What will a publicist do for you?
April 29th, 2007Lately the Chicago Writers Association forum has been peppered with stories of folks getting published. Yippee! There’s also been a number of events listed for folks to participate. But I’d look to focus today on something else that I’ve been seeing.
The author has been quietly posting, “I’ll be at Here-and-There doing a reading,” or “I’ll be at This-and-That for a book signing.” While I wished him well, I couldn’t help wondering how he’d gotten all these gigs. I finally posted and asked him directly, “I’m curious. All these events (aren’t you the lucky one!) — are they scheduled by your publicist? Or does she just give you a list of contacts who would be willig to have you and tell you to make your own arrangements?”
His response surprised me.
“My publicist did very little, as far as booking events.” He said that one booking at Barnes & Noble came about because one of the other authors reading that day was also a client. He didn’t think he would been there otherwise because “Barnes & Noble seems to book strictly on reputation, and small press or even big-press first-time authors do not rate highly on their list. (Borders, on the other hand, seems to book rather freely, but they don’t do much to support their events).”
“The independent bookstores are always looking for authors with some local connection and/or would be a draw, but are extremely cautious because it’s so hard to get people out. (More on this momentarily). Nearly every independent I approached first asked for the book and then most seemed to actually read it before deciding. It’s a lengthy process and there have been lots of nos, as well.
“I tracked down information about independents through the internet — some, of course, I’d shopped at in the past. Some of the alternative venues are through people I know, or based on recommendations from friends.”
He interrupted his post to explain he couldn’t write more because he was off to yet another event!
“A word of caution, though. These events coordinators are right: it’s VERY difficult to attract decent crowds to these events, and if the place or time is wrong (and maybe even if it’s right), things don’t go well.
“This Sunday, for example, I’m going to [a suburb of Chicago] because my publicist knew a reporter at the local paper who wanted to do a story about me (he needed a local angle, meaning a local reading). I wound up at [store name]. It’s a great little independent, and the manager … is very nice and ethusiastic and has been telling customers. She’s got a sign in the window. There’s a display of books in my store. The feature story, which was very kind to me, came out yesterday. That said, I am anxious that nobody will be there. I mean, NOBODY. It’s not irrational fear. I don’t have any friends in [this suburb], and very few random people show up. I’m meeting the reporter and a small press publisher for lunch beforehand, and that makes me even more concerned that I’ll leave a bad impression. (I met the publisher through my investigations into possible appearances out that way. He’s based in [this suburb] and had his first book fair early this year. It was a huge success and he plans to do another one soon).
“So what I’ve learned is…pick a place that seems really ripe for success. Your confidence will help inspire the events coordinators to go along with you.”
[I've deliberately withheld specific information because I couldn't get in touch with the author for permission.]
Contrast this author’s experience with a read about another publicist. I found an iUniverse Chat Transcript with MICHAEL KLEINER. Ironically, to my way of thinking, he saw his primary function as website designer (read it and see if don’t agree!). However, he does talk about POD and press kits. I recommend you take a look at it so you get a better idea of what a publicist can/will do for you.
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I think people are confused about independent publishing, because the topic is rambled-on from so many different angles. The buzzwords are confusing enough - PODs, self-publishing, non-traditional, etc. There were a lot of shady dealing going on, when this first started a few years ago, but, hopefully, that is behind us, now that would-be authors have learned the ropes. More on this later.
The basis of being able to publish a book that was under your control and you retain the rights, became available to authors, because printing costs fell with the new digital printers available. This means that a book that is a file in a computer can be printed on demand of one copy, or a hundred at a time with only the paper and ink material costs as a variable. The effort was the same. As orders come in, a book or group of books could be printed and shipped via UPS, FedEx, etc., very quickly. The print house, with a publishing staff up front, could become a valuable asset to a new, unknown author. The quality of the book was the same as a major publisher could produce. The quality of writing is another thing.
Traditional publishing is a process of filtering out authors to find a killer manuscript or an author that is a very famous person to select a product with guaranteed sales. Major publishing house have a huge overhead of staffers that require a lot of upfront money to grease the wheels. They don’t do the printing. That is out-sourced. They also go about marketing differently. They tend to blitz the market to determine sales sensitivity. But their analysis of market is usually well established, and sales are good enough to keep the whole giant ball rolling. Notice at this point, the author is out of the loop, except as a face to be exhibited on TV and at book signings. The publisher owns the rights now, and is only interested in the bottom line. If the book doesn’t do as well as the analyst predicted, that book dies and the author will probably never be heard of again. There would also be a garage full of expense books that come out of the “advance”, which is the basic come-on, but means nothing in the long run.
The author can only approach a publisher through an agent. Once engaged, you need an editor to work up the book in a manner agreeable to what the publisher thinks will sell. This is an all commercial venue with purpose and directions of selling words and pictures to the public.
Self-publishing is the antithesis process. It is all about the author and his work. It is easy, doesn’t require a staff of experts to massage to book. But it does threaten the profits of the book industrialists. So, you will hear a lot of dogging on the idea. The term POD is no longer considered a viable term to describe independent publishing anymore, due to the derogatory campaign smears issued to discourage this path.
Here’s what it is. Independent publishing allows a new, unknown author a window to the world for an affordable cost. The quality of his or her work must bare the weight of scrutiny by its readers. The marketing is the responsibility of the author – totally. The author retains all copyright and decides how the book will be done. The publishers that provide this service, also have many experts available to you for a price. Here is where it can get dicey. If you don’t do your homework, and research who is in this business and compare their stats, you could be taken to the cleaners with costs. You will probably get a book, but the costs will be extreme before you get there.
Over the last few years, many of these troublemakers have been eliminated due to their poor service verses costs. Now we have good-ol’ American competition aiding in getting value. So what is the result? Assuming you are happy with the company you are working with, you have a nice book, listed on the Internet with Amazon, Barns&Noble, and Border books. You probably are listed with the publisher’s retail site as well, and they give you the largest profit advantage. You make more royalties per book by far than with a major house, so the potential for success can be surprising, if the book takes off. You also retain the copyright, so if the book gets big, then you can sell it to a major house to expand the sales world wide. It is a win-win for them, because the book has already passed muster. They can probably predict sales down to the dollar and are willing to give you a better deal as a result of this knowledge – only if you ask via representation. It is still big business to them.
So, how do you make it happen? Have a great story to tell. Find a good self-publisher. Respect editors. They are the gold in the Golden Fleece. Realize you have to be a marketing expert. There is no exception here, but you can be aided by professionals that this is their business. Media experts are usually web designers, as well. Get a domain name and get on the Internet. Seek TV, radio, and other engagements that expose you to the public. Join writers associations and go to conferences to lean on the shoulders of other authors. Minimize book signings. They are really for the famous. Find a voice and the public will find you.
The great beauty in being self-published is you are an independent micro-economic in all the depth of being an American entrepreneur. It is fun and exciting. It will get you going as a writer - now, where you could be sitting on your couch for decades, waiting to be “discovered.” That is for dreamers and for the movies. It doesn’t happen to real people. You have to make it happen. Even famous people that have a guaranteed sale are vigorous campaigners for their own success – that’s how they became famous! You can be a published author in your own life time and reap the smiles of doing exactly what you intended to do – let your story live in perpetuity.
John Wolf – Author of Fantastic Tales
“www.wolftracksmusic.com/books”
Comment by John Wolf ? April 30, 2007 @ 1:31 pm
Thanks for that, John. But what happened to your response to the question, “What will a publicist do for you?” If we’re not talking book signings, then what?
Comment by Cheryl ? April 30, 2007 @ 2:29 pm