Tweet

Authors and the PR Blues

Written by: Anthony Mora

Article Overview: If you're self-publishing, you know it's up to you, but even if you are publishing with a major house, view your publisher primarily as a printer and distributor and assume that all of the responsibility for securing for your book rests firmly on your weary shoulders. In reality, it does.

Authors and the PR Blues

Authors and the PR Blues
By Anthony Mora
Copyright© Anthony Mora 2006

So you finally did it. You wrote that book you've been threatening to write, sent it to publishers, amassed a mountain of rejection slips, but finally found that right publisher. Your manuscript was accepted. You're going to be a published author. Great - you can now turn your attention to your next book. Your first books finished; your publisher will take care of everything from here on in, right? Surprise!

At my firm, we run the gamut when it comes to representing authors, from self-published, first-time writers to writers who have landed multi-book deals with major publishers and, I am sad to report, the one common link among all the authors we work with is that, unless their names happen to be Anne Rice, Stephen King, or Tom Clancy, very few seem to receive much support.

It would be easy to blame the publishing company's media relations departments, but that's not the problem. Most publishing companies have slashed their in-house staffs and their publicists are overloaded. Every month, up to thirty books are dumped on one or two in-house publicists.
It's an impossible task. What has happened is that many in-house departments have been reduced to little more than direct marketing departments. They send out books, press kits and press releases and hope for the best. They have neither the time nor the man power to make follow-up calls. And unless you have name recognition or have written a shocking expose that the entire world is waiting to read, chances are you and your book will get lost in the shuffle.

Whether you are self publishing or are publishing your book through a major house, this is one instance where I strongly recommend you hire a firm that understands book media relations to implement your campaign. Although some books are evergreen some are time sensitive. This is one time you don't have the luxury of learning as you go. Although you hope that your book will become a classic and continue to sell throughout the years, your book has a shelf life. You need to launch an effective campaign even before it's published. If you want to have it reviewed, you need to send a copy of your book, or the galleys, to reviewers, often as long as three months before the publication date. Once it's published, you immediately want to hit the local media, the talk shows, and the national press. One area you definitely want to focus on is national and regional radio. There are hundreds of regional and local radio talk shows and current event-oriented programs that feature books and authors. These interviews are almost always conducted over the phone. You can be at home in your bathrobe, discussing your book, while thousands of people listen.

If you are publishing with a major house, view your publisher primarily as a printer and distributor and assume that all of the responsibility for securing for your book rests firmly on your weary shoulders. If your publisher actually launches a campaign for you, that's great, but don't count on it. You don't have the luxury of being wrong. If you assume the media relations will be done for you and it's not, by the time you discover your error, it will be too late.

For Further Information Visit:
Anthonymora.com

Related Articles
  Solving the "Blues" Problem
  Do You Have the Blogging Blues?
  The Business Blues With Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, and John Lee Hooker, Jr.
  Tips To Lift Your Mood When You're Singing the Blues
  The Money Blues

Article Tags:



Related Forum Posts
Name for website - Hmmmm Authors World Authors Network Authors World Wide Weblog World Wide Authors Arboretum (or some other alliterative word) WritertoWriter Writer to Reader WritersWorld WritersConnect AuthorsandtheirReadersBlog
Don Campbell Live Today in Toronto - Just a reminder that Don Campbell will be live today at the above information. If your in the Real Estate business in Canada you will enjoy to hear what he has to say and his outlook. He is also well versed in the Alberta market and can also answer questions you may have on it if you plan on buying property there to add to your business and clients. P.s. if you have either of his books you can get it signed by the Authors: Don Campbell and Russell Wescott. Enjoy.
Kindle, Ebooks, publishers and authors - There's been a lot of talk about Kindle recently on some other message boards I frequent (Pub-Forum to name one), and it seems to vary between outrage and appreciation. The Kindle ebook reader is apparently great, but the titles available are annoying. Also, apparently Google is going around digitizing books, regardless of whether or not they're out of copyright. Authors, publishers... anything to say about the trend to market your hard work on the internet for free?
Re: How do you get guest bloggers? - [quote="BuzzAroundBooks":s3522xgx]Thanks for the tips Shri and Groovy Entrepreneur! I will definitely let my friend know. [quote="Groovy Entrepreneur":s3522xgx]To have a guest blogger on your blog, you can: 1.) Write a post on your blog, seeking guest bloggers 2.) Let your blogging friends know (send them an email) 3.) Place a free ad in Craigslist 4.) Ask bloggers you know, and are in your niche 5.) Send a bulletin to your social networks There are other ways, these are but a few. Also you could simply create a page on your site dedicated solely to recruiting Guest Bloggers. Hope this helps in your efforts. Missy.[/quote:s3522xgx] In regards to item no. 4 on your list, wouldn't it be a conflict of interest to add content for a fellow blogger in your niche? Or is it just another way to promote yourself?[/quote:s3522xgx] For the tours that I organize - I'm specifically looking for people in the same niche and that's important in joint ventures - you want to find people who attract your target customers. There are other people to contact, but people within your niche can be very useful - and they can provide a service or product that is compatible, without being the same product you offer. Authors are by far the best people I've dealt with about promoting other people with a similar product. Could be because we are all working so hard to make the small royalties we get - gotta help each other. Shri


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

LEARNING TO HAVE FUN – EVERYDAY!

What Type of Business Should I Start?

Ten Reasons to take Notes during Sales Meetings

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.