Your book, Light Bulb: Twenty-Seven Steps to Business Brilliance, is about to be published by Cranky Pants Press, and you couldn’t be happier. You’ve been assigned a publicist who is bright and pleasant, even if she appears to be just out of junior high. Here’s what you can do to help her do a great job for you and your book:
1. Provide an author photo, one-page bio, and a Q&A (a list of the ten questions you’d most like to be asked, along with the answers).
2. Provide copies of any press you’ve received in advance of the book’s release. A profile in the local paper or online, video of a cable TV interview, that time you were on morning radio—this could all be useful in pitching bigger and better interviews.
3. Provide a list of your personal media and bookseller connections and any appropriate mailing lists. If the president of the NBC affiliate in your town happens to be your wife’s second cousin, now is the time to call in a favor. Friends will enjoy knowing where and when you’ll be appearing.
4. Provide a “big mouth” list of influential people in your field. Your editor may want to ask them for endorsements, and your publicist may use these endorsements in the press materials. Endorsements from others in your field help the publisher “position” the book in the marketplace. The idea is to find the appropriate audience, readers who are predisposed to like you. Endorsements carry a lot more weight with publishers and booksellers than you’d think—probably a lot more than they should.
5. Let your publicist know if you set up your own interviews. This is important for two reasons: you’ll avoid double-booking, and she will be able to add your appearances to her marketing notes—the bump in sales after your literary lunch appearance in Dallas will make sense. If the sales dip instead of bump, then you should stop doing literary lunches, right?
6. Communicate with your publicist, share ideas and contacts, but don’t drive her crazy. Give her time to get her work done. Call once in a while just to say hi and check in.
7. Don’t forget to say thank you. A little kindness and appreciation will go a long way.
8. Trust the process. Things won’t happen as quickly as you would like. But you know what? Your publicist probably didn’t forget to send your book to Oprah, Fresh Air, or the New York Times, if it was appropriate to do so. Really.
9. Understand that at some point, your publicist will have to move on to the next project. There are many ways you can keep momentum going on your own, and if you have a great relationship with the publicist, you can get lots of help during this transition.
Finally, remember the Author Enablers’ top secret trick for getting the most out of your publicist: send an occasional box of chocolates.
Remember, publicists are pros—some more experienced and dedicated than others—but it’s their job, and they’re doing their best. Let’s hope this is the first of many books you’ll be writing; if that plan works out (or even if it doesn’t) it makes sense to build good relationships with the publishing professionals you meet along the way. Not every book is a hit, but there is such a thing as a career built on modest successes. Hang in there.
Bottom line: All of this marketing and publicity stuff may seem a far cry from the pure act of writing that led you to become an author in the first place. But you have to play your part in the machinery of selling the books. So brush your teeth, smile, be a nice person, show up, and do the best job you can.
Kathi Kamen Goldmark has worked on publicity campaigns for nearly every major publisher. She is the author of one novel, And My Shoes Keep Walking Back to You; has co-authored or contributed to numerous other books; and writes BookPage’s Author Enablers column with Sam. Kathi is the founder and a member of the Rock Bottom Remainders band, producer of the radio show West Coast Live, and winner of the 2008 Women’s National Book Association Award. She lives in San Francisco. Visit her at www.redroom.com/author/kathi-kamen-goldmark. Sam and Kathi can also be found at www.kathiandsam.net.
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