What to expect from your publicist + Links to Get You Thinking & the Seuss Issue
What publicists do; advice for Q&As; bookclubs, backmatter & bookstores; a bit of poetry; big players in publishing; the Truth about Seuss; diversity initiatives, & a fragrant green tea.
Greetings readers & writers,
One of the most frequent questions I get from clients and students is about expectations. What marketing work falls to the writer? What can an author expect from their publicist?
For traditionally published authors, 4 - 6 months before your book’s publication date you will be assigned a publicist (or have hired a freelance publicist, if your considering it — longer lead time is even better!) A publicist’s job is to be an evangelist for your book. They’re your liaison with the media and various marketing partners and help construct the publisher’s overall marketing plan for your book.
Publicists are some of the hardest working people in the publishing business. But how can you distinguish publicity focused on your book versus general marketing for all their titles?
First, make sure you and your publicist are on the same page about your audience and how you plan to reach them. They will expect you to have a solid sense of who you’re writing for and ways in which you might reach them. Keep open lines of communication and let them know of any and all connections you have to media, influencers, retailers, and organizations that might spotlight your book.
Next, know what it’s the publicist’s job to do: they reach out to media and other free/”earned” publicity options to get the word out about your book. This includes national media coverage, book reviews, blog features, and generating buzz through the industry, social media, bookstores, and advanced reader copies (ARC) of your book. They will create a press release and press kit for you. And they will be your main point of contact in setting up book events.
They will not run your social media for you, nor build your platform or brand. They won’t get you coverage in your local paper or redesign your personal website. You will likely have to schedule your own events. These are all things they can often assist with. Using their professional clout and advice may help you engage marketing partners you can’t get on your own, but much of it will fall to you.
You know your audience best — you wrote the book! So be prepared to push for the kind of coverage you want from your publicist. Have a list of booktubers you want to work with? Make sure your publicist knows to send them ARCs. Want to be on a niche (but relevant!) podcast? Your publicist may have contacts or be able to help you pitch.
What about a freelance publicist? A freelance publicist is most helpful if they can tailor your publicity to reach your specific audience in a way you cannot. Just because a publicist promises to pitch your book to their huge list of contacts, doesn’t mean you’ll be any better off. Freelance publicity can be expensive, so be sure to interview any prospective freelance publicists to make sure they’re the right fit for your book, your vision, and the audience you want to reach.
Have you worked with a publicist? Share your experience! What advice do you have for writers entering the publicity process?
Interview with Namina Forna, author of The Gilded Ones, now a NYT Bestseller!
Interview with Tara Sullivan, author of the multi-starred Treasure of the World
Coming Soon! Interview with kidlit author Andrea Wang, who has two books releasing in 2021! Watercress, a picture book about history, family, and a delicious wild herb and The Many Meanings of Meilan, her first foray into middle-grade.
Upcoming (Virtual!) Seminars
March 11th (10AM): Speculative Fiction Variety Hour* - FREE! (email me for link)
*actually 90 minutes—we’ll be talking about these two novellas by Lavie Tidhar!March 20 (10:30AM): Marketing for Writers Series: Audience & Platform
April 17 (10:30 AM): Marketing for Writers Series: Personal Marketing
May 15th (10:30 AM):Marketing for Writers Series: Launches & Events
Not available these dates? Connect with me for one-on-one coaching that fits your schedule!
Writing/Marketing Resources
Feeling overwhelmed as we close in on a year of pandemic lock-down? Me too. In case you need it: 5 Marketing Actions You Can Do Right Now (Even if You’re Burned Out)
A brilliant thread by Associate Professor Eve Tuck on conducting safe and productive Q&A’s after a talk or panel that could be equally useful for authors!
Book Movement, a website dedicated to providing a sharing space for book clubs, now has a clean and updated app for scheduling, getting recs, and choosing books for your next book club meeting. They also have several advertising opportunities for authors and publishers.
Lerner Books Blog’s analysis of some examples of effective “back matter” for picture books, to further the reading and learning experience.
9 Thoughtful Ways to Support Black-Owned Bookstores throughout the year.
Everything changes and nothing changes
Centuries end
and all goes on
as if nothing ever ends
As clouds still stop in mid-flight
like dirigibles caught in cross-winds—Lawrence Ferlinghetti, from “A Far Rockway of the Heart, #1”
Industry News
Lawrence Ferlinghetti, renowned Beat poet and owner of the City Lights Bookstore, passes away at age 101 {The New York Times}
Dr. Seuss Enterprises announced that 6 Dr. Seuss books won't be published anymore because they portray people in 'hurtful and wrong' ways {CNN}. For some fans, this has stirred up accusations of “cancel culture”, while others laud the move as a step in the right direction for the estate of an author who’s work has come under scrutiny in recent years for its racist depictions. For librarians, teachers, and parents reflecting on the question of Seuss’s legacy, check out this measured take from EducationWeek.
Publishing’s New Power Club: A wave of hires is set to pick up where the reckoning left off spotlights nine executives and editors of color on their journeys and plans for change in the book publishing industry. {New York Magazine}
Several university presses are pushing diversity and inclusion initiatives, including Princeton University Press’s diversity-driven development grants and Columbia University Press’s collaboration with Howard University to start a new scholarly book series in the field of Black studies. {Publishing Perspectives}
Tea
More MEM Tea love! Their Golden Green is a wonderful blend of green tea and fragrant herbs, including lavender, linden, and lemongrass and is deliciously sippable, whether hot on a chill, late-winter morning or over ice in the warming afternoons.
Take care of yourselves. Get vaccinated when you can! {Wall Street Journal state-by-state guide} Take daily anti-racist action. Let me know about upcoming events, marketing campaigns, and projects so I can help signal boost!
Happy writing!
~Allison
Writer & Marketing Coach
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