A Publisher's Conversations with Authors: Do You Need a Publicist?

It is Tuesday. Time to tall turkey. Monday's madness is over, and Wednesday will take us over the hump, so Tuesday it is--for some serious discussion with authors. Tuesday talks mean to address authors in waiting and self-published authors who would like to go a more traditional route or who would at least like to take their steps with a publisher by their side.

Today's topic is about publicists. Do you need one?  What can you expect from one? What should you not expect from one? How should you go about finding one? 

So, let's take each question separately.

Do you need a publicist?

• Is your book selling? 
• Yes. You probably do not need a publicist though in some cases a publicist can help your book sell more copies.
• No. Consider hiring a publicist.
• Is this your first book?
• Yes. If you have a mentor or a strong editor to guide you, you may not need a publicist.
• No, and feel lost about how to go about getting your book noticed. Consider hiring a publicist.
• Do you have a strong platform and ready-to-purchase fans?
• Yes. You can probably go it alone.
• No. Sounds like you need help. Consider hiring a publicist.
• Are you comfortable hawking y our wares?
• Yes. You may not need a publicist.
• No. A publicist might make you feel more comfortable and allow you to work on the things you like doing, not the ones that are emotionally difficult for you.
• Do you have a marketing plan?  
• Yes. Is it doable? Are you comfortable with it? You probably do not need a publicist. Yes, I have a lot of money. Go for it! Get the help!
• Yes, but I cannot really afford to part with that much if I don't earn more back. Consider carefully how likely you are to recoup your investment. A good publicist will provide some guidance in making a decision before you sign on.
• No, or not sure that your plan will work. Consider hiring a publicist.
• Can you afford to pay for a publicist (rates generally run $3K-$5K per month, and most publicists want a minimum contract of three months).
• Yes, I have a lot of money. Go for it! Get the help!
• Yes, but I cannot really afford to part with that much if I don't earn more back. Consider carefully how likely you are to recoup your investment. A good publicist will provide some guidance in making a decision before you sign on.
• No. Then, don't do it. Find alternative ways (such as bartering, word of mouth, etc.) to get some awareness for your books.

 What can you expect from a publicist?

• Your publicist should create opportunities to make your book known by
• preparing and posting press releases; 
• arranging interviews for you with media;
• arranging for prepublication book reviews for you with leading reviewers such as Library Journal;
• writing articles or arranging for articles by you to be published in journals, magazines, and newspapers;
• finding bloggers or platforms to review or feature your book;
• arranging you for to be cited or to appear as an authority on the topic of your book;
• entering your book into competitions; and
• taking other actions to bring awareness of your book to the reading public.
• Your publicist should act as a liaison between you and media sources and other avenues for developing awareness of your book through his or her access to leaders in the book industry.
• Your publicist should be willing to interact with your publisher and your publishing's marketing team.
• Your publicist should be able to find the hook that will help sell your book and develop good pitch letters, based on experience and expertise.
• If you wish to have a book launch (they are not always worth the investment unless you are well known), a publicist 

What should you do not expect from a publicist?

• Guaranteed book reviews--no one can guarantee reviews; reviewers make their own decisions whether or not to review a book, and you may never know why your book was not selected by a particular reviewer.
• Guaranteed feature articles, interviews, or television appearances. Ditto the above.
• Guaranteed improvement in book sales--no one can make that guarantee, either; promotion and publicity should help with book sales, but sometimes your book make be ahead of its time (or behind its time or to the left or right of the direction in which readers are moving), and then you may have to wait for others to see what your book has to offer them.
• Overnight improvement in visibility and/or sales; aw, if only! Very little happens overnight.
• Scheduling speaking appearances and sending book review copies--though many will do that.
• Management of advertising, though many will make suggestions.
• Intervention in the production of the book or assistance with it; that job belongs to your publisher.
• Working on a commission; legitimate publicists expect to get paid a consulting fee, not a commission. However, some will work on a per-placement basis (payment for getting a review, payment for getting an interview, etc.),

How do you go about finding a publicist?

• The very best way  to get a good publicist is to ask an author whose books are doing well if s/he will recommend his/her publicist.
• Get a recommendation from an authors' association.
• Be careful about googling or hiring someone for whom you cannot get a recommendation from a trusted source. There are too many scammers out there, as well as the honest but not very good publicists.

Want to read more on this topic? Check out what Jane Friedman has to say HERE.

Lesson for today's Tuesday talk: Although publicists are expensive, they are partners, not staff.
Publicists are not going to do all the promotional work for you. You need to partner with them. Ultimately, you will want your own platform, your own email list, and your own contacts, which your publicist should help you develop. Otherwise, when your funds run out and you stop working with your publicist, you will lose the ability to continue to forge ahead on your own.

Read more posts about publishing HERE.

The Tuesday talks reflect real discussions between the management of MSI Press LLC and our own authors or those would-be authors who come through our doors but don't make the cut--yet. If you have a topic you would like addressed, leave the question in the comment section. Chances are, in our 17 years of publishing first-time and experiences authors, we have had a conversation with one of our authors that we can share with you.