You have
been a book publicist for more than 25 years. What made you finally decide to
write a guidebook on promotion for authors?
In the course of my publicity work, I’ve received calls from
hundreds of authors, many of whom ask the same questions: When do I start my publicity campaign? How much should I plan to spend?
Do I need a website? How do I build a platform? What price should I give my
book? Do I have to use social media and, if so, which sites are best? Should I print
a hardcover version, or will a paperback suffice? Do I need to enter contests?
How can I get more reviews?
These are all important questions, and since so many authors
seem to have the same concerns about their books, I decided to share what I’ve
learned over the years as a publicist in one convenient, inexpensive resource
guide.
The Tao
of Book Publicity has a Zen look
and feel to the cover and title. How does understanding the Tao principles help
authors to promote their books?
I chose the Tao as a way of offering authors a practical
philosophy on how they might approach book marketing. There are many authors who
find promotion crass and time-consuming; a good majority would rather be
writing than spending time trying to develop promotional material and schedules
for themselves and their work. But I’ve found that book promotion can be a
rewarding and fulfilling activity if done with the right perspective in mind.
What other aspects of book publicity to
do you cover in the book?
I provide how-to explanations for developing publicity
material, including front and back cover text, press releases, Q&As, media
and blog tour queries, and newsletter and media lists. I also cover topics such
as social media, book pricing and sales, book tours and media interviews, and
author websites. In addition to explaining how book publicity works, I also
discuss practical topics such as publicity costs, timing, and considerations
when hiring a publicist; I’ve found that many authors want to know upfront
about fees for services and what steps they should have completed before they
contact a publicist like me.
If you have
one piece of advice for new authors, what would it be?
That’s easy – write a good book!
Of course, that’s easier said than done. I’ve found that
oftentimes authors, especially those who have chosen to self-publish, are in a
rush to get their books out. In their hurry, they forgo important steps like
workshopping the book, spending time on revision, hiring a professional editor
and cover designer, and developing their platforms. As a result, many of their
books, sadly, don’t sell. If authors want their books to be well-received by
booksellers, the media, and (most important) readers, they must take the time
to carefully edit, polish, and package them well – there is no substitute for
these steps in the publishing process.
Can you
describe how an author might use this book as a guide to his or her own
publicity plans?
Authors
can read the chapters in any order they like (each chapter is designed to be
read as stand-alone unit) and see what sounds as if it might be a good fit for them
and their books. If something doesn’t sound right, they don’t have to use it.
The information in the chapters is there to provide guidance and insight into
what I believe are the common practices of most book publicists, but none of
what’s there is meant to be a hard-and-fast prescription for any author’s
individual book publicity plans.
Are you
working on another book? If so, what can you tell us about it?
In addition to this latest book, I’m also the author of the
short story collection, Face Value:
Collected Stories, and two novels: Coyote
Heart, which is a modern-day romance about a married woman who falls in
love with a Pala Indian man, and Favorite
Daughter, Part One, a first-person retelling of the life story of the
famous Native American legend, Pocahontas. I’d like to get back to writing
fiction and plan to spend the next year completing Part Two of Favorite Daughter.
