Why Book PR Can Have The Most Impact BEFORE You Land An Agent
By Sharon Bially | June 13, 2016 |
The question of how important book promotion is to sales and an author’s career is the subject of continual, heated debate.
On one hand, many agents these days urge their clients to hire an outside publicist no matter who their publisher is, claiming that without robust PR and promotion no book (or author) has a future. On the other hand, many — like WU’s own Donald Maass — stress the greater importance of staying focused on writing, insisting that the real ticket to sales is to craft a killer book. Combined with the fact that the level of efforts publishers make varies wildly and publishers’ in-house teams often shrug indifferently when authors ask if it’s worth hiring help, this makes for a lot of mixed messages, ambivalence and confusion.
Add to that the unclear correlation between promo efforts and sales and the entire issue starts to look like a riddle that’s impossible to solve.
Over the years, though, I’ve noticed one surprising pattern that might offer an answer for many:
When successfully implemented BEFORE a manuscript is even shopped around, book PR can have quite a profound impact, one that will ripple out well into the future.
I know, you’re probably thinking, “Huh? Has she lost her mind?” After all, how can you promote a book while in essence it’s still a work-in-progress?
While it’s true that at such an early phase you can’t promote a book per se, what you can do is promote yourself: your name, your background, your voice and your ideas. As the author, you are the persona behind your work. Thus promoting the book and promoting yourself are one in the same.
Authors who promote themselves in advance of searching for an agent or simply find themselves in the fortuitous position of having an existing media platform enjoy a number of distinct advantages when it comes time to shop that manuscript:
It’s easier to get agents’ attention.
A client of mine who was a regular contributor to Psychology Today and The Atlantic noted this in his query subject line. Within a few hours after sending the query out, he had more than 10 agents ready to read his first few chapters. He attributes this directly to the mention of his media platform in his email.
It’s easier for agents to get publishers’ attention.
It’s no secret that publishers are particularly interested in authors with a media platform — or at least a strong platform (read: following) on social media. Many wonderful books by first-time authors with no platform whatsoever have been sadly passed over. On the flip side, books by authors with an existing platform are more readily considered, and picked up.
Bigger publishers will be more likely to be interested.
For the same reason as above, books by authors with an existing platform are more appealing to larger publishers — who often have larger budgets for advances, marketing and distribution, all of which directly impacts a book’s future. One author I know was turned down by Farrar, Straus and Giroux apparently after much deliberation by the editorial committee due to her lack of a platform. She was, however, ultimately offered a contract by a much smaller press. Like many smaller presses, however, this one offers very little marketing support.
Publishers may offer a higher advance.
Because a platform suggests that an author has an audience to reach, and because having an audience suggests that sales may be stronger, publishers tend to take this into account when calculating the overall investment they’ll make in a book — beginning with the advance. The client I mentioned who had mentioned his Psychology Today and The Atlantic columns in his query got a terrific advance, which he (and his agent) attribute to his platform as well.
Publishers may be inclined to make a bigger promo push.
This, too, is due to the correlation between platform and potential audience. There’s a general sense that promo and publicity dollars are better spent when it’s clear from the outset that a community of people beyond friends and family will be on the receiving end.
When the book is published, the media will be more likely to take note.
Fact: when an individual has been covered by the media before, reporters, editors, producers and reviewers are naturally more interested. The reasons are complicated, related to the definition of the word “news” (which ultimately is what the media produces) but to put it simply, previous coverage adds to the newsworthiness of the overall story.
At this point you may be wondering, “If my book’s not even finished, how can I possibly build a platform?”
There are all sorts of creative ways to build the foundations of a platform long before you’re even done drafting, from becoming a contributor to a popular blog and building your social media network to contributing bylined articles about topics related to your book’s themes. If your book happens to dovetail in some way with significant personal or professional experience you can talk about, so much the better. The key is to make sure your message across the board is fairly consistent in its connection to your writing.
As for how to accomplish this, teaser alert: that’s a whole new topic, which I’ll have to circle back to in another post.
Thoughts? The floor is yours.
Sharon Bially (@SharonBially) is the founder and president of BookSavvy PR, a public relations firm devoted to authors and books. Author of the novel Veronica’s Nap, she’s a member of the Director’s Circle at Grub Street, Inc., the nation’s largest independent writing center, and writes occasionally for the Grub Street Daily.
Just the kick in the rear that I need right now. My nonfiction WIP has an admittedly small audience but must be written nevertheless. You have given me invaluable advice on how to cultivate and reach this audience and perhaps even widen it. Do hurry up with your next post on this topic!
Hi Sharon. Thanks for your post. As a professional book marketer–president of Book Savvy PR–you must know lots about the business.
Certainly, a book promoter’s job is made much easier when a client has already developed name recognition, and a following in advance of a book’s publication. But since very few of us can claim to be “a regular contributor to Psychology Today and The Atlantic” (you mention this client twice), the example doesn’t seem especially applicable to the rest of us. I would think the true test of a marketer is someone who starts with much less to work with, and still succeeds in promoting an author’s work.
Along with running a PR firm, you are also a novelist. I assume you applied your knowledge and skills to marketing Veronica’s Nap, the title of your 2011 novel. I would truly like to know how you approached the pre-publication process for your own book, and how successful you were.
Thanks again for your post.
I very much second what Barry has written.
Interesting question. The embarrassing truth is that I did very little to promote my own novel, as I was busy with a full time job. In retrospect, I wish I’d hired somebody! What I did do though, that really helped, was 1) to build up a solid social media network of individuals I could really have a conversation with starting about a year before the publication date, especially on Twitter, and 2) to start a blog called Veronica’s Nap on which I had 2 blog feeds: one where I posted serialized excerpts from the book, and another where I wrote blog posts related to the issues the excerpts touched upon. (I’ve since retired the blog.) The novel has a very strong motherhood theme, which is a great community to connect with on social media, so when the blogging process began I got a lot of comments, interactions and interest right away. My blog led to all sorts of guests posts invitations and other opportunities for increased visibility. One major thing I learned from the experience is that a positive, friendly, supportive and helpful TONE is so important, as is “paying it forward” by helping others, interviewing them, inviting them to do guest posts, etc.
As for the client I mentioned who is a regular PT and Atlantic contributor: of course not everybody has this advantage. But it’s worth noting that he secured those gigs through an early PR campaign I ran for him. Which speaks directly to the point of “book PR’s impact BEFORE landing an agent.”
A very timely post for me. I am an (as yet) unpublished author in the process of creating a website. Your suggestions about how to create a following sans books are very helpful and I’d love to hear more on this topic, especially hints on how to build a network on Twitter.
Nicely done, Sharon, and so worth considering. I’ve had a website and blog before, when I was an active science-writer freelancer, but have since let them die. I’ve since then thought I should start new ones while I’m still working on my first novel, but am not quite sure what their focus should be. I’m still thinking about that.
One question: I’m active on FaceBook and have “Friended” a number of writers I know or know about through Grub Street. But I’ve also posted quite a lot of political posts, while wondering if that may come back to bite me you-know-where when I try to publish the novel. Your thoughts?
Thank you for writing this article, Sharon.
Self-promotion helps to build a writing career–this is the theory I’m currently working under. So I truly hope you’re right.
Well, please don’t stretch out the tease, Sharon! I’m pre-published with a modest Social Media platform: Facebook, Pinterest, and recently Twitter. This week I’ve been looking into getting a website. To complicate my audience focus, I’m writing in two genres. Waiting with bated breath for the next post.
I think it’s absolutely essential for nonfiction writers to start early. I started my blog two years before the first book in my series came out. By the time it did, I was the “go-to” person on that topic (grieving the death of a friend).
The series is now done and the next book I’m working for is different. I started a Facebook page for it last September. I have an ongoing crowdfunding campaign through the NY Foundation for the Arts which gives a tax donation for all contributions. Everyone who donates gets a short email newsletter twice a month updating them on my progress. Two bookstores have promised launch parties. I’m aiming for a Dec. 1, 2017 publication date.
I recently reconnected with an agent I spoke to last summer (to get feedback on the format of the book, not to pitch it). I told him I had already written several freelance articles on the topic and he was more than pleased (we’ve been in touch at his request and he knows I’m formally pitching him in August). “I wish authors knew how important it is to write freelance articles,” he told me.
All of this builds the audience and anticipation, regardless of how I decide to publish. So why wouldn’t I do it?