Buying publicity for your book

[Paul Whybrow]

I've heard all sorts of stories about writers paying publicity agents, or taking out boxed advertisements themselves, in an attempt to catch the attention of fickle readers.

The worst tale of woe was a writer who'd gone down the vanity publishing rabbit hole, then laid out an additional $9,000 for banner ads, paid reviews and even a couple of billboards! This resulted in additional sales of 50 books, so I dread to think what her overall loss was.

It seems to me that the biggest hurdle to overcome is simply that of finding a way to get your name into readers' heads, along with the type of story you write. This was partly why I chose the eccentric pen name of Augustus Devilheart when I started self-publishing two years ago. I reverted to my own name, for various reasons including honesty.

Lesia Daria chose to pay a marketing service for her first novel, and her experience is told in this article:

http://www.selfpublishingadvice.org/paid-publicity-services-for-indie-authors/

Have any Colonists ever hired a publicity company?

 

[Emurelda]

One of my clients came to me for advice on creating a history card game. He hired a marketing person for just £200 per month. She contacted all the papers and sent out press releases managing to secure him exposure. His cards were taken by bookshops and retailers up and down the country. Eventually reaching a ministers desk even. He ended up selling the business to some one else but I'm sure he made a profit on it as it was really popular.

I always say not to rule out free media. I've had publicity through press releases more times than not. Journalists want to know your story - not the book - YOUR story. If you want to give it a go - it's there for the taking as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Alistair Roberts]

Interesting read

 

[David Steele]

I think if I was going to pay for PR, I'd go to a company that we already use in my day job with the construction industry. At least then I'd know they would work hard for their money.
When I had my book launch thing a couple of weeks ago, @K.J. Simmill put a glowing review on her blog. This was sent out on Twitter, and picked up by some influential re-tweeters. I estimated that her review must have been seen by at least 20,000 readers who were interested in fantasy. It was a personal, well written review, and for all it's exposure, I don't think it's resulted in any additional sales. Not yet anyway. This kind of blows everything I assumed about social media out of the water.
Big publishing houses spend a fortune on some of their books. (I had poster envy in the London Underground recently), so I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing to pay for PR. Even Createspace/Amazon offers a paid reviews service (although these reviews appear in a review magazine rather than on Amazon) So far my best publicity by a mile has been from Litopia, and also from a small reading group on Facebook, where my cousin shared the book and about four people have gone nuts over it. It's nice because these people don't know me, so they have no reason to be "nice".
Anyway. So far I've spent more than I've made on give-aways. But I've sold 50 copies so far, so I'm not doing terribly. I just wish there was some way I could convert sales to reviews.

 

[David Steele]

I followed the links in that article and I was intrigued. I've emailed them so I'll let you know what they say.

 

[Emurelda]

I read some where and kept a mental note about the psychology of advertising. People will see a poster advertising a book and think nothing of it. Then they may see another of the same book every day through other snippets e.g. reviews, tv, word of mouth. It takes on average 9 exposures before people buy. But now things are more complicated with social media so other more complex factors come into play I'm sure.

I used to sell sponsorship for my projects (and starting again with it). I found it was in the follow ups that people signed up majority of the time. It's just being persistent with the same person. Not when they say no - leave them at that point - it's when the say 'i'll think about it' that you follow up; another email, a meeting, call, a sample, a reference, an article and so on.

What everyone is currently trying to do is 'push' their project forward until it reaches a tipping point. By then you hope to have a 'pull' effect from your audiences. However the problem is the sheer number of people doing this with their books. You have the added creative aspect of exploring a niche to stand out in. I mentioned to @Karen Gray partnering with an umbrella organisation relevant to her books - if I remember correctly...I can't recall the details. I really think partnerships are the way to go for some people - of course it has to be relevant.

Also another psychological fact; consider two identical fridges for sale. One fridge is full of one item e.g. coke cola bottles. All identical. The other fridge is also stocked full of drinks but this time it isn't just coke cola bottles there are a variety of different kinds of drinks to choose from. The more appealing fridge is the one filled with different drinks. I translate that to mean as authors we need to write more and more books. I approached the science museum with one game and they liked it but want it scaled to at least 3 games. Took me 2 years (working part time) but 3 games it was and they took them on.

I would suggest people not to give up and just to keep going. The quicker we learn the quicker we understand the process the less negative we are at the idea of our books not being taken as they are now. Negativity really eats into creative ideas I find and it's hard to build the momentum when we are feeling low. That's why I believe understanding the process is vital to keep the gremlins at bay.

 

[Emurelda]

I followed the links in that article and I was intrigued. I've emailed them so I'll let you know what they say.

Please do..and good luck with that. That's a compelling endorsement by the author.

One of the sponsors on that link is the Independent Publishers Guild. I joined for a year but couldn't commit subsequent years. I still recommend it highly. It does cost both time and nominal amounts of money (£100 here and there!) but there are a lot of benefits to joining than investing on your own. If you are going to spend money anyway on publicity that is. They have connections to many bookshops and retailers and do a lot of speed networking events etc. Worth networking through them. Of course writing festivals are worth it too, only if you put in the work and research beforehand.

 

[David Steele]

Of course writing festivals are worth it too, only if you put in the work and research beforehand.

Okay. I'm interested, but I know nothing about what sort of work and research you're talking about. Would you be kind enough to start a festival thread so we can have a discussion about it?

 

[Emurelda]

Okay. I'm interested, but I know nothing about what sort of work and research you're talking about. Would you be kind enough to start a festival thread so we can have a discussion about it?

Happy too...i will dig the old one out. Bear with me as i search for it.

 

[Jason Byrne]

I think if I was going to pay for PR, I'd go to a company that we already use in my day job with the construction industry. At least then I'd know they would work hard for their money.
When I had my book launch thing a couple of weeks ago, @K.J. Simmill put a glowing review on her blog. This was sent out on Twitter, and picked up by some influential re-tweeters. I estimated that her review must have been seen by at least 20,000 readers who were interested in fantasy. It was a personal, well written review, and for all it's exposure, I don't think it's resulted in any additional sales. Not yet anyway. This kind of blows everything I assumed about social media out of the water.
Big publishing houses spend a fortune on some of their books. (I had poster envy in the London Underground recently), so I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing to pay for PR. Even Createspace/Amazon offers a paid reviews service (although these reviews appear in a review magazine rather than on Amazon) So far my best publicity by a mile has been from Litopia, and also from a small reading group on Facebook, where my cousin shared the book and about four people have gone nuts over it. It's nice because these people don't know me, so they have no reason to be "nice".
Anyway. So far I've spent more than I've made on give-aways. But I've sold 50 copies so far, so I'm not doing terribly. I just wish there was some way I could convert sales to reviews.

I can't believe I didn't even think of that! I'll Tweet my review out right now as well.

 

[James Marinero]

Have any Colonists ever hired a publicity company?

Thanks for the share. No, I have never done so although I have used Google Adwords. I have spent a lot of time trying to build a brand with lots of foundation material, but to get to the next stage I am seriously considering using a publicity company such as Cameron PR. That is of course dependent on whether they would have me as a client!

 

[Robinne Weiss]

I think that there are probably times when investing cash into your book's advertisement is worth it. And I suspect that different avenues are going to work more or less for different people/books. When I was advertising my science outreach business, I was told that mailing fliers was a waste of time and money--that the best of them only got a 1% return. I consistently got 15-20% response from my mail-outs. It was what my particular segment of my particular audience responded to. Other avenues I was encouraged to pursue by marketers who "knew" the business were a dead loss. It's a gamble. But I think that as soon as you start trying to sell your work, you have to start thinking from a more business-oriented model, not an artistic perspective, and any business needs investment.

 

[Emurelda]

I think that there are probably times when investing cash into your book's advertisement is worth it. And I suspect that different avenues are going to work more or less for different people/books. When I was advertising my science outreach business, I was told that mailing fliers was a waste of time and money--that the best of them only got a 1% return. I consistently got 15-20% response from my mail-outs. It was what my particular segment of my particular audience responded to. Other avenues I was encouraged to pursue by marketers who "knew" the business were a dead loss. It's a gamble. But I think that as soon as you start trying to sell your work, you have to start thinking from a more business-oriented model, not an artistic perspective, and any business needs investment.

Yes mail shot campaigns in the education sector is still a popular route. I did one campaign back in 2006 and got similar response rates as you. You're spot on about knowing which route to access your customer. Such a vital detail forgotten in the attempt to just want to get on with the advertising. The route and format is key.

 

[David Steele]

Today I've ordered another 20 copies. I've got a local village bookshop to agree to stock them for £6 each, which is £3 for them and £3 for me. Move 2 is to place an advert in the village paper offering 50% off tokens "While stocks last". Essentially that means I'll be giving my cut to the token redeemer. Let's see if that generates any interest at all.

 

[Jennifer Stone]

Today I've ordered another 20 copies. I've got a local village bookshop to agree to stock them for £6 each, which is £3 for them and £3 for me. Move 2 is to place an advert in the village paper offering 50% off tokens "While stocks last". Essentially that means I'll be giving my cut to the token redeemer. Let's see if that generates any interest at all.

Here's hoping it goes well for you @David Steele

 

[David Steele]

Well, the results are in. I must say it's pretty much what I was expecting. For about £2.2k you can expect a four week programme of:

• Advance publicity consultation
• UK and Republic of Ireland publicity outreach
• A professionally prepared press release
• Personal media outreach by an experienced Publicity Manager for 4 weeks, who will have read your book and you will get to know well during the campaign
• Targeted pitching to media outlets interested in your subject or genre
• Weekly updates detailing our activities and responses from contacts.
• Interview scheduling and advice
• Social media support from our Twitter and Facebook accounts
• Four week online listing

Sounds reasonable, but I'm back to the question of spending more on the book than I expect the book to make. Going to sleep on this call for a few weeks...

 

[Bernard Stacey]

Well, the results are in. I must say it's pretty much what I was expecting. For about £2.2k you can expect a four week programme of:

• Advance publicity consultation
• UK and Republic of Ireland publicity outreach
• A professionally prepared press release
• Personal media outreach by an experienced Publicity Manager for 4 weeks, who will have read your book and you will get to know well during the campaign
• Targeted pitching to media outlets interested in your subject or genre
• Weekly updates detailing our activities and responses from contacts.
• Interview scheduling and advice
• Social media support from our Twitter and Facebook accounts
• Four week online listing

Sounds reasonable, but I'm back to the question of spending more on the book than I expect the book to make. Going to sleep on this call for a few weeks...

• Advance publicity consultation A meeting to establish that you want publicity
• UK and Republic of Ireland publicity outreach. Outreach? Eh? What?
• A professionally prepared press release. They will write a blurb for you. For you, the talented writer.
• Personal media outreach by an experienced Publicity Manager for 4 weeks, who will have read your book and you will get to know well during the campaign. You will be rung a few times by a semi-literate dullard who has skimmed your book, has a mate on the Biddlecombe Gazette, and knows how to tweet.
• Targeted pitching to media outlets interested in your subject or genre Blurb sent to several branches of Waterstones and a local rag.
• Weekly updates detailing our activities and responses from contacts Weekly email summarising tweets and retweets. Oh goody.
• Interview scheduling and advice Reminder to comb your hair and change your shirt before an interview.
• Social media support from our Twitter and Facebook accounts Regular tweets and Facebook messages posted for you by a disinterested teenager doing work experience.
• Four week online listing Four weeks of your title shown on the company's webpage.

£2200??!! I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole. Don't get sucked into this underworld of the fleecing of the desperate. Carry on looking for an agent via the traditional route with your next book and meantime keep your own (free) local publicity attempts going for this one.

Keep banging on the real door - it will open eventually. You're far too good a writer for it not to.

 

[Paul Whybrow]

• Advance publicity consultation A meeting to establish that you want publicity
• UK and Republic of Ireland publicity outreach. Outreach? Eh? What?
• A professionally prepared press release. They will write a blurb for you. For you, the talented writer.
• Personal media outreach by an experienced Publicity Manager for 4 weeks, who will have read your book and you will get to know well during the campaign. You will be rung a few times by a semi-literate dullard who has skimmed your book, has a mate on the Biddlecombe Gazette, and knows how to tweet.
• Targeted pitching to media outlets interested in your subject or genre Blurb sent to several branches of Waterstones and a local rag.
• Weekly updates detailing our activities and responses from contacts Weekly email summarising tweets and retweets. Oh goody.
• Interview scheduling and advice Reminder to comb your hair and change your shirt before an interview.
• Social media support from our Twitter and Facebook accounts Regular tweets and Facebook messages posted for you by a disinterested teenager doing work experience.
• Four week online listing Four weeks of your title shown on the company's webpage.

£2200??!! I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole. Don't get sucked into this underworld of the fleecing of the desperate. Carry on looking for an agent via the traditional route with your next book and meantime keep your own (free) local publicity attempts going for this one.

Keep banging on the real door - it will open eventually. You're far too good a writer for it not to.

I agree with what Bernard says, though since entering the world of self-publishing and submitting to literary agents and publishers, I've sensed that one is expected to jump through certain hoops to get anywhere. I'm not the sort to do this: I'm more the lion who's eaten his trainer and is sulkily waiting for the men with guns to come and finish him off!

As soon as you realise what a mercenary business writing and publishing is, it takes on aspects of dealing with con men and attempting to ingratiate yourself with the established ways of doing things. It's not that publicity agents do anything better than we could do ourselves, but that they have an 'in' - an established reputation within the book world. People take them seriously, whereas self-employed writers trying to be their own marketing team are largely ignored.

 

[Carol Rose]

Um… who the heck has that kind of money to spend on ONE book???? Unless you're expecting to make at least three times that in royalties (and your name would then be Stephen King or J.K. Rowling), that's a ridiculous amount of money for things you can do on your own for free.

 

[David Steele]

Don't get sucked into this underworld of the fleecing of the desperate. Carry on looking for an agent via the traditional route with your next book and meantime keep your own (free) local publicity attempts going for this one.

Good advice from both of you, thanks. Although it'll be a cold night before I waste another year of good writing time chasing agents again!

 

[David Steele]

Um… who the heck has that kind of money to spend on ONE book???? Unless you're expecting to make at least three times that in royalties (and your name would then be Stephen King or J.K. Rowling), that's a ridiculous amount of money for things you can do on your own for free.

Yep. The more I think about it the sillier it gets. At current rate, to pay that back I'd have to make 2,000 sales.
Well, I've only got 1,950 to go. Nearly there.

 

[Carol Rose]

Yep. The more I think about it the sillier it gets. At current rate, to pay that back I'd have to make 2,000 sales.
Well, I've only got 1,950 to go. Nearly there.

I haven't run into any authors yet who paid for publicity and had it result in enough sales to offset the cost of the publicity. I don't think publicity companies/services can do much for an author that the author can't do for themselves for free. Or at least at nominal cost compared to what most companies charge. At best, you might be able to secure your way into a small local event though a publicity service, but that's still not a guarantee of any appreciable sales.

Any money an author puts into promotion needs to be weighed against what he/she realistically expects to make on book sales. In the US, we can deduct promo expenses from our taxes, but we won't get that full amount back in a refund. After a while, unless you're wealthy or have a lot of disposable cash, you're going to run out of money for promotion.

The best promotion for your book is to write the next one. Word of mouth and building a back list is what sells books. Not spending thousands for publicity services that don't do much for you that you can't do on your own.

 

[David Steele]

The best promotion for your book is to write the next one. Word of mouth and building a back list is what sells books. Not spending thousands for publicity services that don't do much for you that you can't do on your own.

All very sound advice throughout that answer, especially the last line,. (Ironic since I've just committed a hundred dollars to Kindle for advertising!) I think I'll put it on a post it note.

 

[Carol Rose]

All very sound advice throughout that answer, especially the last line,. (Ironic since I've just committed a hundred dollars to Kindle for advertising!) I think I'll put it on a post it note.

I hope the Kindle advertising pays off for you, David.

 

[Alistair Roberts]

Well David, Bernard and the others are right. It's a painful situation for an Author, but it's hard to beat the traditional route. Oddly that sum is similar to what Tirgearr Publishing wanted out of me - run bloody fast mate! lol
Anyway, you could write your own, and better, Press Release.

 

[Emurelda]

I agree with everyone...send out a press release...it's free. What's stopping you.

Also here's a tip - WHSmith have a policy to purchase from local authors. Give 'em a visit - big up your local status in erm...you're local community. Start there. The library is your next stop. Go forth sir and wonder.

 

[Emurelda]

What many of us authors really need is support. I wish I could be there to support you when you visit shops to speak on your behalf - simply because I know how hard it is to sell oneself - I actually find it much easier to big up another author than I am myself.

That's what you really need. You need someone who cares for you and speaks to shop managers and sells your work, uses your local status and how they will be seen as supporting local authors. Show the reviews and how hard you have worked. There could even be chats about signings and local press. There's all sorts of ways. I love it, it's so much easier to help others isn't. I'm guessing that this is the challenge for you too. To sell your book is almost seen as a bit embarrassing and nerve racking. I have been there so often and am presuming that that might be the reason to look for an external agent. Sorry if I am mistaken.

 

[Richard Sutton]

I read the article Paul supplied with some interest. There seems to be some kind of dark cloud hovering over Self-Pubbed Authors' paying for publicity. Coming from the ad biz myself, while I'm still learning about the very specialized area of Book Marketing, I can safely say that all publicity is paid for and all products that are for consumer purchase need it. The writer actually states right upfront that she knew that while she could write a press release, she didn't have the contacts she would need to get her book into the media and out in front of enough readers' eyes. That is the entire ball of wax. Personal contact sells books and communicates excitement. Period. Publishers either employ or use people who can get those contacts, so of course, a self-published writer will have to find freelance help along these lines. The true details of the results are buried in the comments area. She paid 3K pounds for the publicity and sold a couple of hundred books since it broke. While the site says they didn't add the ocvst in because each writers needs for a campaign are different, I felt it was less helpful than it could have been. Money matters. There are many of us who have stories worth telling, who don't have deep enough pockets to finance that kind of campaign, even if one was close to enough exposure. The second message (often quoted and also mentioned in the comments...) is that ample cost is a lever used to make clients feel as if they haven't really committed if they haven't spent a lot. In my view, she spent a lot, and it didn't really pay off all that well. It sounds from the description of the process and the "events" that she was engaged and "out there", but I'm not getting the feeling that the publicist she chose actually had a glimmer about her specific reader niche. It is not the cache of a new item that gets time on the network broadcast TV shows and ongoing editorial coverage in radio and print. It is personal contact. The right publicist. The right marketing campaign. The right target. I'm being bombarded right now by a startup book publicity site that wants to feature my work and give me reviews as well as a "homepage interview" kind of exposure, but for that they want $200 right up front. I don't know them and they certainly don't know me. Unlike print advertising, where the circulation and exposure returns can actually be tracked and tabulated; short of click-through, there is no way to substantiate online publicity right now. Besides, I don't have $200 to throw at every possible publicity offerer. It's gonna have to come from a different direction for this writer... and I imagine, quite a few others.

 

[Richard Sutton]

To sell your book is almost seen as a bit embarrassing and nerve racking. I have been there so often and am presuming that that might be the reason to look for an external agent. Sorry if I am mistaken.

You are not mistaken. That is exactly why an agent (in the Webster's definition...) is a good idea, not just for the arm's length it provides, but mainly because their contacts vet your efforts. They know the people who need to know about your book, and becasue their reputation is on the line whenever they rep and author's work, you are pre-Vetted. It also explains why it isn't inexpensive. I just wish there were more willing to take on a new client based on a percentage of sales, the way reputable Lit Agents do. But, I can always dream, can't I?

 

[David Steele]

I'm guessing that this is the challenge for you too. To sell your book is almost seen as a bit embarrassing and nerve racking.

I remember the first time I walked into a gallery with my artwork, expecting to get laughed out. Well, it went well. They guy loved my stuff and agreed to display it on a sale-or-return basis. (Let's not mention that the gallery went bust a couple of months later. I'm sure it wasn't my fault!)
I think that's half the problem, to be honest - I feel totally embarrassed for even asking!