What every author needs to know before they hire a publicist, and how to. A book publicist or book launch specialist will often charge 10k or more, guarantee. How does a first time author market a selfpublished book. Being able to pitch media with clarity, precision and elegance will. It would be nearly impossible to get a book publicist to push a self published book. Book publicist scott lorenz offers authors book marketing tips and techniques on his blog the book publicist. For both selfpublished and traditionally published authors, the ability to market and promote your own work increases your chances of success. About book publicist scott lorenz westwind communications. Tim moore is a reedsy publicist with over 20 years experience managing successful sales, marketing and publicity campaigns for major publishing companies as well as several independents. How to get selfpublished books into stores and libraries. How to publicize and promote your book writers digest. With selfpublished books, which arent typically distributed in high. Advantages of being published by a big five publisher.
If you are thinking of self publishing, start with book. And you will learn from an instructor who went from a completely unknown selfpublished author into one of the brightest young stars now writing with the worlds largest english publisher, penguinrandomhouse. Aug 30, 2017 the publishing industry has roles similar to those of most major types of companies and needs for many different skill sets beyond being an author or editor, so if you love books and want to work with them, you can do so in many of these supporting roles that are satisfying careers for book lovers all over. Why you should never hire a publicist for your book do this. The other day i got a call from a lovely older lady, well call her esther. Hollywood book publicity is also expert at creating strong presence for our authors in the burgeoning social medias from twitter to facebook and other top social media destinations. I had an opportunity to become a literary radio publicist while i was in school, working with open book publicity for many years scheduling radio. The complete book on how to curb your cursing won several national awards for the best book publicity of the year. But, its a specialty in itself and outside our wheelhouse. So, should you be your own publicist or do you need a professional book publicist.
May 30, 2018 a freelance book publicist, karens love of books convinced her to help promote, publicize and guide authors in reaching their target audience. Selfpublished publicist, book marketing for selfpublished puthors, promote my selfpublished book. A freelance book publicist, karens love of books convinced her to help promote, publicize and guide authors in reaching their target audience. I am an award winning publicist with a decade of experience managing debut and highprofile book campaigns both fiction and nonfiction. From being a better literary citizen to understanding social media platforms better, these resources will help get you started. How authors can get speaking gigs gloria antypowich romance and love stories. Part of self publications means that as an author, you assume the role for marketing your book. They must be sold by the writer in order to make back the book publishing costs and to find an audience. I am a new yorkbased publicist specializing in the online.
Self published book marketing for authors smith publicity. How to get massive amounts of free promotion and visibility for your selfpublished book. Without a publisher to back the writer, the he must handle the publicity and networking by himself. Sandra beckwith is an awardwinning former publicist who now teaches authors how to market their books. How does a first time author market a selfpublished book in. A book publicist or book launch specialist will often charge 10k or more, guarantee nothing and focus on things that dont directly sell books. The advantages of being published by a big five book publisher. A benefit of working with a larger firm is the 247 support they can offer authors. Lorenz works with bestselling authors and selfpublished authors promoting all types of books, whether its their first book or their 15th book. Unless you are super lucky, people will not know who you are until you get your name around. We see hundreds of indie and selfpublished books every month here. My advice on hiring and working with a publicist jane.
Aug 11, 2014 in response to recent reports on allis facebook forum from indie authors disappointed by poor results from professional pr campaigns, bestselling novelist linda gillard, a longstanding member of alli, draws on her own experience to explain why she thinks selfpublished authors dont need to splash out for such services and how they can build a large and loyal readership without them. Nov 11, 20 in addition to being a columnist for publishers weekly, jane is a professor with the great courses, which released her 24lecture series, how to publish your book. David has worked authors like joyce hammock, randy haveson, william pierce, and paul corson. The book publicist book publicist scott lorenz offers. Publicists typically offer to book the author on local or national media shows and obtain newspaper and magazine articles or mentions and promote the author online, through social networks. For example if you wrote a book on dieting or healthy eating, tie it into such ideas as healthy holiday eating tips or eating healthy for the summer. Publicist specializing in nonfiction titles with crossover appeal from mainstream to christian.
My advice on hiring and working with a publicist jane friedman. Hes handled publicity for books by ceos, navy seals, homemakers, fitness gurus, doctors, lawyers and adventurers. Getting to focus on the fun things, like the book cover and social media, only made the whole process that more enjoyable. A professional publicist can help you develop this story. Promotion, marketing, social media services are offered for authors, selfpublished authors and publishers. I am adapting the tips from traditional publishing here for selfpublishing. David johnson is a veteran in the publicity industry with more than 20 years of experience. Figure out what makes your book unique and compelling, and target your marketing and pr to those specific strengths. Jul 19, 2017 at least once a week, an author asks me, should i hire a book publicist. The strategies have changed to accommodate demand, subject matter and quality of the books being self published. Written by her husband and business partner james v.
She wants to work with authors who are looking to create an impression in the audience. Learn how to hire a freelance book publicist the balance careers. Apr 06, 2020 a book publicist is typically employed by a publishing house, and it is his or her responsibility to generate media interest in a new book. We know many others who have self published on their own and the amount of time and money they put in only caused them stress. Selfpublished authors can benefit from professional book publicity. Shelf unbound magazines best indieselfpublished book competition honors more than 100 indieselfpublished books. For instance, the inhouse publicist hit up fiction blogs while we contacted parenting sites. A common question i get in my private facebook group goes like this.
While publishing houses usually assign an inhouse pro to work on each book, both traditionally published and indie or hybrid authors opt to hire a freelance book publicist to ensure individualized publicity attention for their books. The first book lynda oconnor, coowner of oconnor communications, inc. Esther is an 83yearold holocaust survivor who has quite a heroic tale of survival and rebirth in america. I cant give a quick answer because it depends on your longterm goals and financial situation. She is the publisher of the hot sheet, the essential newsletter on the publishing industry for authors, and was named publishing commentator of the year by digital book world in 2019 in addition to being a columnist for publishers weekly. Moreover, smith publicity is widely credited with pushing the credibility of selfpublished book authors to new levels. Sales of his first selfpublished novel, 2012s black mile, only trickled in until he took amazons advice and offered it to readers for free. Before you sign a contract with a publicist, be sure to thoroughly check them out. Items marked with a lock icon are restricted to members only and require a member. Why you should never hire a publicist for your book do. The bad news is that while a good publicist can be a huge help, crafting the pitch and getting the message out, supervising the campaign and being on the road are ultimately up to you. I am adapting the tips from traditional publishing here for self publishing.
The balance careers the advantages of being published by a big five book publisher. From many years agowhen we became the very first book marketing company to secure a fullpage feature story about a selfpublished novel in the new york times, to the everevolving book publicity strategies we continually develop for selfpublished authorswe have earned. Nov 18, 2014 so, should you be your own publicist or do you need a professional book publicist. As a book publicist of 15 years, i was immediately intrigued when i heard about the publicist by christina george. George combines truetolife episodes with a delightful romantic love triangle, which made the book the perfect pleasure read for me. Three groups have recognized her site as an outstanding resource for authors, so you know her advice is authortested download sandras free top 5 free book promotion resources and youll also receive the free weekly build book buzz newsletter loaded with. Publicity has always been the darling of book promotion. Whats more, you need to be clear on what you hope a publicist will do for your career. Dec 09, 2019 book publicity book publicity for authors. Marketing strategies have grown tremendously over the last decade as millions of print on demand books have come on to the market. This is even more challenging being self published. Her publicity agency, goody pr is topnotch with clients appearing on npr, the today show, the washington post, and many others. Being interviewed and written about by others can be a. Some also book speaking engagements and arrange book tours.
Your publicist should pitch local journalists who report on the book world. Working w annie jennings pr was hands down, the most zero stress in marketing i have ever dealt with period. A short video which introduces your book and you to your potential readers. No author is so great a writer that they do not need to be edited if for no.
I began reading it immediately and couldnt put it down. Ive read dozens and dozens of books on book marketing and usually have found a morsel or two of useful information in each one. Jul 22, 2018 a publicist is a key to a book s success in the media. As a book marketing guy and book publicist its imperative for me to keep up with all of the great books and magazine articles being published on the topic of book marketing. Advantage of being published by a big five book publisher. Theres a big difference between selfpublishing a book with the hope of selling a few copies and taking the decisiveand potentially priceystep of hiring a professional publicity firm. Without book publicists and selfpromoting or selfpublished authors, their jobs would. It has not been an easy process marketing myself and spreading the word about my books and my passion for writing and illustrating. Being a book publicist, i am often asked to help authors get speaking gigs. However, it also makes it much more complicated to sell the resulting books. Aug 11, 2017 a good book publicist will tailor their strategy to the book as well as to the author. Additional interest has resulted in more sales and notoriety, and the attention to detail and personal contact was a great help to me as a new author. Why you should never hire a publicist for your book do this instead. He received coverage on the today show and the oreilly factor and in publishers weekly, usa today, and hundreds of other outlets.
When kevin trudeau selfpublished his book, natural cures they dont want you to know about, in 2005, he hired the blaine group, inc. February media experts in book publicity and promotion. His company strategic vision pr has four areas of expertise with book promotion being one of the largest. May 15, 2017 sales of his first selfpublished novel, 2012s black mile, only trickled in until he took amazons advice and offered it to readers for free.
Hbp represents authors who have penned books in the genres of adventure, biographymemoir, entertainment, mysterycrime thriller, scifi, fantasy, young adult. How to find and work with a book publicistsuccessfully jane. This is why most books fail, and most authors lose money publishing. Publicity is not a spectator sport and the sooner you embrace it and take an active role in it, the more likely your book will be a success. Being published by a big five or other major book publishing house generally has a high bar to entry, but there is much value in that relationship.
A self published book is a way to get published more easily. She is the publisher of the hot sheet, the essential newsletter on the publishing industry for authors, and was named publishing commentator of the year by digital book world in 2019. Gisela hausmann used a writeup about her selfpublished emailetiquette book, naked words 2. Along with mitch albert, he cofounded periscope books in 2014 and the momentum publishing company in 2016. Book publicist scott lorenz is president of westwind communications, a public relations and marketing firm with a special knack for working with authors and entrepreneurs to help them get all the publicity they deserve and more. As a publicist, i get a lot of calls from folks who are interested in getting publicity for their selfpublished book. First, research to get the best publicity for your book. The inhouse publicist also took on the trade magazines and national media, so my outside publicist and i went to work on local media and internet radio. The strategies have changed to accommodate demand, subject matter and quality of the books being selfpublished.
Writers of selfpublished books should split their tasks with publicists the same way. The job is a combination of the marketing and publishing fields. Book publicity can be tricky for some authors, but it helps promote your book. A publicist is a key to a books success in the media. But a publicist can be a solid investment for the right. Life in the mom zone, my first book, a great push just when it was needed. This book has been hugely successful and its full of good stuff. The publishing industry has roles similar to those of most major types of companies and needs for many different skill sets beyond being an author or editor, so if you love books and want to work with them, you can do so in many of these supporting roles.
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