Book Publicity and Marketing Strategies
New Wave of Publicists Combine Traditional and Online Approach
Jun 29, 2009
Book publicity used to be fairly simple. Write the book, get it published, and then hire a publicist to promote it by getting reviews, interviews and other media coverage for a book tour. Today’s book market however, replete with savvy buyers plugged into new media methods of finding and getting their books, requires a whole new breed of book publicists who can meet readers in the many places they live—traditional media spots like radio, TV and print publications AND the vast, fast-moving world of Internet media.
Publicists Adapt to Changing Market
Book publicists are beginning to put a concerted effort into adapting to this changing market. PublishingTrends.com polled publicists for publishers and independent firms and agencies in 2008 and determined that more than 70% of the publicists devote half of their resources to Internet publicity and marketing.
The remaining 30% indicated they spend more than half of their focus on online strategies. What are the online methods they are spending so much time and energy on? Usually some combination of online media kits, blogging and virtual book tours, link exchanges, social networking, article publishing, podcasting/Internet radio shows, email newsletters and paid advertising/search engine marketing.
Personalized and Focused Publicity Campaign is Key
Creating a personalized and focused campaign seems to be the key for many publicists. After carefully identifying the target market for a client’s book, the author is presented with a full menu of possible publicity tactics for promotion. The publicist then uses his/her traditional media contacts to secure book reviews, radio and TV interviews and live appearances and book signings, then works with the author to develop an online presence that suits the author’s specific needs.
Publicity professionals often employ a new media specialist to develop and maintain their Internet strategies and keep their authors on target in cyberspace. These individuals make recommendations for the author’s website, help create and market an author’s blog or Internet article publishing, set up virtual book tours, guest blogging or online interview opportunities, assist authors with podcasts, video and teleseminars, and research and facilitate appropriate social networking tactics.
Advantages to an Integrated Publicity Campaign
The advantages to striking a solid balance between traditional and online book publicity and marketing are pretty clear once a publisher or author looks at the economic benefits of courting both. In addition to mitigating the expenses of an involved, multi-city book tour, the trend for online book buying is on the rise.
Veteran publisher Dan Poyter’s site Para Publishing offers numbers by polling company Nielson Online that show that in 2008 more books were sold on the Internet than any other product, and trends indicate that number is increasing. With 41% of ALL web users purchasing books online, about 57.5 million from the US, there’s no doubt that Internet promotion is important.
And with Publisher’s Weekly reporting that in a nine month period of 2007 the bulk of sales went to chain bookstores at 33% and direct-to-consumer sales (Internet, book clubs, book fairs, etc.) at 35%, publicists who offer their authors a multi-faceted promotional attack to finding readers are more likely to have success in an ever-changing book-selling market.
Book publicity and marketing may not be as simple as it used to be, but adopting an integrated approach to publicity and markteting that includes tradtional and new media strategies provides writers a host of opportunities to reach potential buyers.
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