How to Choose the Right Publicist for Your Book
You know it as well as we do: publicity can be a treacherous path for authors.
Everywhere we turn, there are new opportunities to spend our precious resources of time, money, and energy.
In our experience, authors navigating publicity on their own can become disoriented quickly. Typically, they’ll book the first publicist they find who promises them the world, only to find that the results are not what they hoped for.
We have had more than a few authors come to us at Evergreen Authors tell us their experience with publicity has been so disappointing that they are discouraged from ever writing again. And if you know us, you know we see that as the ultimate tragedy.
Thankfully, we were fortunate to be connected recently with Kendra Riley, founder of Dawning Public Relations.
She not only has a wealth of knowledge about what works and what doesn’t for authors, she also has an online course tailor-made for authors about how to promote their book like a publicity pro.
What a quality publicist does for authors
When Kendra and I spoke about how she works with authors, she was quick to point out that while she has a process she follows, each client and book is unique. Her steps in working with authors include:
A consultation to discuss the author’s goals. Yes, every author’s goal is to get to Oprah’s couch! However, publicity really doesn’t work that way. Kendra suggests authors begin with their local media and work out from there.
Creating a solid media kit. Media kits are a crucial part of how a publicist interacts with their contacts. Kendra spends time creating media kits that are attention-grabbing and focus on what makes the book and author stand out.
At least three months of outreach. If you’ve ever wondered why some publicists have a minimum three month retainer, it’s because that is genuinely how long it can take to secure placement in magazines.
Monthly check ins with the author are an important part of what any publicist offers. For Kendra, this is more than just a chance to let the author know about what she’s done, but it’s a great time to adjust strategy, make changes, and gain insight from the author as to what efforts are upcoming.
Why publicity is so darned complicated
If you’ve been in the writing trenches for a long time, you know that not all media outlets are created equal.
Your local TV station, for example, is going to operate very differently than a national magazine. Their lead times are different, not to mention they are looking for different types of pitches and stories.
One of the things we’ve said many times is that the actual work part of publicity might not seem all that hard to authors. We’re writers, after all—how hard can writing a compelling pitch really be?
But publicity is so much more than that—it’s the management of all the different contacts, deadlines, criteria, and schedules that a quality publicist gets paid for.
Kendra’s approach is tied directly to the author’s goals (something that very much matches what we talk about in Portable Magic: How to Write and Publish a Great Book. She encourages authors to be realistic and specific about their goals so everyone’s time and energy is spent on what really counts.
The science of perfect timing
In a perfect world, any author could go to a publicist like Kendra, give them a launch date for their book, and have it so all the publicity came out at the same time as the book.
TV appearances
Amazon reviews
Launch event
Magazine and newspaper articles
Wouldn’t it be awesome to have the stars align so all those amazing things could coincide with your book launch?
If you’ve been in this business for awhile, you know that it simply doesn’t work that way.
You might get coverage for your launch event (you might not).
Reviews take time to cultivate.
TV runs notoriously last-minute.
And magazines might pick up your story, only to publish it months later.
Kendra’s advice to authors is pretty simple: While it’s ideal to have a publicist in the first year that your book is out (anything past a year is “old news”, she says) be prepared to be patient.
She finds in her experience that local hits can be a great way for her to get the attention of larger outlets. Social media posts can take time to go viral.
But it takes time, time that a quality publicist can manage for you.
The ideal author for a publicist
At Evergreen Authors, we’ve always said that nonfiction authors have an edge when it comes to marketing. If you’ve taken any of our book marketing courses, you know that search engines like Amazon quite literally match people with books that solve the problems they put in the search bar, and if your nonfiction book is the first one that comes up when someone searches for your content, you’re likely to make the sale. Fiction is more difficult by nature.
Kendra, however, doesn’t differentiate by genre.
“I’ve worked with authors of all genres,” she says. “As long as I have an author who is open to the advice I give them about how to make themselves and their books more attractive to my contacts, I’m in a good position as their publicist.”
Kendra has gotten authors placed in all sorts of publications, but she maintains that the author’s work should never stop there.
“Smart authors take these media placements and make the most of them, whether it be a story in Forbes or a segment on their local news. They display them prominently on their website’s media page, post and boost the coverage to the right people on social media, and continually refer to them in their interactions with their audiences as a way to build trust in their brand.”
—Kendra, Dawning PR
How to measure your success with book publicity
Authors know that measuring success for any of their marketing work can be challenging—it’s not as easy as counting book sales. That’s why any quality publicist will give authors a detailed report at the end of their time together.
Kendra’s reports include:
Revisiting the author’s goals and what was done to try to meet them
How the author’s audience has expanded as a result of the PR efforts
Any materials created, like the press release and any photos, for the author to use for future marketing efforts
Kendra says, “It’s in everyone’s best interest for me to tell the author exactly who was contacted and what their feedback was. Even if the media connection didn’t pick up the story, it’s possible they have invaluable information that the author can use in the future.”
Relevant feedback that the author can take to make improvements and changes in their messaging can be invaluable for landing future press.
How to DIY your book publicity as an author
Of course, it is not in every author’s budget to hire a publicist of Kendra’s quality to help promote their books. That’s why we at Evergreen Authors were so excited to see that Dawning PR offers a DIY PR Kit for purchase.
Kendra’s DIY PR Kit includes:
A PR Guidebook for anyone new to publicity
A live session with Kendra to create your own media list, your annual PR plan, tips for get media requests (for free)
10+ Plug-and-play templates for making your own press releases and media pitches for your book
A PR checklist of everything you need before reaching out to media
Other insider tips and tricks of the trade that Kendra has learned over her two decades practicing PR
We love this option for authors for so many reasons.
Much like our courses around book launching and Amazon advertising, we see it is an economical alternative for anyone looking to run their own publicity campaign, but more than that, we know that the more an author learns about the science of book marketing, the better equipped they are to market multiple books, for the lifetime of their writing careers.
To connect with Kendra for a custom quote for PR services, go here →
To learn more about Kendra’s exclusive DIY Publicity Kit, go here →
