What
do authors and book publishers expect from book publicists and how do they
perceive them?
The
answer depends on things unrelated to the publicist’s actual skills. The needs and goals of authors and
publishers, combined with misinformed perceptions, greatly shade their
expectations. The problem with this kind
of thinking is that it may further be fueled by the actions, statements – and
lack of statements – made by the publicist.
For
instance, if an author’s ego tells him or her he’s worthy of being on the Today Show, then he’s going to expect
his publicist to get him on. Doesn’t the
publicist just wave a magic wand or pay someone to get him on?
If
an author, deserving or not, has high expectations for her book and needs to
get big media, she will also expect/demand to be featured in USA Today. Can’t the publicist, understanding the
desires of the author, call in a favor or bully the newspaper into covering
her?
Wild
optimism, coupled with disproportionate wishing, dreaming, and hoping, forces authors and publishers to put a huge burden on a publicist. The analogy is asking a doctor to cure stage
four breast cancer.
On
the other hand, not all of the authors or publishers are at fault for demanding
too much from their hired guns.
Publicists position themselves as being connected, informed, and savvy
of the inner workings of the exclusive media club. They come off as locksmiths
who can unlock doors that others can’t.
Some may outwardly hype themselves or speak with bluster, but more often
than not the publicist remains silent when an author talks about his or her
wish list. By not correcting the author
and explaining what’s realistic, the silence fuels these unchecked
expectations. It’s the sin of omission.
On
the other hand, some publicists do have connections, can write great pitches,
and know how to track the right people down at just the right time. Luck, skill, or politics – whatever it is,
some do have the mojo to make big things happen – at least on occasion. And that success works against them when
authors and publishers say “You got so and so on this show, why not me?”
Why
not?
Because
so many things go into getting media coverage.
Things don’t happen in a vacuum. It’s your skilled publicist competing
against the highly trained and motivated publicists of other authors,
corporations, non-profits, celebrities, pro-athletes, musicians, etc. If even just two good publicists go for the
same booking, only one wins. And in this
case, it is thousands of publicists and even more amateurs clogging up the in-box
of the media.
People
work off of these conflicting perceptions that may or not be true:
·
Go
with the big New York firm because they see the media in person.
·
Go
with a small publicity outfit so you don’t get lost in the shuffle.
·
Hire
the big bucks firm – money talks.
·
Hire
the pay-for-results firm – they’ll be hungry to achieve.
·
Hire
the promoter who says he loves your book – you want them to be passionate.
·
Hire
the promoter who promotes to the specialized media covering your subject area but doesn’t
necessarily know books – they’ll go where book promoters don’t.
·
Work
with someone who promotes best-selling authors – they have juice.
·
Work
with someone who only works with smaller authors – they relate to you.
·
Hire
an attractive publicist who can socially manipulate the media.
·
Hire
a brainy nerd publicist who can outsmart the media.
·
Focus
on one area of the media – saturate it.
·
Work
with someone who covers all types of media and diversify your approach.
Authors
and publishers should properly conclude the following about book promoters:
Work
closely with them. They are not lawyers
or doctors, who work solo. It’s a
collaborative process.
Complement
what your publicist does. If he or she
is hired, say, to go after traditional media, then you should zero in on social
media, speaking engagements, or other areas they aren’t serving.
It’s
okay to dream and hope, but it should be based on you helping to make the dream
come true. What idea, resources, or
connections do you bring to the table to help the publicist?
Don’t
forget to get the small stuff and build a solid grass-roots campaign. It’s not
mutually exclusive to pursue the big hits and the smaller ones. Go for both.
Before
you can measure results, measure efforts.
Make sure your publicist updates you regularly, sticks to deadlines,
puts together strong press releases, properly media trains you, and shows he or
she is informed on your topic and of the media that covers it.
Lastly,
make your publicist feel good about working with you. It’s not a master-slave relationship. Help one another,
hope but don’t demand, and celebrate all PR victories, big and small.
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