My Response to Questions from an Author with a Backlisted Book

Happy New Year to all! I'm wishing loads of success to all the authors out there hoping to sell their books this year.

I recently heard from an author I met while giving a presentation at an out-of-state writers' conference this summer. He wrote to ask what I thought about his book, which had been published by a small press a couple of years ago. He's had some interest from a film producer and wanted to know what I thought about his chances of promoting the book this year.

I thought I'd share my response to him with those of you who are thinking of marketing a book that has been out for a few years (some details have been changed to protect his privacy). I hope you find this helpful! -P.M.

Hello Friend:

Happy New Year! Hope 2010 is a good one for you and yours.

Congratulations on the interest from a film backer. If the offer is legit, my advice would be to pursue that opportunity. You might need to hire someone to write the screenplay (or write it yourself), but once you have it done, you can shop it around to others if this person doesn't come through.

I did read your book when I returned from the conference this summer. It had a good voice (kind of noirish, I thought) and seemed geared toward male readers.

If I recall, the book was written and published a few years ago -- is that correct? If so, that's a bit of a problem, because backlisted books are hard to promote to booksellers for signings -- they usually want books that are recently released (six-eight months is the typical book tour life cycle for a new release). Also, as you probably already know, the book selling market is really shrinking. Experts are forecasting that over 400 independent bookstores will close this year, and the big brick-and-mortar sellers (Barnes & Noble and Borders) are struggling. I heard that Borders resurrected itself from bankruptcy, but my experience with them this year is that they are still in trouble (slow to pay and unwilling to list new authors I've sent their way).

The e-book market is rapidly expanding, so if your publisher hasn't created a Kindle edition of your book, ask him to do that as soon as possible. Price it reasonably ($4.99 is the maximum price I recommend for a book by an unknown author). Make sure the Amazon listing includes reviews and is linked back to your paperback version. The nice thing about e-books is that they sell themselves -- the market is growing, and new Kindle, Nook, Sony eReader, and other mobile ebook device owners are hungry for material to download.

As for promoting the hard cover version, I recommend that you do as much as you can to develop your platform. I'm assuming you're an expert on ________, so you may want to consider a speaking tour on the topic. I imagine there are groups dedicated to your book's topic, and you probably know who and where those are. It would be great if you could develop a talk or presentation that you could give at group meetings (your accountant would know if these trips can be a tax write-off, so keep all your travel receipts).

You also might consider developing a blog on the topic and trying to appear as a guest blogger on other sites (this is a great way to build your platform). Keep it active and try to post as often as possible (once or twice a month at a minimum). Another good way to develop interest in you and your book would be to write articles and submit them to journals, magazines, online sites, etc. Always give a brief one or two-line bio and links back to your website and/or publisher's site at the end of each guest blog post and article.

Once you develop a following from your speaking and blogging/article work, that would be the time to try to book some radio and TV appearances. But you have to build a platform (i.e., develop some notoriety and expertise) first -- otherwise, it's a tough sell to the radio and TV producers.

Hope this info is helpful. Let me know when you plan to be here in San Diego, and we'll get together for lunch.

See you soon! -Paula

Seven Ways to Make Hiring a Book Publicist More Affordable

Hiring a publicist can be an expensive proposition, especially for self-published authors and those whose books are published by presses that offer little or no marketing support. With some publicists asking $1500 - $5000 per month in fees, authors are often surprised by the amount of money they need to spend to get the word out about their books.

But publicity doesn’t have to be a bank-breaker. Here are some tips you can use to help defray costs when working with a publicist to promote your book:

1. Plan ahead
The best time to start planning how you’ll market a book is while you’re in the process of writing it. Think about who might want to read your book, where you’re most likely to find those readers, and how much you’re willing to spend on reaching them. If you plan to self-publish, research PR pricing in your subject area and start setting aside cash early, so that you’re prepared for costs when your book is published. Any amount is fine, as long as you’re willing to live within those monetary limits when your book comes out. If you’re offered an advance on your manuscript, don’t spend it -- save it to create promotional material, advertise, hire a publicist, and/or cover travel costs when your book is released.

Once your book is published, think about what you want in the way of events and media coverage. Decide who your readers are, and consider the different niche categories and venues you might explore to reach your audience. The more clarity you have about who your audience is and what you want in the way of publicity, the more you’ll be able to articulate that to a potential publicist.

2. Shop around
Get the names and numbers of publicists in your price range or area of expertise and spend some time getting to know them. Ask for references and talk to those individuals – they’ll give you a good idea of what it’s like to work with the person you’re considering hiring. Discuss your needs with potential publicists and be certain that they have the experience and contacts to do what you want done. Know how each individual publicist bills, how she provides updates, and when she expects to be paid. If you work on a contractual basis, ask to review the contract first, and don’t be afraid to make changes based on your own expectations.

3. Negotiate
Everything’s negotiable these days, and that includes public relations services. If you cannot afford a publicist’s fees, offer to pay what you can afford and see if there is some work the publicist is willing to do for that amount. Consider prepayment options – perhaps a publicist would be willing take a percentage off her rate if you offer to pay in advance for a set amount of work, or if you can guarantee a number of hours per week. Be creative, but be fair – if what you’re offering doesn’t cover what you expect the person you’re hiring to do, the relationship most likely won’t last.

4. Be prepared
The more footwork you do up front, the less you’ll have to pay your publicist to do. Learn how to write a press release and generate one that your publicist can either use as is or as a source for key information. Once your press release is finalized, post it on free sites on the web. Create a bio, Q & A, and brief synopsis, so your publicist doesn’t have to spend time on these pieces herself. Research venues, media, and blogsites you’re interested in, and provide your publicist with contact info – the more you do up front, the less she will have to do for you.

5. Participate
Once your publicity campaign begins, be a willing participant in the process. Keep your publicist informed of commitments and dates you’ve scheduled on your own, so he doesn’t double book you. Offer information and assistance with locating media in the areas on which you’ve focused – oftentimes a publicist will be trying to book you in a part of the country (or outside it) with which he is unfamiliar. If you have first-hand knowledge of certain city, county, and state areas, libraries, booksellers, and media outlets, share what you know, so that he doesn’t spend extra time on research.

6. Partner up
Even if you haven’t coauthored a work, there are plenty of other authors out there who are published in the same genre and niche market as you. Work with those writers to team-up at book signings, workshops, trade shows, and fairs. Share costs on booths, travel, and even publicity work by doing events jointly rather than alone.

7. Develop a backlist strategy
While it’s true that the window for marketing most books is during the first six-eight months after they're published, you’ll still want to promote your book once that time period has passed. Even if you choose not to continue appearances and book signings after the first year, you’ll want some kind of promotional effort in place for the months that follow. Work with your publicist and your publisher to develop a marketing strategy for your book once it’s backlisted. Enter your book in contests and issue press releases when it wins awards or garners any other news-worthy attention. If your book first appears in hard cover, consider a re-release in paperback form. Write columns and blog posts, and use social networking and a strong web presence to keep your book in the public eye.