Once i knew what my inhouse publicist was doing, it was easy to work. For example, if an author wants their book to be a movie. Theres a big difference between selfpublishing a book with the hope of selling a few copies and taking the decisiveand potentially priceystep of hiring a professional publicity firm. The job is a combination of the marketing and publishing fields. To get the most bang for your marketingandpublicity dollars, a professional book publicist needs to start working on the promotional campaign before publication date. They are the media worlds version of cheerleaders, to some extent, and its their job to get journalists to write about their client. Mckinney, a veteran book publicist, has produced a clear, basic road map to publicizing a book. If youre lucky enough to have an inhouse publicist, as i do, tell her youre hiring backup and ask. Sep 27, 2019 learn about the education and preparation needed to become a literary publicist. People in this business still assume that the only good thing a publicist does is book appearances on oprah or the today show or good morning america. A publicist s job is to get news media attention for the book andor its author. Although it is rarely spelled out, some publishers include a small amountof prepub book marketing in their contracts. A book publicist is a public relations specialist who usually has a degree in public relations or a closely related field and experience promoting authors, especially through social media.
A book publicist is typically employed by a publishing house, and it is his or her responsibility to generate media interest in a new book. Publicists are hired to get press coverage for their clients. While the emergence of digital and social media marketing strategies have prompted many publicists to diversify their offering, their first and foremost value add lies in their media network and their ability to sell your story. In the strict sense of the word, a publicists role is to secure media coverage for your book. Manage advertising, on amazon, facebook, or anywhere else identify, schedule, and coordinate speaking appearances. However, most book promotions fall to the authorand her supplemental book publicist to execute. Do you know what a book publicist does a guide for. Even though this circuit is outdatedoprahs show is off the air, gma is closing in on. Discover thousands of books and authors, plus get exclusives on new releases, bestsellers, and more, at. In order to make deadlines for the media, some require submission 34 months before publication. A publicist is a key to a books success in the media. A book publicist can be employed directly by publishing houses or freelance forpublishers and authors. Publicists, also know as press agents, get the press to write about their clients by issuing press releases. Good marketing and publicity is a team effort, and the author is part of that team.