| Times have changed and gone are the days | | | | publicist to help them find radio and TV spots, |
| when marketing was part of the package offered | | | | arrange press coverage, write press releases, |
| to authors by the publishing house. While a | | | | obtain reviews, line up book signings, and place |
| commercial or university press may help the | | | | strategic ads in newspapers and magazines. |
| author some, most publishers these days do not | | | | As a freelance writer who ghostwrites many |
| promote their authors the way they once did. | | | | books each year, I feel compelled to help my |
| With self-publishing and vanity publishing being | | | | clients find contacts in the publishing world. I try to |
| commonplace, more and more people are | | | | connect my clients with publishers and agents I |
| becoming authors. And because publishers still get | | | | know personally and link them with a good |
| thousands of query letters from new authors | | | | publicist. |
| seeking publication with a huge advance and | | | | Thankfully, I do have contact with a variety of |
| royalties, they are able to be more selective and | | | | publishers and publicists. I have interviewed two |
| will only choose authors they know can make | | | | publicists on my podcast Writers in the Sky: |
| money for them. That is usually a celebrity or | | | | Maryglenn McCombs in November 2006 and |
| someone who already enjoys a good bit of | | | | recently Pam Lontos of PR/PR. Her show will be |
| notoriety. | | | | uploaded this month. Both are very experienced |
| What does a publicist do for an author? | | | | and wonderful to work with. There are a lot of |
| Publicists do everything publishers once did for | | | | marketing activities you can and need to be doing |
| their authors. More and more authors are hiring a | | | | while your book is still forthcoming. |