Author Publicity - Three things you should know

There are three primary rules when it comes to author and book publicity that I’ve learned over my stint in working with New York Times bestellers, newbies and some of the big publishing houses in the city.

1. You’re going to spend something. Now I’m not saying that it’ll be money. In fact there’s a nifty formula that works something like this: time and money are inversely proportional to outcome. In other words, you’re going to put in time or put in money, and usually you can save money if you put in more time, or save time if you put in more money. But in the end you’re going to spend one or the other getting your promotion done.

2. When you’re a fiction author, the media doesn’t care they you wrote a book. Why? Well, darling, it’s fiction! It’s not real. End of their side of the story. The point is you want to make them care. And you can do it. You just have to know where the sweet spots are. I learned a long time ago from Joel Roberts, who was a radio talk show host in Los Angeles for ten years for the top rated evening drive time slot, that three things hit home for producers and editors.

Offer a solution.
Point to an opportunity.
Explode a myth.

Check back at a later date and I’ll endeavor to explain what all that means.

3. Ask yourself why. This is an absolute lifesaver. More money is wasted by authors wanting to promote their books using printed wrapped mints and other doodads, or unnecessary extras, than anything else. Simply put I use the rule of three. If you don’t have three good reasons for buying or using something don’t spend the money! Ask yourself why you need this thing or that thing before you go handing out your hard-earned cash (unless you feel absolutely compelled to hand it out, in which case please contact me immediately!) Just like the scenes in your book, each and every expense should accomplish more than one thing (preferably three). Oh, and they have to be good things too. Impressing Aunt Eunice doesn’t count.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little jaunt to the dark side. Hopefully as this blog progresses, I’m going to be tapping into minds bigger and greater than my own to bring you some of the smartest advice out there on everything from writing craft to career planning. If you’ve got a specific question or something you’re simply dying to know, send me an email.