This
February 16 I mark 18 years with the nation’s largest book publicity firm and
I’m approaching 25 years in the book publishing and publicity industry. So much has changed over the years, both in
book publishing and in book marketing.
But I believe the more that changes, the more that stays the same. This is certainly true when it comes to
promoting a book.
Plenty
has not changed when it comes to the brains and execution behind a book
marketing campaign.
You still need:
·
Long
lead time and planning, from pre- to post-publication
·
An
alluring story angle and media pitch
·
Strong
research skills
·
A
lot of media connections
·
An
awareness of the news cycle
·
Experience
in knowing the individual and media outlet that you pitch
·
Courage
to pitch, follow-up, and if needed, re-pitch and follow-up anew
·
To
be very organized, committed, and passionate
·
To
love books
·
To
be creative, fast-thinking, and both an initiator and a quick-responder
I
realize I may have effectively described myself and many of my colleagues here,
but it is true.
Sure, we’ve seen great changes, including:
·
The
rise of social media
·
The
success of the e-book and digital audio books
·
Bookstore
chains fell, Amazon rose, indie bookstores are making a comeback
·
Consolidation
in traditional book publishing – five companies publish over 80% of all
best-sellers
·
The
legitimization and expansion of self-publishing
·
Email
taking the lead as the top communications tool
We’ve also seen changes in the news media:
·
Twitter-driven
news cycles
·
Shrinking
print media circulation
·
Television
viewership softening
·
Huge
expansion in digital media
It
takes a more comprehensive effort to promote and market a book today. There’s
no formula for hitting the best-seller lists the way there used to be, where
authors launched a book with a review in the New York Times, a feature story in U.S.A. Today, an interview on Today,
Oprah, or Larry King Live, and a
10-20 city road tour and media blitz to follow.
Authors now promote their books from their bedroom. All the, need is a smart phone. And a good book publicist.
The
PR firm where I work has embraced – even led – some of the successful ways
to promote authors and books. We
trademarked the radio blitz for authors, where we schedule 20 or more
interviews by phone in one morning, reaching millions nationwide. We also trademarked the satellite television
tour for authors, where, from one studio, authors can be interviewed 12,15 even
20 times in just a few hours. We are also
doing major traditional national media, scheduling speaking engagements and generating lots of online
media, including social media.
Book
publicity requires a solid game plan, a diversified media portfolio, and
non-media marketing efforts, such as speaking engagements, book signings, book
give-aways and partnering with others to strategically engage large networks of
targeted readers.
The
publicity agency that I am with represents what’s needed to promote a book
today – senior intelligence blended with young go-getters. We span several generations in terms of our
diverse staff. Much of the team breaks
into specialization so someone who knows, loves and succeeds in digital media
complements one with more experience in other areas, such as broadcast or
print.
But
book publicity is not for amateurs. Even
though all of the tools are out there – social media, media list databases,
directories of bookstores – there can be a big learning curve or time-suck for
the do-it-yourself author when it comes to marketing a book. Firms like the one I work for are crucial
navigators of the ever-evolving book publicity and marketing landscape.
What
will the next 25 years -- or even 25 days bring?
Certainly more change is on the horizon, but as I explained, the core
elements needed to succeed in book publicity have not changed much at all.
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http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2017/01/overcoming-book-marketers-block-in-10.html
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