Why Don’t Book Publicists Take A Cut Of Your Book Sales?

 

 

I will probably get a dozen or so requests a year, from potential clients, for me to be compensated for my book marketing accomplishments by taking a cut of the author’s book sales.

They taunt me with things like: “Well, if you believe in what you do, put some skin in the game.” There is failed logic attached to that— plus hypocrisy on the author’s part. If the marketer is doing all of the work, what skin in the game does the author have? They are not doing squat.

The model of payment proposed by these authors will not work, for a variety of reasons. If you want to grow, invest in a reputable book marketer and promoter. It is a collaborative effort that can lead to success.

* Do you say to a doctor: I will only pay you if you end up curing my cancer? You hope they do, but there are no guarantees. Some things are out of their control, such as your ability to heal.

* Do you say to a college: I will only pay you if I get a good-paying job in my chosen field upon graduation? You hope they do, but there are no guarantees. Some things are out of their control, including the employment landscape four years later.

* Do you say to an accountant: I will only pay you based on you only getting me a refund? You hope they do, but there are no guarantees. Some things are out of their control, like your actual income and expenses.

* Do you say to a dating service I will only pay based on the number of good dates generated or marriage proposals offered? You hope they do, but there are no guarantees. Some things are out of their control, like personal chemistry.

* Do you say to a cab I will only pay you if you get me to my destination in a designated amount of time? You hope they do, but there are no guarantees. Some things are out of their control, like traffic.

* Do you say to a criminal defense attorney I will only pay you if you make sure I am acquitted? You hope they do, but there are no guarantees. Some things are out of their control, such as whether you are in fact guilty and evidence/witnesses materialize.

* Do you say to a sporting goods store I won’t pay you for a tennis racquet unless I win a lot of tournaments? You hope they do, but there are no guarantees. Some things are out of their control, such as how you actually play and the quality of your opponents, injuries, or weather conditions.

* Do you say to a comedy club I will only pay you based on how many times I laugh during the show? You hope they do, but there are no guarantees. Some things are out of their control, including your sense of humor.

NO. Of course not.

You invest in a service with the hope of getting the most favorable results possible, but there is no guarantee. Now, not everyone gets paid regardless of results. Real estate agents, for instance, only get paid when a home sale closes, etc., but book marketing is one of the many areas where compensation is often not tied to sales results.

Why?

Because a marketer can do everything right but other factors undermine sales that are not in his control, including a book’s price, its availability and distribution, the author’s web site, the book’s level of competition, timing, and other factors.

A marketer can create an opportunity, such as scoring an author interview with a great television show, but the author could flub it and give a poor interview. Is that my fault? I don’t think so.

A good book marketer can inform, instruct, and guide authors on what to do, and properly strategize, but if the writer does not do what they need to do, how it should be done, or when it is best to do, sales will not happen and the marketer suffers for this why?

A lot of marketing for a book may set up long-term benefits and branding gains. These things don’t immediately show up as book sales, but there are accomplishments that can yield fruit later. How are those compensated for? Apparently, they would not be.

Lastly, many benefits can arise from solid book marketing that do not yield immediate book sales, including:

* Getting your book sold to a film studio.
* Having your foreign rights sold.
* Getting your message out to millions of people and impacting others.
* Getting the attention of a literary agent or publisher.
* Growing your social media footprint, which may yield sales later.
* Help you get more speaking engagements down the road, which could yield sales.

You should not hire a publicist based on immediate sales generated — they will not work out. You should invest in a promoter that you believe in and take a risk — not a gamble. Research the person and pick wisely.  You must evaluate the book marketer and determine if this person is honest, hard-working and sounds competent. You hire this person and invest in him to help you grow, for the short- and long-term. You have to take a leap of faith, just as you did when you invested in writing your book while not knowing if people would like it or buy it.

Life is a risk — but the rewards can be great.

 

“Short-term discomfort is necessary for long-term growth.”

—NOT SURE WHO NEEDS TO HEAR THIS, BUT...Beautiful Reminders for the Soul by Willie Greene

 

 

Do You Need Book Marketing Help?

Brian Feinblum can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors like you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator! 

 

About Brian Feinblum

This award-winning blog has generated over 5,400,000 page views. With 5,500+ posts over the past 14 years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs  by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.”  Copyright 2025.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully). He was recently interviewed by the IBPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0BhO9m8jbs

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum