Why I Love Publicists

I spent a wonderful weekend at a writer’s conference where creative minds blended together in numerous fun-packed seminars. Our heads were packed to the breaking point with useful tips and great advice.

One of the highlights for me was hearing a whirl wind of a publicist talk about publicity. This clever woman is a lot like trying to lasso a tornado, and I watched her in action as she, within a matter of minutes (or seconds) whirled up effective pitches for the roughly 35 authors in the room. I came away exhausted watching her brain buzz. But what she solidified for me is my love of publicists.

I’ve blogged before about publicists before, but I wanted to expand on this a bit so writers can better understand a publisher’s perspective – much like my post about agents.

Publicists are task masters at pulling the very best out of authors and their books. This is especially helpful because one of the first questions that pop out of a genre buyer’s mouth is, “What is the author doing to create demand?”

Publicists bring a tremendous amount of creative energy to a project, and I routinely discuss PR strategy with them. We become the support system and driving force for the author. TV and print media, elite bookstores, and reviewers are used to dealing with publicists and they actually prefer it because they have developed established relationships with each other. For that reason, whenever a publicist asks for more ARCs, I send them. Always.

Publicists have a marvelous way of making the author think about their books and themselves in very innovative ways. I watched one particularly clever woman pitch an author of a fantasy whose main characters are two surfer dudes as an expert on how to keep teens in shape. He speaks to schools, does radio interviews, and does the occasional gym book signing. The author would have never thought of this on his own – and neither would his publisher (which wasn’t me, btw). He went from the bottom of the list to a very respectable mid-list seller. Helped that he was a total surfer dude himself and utterly adorable.

In my first post about publicists, I wrote the following:

• Consider the genre. Is your genre mainstream enough to warrant the expense and energy of a publicist? I’ve known authors who hired publicists, and their books sold very poorly. They received terrific reviews, but their genres were so obscure that there was a very narrow field of interest.

This is me eating my words – sort of. What this publicist at the conference showed me is that obscure isn’t necessarily an issue, but rather what can be extracted from your book that is mainstream and of national interest. This is huge because it opens a much wider door to the seemingly obscure book. This makes me look at submissions with a whole different perspective.

To be sure, publicists aren’t free, but you don’t need to break the bank. Consult with one first. I know of several who will do a paid consult. They’ll discuss the book and author’s pluses and minuses and outline a viable PR plan for the author. These are invaluable because they not only help with the book, but they also teach the author a bucket load about how PR works and what the TV, radio, and print media are looking for.

Before an author does anything, however, they need to define their intent for their book. I mention this because a publicist will ask. Don’t look silly and say, “I wanna be like J.K. Rowlings.” Give it some serious consideration that is appropriate to you and your book.

Here are some tips to consider when looking for a publicist.

• Ask questions – working with a growing number of publicists, I’ve seen that many have specialties. Some are fabulous at getting the reviews and others are great at booking TV and radio interviews. Ask if they have a particular strength. This makes a huge difference. If you’re looking to get on Oprah and you’ve signed with someone who’s intent on getting you reviews, there’s going to be a problem. On your dime.

• Personality – Make sure you two gel well together. Remember, they have their fingers on the heartbeat of your PR plan, and it’s important that your personalities don’t clash. Seems elementary, but I’ve seen this happen a number of times, and it’s disastrous and expensive.

• Be a Girl Scout – Be Prepared – The first thing you’re going to do is pitch your book to a publicist. This is how they determine whether they’ll want to accept you as a client. The better prepared you are, the more they’ll want to work with you.

• Be available – I’ve spoken with many publicists who tell the same story about the author who won’t do what they’ve been asked them to do. A publicist earns their money by sitting on the phone, sending emails, stroking frightfully young producers. The last thing they need to hear is that the author doesn’t want to do the event or interview, but would rather stay home and write. As a publisher, if I’d hired the publicist, that author would be sporting gaping holes in their back forties, made by my six-inch heels.

Finally, the ten million dollar question: will a publicist sell a ton of books? If anyone could guarantee that, they’d own Hawaii. There is no golden challis that spills holy water on our foreheads promising wild and wonderful things in the publishing business. It’s a crapshoot and left to the wiles of a finicky market. Doing nothing, on the other hand, promises an early demise. And that’s something I can guarantee.