First I want to reassure you there are no April Fools gags in this post… I’ll leave that for the media outlets who love to brainstorm the wittiest yarns – like today’s mUmBRELLA post about the Government’s plan to introduce Tweet Tax for Twitter users.
In my recent interview with The Creative Penn, Joanna asked me why authors should get a publicist for their book launch. I said because it takes time and focus to get publicity results and you need to understand how the media works to be successful. You see, there are no guarantees when it comes to free publicity because you have no control over whether the media pick up your story, offer you an interview or even mention your book.
You also need the time and focus to diligently follow up with polite persistence. Few authors have time to do all of this themselves and get it right. A publicist understands how to work with the media to make their job easier so they favour you and your book.
Publicists at publishing companies have multiple books to promote at once and can only spend a limited time on each book. A freelance publicist is likely to get better media results because they can spend more time focussing on your book and giving you the attention and best possible chance your book deserves.
Yours in book publicity
Chelsea McLean
