If
everyone is promoting a book or something, who is left to report on the book?
According
to a Washington Post report, based on a Labor Department statistic, outside of
LA, DC, and NYC, the number of reporting jobs has decreased severely in recent
times. In fact, one in four reporting
positions in 2004 no longer exists now.
That’s a
net drop of 12,000 jobs.
Los
Angeles reporting jobs increased by 20%, NYC remained flat, and Washington, DC,
doubled, adding 1,300 jobs. But the rest
of the nation saw a huge plummet.
Meanwhile,
outside the three cities just mentioned, 20,000 new jobs in public relations
sprang up over the past decade – a 13% increase. In fact, many reporters shift to the PR side
once they can’t find work or a decent paycheck with the news media.
The numbers
are getting lopsided. Publicists
outnumber reporters something like 5 to 1.
Further, the media is becoming more concentrated. LA, DC, and NYC account for 20% of all
reporting jobs today. A decade ago it
was 12%.
So there
are many more people seeking to influence public opinion through the media and
the media is shrinking and consolidating.
Who will be left to be the gatekeepers of truth, justice – and book
reviews?
What’s
also happening is social media is causing traditional media to be one of
several voices out there and no longer the only voice. TV, print and radio used to put each other in
check, and build off the other’s reporting.
Now it’s Twitter feeds, Facebook posts, blog interviews, and YouTube
videos that are shaping public opinion, knowledge, and actions. Social media not only dictates how
traditional media approaches its job but it speaks directly to citizens and
consumers – unfiltered and raw.
It’s
what it is. This will only continue to
grow – the gap between promoters and journalists, between social media and
traditional media, and between DC-LA-NYC media vs. the rest of the country. So how does a book promoter or author
navigate such a landscape?
Authors
and publicists don’t need to do anything but think of how to find potential
readers and consumers for their books.
They simply must use every tool at their disposal and to increase
efforts in the areas that seem to work for them. But even as the balance of power and
information-sharing shifts, one truth holds true. It all matters – we still want and need
traditional media and we need social media.
You don’t have to choose between them.
In fact, they complement one another.
Keep at it and experiment until you find a combination that works best
for you.
In
Case You Missed It…
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Writer?
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Ready For The $500 Book?
How you will master the book marketing science of
Captivology
Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas
expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer. You can
follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him
at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the
third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2015
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