So I went to see Lady Boss: The Jackie Collins story at TRIBECA Film Festival the other night, and Jackie’s daughters discussed how their mum and the late actor Roger Moore (James Bond) would send funny fax messages back and forth to each other. I found this greatly amusing. If only I had a fax machine to fire up. If only there were people left with a fax number that I could send ridiculous messages to? Instead, we have text messaging, Facebook Messenger, Whatsapp, Facetime, and every once in a while that land-line phone will ring and the sound will entirely confuse you.
And because I have clients all over the country and sometimes all over the world, I hear a dinging sound all hours of the day, sometimes several a minute, and if mercury is in retrograde, all of the platforms and my various Apple products will ping and flash at once and then the internet will go out.
So in this post on Book PR and Marketing Questions Answered, I’ll discuss communications etiquette so that we can keep track of work streams. I also fielded some questions from the Writer Unboxed Facebook Group, so I’ll talk about local-market PR, book blog tours, and what it means when you get the holy grail of press for your book. As usual, I had a little help from my friends and industry colleagues.
As a book influencer, how do you want to be approached by a publicist or an author?
Please treat influencers professionally. We do the very best we can to promote books, and we are in your corner. Ask the influencer how they want to be approached. I prefer email. I cannot keep up with messages on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
Business hours, please! I routinely get Facebook and Instagram messages from authors all weekend long. Many send a second message asking if I got the first. No, just no.
When you do contact an influencer, please tell them the name of the book, genre, publisher, and publication date. Rather than saying, “I need your address as I am sending you a book.” Ask, “Could I send you a copy of the book?” Some books do not appeal to every influencer, and most influencers are inundated with books. For example, I don’t read scary thrillers or horror. So I would likely say no if I were offered books in these genres.
Also, note, if you as an author or your publicist send the book right around publication day, you cannot expect instant coverage. –Andrea Peskind Katz, book influencer and founder of the Great Thoughts Facebook group and literary salon
In the day and age of texting and DM’ing, do you feel like you have to discuss with your clients how you want to be communicated with?
I think establishing those preferences at the start of a working relationship/campaign is really important and helpful to everyone. In most cases, when that’s clarified upfront and everyone is on the same page about the best and most effective way to communicate, there aren’t issues moving forward. I also think it’s useful for setting boundaries for everyone (ie: if you don’t respond to messages on the weekends or past a certain hour on weeknights). –Kathleen Carter, owner of Kathleen Carter Communications, a literary PR firm
Is leveraging local markets (newspapers, local arts organizations, television/radio) a “dead” option or an underutilized option? Should you have press releases ready to go? (Asked by Jenny Maloney in the WU Facebook Group)
It’s most certainly not a dead option. I think it’s entirely underutilized, and where you can cut your teeth on speaking to the media/honing your messaging, building a base of fans/readers, and getting support from bookstores. Also, for non-fiction writers with a business to support, local media coverage can be incredibly influential. I’ve never had a client upset about being featured in his/her local paper. In fact, it’s often a great source of pride for many more people than the subject itself. It’s an opportunity for your family, neighbors, and school community to understand you and your work. You’d be surprised at how many people want to cheerlead for you.
Before I went out on my own as a freelance publicist and writer, I was a member of my local chapter of women in communications, the advertising council, and the publicity club. I introduced myself to other local businesses, built a base of contacts, and was a familiar face at local industry events. At some point I had five PR firms I was freelancing for on a regular basis and I wrote for a community weekly and a pet magazine. (Girl has to make rent!) I learned so much from every single one of those PR and marketing firms. Sixteen or so years later, I’m still doing business with several of those early contacts.
Yes, always have a pitch letter, press release, and/ or press kit ready with the who, what, where, when, why’s of you/your book/your business. –Ann-Marie Nieves
What is your take on book blog tours? Are they worth the time and investment? Are readers bothering to read reviews and author interviews on blogs—or are they more inclined to pay attention to micro-reviews, images, and videos on platforms like Twitter and Instagram? (Asked by Penny Haw de Vos in the WU Facebook Group)
Book blog tours are another aspect of book promotion that can be utilized in a marketing plan. Bloggers selected for a virtual tour will post their reviews on Instagram, Twitter, and/or their personal blog for a given date. This activity provides exposure of a book to new readers as well as continued support both during and after the book is released. It can also lead to a readership base of that author’s works going forward, and a community for author engagement.
It is difficult to pinpoint what platforms are the most effective. A robust marketing plan that engages the use of all the different social media platforms will increase a book’s visibility. –book influencer at Suzy Approved Book Reviews and founder of Suzy Approved Book Tours
Will big media get me and my book more media?
Well, I think there’s always been this myth of a “cascade effect” with media, like one big media hit will all of the sudden lead to a bunch of others. Generally, that’s not how it works – all media, big or small, usually comes as a result of a lot of groundwork being laid weeks or months ahead of time, plus a lot of consistent follow-up. That said, there are certainly outliers to this…things like Oprah’s Book Club back in the day come to mind…and there are also big media hits that can create a tipping point if they are massive enough or effusive enough to convince other media folks that they need to take a second look at a book (and a publicist has teed up other media possibilities to piggyback off of it). But typically a good media hit’s main value is as another pitch tool a publicist can use in their ongoing follow-up and it’s only when you can stack 2, 3, 4 of these things together in close fashion that you really start seeing momentum generate. That’s why publicists are often so focused on making sure to cluster media together (usually around the pub week of a book), not just for bestseller sales purposes but to create enough buzz that coverage then becomes self-perpetuating.–Stephen Lee, veteran industry publicist
If you have a book PR or marketing question you want to be answered, post a comment below or head to the thread in the WU Facebook group. And if you’re really in the mood, drop your fax number below.