Want to Be Your Own Book Publicist? — Here’s a 10-Step Do-It-Yourself Process for Authors

by Karen Jonson on May 21, 2013

From a Good Plan to Tracking Your Progress, Authors Can Do Their Own Publicity — If They Are Organized and Professional

For publicity, there are two avenues for book authors: Hire a publicist or do-it-yourself. If you have unlimited funds or are marketing your book to build your name in an industry, then perhaps you can afford a publicist. Otherwise, follow these tips to do-it-yourself professionally.

For book publicity, there are two avenues for authors: Hire a publicist or do-it-yourself. If you have unlimited funds or are marketing your book to build your name in an industry, then perhaps you can afford a publicist. Otherwise, follow these tips to do-it-yourself professionally.

Editor’s Note: This article is Part 2 in a two-part series about book publicity. Part 1 provided the perspective of a book publicist. Part 2 will provide how-to information on doing publicity yourself.

Publicity has always been considered the core element of any book marketing campaign — and that is still true today.

Now the only question is: Do you hire someone to help you conduct your book’s publicity campaign or do you do-it-yourself?

In the last post, we covered the many reasons to hire a publicist from the perspective of a book publicist. No one can dispute that that is the ideal choice.

However, the question of cost is a big issue, considering the average price of a publicist in the U.S. is $2,000 to $5,000 per month with a three-month minimum contract.

You don’t have to let a lack of funds keep you from doing book publicity. You can do it yourself.

Here are the 10 main steps in a successful book publicity plan.

1. Create a Publicity Plan.

As the saying goes, you need to know where you’re going and how you’re going to get there before embarking on a journey.

The smartest first step you can take before embarking on your book’s publicity campaign is to create a publicity roadmap.

While creating your plan, you’ll want to consider these two primary questions: Who are your target publications, reporters, and bloggers? What topics or angles can you pitch each of them?

2. Create an Online Media Kit.

An online media kit is a place on your website or blog where reporters and bloggers can get all the important information they need about your book to write an article or obtain background information on you, the author.

Some ideas for content in your online media kit are:

  • Press release
  • Book blurb
  • Photos of you and your book
  • Your biography
  • Notable reviews about your book
  • Excerpts from your book
  • Links to where your book is available for sales

3. Create a Custom Media List.

There are several benefits to creating your own custom media list, which can include both journalists and bloggers:

  • You can target specific reporters and bloggers who you think would be interested in your topic.
  • You can customize your releases and pitches for specific reporters and mediums.
  • The act of building a media list allows you to think about who will be receiving your news, and how you might approach each individual differently to ensure they see value in covering it.
  • A media list is a handy reference for follow-up purposes, or subsequent related campaigns.
  • Use the list whenever you have news to share, and pick and choose whom to send it to.
  • Use the list to pitch timely stories ideas to individual journalists and bloggers.
  • Begin building relationships with journalists who are important to your topic.
  • Add new media and blog sources over time as you discover them.

4. Study Your Main Media Targets.

You should have a solid understanding of each of the media you plan to pitch for articles or interviews.

It’s easy to do. Simply read several issues of the publication or blog. For TV and radio, watch and listen to the stations.

While you’re researching them, start brainstorming unique angles about your book that you can pitch them.

5. Write Press Releases.

Press releases are the workhorse of publicity. For decades they have been, and remain today, the principal way to get your news in front of the media.

When sending press releases to the media, you must have something new or different to say. At the same time, reporters and editors want information that’s relevant to their specific readers.

What makes news? Here is a basic list of newsworthiness:

  • Timing – is it really new?
  • Subject of news – is a particular media interested in this topic?
  • Innovation – is the new thing different in some way from what already exists?
  • Significance – is the new thing significant in some way to a particular group of people?

Press releases follow a standard format. You should follow this basic structure if you want to be taken seriously by the media.

6. Send Press Releases.

There are three ways to get your press releases to the media:

  1. Use a paid PR service – a dependable way to send press releases, but does come with a fee.
  2. Use a free PR service – this sounds good on the surface, but beware: not all free services are reliable and some of them put you on multiple emailing lists.
  3. Create your own emailing list and send them yourself – this is the most direct way.

7. Hire a Blog Tour Service.

I got this tip from an established self-published author. She said that a reputable blog tour company is worth their fee, because they know all the ins and outs of approaching bloggers, many of whom have been burned by working directly with authors, who may or may not be professional. I’m planning to do more research about this point soon.

8. Write Pitches for Guest Posts.

A pitch is simply a brief email that is written specifically to entice the media outlet to either to interview you or receive a by-lined article from you about a specific issue.

Pitches are short, punchy, and to the point. Here’s an example of a pitch.

Dear (magazine editor or blogger),
Several of your recent ‘Pet Training’ columns have focused on the tried-and-true aspects of pet training. As a dog trainer for television and author I meet many owners with poorly trained dogs that have the potential to be the best behaved dogs. I want to write a 750-word article for your ‘Pet Training’ column that details for pet owners some less-well-known aspects of training pet that will make them and their pets happier.
Sincerely,
John Doe

9. Follow Up — Professionally.

Wait one or two weeks after you send your pitch and, if there’s been no reply, send a follow-up e-mail.

Just a brief reminder will do such as: “Just wanted to check and see if you had a chance to look at a pitch I sent you on May 25th.” Also, include the whole pitch to make it easy on the reporter or blogger to remember what you pitched.

Don’t be pushy when you do follow up. Be professional. Remember that editors, reporters, and bloggers are not obligated to respond to any of your pitches.

The point is to stay persistent without being overly aggressive.

10. Track Your Progress.

Choose your tracking method. You’ll want to track who you sent pitches to, what pitches you sent then, when you sent the pitch, and when you follow up.

This will keep you focused and make sure you don’t miss any opportunities along the way to promoting your book.

What are your thoughts on a do-it-yourself book publicity program? Could you do this alone?

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NOTE: The Indie Book Marketing Workshop covers how to execute each of these book publicity steps in detail, so you can market your books like a pro — and sell more books.

 

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Most First-Time Authors Face a Cruel Reality — Writing Their Book Was the Easy Part

by Karen Jonson on April 24, 2013

Promoting a Book is Where the Hard Work Really Starts for Self-Published Authors, says Publicity Expert

Editor’s Note: This article is Part 1 in a two-part series about book publicity. Part 1 provides the perspective of a publicist. Part 2 will provide how-to information on doing publicity yourself.

Finishing their first book is a reason for first-time self-published authors to celebrate.

But the party often ends abruptly as soon as they discover the cold hard truth about the next step: Books do not sell themselves.

Simply hitting the publish button on Amazon or Kalahari or another site is only the beginning of the next phase of the process of publishing books: Promoting your books.

“So many authors I work with realize with dismay that writing their books was the easy part,” says Caroline Konstant, a book publicist in South Africa.

Caroline Konstant is a book publicist in South Africa, where she represents several self-published authors. She shared her insight on publicity with the Indie Book Marketing Community readers.

Caroline Konstant is a book publicist in South Africa, where she represents several self-published authors. She shared insight on publicity with Indie Book Marketing Community.

Caroline has been helping independent authors across South Africa promote their books in the media for years. “I do publicity for self-published authors and for publishers who don’t have in-house publicity services. I’m based in Cape Town, but send press releases to media across South Africa.”

While authors can technically do their own publicity to save money, she believes that publicity is one area where self-published authors should invest. “A publicist with excellent media contacts and relationships is a necessary investment for authors,” she says.

Caroline shared her thoughts on book publicity in an interview for readers of the Indie Book Marketing Community.

1. What are the benefits of self-publishing versus traditional publishing?

The main benefit is that authors have a chance to publish books that traditional publishers might reject.

Their rejection is often not based on the quality of the book, but on economics. Publishers have to look at their bottom line and expect a minimum return on their investments; otherwise they are not likely to take a risk on a new author.

Another big area is subject matter: Every publisher has categories of books they publish. Many books sent to them don’t match their areas of expertise.

The economics of the traditional industry can mean that unknown authors, niche-market books, and off-topic subjects stand a good chance of being rejected.

But today, if an author has the passion, drive, time, and money, they can consider self-publishing their books — and get them out into the marketplace.

Either way, the book needs media publicity; otherwise, it’s not likely to sell.

2. How can self-published books avoid the “vanity” label?

This term is almost outdated and irrelevant as more and more good books are being self-published.

However, self-published books still don’t have the prestige of a publisher’s book based on four issues:
• They are poorly proofread
• Editing is nonexistent
• The font and/or paper are inappropriate (if printed)
• Their cover designs are amateurish

Proofreading by a professional is particularly important. There is absolutely nothing a publicist can do with a book that has punctuation and spelling errors, no matter how well written it is.

3. What are the benefits of book publicity?

The singular aim of publicity is to let the book-buying public know that your book exists. If people don’t know about the book, even if it’s in a bookshop, sales of more than a couple of copies are unlikely.

Each mention in the media in articles or reviews is worth thousands of pounds or dollars in advertising space. Find out how much a small ad would cost to place in your favorite magazine – you’ll be astounded!

Obviously, the more book reviews, the greater the likelihood of sales.

4. Can self-published authors do their own publicity?

I’m sure they could if they had the time and inclination to spend months marketing their books, and more importantly, were able to get their hands on a comprehensive media list.

During my career, I’ve built up a list of almost 600 names of media in radio, television, magazines, and newspapers throughout South Africa.

The two most important advantages that publicists have, and authors and the general public do not, are:

  • A comprehensive list of media
  • Solid relationships with media built over years

No amount of training will give them the first, and I’m willing to bet most authors would far rather be writing their next book than contacting and badgering media.

5. Do self-published authors face a stigma when pursuing publicity?

Not a stigma, but as the media don’t have time, getting their attention without a publicist is difficult – unless the book has particular relevance to the publication or location.

I get excellent support from the local media (newspapers, magazines, television, and especially radio) based on my existing relationships when I promote self-published authors.

6. What benefits do authors gain by hiring a publicist?

Media are busy meeting deadlines and don’t have time to spend on promoting authors who may or, more likely, may not have a decent book.

A good publicist only promotes well-written, well-edited, and proofread books. Media know this and are more likely to request books for review through a publicist they trust.

Also, the publicist knows exactly what to send the media, such as, the right size photos, correct file sizes, specifications, and where interviews take place, etc. The media really appreciate this.

7. What about the costs, which are prohibitive for many authors?

In my view, unless you can work the social media angle to get followers and get your books noticed, it’s a waste of money to print a book or even publish an ebook without publicity.

If you don’t want to spend the money on a publicist, and also don’t want to spend the time looking up media names and addresses, writing press releases, and following up with the media, I suggest authors consider traditional publishing. The royalty may be lower, but it’s a far cheaper and easier option with fewer headaches than self-publishing and self-promotion. You stand to make less money in the long run, but that’s the risk you take.

8. What are your typical publicity fees?

I know most publicists in Cape Town charge around R6,000 a month ($650 in U.S. dollars*) for a minimum of three months of publicity.

I charge about R4,500 ($487 U.S. dollars*), which is extremely reasonable, for the following services:

  • I write a press release, which is short and to-the-point as media are harassed by deadlines and lose interest quickly.
  • I email the electronic press release to about 200 specially selected people (different books require different media) in the South African in print (newspapers: daily, weekly, monthly; community and trade newspapers; magazines: glossy and trade); radio (community, regional, and national); and television (community and national).
  • Thereafter – on request only – I send books for review; giveaway copies, extracts, jpg of the book cover, author photographs, and liaise with media and author on dates and times of author interviews.

For a further R1,800 ($95 U.S. dollars*), I organize a book launch at a bookshop for approx 50 people. However, unless the author belongs to a group or club or has a database of people who are specifically interested in the subject matter, I try to dissuade new authors from doing this as media do not cover these events, and the bookshop customers are there for the snacks and wine.

So book launches are often a disappointment for authors, bookshops, and publicists. Unless, of course, the author just wants to feel special for a night and treat their friends and family — then it’s worth it!

8. If authors could only do one thing themselves, what book publicity action would you advise them to take?

In general, there is no one thing that will make a difference. You need to get as many reviews in as many places as possible and that takes a lot of hard work, especially if you have little or no contacts in the industry and no prior experience.

Your only hope then is that your book magically goes viral.

9. What do you tell authors about the results they can expect with the services of a professional publicist?

I tell them there are no guarantees. And don’t expect to become a millionaire overnight!

* It should be noted that the cost of a publicist is far more reasonable in South Africa than in the U.S., where average fees are $2,000 to $5,000 a month.

Look for Part Two, which will cover how to do publicity yourself, if you choose that route.

So what are your thoughts on book publicity? Have you made plans yet? Will you hire an agent or do it yourself?

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Is a Fear of Success or Fear of Failure Holding You Back From Being a Successful Author?

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How Will You Find Your Book’s Niche Target Audience — By Design or By Chance?

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Author Steve Harper Follows the Advice of a Best-Selling Author and Self-Publishes First Book

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Retaining Control and Making More Money are the Top Benefits of Self-Publishing, Authors Say “You will do all of the marketing work yourself anyway, so you might as well self-publish and keep more of the profits from your book.” These were the sage words of wisdom that Harvey Mackay imparted to first-time author Steve Harper [...]

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You’re Invited to Become a Member of the Indie Book Marketing Workshop and Community — Get the Know-How You Need to Sell Your Books

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As a Self-Published Author, You Have a Lot to Gain From Learning Marketing from the Ground Up — Here Are the Top Seven Benefits Book marketing encompasses everything that goes into selling the books you worked so hard to write — from the first tweet you send announcing your new book to an ongoing, sophisticated [...]

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Book Marketing Mistakes — What You Don’t Know About Book Marketing Could Cost You Big

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