Comments on: The Publicity Paradox

By: Ron Mills

Ron Mills — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 02:31:28 +0000

Very interesting. For years I have gone around in ever decreasing circles in trying to get some of my manuscripts published in Australia. Writers forums and guilds treat one with contempt and total disinterest without even assessing one’s works. I decided to publish myself with the aid of a budget price company and now face even more contempt. At least I have the inspiration that Ian Fleming went through the same process.

By: Marian Schembari

Marian Schembari — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 14:43:28 +0000

God, you make some excellent points here Pam. I definitely think that outside publicists can be needlessly expensive, can mess with publisher efforts and sometimes just doesn’t work.

However, in house publicists ARE overworked and if I were an author (I’m not) I would want to know that my baby was well taken care of and wouldn’t want to rely on someone overworked.

This is why social media is such an awesome and amazing thing for authors – fiction and nonfiction alike. If said authors know how to work a Facebook fan page, guest blog, make their own contacts and work Twitter then that can explode as authors without the help of a publicist.

I realize this is shameless self promotion, but I actually work freelance helping authors use social media (themselves) to sell books. That being said, there are a million and one resources for authors online teaching them how to use free online tools to get their book noticed.

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By: Mitzi

Mitzi — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 13:44:24 +0000

Try figuring out publicity if your book is an erotic romance published under a pen name. Granted, my writer friends know about it, but not too many of my work friends or friends of various other categories.

By: Mardi Link

Mardi Link — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 20:01:23 +0000

Since all writers face this dilemma, I found one way to approach it is to team up. I write true crime and last summer two friend who write mysteries and I went on a library tour together. “Murder Takes A Road Trip” visited 20 Michigan libraries, sold a bunch of books and the trip itself was treated as news. Plus we had a blast and covered our expenses with speaking fees. It was so fun we’re doing it again this summer. And, the audience gets a much more interesting event than just one writer giving another standard read.

By: Theresa M. Moore

Theresa M. Moore — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 17:37:33 +0000

As a self-publisher and author I have tried just about everything. For a while there was potential in making a book trailer video, parking it on a hosting site and going away to work on my next book. But in the last year I have seen a marked decline in viewership for book videos in general, and unless one has written something which can compete with cute kittens, car crashes, and the disaster in Haiti, one is left dangling. Print ads are too expensive to justify the cost. Placement is not the issue either, since one has to compete with the literally *thousands* of books on the market already. And email campaigns are not trackable, I can’t talk about sleep without thinking I am guilty for taking the time out, and is all this effort worth it anymore, when people can just download whatever they want to read without paying for it? Publicity is not the main problem. The culture is.

By: Broos

Broos — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:47:49 +0000

You’ve put your finger right on it, Pam. I need a publicist but have no idea how to find one who will work on getting my books out there at a rate I can afford. So meanwhile–nada. I like the idea of a base rate with incentives for actual results, though. Thanks for the article.

By: Melissa

Melissa — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 19:30:04 +0000

As someone who has worked independently with authors to help publicize their work, a publicist SHOULD get paid x for every media placement he or she secured and y for every “bounce” or secondary placement – it encourages them to WANT to make placements. However you have to remember that even if there are no takers, that individual is still making calls and sending emails on your behalf – so SOME base pay is necessary. But I can agree it should be a lower rate and then the majority of their income should be via the per placement method.

By: Naseem Rakha

Naseem Rakha — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:42:23 +0000

I woke this morning to the sound of seagulls fighting over trash. I had no idea where I was. I opened my eyes. The room was dark, and I still had no idea where I was. Then, it came back, a car ride, a talk in a library, a book signing. I am in Olympia, Washington. I head to Seattle today to speak at Elliot Bay. I wonder if I will get some time to write. Then I remember, no, today I must finish rereading my book for edits for the paper back. Then I remember, I also have to put some finishing touches on an article I am doing for the Oregonian. Plus, my agent wants to talk about book 2, and 3, and 4…. And I have to plan my son’s birthday party. He is turning 10 in two weeks. Ten. Double Digets. Yesterday he was four, today he is ten. And as I sit in my hotel room drinking hotel coffee versus my husband’s freshly roasted Sumatran, I wonder if all this “publicity” is worth it.

By: David Henley

David Henley — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 09:33:43 +0000

Yeah, I think this is the new big thing for writers, especially as more and more you need an audience before you even get the book deal.

I’m not sure only paying publicists for results is fair. I know publicists, both in house and out, who constantly beat their heads against a wall trying to get attention for their books and authors. Sometimes there’s no success to be had, especially with dwindling review sections. This model would force publicists to analyse the potential of every book before agreeing to a job, which they should do anyway, but it would mean a new level of rejection for many authors.

The problem is not the publicists, the problem is that there are too many writers wanting publicity.