DO YOU NEED A BOOK PUBLICIST?

Many authors find the most challenging part of their career is not writing books but advertising them. The internet has greatly influenced author freedom, allowing new writers the opportunity to publish on a variety of platforms and reach a large audience. However, this also means if you want to self-publish, you are competing against a much larger field of writers, which makes it difficult for your work to stand out. In the last five years, the number of self-published books increased by over 250 percent. On top of this, you are also competing against authors backed by major publications.

The best way to make your book stand out is by hiring a publicist. A publicist is responsible for promoting your book. There are a number of ways to promote your book, including traditional and online advertising, posting on social media, creating press kits, and even sponsorships. It is possible for some self-published writers to manage their own publicity, but it is not easy. However, not every author necessarily benefits from a publicist. Listed below are several pros and cons of hiring a publicist.

The Experience Factor

For many authors, the biggest advantage of hiring a publicist is experience. Promoting your book is not easy. Publicists already have a network of prominent journalists and bloggers. They are also an established name, meaning they are more likely to get a response. Publicists also know which advertises are best for your genre. You may come up with a creative ad campaign on your own, only to find out that the advertisers you spoke with do not market to your desired target audience.

While publicists are not the same as editors, they still provide insight into your book. Major publishers hire a publicist several months before a book launches. This gives the publicist the opportunity to go over the story and look for any red flags that may interfere with a marketing campaign.

Launching Ad Campaigns

Publicists not only use their experience to create ad campaigns, they also know when to launch an ad campaign. For example, if you are trying to market a children’s book, you do not want to try and advertise around the same time a major author or celebrity is releasing his or her book. Even with a strong ad campaign, your book is likely to get overshadowed. Launching an ad campaign is also harder because there are fewer advertisers interested in highlighting your book when they can take about a new major release instead.

Brand Management

Hiring a publicist also makes you seem more professional. There are still many readers who have a stigma regarding self-published authors. Even if you are not attached to a publisher, a publicist will make you seem like an established author.

Another benefit of hiring a publicist is he, or she not only helps you sell your book, but also your brand. Part of being a successful writer means creating an identity for yourself. When you create a brand, it becomes easier to market your books in the future. Part of building a brand means hyping up your future projects and keeping your book fresh on readers’ minds. This part is often the hardest if you do not hire a publicist because it requires a significant amount of time and effort.

Downsides of Hiring a Publicist

There is only one real downside to hiring a publicist, the cost. If you want a good publicist, you must be prepared to pay expensive fees. Working with a publicist often takes several months. Many publicists charge an hourly fee, which may be as high as $100 an hour. While you do not work with your publicist each day, you can still expect to hire him or her for around 50 to 100 hours. Even a small advertising campaign costs around $10,000. Many publicists also require you to sign on for at least several months.

Another downside is hiring a publicist is not a guarantee your book will sell. A good publicist will be upfront with expectations. It often takes multiple marketing campaigns for your book to gain traction, but even with an experienced publicist, luck is a factor.

Making the Choice

For most authors, whether or not to hire a publicist comes down to cost. You do not want to skimp on costs when hiring a publicist, so if you know it is out of your price range, wait. This not only applies to hiring a publicist but even launching your book. It becomes much harder to advertise a book if it has already been on the market and failed to gain any traction.

Another consideration is your own marketing experience and availability. If you are comfortable making a website and have the time to promote your book, you may not need a publicist. There are many online groups and message boards where you can promote your own work. You will not have the same reach as an experienced publicist, but you can still reach an audience. If you have the time to keep promoting your brand, you may achieve the same results as if you hired a publicist.

If you plan on releasing multiple books, you may not need a publicist right away. While you want to hire a publicist before you market your book, there is a good chance readers will look at your previous works if they enjoy your promoted book. Some writers will work on smaller projects while saving up to hire a publicist to promote their main project.