Publicist?

arjune · Joined: 18 Nov 2005 Posts: 15

I think that PublishAmerica should provide its authors with a publicist and advertise for them also. This way they will be more successful as a publishing company.

Dick Stodghill · Joined: 31 May 2006 Posts: 3010

Maybe they will - as soon as Random House and Simon&Schuster start hiring publicists for their writers and spend money advertising for any but their top few big names.
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David Young · Joined: 03 Jan 2006 Posts: 524

Thats very interesting Dick - -I didnt know that.
It seems a bit unfair to their new authors if they have to do all their own marketing and publiciity though. I hope at least that they get letters sent out and a press release like we do. Do you happen to know Dick?
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The Riddle of the Three Claws
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Austin · Joined: 18 Dec 2005 Posts: 358

Don't people get it yet- X,Y,Z publisher has contract to mass merchandise so many books- example- Ingram's wholesale automatically sends to its brick and mortar stores like B&N, Hastings etc, etc, so many books- Every once in a while, like with Divinche Code ( Spelling)- promos are sent out in 24 or 48 count shippers. Ingram has contract with the stores (a returns program).
X,Y,Z publishers have deep enough pockets , so far to absorb some losses- but only to a certain extent. I can't tell you. what that extent is.
So----- X,Y,Z publishers are going with less risks ( Known authors that sell), which by the way, even authors like James Patterson does book signings. I could go on and on and on but to spare any more - We unknowns, like ME have to promote where and how we can-- I plan on not giving up.
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Jeffery S. Miller · Joined: 01 Jun 2005 Posts: 1174

How do you propose which authors are worthy of having publicists? There are something like 17,000 authors with Publish America. Do you realize the time and money it would take to give each author a publicist? It's not economical and it would only create more tension. Too many people would be complaining they aren't getting the limelight they feel they should be getting.

The best way to get publicity is to create your own.

Best wishes,

Jeff

stryteler · Joined: 24 Aug 2006 Posts: 270

I have always believed in tooting your own horn. I also believe in the ripple effect of telling your family and friends that you have a book for sale out there, and they buy it and then they tell their family and friends and so on and so on.

I have said it before and I will say it again. You have to sell yourself and your work. We are given Amazon and Barnes & Noble along with PA's online bookstore, and there are free websites out there and groups on MSN and Yahoo. There is You Tube. You have to get out there and sign books. You have to be interviewed. You have to make your work available to libraries.

Send postcards to everyone on your messenger lists. I now have quite a few pending sales, because I did it. My cousin is a newspaper reporter in the midwest, and he has contacts on both coasts. These pending sales could just turn into more sales.

Have author friends add you to their sites. I have.

Let the whole world know you are a published author and that you have a book for sale. You do not need a publicist. The best publicist in the world is you, and you have the tools.

Use them.

Smile

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David Young · Joined: 03 Jan 2006 Posts: 524

I didnt realize that there were 17000 authors with PA - -thats incredible. So amny people helped to realise an ambition!!

I wonder how many authors the Random publishers has? Anyone have up to date figires?
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The Riddle of the Three Claws
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Dick Stodghill · Joined: 31 May 2006 Posts: 3010

Dave, I doubt that any mainline publisher releases such figures. Their primary interest is quality, not quantity, of course. Print-on- Demand, a relatively new development, is providing problems for all publishers because the market is being flooded by books and the reading public has just so much money to spend. The very top names will always sell; it is the second-line writers that suffer from this because book sales have become so diluted. In the next decade many mainline publishers will make use of POD for all but their best-selling writers. They will have no choice unless they want to continue being stuck with a huge number of remainders that have to be sold for pennies on the dollar. While POD is allowing thousands of people to be published, it is making it more difficult for everyone but the biggest names to find a mainline publisher willing to accept theirwork. Like so many things in life, POD is a mixed blessing. All things considered, probably a good one but in the meantime the publishing world is in a state of flux.
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kevinfabiano · Joined: 04 Sep 2006 Posts: 37

I'm not sure any publisher will hire a publicist for new authors, however, one is a great idea. I hired one on my own and my book reached best seller status on Amazon.com. It has rally fallen off, but for that short period of time it felt great, not to mention I can now call myself a Best Selling author forever.

Best of Luck,
Kevin A. Fabiano
www.kevinfabiano.com