wordpress-seo domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /srv/users/sandra/apps/sandra/public/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6114Who should hire a book publicist? Who shouldn't? Should you be your own publicist? Here are the options for you, your book, and your career.<\/em><\/pre>\nAt least once a week, an author asks me, “Should I hire a book publicist?”<\/em><\/p>\n
Are you wondering about this, too?<\/p>\n
Before offering advice, I need to know an author’s long-term goals, the book’s quality and publicity potential, and the individual’s financial situation.<\/p>\n
I also want to make sure any author considering this investment understands:<\/p>\n
\n
- Why they’re considering hiring a book publicist — what do they hope a publicist will do for their career?<\/li>\n
- What a publicist can and can’t accomplish for an author and their book.<\/li>\n
- There are no guarantees with book publicity — a publicist can’t promise anything (and if they do, it means they’re using your money to pay the media outlet<\/a>…we call that “advertising”).<\/li>\n
- A publicist is a significant financial investment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The financial investment<\/h2>\n
Authors accustomed to marketing emails proclaiming, “We’ll promote your book for $99!” are often surprised when they learn what experienced book publicists charge for their time, skill, and know-how.<\/p>\n
So let’s start there. It will help to know if you can afford it before you think about the other specifics we’ll talk about here.<\/p>\n
A good, experienced book publicist charges $3,000 to $5,000 a month<\/strong> and needs at least three or four months to work on your book — often six.<\/p>\n
If you can’t afford that, stop reading now.<\/em><\/p>\n
Yes, yes, you can probably hire somebody for less than that. But that’s the going rate for experienced specialists.<\/p>\n
And before you pull out the calculator to figure out how many books you’ll need to sell to break even, understand that you probably won’t\u00a0earn back your publicist fees in book royalties or sales alone.<\/strong><\/p>\n
Who should hire a book publicist?<\/h2>\n
So who can afford to take that kind of risk on behalf of their book? Someone who can afford to invest in their career.<\/p>\n
Authors who can afford a publicist typically fall into nine categories.<\/p>\n
[novashare_tweet tweet=”Authors who can afford a publicist typically fall into nine categories. Do you fit into one of them?” hide_hashtags=”true”]<\/p>\n
1. Traditional publishing<\/a> contract authors with a large enough advance against royalties to fund an outside publicist. <\/strong><\/h3>\n
I coached a first-time author with a six-figure advance who invested some of it in media training and two publicists, each with a different specialty.<\/p>\n
2. Successful, well-compensated entrepreneurs or executives. <\/strong><\/h3>\n
These people often hire a ghostwriter<\/a> for their book, too.<\/p>\n
\u00a0