5 Things You Should Know about Working with a Book Publicist
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If you’ve written a book — or plan to soon — you might already be considering whether you should or shouldn’t work with a book publicist.
You are probably aware of what a book publicist generally does: helps to get editorial media and review coverage for, and ultimately more eyes on, the book that you’ve worked so hard to create.
While this is true, there are many things a book publicist does that an author might not be aware of, and ways in which an author and publicist can work together to maximize the success of the book and elevate the author’s overall brand.
Ready to find out more? Read on for 5 things you need to know about working with a book publicist:
1. Get an early start
You should ideally engage a book publicist months before your book is published. If you are a self-published author, and have control over your publication date, consider setting an artificial date in order for your publicist to maximize the time before that date arrives by seeding early reviews and building interest in the book. Though a book publicist can still help you promote your book if you begin work with them shortly after its publication date, you will miss out on many opportunities by not getting an earlier start. Book trade publications and traditional review outlets, for instance, often require the book to be submitted for review months before it’s published. By starting your work with a book publicist as far in advance as possible, you will begin to build a buzz for the book before it’s out, gaining pre-orders and the momentum necessary for a strong launch.
2. Polish your platform
A book publicist will use their knowledge, expertise, and industry connections to serve as the matchmaker between your book and the media and reviewers. They will pitch your book (and you, as the author and/or expert) to outlets that are a good fit for your project: everything from television programs to podcasts to digital news outlets to industry trade magazines and much, much more. In order to do this, though, they will need an author to meet them at the starting line with their platform as polished as possible.
An author platform consists of the various elements of an author’s brand, from your social media presence and email list to your past experience, network, and beyond. Your author platform is what signals “I have a voice worth hearing” to your readers, and serves as a foundation from which the author can continue to build and grow.
The quality of an author’s platform and extent of their presence is often just as important as the book itself; an established author platform brings credibility to both the project and the author’s message. While a publicist is able to review the components of an author’s platform and offer suggestions (and even referrals to professionals that can help with everything from website design to social media management), by starting a publicity campaign with these pieces already in place, the publicist will hit the ground running.
3. Collaborate on your campaign
Did you know that you can expect to be working right alongside your publicist? Campaigns are most successful when the author and publicist are in frequent communication, hold brainstorm sessions, are both flexible and willing to pivot when necessary, and are both working hard in their respective areas of expertise toward the overall advancement of the book.
Since you know the expertise of book publicists is getting your book in front of the media, you might be wondering where your expertise lies. The answer is...your book! You are the expert on your book and its subject matter, and as such your publicist will be thrilled to work closely alongside you to reach the full potential of your campaign.
4. Gain confidence with personal development
One often unexpected and ultimately very helpful way authors and book publicists work together is by working to strengthen the author’s personal development. What does that mean? A thorough publicist will have the author do a bit of homework, answer a series of questions, and ultimately prompt them to flesh out their own ideas and goals so that they have full clarity as they head into the next phase of their author journey. Authors can also expect to do practice runs with their publicist for everything from Zoom interviews to phone interviews and more, gaining competence and confidence along the way.
5. Embrace the unexpected
Many authors go into their book publicity campaign with a very concrete idea of what types of media — even down to specific media outlets — they believe would be their “best case scenario” coverage. Those authors are often quite surprised to find the outlets they thought would be a perfect fit aren’t, and that they can access their ideal audience through outlets they had never considered before.
Trust your publicist when they suggest an outlet or type of coverage that might not have been on your radar: their years of experience and knowledge of the ever changing media landscape allows them to craft a strategy specific to you and your book. Perhaps you hadn’t considered writing a byline article, or appearing on a podcast, or being positioned as a go-to expert — but these could be the avenues to your success. By keeping an open mind when it comes to media coverage, an author has the best chance to reach the most (and most relevant) people.
One bonus point you might not know about working with a publicist (but should): the right book publicist genuinely wants the absolute best for you, your book, and your brand. When you sign on with the right experts, you build the circle of people who believe in your potential and will work hard to help make great things happen.
As you move forward, consider partnering with a book publicist to set your book apart from the millions of others published each year, and to let the world know about the project on which you have dedicated so much time and effort.
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Jennifer Tucker is the Marketing Strategist at Smith Publicity, the most prolific book marketing agency in the publishing industry, with thousands of books promoted since 1997. From first-time, self-published authors to New York Times bestsellers, Smith Publicity promotes every genre, and has secured media coverage for authors and books with every top media outlet in the U.S. And Canada. Contact Smith Publicity at info@smithpublicity.com.
