your book to beryllium for illustration different books. Otherwise it tin beryllium really difficult to fig retired what nan [audience] demographics are.” She recommended Goodreads arsenic a bully spot to fig retired what books are showing up successful narration to different books.

Dunlop besides encouraged authors to publication anything/everything successful your genre. When you for illustration nan books you read, talk astir them connected societal media and link with the authors. If possible, befriend those authors, talk astir their books connected societal media, and effort to do events pinch them. They will beryllium your supportive community.

Publicity Cost and Its Payoff

Every publicist useful differently—plus location are truthful galore factors that tin spell into a publicity campaign, truthful it depends connected what you want your publicist to activity connected nan most. Brief consultations aliases assistance whitethorn costs successful nan hundreds of dollars, while intensive three-month campaigns tin easy costs $20,000 and up.

As acold arsenic payoff, the overarching reply to this mobility is that authors should not expect to spot each publicity dollar travel backmost to them successful nan shape of book sales.

Dunlop said directly, “There isn’t a 1 to one. I don’t deliberation that’s nan correct measurement to look astatine that investment.” Furthermore, nary publicist tin committedness aliases guarantee you circumstantial sum aliases sales. Unfortunately, authors get very focused connected things they cognize and understand, for illustration being connected nan Today show, aliases getting accepted reviews—and they’re awesome if you tin get them, but you can’t trust connected getting them, nary matter really overmuch money you propulsion astatine it.

Dunlop, speech from moving successful publicity, besides hired a publicity patient to assistance pinch nan motorboat of her caller from Atria this month. She said, “This is an finance successful my career; I’m not looking to make backmost my money successful income successful six months. I want a lifelong profession arsenic an author. I don’t equate it successful a difficult measurement pinch sales.”

Obando agreed pinch Dunlop, and said that publicity is much astir getting group to admit who you are successful a world of oversaturation (rather than book sales). Publicity elevates you supra nan remainder of nan chatter.

Some authors want to activity pinch marketers by offering them a percent of book sales, and Sansevieri explained that publicists don’t activity that way. First, publicity firms are not group up to way semipermanent sales. But also, successful nan mostly of cases, publicity is astir nan agelong runway of promotion. Sales or publicity hits whitethorn hap successful those first 90 days of nan campaign, but nary one knows when it’s going to pop—you’d person to way books for years and years. Performance varies excessively greatly.

Remember that you’re hiring personification who tin spot nan 30,000-foot strategy of everything that needs to happen. “I conscionable want to waste books” is a unspeakable metric to unrecorded and dice by, according to the panelists.

First Steps With a Publicist

Initially, erstwhile Sansevieri talks to an author, she asks things like: What are your goals? Is this conscionable astir 1 book—you’ll ne'er people another? Is it portion of a series? Is this book going to beryllium building your business? Then she asks, “What’s your dream—what do you really want?” Her strategy talks are astir 30 minutes, and screen wherever authors want to beryllium and what they want to attraction on. She then puts together a connection that looks astatine nan first 90 days of publicity.

Dunlop tries to meet authors wherever they are and get a publication connected really they consciousness astir publicity. A batch of authors are overwhelmed, truthful she tries to springiness them actual trading steps they tin execute connected their own.

Obando for illustration to activity pinch authors arsenic early successful nan process arsenic possible. She says authors should start reasoning astir publicity astatine conception of nan idea, and while they’re penning nan book. As acold arsenic moving connected a circumstantial campaign, she generally starts 3 months before nan merchandise date. But astir authors extremity up astatine her door when their book is not selling. By that time, it is simply a small precocious successful nan game—especially for a traditionally published author—but that’s not to opportunity things can’t still happen. Much depends connected nan book and platform.

The large quality betwixt a publisher’s publicity efforts and a self-publisher’s publicity efforts: Dunlop explained why accepted publishers attraction truthful overmuch connected doing publicity around a book’s launch date, wrong a three-month aliases six-month window: It’s each because of nan bookstore retail model. Publishers are focused connected trading arsenic galore arsenic imaginable correct aft nan book goes connected waste to debar returns from bookstores. With self-published books, which aren’t typically distributed successful precocious measurement to nan bookstore market, location is nary unit to waste to debar returns, so the timeframe for occurrence stretches complete years alternatively than months. Indie authors don’t person to interest about establishing a coagulated income way grounds correct retired of nan gate; it tin beryllium a slow burn.

Keep successful mind nan publisher’s publicity squad is moving for the publisher, not you, and while you whitethorn person each kinds of awesome ideas astir your trading and publicity campaign, they’ll first attraction connected their goals for nan book alternatively than your own. It’s important to pass early pinch nan in-house publicity squad and understand what they person planned, which can thief pass your ain determination astir whether to prosecute a publicist and what they should attraction on.

Dunlop said that erstwhile she worked arsenic an in-house publicist, she sometimes saw authors who would salary an extracurricular publicist to do precisely what nan in-house publishing squad would’ve done connected their behalf. So look for an extracurricular publicist who will augment what nan in-house publicity will do—which is each astir communication. You want to person coordinated outreach truthful they’re not reaching retired to nan aforesaid people.

For Authors Who Get a Very Late Start

It’s reasonably communal for authors to extremity up seeking a publicist aliases trading thief aft their book has already launched and not done well. This sometimes results successful panicked authors, who recognize they should’ve been processing a scheme galore months ago, and extremity up connected societal media pinch blatant self-promotional messages that command, “Buy my book!”

Dunlop says authors should effort to debar that panic: You’re going to build your assemblage by penning aggregate books, and your societal media efforts are astir building community. If you’re an independent author, you don’t person to interest astir your income way record—you tin hold and do it amended nan adjacent time. She says it’s benignant of for illustration being connected a diet: Forget nan past, and adopt bully habits moving forward. The book you person now (that isn’t marketed well) is simply a portion of contented that will foster trading for your adjacent book.

All panelists said that trading and publicity ne'er really ends—it’s ongoing for arsenic agelong arsenic nan book tin aliases should sell, aliases for arsenic agelong arsenic you person an writer career.

Regional Marketing: A Good Steppingstone to National Publicity

Sansevieri discussed that, particularly for independent authors aliases those without overmuch of a platform, location trading is simply a bully spot to commencement a trading and publicity campaign. Authors tin schedule events aliases tours in their city aliases area—not needfully successful bookstores, though that’s perfectly acceptable—but successful vino stores aliases restaurants aliases libraries, aliases different nonconventional places. (Be creative.) As overmuch arsenic possible, Sansevieri tries to anchor location publicity around an arena nan writer is doing.

Sansevieri said that if you’re trying to onshore nationalist publicity, past you should get media training. Media training is wherever you beryllium pinch a coach, study really to person cardinal talking points, and get trained to beryllium successful beforehand of a camera. You come to understand really quickly nan personification interviewing you will have to put together nan story—meaning, they’re not going to publication your book. That intends that whenever you woody pinch nan media, you should spell in with a cheat expanse for nan journalist aliases interviewer.

For Authors Who Pitch nan Media connected Their Own

Nobody cares that you wrote a book. Or: Don’t lead pinch nan book. Lead pinch nan hook aliases nan story, what that book will do for people.

The astir important point astir your email erstwhile pitching is your taxable line. Put nan hook successful nan taxable line. Keep your pitches short, astir a paragraph. A batch of journalists and reviewers are looking astatine emails connected their phones, truthful support it succinct, and deliberation about it successful position of a little elevator pitch.

Most media won’t opportunity “no” to your pitch; they conscionable won’t answer. Sansevieri doesn’t urge calling because of nan pressures of nan news cycle; if you do person to call, nan first point you inquire should be: “Are you connected deadline?” You don’t want to transportation if they’re connected deadline.

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To study much from these trading and publicity experts, sojourn their websites aliases travel them connected Twitter:

• Andrea Dunlop (@andrea_dunlop)
• Penny Sansevieri, Author Marketing Experts (@bookgal)
• Natalie Obando, Do Good PR (@dogoodprgroup)

For much proposal connected trading and publicity:

• Simple Tips connected Finding and Working pinch a Publicist
• 5 Marketing Models for Self-Publishing Success
• Book Marketing 101