Author Finances For PR Need To Be Budgeted

I feel bad for authors who tell me they can’t afford to pay for help on book publicity.  I also feel bad that I can’t win a new client.  They need PR help and I have resources and a team that can help them, but it’s hard to get around the bottom-line barriers.  So what’s to be done about it?

First, I think authors should realize three things:

1. Every book, if it is worth publishing, is worth promoting.  It won’t go far without publicity, but having publicity doesn’t happen unless you have money, do it yourself, or luck out and have a very active publisher.

2. If you don’t get PR for your book, it is likely going to struggle with sales.  Further, your branding will be limited.  Lastly, your message won’t be heard by many.

3. You have to rethink what’s a realistic budget for a book.  It’s not $500 or $1000.  One has to be ready to spend at least $5,000 and maybe 10 to $15,000.  Some PR campaigns, depending on their depth and duration can even range from $30,000 to $50,000.

Second, authors need to understand why PR campaigns cost more than a few hundred bucks.  The campaign, if done well, is handled by seasoned pros who know books, media, and your genre.  They deliver media that’s worth, as an advertising equivalent, tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.  The publicity can be invaluable to the author/expert when the writer has something on the line.  

As an author, good PR can help you:

·         Sell your current book.

·         Sell our backlist.

·         Sell your related products.

·         Market your professional services.

·         Generate paid speaking opportunities.

·         Be in position to get a book deal from a publisher.

·         Sell the foreign rights, film rights, audio rights, licensing deals, etc.

·         Change the world and influence others with a positive message.

·         Establish your brand as a thought leader, expert, or media personality.

So should authors rob a bank, mortgage their home, or go without paying utilities bills to fund a PR campaign?  Absolutely not, but they should come up with a reasonable plan to stretch their finances in order to give their book a real shot.  Otherwise, the time and money invested to write and produce a book are seemingly wasted.

Authors can seek investors, partners, sponsors.  They can borrow some money and spend it wisely.  They can sacrifice on others items – downsize vacations or postpone some other big but optional expense.  If authors can earn money beyond book sales – such as consulting fees, paid speaking gigs, or other products to sell – the PR will pay for itself with a faster recovery time.  

Think of a budget – it can’t be zero – and try to save your book.

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Brian Feinblum’s insightful views, provocative opinions, and interesting ideas expressed in this terrific blog are his alone and not that of his employer or anyone else. You can – and should -- follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels much more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2018. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s Independent.  This was named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. Also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best resource."