Publicity for Authors

Many authors only want to write.  They have a book idea, they finally get the book written and then the hunt to find someone to publish the book. Perhaps they decide to publish on their own, or opt to obtain an agent. Once the publisher accepts the manuscript, the author's real work begins. 

There has been a shift in the way publicity is handled now that the internet is a way of life. Blogging, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn are all important facets of the marketing process. In this way you can interact with friends and their friends and the viral word about your book will begin to spread all in time for the big-book launch.

For some authors the process may seem overwhelming. In fact, they may not be able to deal with the day-to-day hastle of blogging, tweeting, facebook interaction with friends, etc. That is when a publicist becomes invaluable. These behind-the-scene advocates for the author work tirelessly to get the author in the news, set up speaking venues and handle their social media concerns. A publicist can do as much or as little as an author desires. Many offer custom packages.

My first interaction with a publicist, Kathy Carlton Willis, came when her firm found my Blog Talk Radio Show http://www.WritingandPublishingRadio.com. Kathy's very capable assistant contacted me about a group of their authors, offering several for my show. They asked me to chose the best fit for my show's purpose. In order to appear as a guest on my show, I ask that authors teach my audience something about the process of becoming an author, or something about the process of publishing. It can either be a difficult journey as an author, some area where they excel, for example writing plot, character or perhaps for a non-fiction author interview skills.

I was able to interview four authors during the same month, all with the same publicist. I had extremely high listens for the weeks when these authors appeared on my show. I was pleased with the results. There was an increase in the number of listens over my normal count by 400+ in two weeks. It was a group effort, but knowing how to publicize helps.

Not all publicists do their jobs well.  If you are considering retaining a publicist I would highly recommend that you conduct your own interview, ask for referrals, and contact some previous clients. Make sure your goals mesh. For example if you are interested in obtaining a speaking platform, doing book signings and conducting interviews make sure your publicist can arrange this for you. When in doubt ask. Being on the same page is always a good thing!

An Agent...Deep Undercover Just for You!

For those of us with a love for the Spy novels, the word "agent" evokes a mysterious, shadowy, deep-deep, undercover character, who is bigger than life, takes chances and will work tirelessly for a good cause. Other than the "shadowy character" part, a literary agent does much of the same thing for an author with a good piece of Literature.

An agent is a intermediate between the publisher and you. This is a person you will come to know, trust and rely upon for their understanding of the market and what distinct publishers are looking to buy.  An agent has the experience you may lack and can help you obtain a better contractual deal than you might have obtained on your own.

Your Agent will...

• Believe in Your Work
• Find the perfect publisher
• Work tirelessly for you
• Encouragement to you
• Obtains the best contract with you in mind
• Works hard for their percentage anything for ten to fifteen percent
• Is the mediator between you and your publisher and will help you solve problems

I will be interviewing Literary Agent, Elizabeth Pomada from Larsen Pomada Literary Agency

Be sure to join us for the live event Monday at 3:30 ET...or listen to the archives of the show here:

Writing and Publishing Radio

Time to Give Thanks and Get Organized: Writing Your Book

Time to Give Thanks and Get Organized 

Writing Your Book

With Thanksgiving week fast approaching I realize your time to write is going to take a hit. Writing your book may not have been on your top ten priority list, anyway. But, with the holiday season upon us it will take a place even further back than usual.

I speak to so many people who have dreamed of writing a book and becoming a published author. This is the best time to do it! Why? Because there is a new industry sprouting up and that is a self-publishing. Even traditionally published authors are sometimes self-publishing their books in order to expedite the turn around time. I will address the new rash of self-publishing houses owned by traditional publishers in a future blog post.

For today, don't put your writing project away quite yet. Before you get too caught up in the flurry make a list! I recently read a post that made me think! 6VAQJY4P6HT4 The suggestion was to make short lists that are manageable. For example no more that ten-twelve items at a time on a list! These are items you can get done that day.

I have an version of this system. I use yellow, or white pads of paper. You know, the legal kind where the pages flip over. I divide a line down the middle and put two headings. Today and Later. Under the today heading I have the items I must accomplish and under the later...things that crop up or I want to accomplish but I'm not sure I will get to today. It helps to keep my frustration level a bit lower!

I have on-going projects that will take weeks and it can be really disappointing to see them on my list day after day. For those I have a flow chart. I have one for books under contract, and another for a book line for books that will be released, including book promotion time lines. I am still tweaking these but hope to have them in an e-book version in 2010. This has been an invaluable help for me.

Just get it down on paper. Make sure you leave a few minutes a day to work toward your writing goals. Even if it is not putting words on paper, you will find that you are making progress if you are researching or editing. The most successful authors are those that sit on that chair, write and do not move! I have interviewed many of these wonderful authors and they all tell me the same thing. They just get it done. If they don't? The lose a contract.


I do want to take the time to say, thanks to all of you who have taken the time to post a comment, send an encouraging email or just read the blog, in general! It is because of people like you that there are writers like me. It has been my pleasure to host guest bloggers on this site, as well.

Before I end...one parting question...how do you get your writing tasks accomplished during the busy times of the year? Do you take a break or work through the holidays? I'll answer this question down below, and hope you'll post your advice as well.

What about a Good Review?

We all know a good review can make or break an author's reputation.  Whether it is in film, theater or in print, what someone says about your work counts.  How do you get a good review? Write a good book.  Okay, all kidding aside, a good review can be obtained by sending your book to the correct reviewer, one who has a passion for the same type of topic as your book, or at the very least has written some reviews along the same line.  Research is a good way to find out who is reviewing books and where they are submitting their reviews for publication.

I'm at the age where I feel like I have a story for everything and this is no exception. I once was asked to review a book on a topic I truly disliked. Being an author (and a sympathetic one, I might add), I wrote the author and explained my predicament. A good rule of thumb is to ask the reviewer (if they are not professional reviewers by trade), if they are interested in reviewing your book.  I have obtained about ninety percent of  my book reviews in that way. My favorite way to obtain a review is to have someone write or email me to review their books.

Ready for another story?  When I first began writing I would send my books to practically anyone who asked. I finally learned this was a way that some people obtained free books! I soon learned after that costly mistake to ask where they were posting their reviews, and if they were professional or not.  A good blogger with a large readership can easily help your sales if they review your book.  So, choose your reviewers carefully.

What if you don't have a book? Well, if you take my premium authors' class you can be an author in as little as six months. I am currently working with students to realize their dreams. At the very least I hope you are tuning into my radio show and if you are interested in more details here is the link: http://www.writingmembership.com


This week (September 21-September 30th) I will have my writing and publishing book on sale for $5.00. If you have not picked up a copy, now is the time. This is a very limited offer! You may want to buy more than one book and gift one to a writing friend.

http://store.mediaangels.com:82/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=44&products_id=90

This week our guest blogger will be Lori Kasbeer who is a literary reviewer. I will interview her on my blog talk radio show as well as post her blog on this site later this week!