This “media opportunity alert” arrived in my inbox:
Hi, Porter, Thought you might have interest in checking out this event spotlighting Mark Ballas and girlfriend BC Jean.
The singer-songwriter duo has teamed up with Charmin for the December celebration of restrooms in Times Square–an entire storefront of unique, unforgettable, state-of-the-art bathrooms free to the public (timely for the holiday season in NYC).
On December 19th, Jean and Ballas will perform singing and dance routines on-site.
Happy to have you there for a front row seat/interview with BC and Mark.
Please let me know if you’re interested?
I wrote back:
Hi, Nadia, I cover the international book publishing industry. Despite what many may think of books these days, our publishers do not believe we’re talking about toilet paper. Yet. Thanks, though.
With the help of AdWeek, I’ve learned that from 2006 to 2010, Charmin rented space in which to create bathrooms for seasonal shoppers in Times Square. It has revived this holiday tradition this year at 1601 Broadway between 48th and 49th Streets with 14 “themed bathrooms” open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. for shoppers, through December 24.
The first thing we learn here is that if you work for a toilet paper company, you’d better love bathroom jokes. This is Procter & Gamble at work, squeezing the Charmin for every last available pun. All’s fair in love and advertising.
But the second thing we learn here–and the reason I’m subjecting you to this plumber’s view of American marketing–is how a publicity person/PR agent should not be operating. If you’ve got a publicist for your books or are thinking of hiring one, you need to know what this dynamic looks like from the journalist’s side of the stall door.
My provocation for you today comes in the form of three questions with which to quiz your publicity person.
PR Person Question #1 of 3
May I see the precise list of press contacts you’re going to send my book information to? I want to see what they cover and the media at which they work.
If the answer from your potential or existing publicist/PR person/press agent is no (“office secret,” “tricks of the trade,” “private information”), run away. They can withhold those journalist’s contact info from you. In fact, I’d prefer they did, for the sake of my inbox. But they need to tell you who’s getting the paper goods and why.
And this is because a bad “pressie” will tell you that the release about your book just went out to “4,000 high-quality, leading members of the press who are keen to carry your news” when, in fact, that release has just been flushed by all 4,000 of us, some of whom are now blocking your press agent’s emails for good. I cannot tell you how many wrongly directed press contacts I get per day. Remember, I’m editor-in-chief of PublishingPerspectives.com. What part of that title means fashion, climate change, vegan health, tennis shoe advances, or toilet paper? To a bad PR agent who wants to impress a client with her or his mighty “list,” I’m fair game on those and many more topics. You’d be amazed.
Don’t cry for me, I’m the fastest “mark as spam” athlete in the league.
What I want is to warn you about is that you can easily be scammed by this. I’d rather see a pressie hand you only 20 actual publishing/book-industry/literature-focused journalists’ names–and what each of them does and at which medium–than that list of 4,000 wrong contacts who now are wondering if there’s really such a thing as “the December celebration of restrooms in Times Square.”
PR Person Question #2 of 3
What do you do when a journalist says “not for me” to your request for coverage?
The correct answer is: “I say, ‘Thank you, I’ll update my list, have a great day.”
The incorrect answer is, “I fight for you darlin’, I go right back to that journalist and I point out 15 places in the last 35 years in which his or her so-called news medium has covered precisely the kind of Earth-shaking news your deathless prose represents to a world crying, crying for your book.”
I had one last week. First, he pitched me a piece about “how important millennials are to the US economy today” (as opposed to when, yesterday?). When I sent back my usual line–I do try to actually answer and thank them, in hopes they’ll update their lists–saying that “I cover business trends in the international book publishing industry”–he came back with three mentions of millennials we’ve made in recent years. He’s now blocked.
This isn’t a “fight for it” thing and Lena Horne’s advice to belieeeeeeeeve in yourself is far from this part of the game. This is business and wasting journalists’ time with arguments about what they should be covering gets your book absolutely nowhere–on your dime.
PR Person Question #3 of 3
Tell me about the best relationship you have with a member of the press. You don’t have to tell me who this is or what medium she’s at. Just tell me how it works.
The very best person to represent you to various media (still a plural word) operates on relationships. I have relationships with some press people I know to be so good that when their emails arrive, I open them first. They never bother me unless the story is right for me or at least well worth my consideration.
One in London is leaving the agency he’s been with for years and I’m actually pretty sorry about that, antsy to find out where he’s going to land, because this guy is one of the ones who knows what I need, and how and when to get it to me. When I have a problem, need a photo, am flat on deadline (and five hours off his time zone), he’s right there on the other end, doing what in the distant mists of Times Gone By was called “servicing the media.” That’s not a noble phrase because we’re people who deserve to be coddled but because it means providing the press the resources we need to cover you well.
I was told by a Broadway press agent years ago when I worked that beat at the Village Voice, “Porter, the shows will open and the shows will close. But we press agents and you journalists will always be together.” And he was right.
My holiday gift to you is this advice: Your work deserves to be offered to the right media people the right way so it has the right chance to reach the right readers. The proliferation of “author services” means the rise of a lot of kitchen-sink operations that will tell you they’re doing the deed but (a) have no clue and/or (b) have no traction. Don’t pay for supposed media support you haven’t checked out correctly. When it comes time to find a PR/publicity/media agency for your work, buy the relationship, not the cartoon bear family who tell you they “enjoy the go” with Charmin.
What’s your experience? Have you been lucky enough to find a media person who knows her or his journos and can really “work the press,” with strong relationships and a track record? Or is your person sending out press releases by the roll?
Wish you could buy Porter a glass of Campari?
Now, thanks to tinyCoffee and PayPal, you can!
About Porter Anderson
@Porter_Anderson is Editor-in-Chief of Publishing Perspectives, the international news medium of Frankfurt Book Fair New York. He and Jane Friedman co-own and produce @The Hot Sheet, the essential industry newsletter for authors. Anderson previously was The Bookseller's Associate Editor for The FutureBook in London. Formerly with CNN, CNN.com and CNN International–as well as the Village Voice, the Dallas Times Herald, and other media–he has also been a featured writer with Thought Catalog in New York, creating as a longtime arts critic the #MusicForWriters series. More on his consultancy: PorterAndersonMedia.com | Google+
I cannot think of a time when news coverage or media interviews caused me to buy a novel.
I can, though, think of many reviews, roundups, award nominations, store displays, house ads and personal recommendations that put novels on my “to read” list.
Most of all, I’m excited to read a novel when I’ve read the author’s writing before, and loved it.
Hi, Benjamin,
Great observations, thanks for the note.
In most cases, the two most influential prompts to buying a book are generally thought to be (a) knowing and liking the author’s work already, as you mention — which is great but all for that first time when you need to try a writer you’ve never read yet, and (b) personal recommendation by a friend or family member.
The kind of media coverage that’s usually being sought in the pitches I’m referring to here is “news features” work — most frequently an interview with an author about a book and its topic, etc. This type of coverage lies very close to reviews. A standart “books section” in a newspaper, for example — and there aren’t many such sections left in today’s newspapers, unfortunately — is a mix of criticism (opinion pieces) and features (informative but not evaluative pieces).
I do find that I can be prompted to read a book if I read an interesting interview with its author or a story about its theme or issues, and I think many others might feel that way, too, though it’s personal taste, of course.
There’s a secondary value in this kind of coverage, too, and that’s the “proof of performance” element — once one such article is run in one medium or another, it can then be quoted and passed around to prompt more coverage. A book or author is seen as “media worthy” once the ball gets rolling.
So there’s real value in this kind of coverage for many writers and publishers. (Just as Procter and Gamble finds real value in creating bathrooms for shoppers in New York City, gathering goodwill and getting a lot of exposure for the product.) And that’s why it’s sensible for many authors and publishers to pursue this kind of coverage.
My point is that you need to be careful to determine that it’s going to get you the most bang for the buck by putting your money into a good publicist’s hands who knows her or his media contacts well and can really produce the material for you.
Thanks again,
-p.
On Twitter: @Porter_Anderson
Excellent advice and points here, Porter. The “media worthy” angle is something I really only learned after having two books published and seeing how differently they were perceived, what worked for news “hooks”, and what didn’t.
Yes, and it’s more difficult to connect fiction to relevant media coverage than it is nonfiction. When my husband’s first book came out (supernatural suspense that involved demon possession, a megachurch pastor fallen from grace, Vatican agents, and lots of murder) his PR people got him interviews with obscure radio shows that were asking him about Halloween, the new pope, and other totally random and barely-thematically-connected things. I can’t imagine any of them resulted in sales of his novel. And he felt uncomfortable doing them because they were positioning him as an expert in things that he hardly knew or cared about!
Hey, Erin, you’re so right, and I’m really sorry your husband had to have that experience — it can be really miserable when you’re booked into appearances for all the wrong reasons, lol.
That’s a case of a press agent straining too hard for a news angle, from the sounds of it. Heather’s mention of news hooks is really apt, and we tend to react far more readily when there’s a valid hook or “handle” that pulls something into current events.
But when fiction just isn’t relating to the news of the day, a good pressie will know to stand down from that approach and instead try to create a platform for the book itself. This can be super difficult, mind you, and can place the work more in the realm of cultural coverage than news or even entertainment. But sometimes it’s the best way to go rather than stretching something out of shape.
There’s an interesting reverse to what your husband experienced, I discovered in October when I heard Dan Brown speak on his new book “Origin” in Germany. Backstage and then in his show with the audience, it turned out that the more arcane a question about the book’s religious underpinnings, the better he liked it. Turns out he’s seriously concerned about the interplay of technology and faith these days and his book — while framed in the usual action-adventure format he does — comes out of some extremely well-informed and deeply researched areas of world religion and social dynamics. So the danger in that case is that such an author would end up booked into shows and appearances based on action-adventure, when what he really wanted was to talk the philosophy of the thing. (The German audience considers him quite an intellectual in this regard, actually, so this was a good appearance for him, their questions and perceptions of the work were aligned with his, happily.)
Tricky business, huh? Takes a good pro, and here’s hoping both of you get excellent, smart press representation going forward, it can be fantastic when it’s right.
Cheers,
-p.
On Twitter: @Porter_Anderson
Hey, Heather!
Thanks for the kind note — isn’t “media worthiness” wild? Sometimes the best stories are approached by the most circuitous routes in order to tie them into the news cycle, those “hooks” you’re talking about.
That’s where the value of a good pressie really shows up. They’re masters at knowing what we’re covering at the time and tying a pitch to it so that the trend of the moment is reflected in what’s being pitched.
Complicated at times, as it sounds like you’ve encountered, lol.
Thanks again for jumping in, good holidays!
-p.
On Twitter: @Porter_Anderson
In the far distant future, I’ll be ready for the services of a media person and very grateful for this advice.
Meanwhile, speaking as a reader, I am most influenced by reviews (print and radio), by knowing an author’s work already, and by recommendations from friends I trust. Even those are not water-tight, however. I’ve just finished a long novel by a prizewinning author that was hyped all over the place but turned out to be a disappointment. I would be tempted to think of it as a waste of time except that I learned some valuable lessons on what not to do.
Hey, Anna, you sound like a smart reader. I’ve spoken many times to authors who don’t seem to notice that when they get hold of a disappointing book they can actually learn from what didn’t work and see what tips are there for their own work.
Sometimes, of course, it’s hard to see the same or similar errors in one’s own work (or to admit them). But a good, clear mind and willingness to look frankly at something that fails to grab you is a great way to think about such potentials in your own writing.
Another great sign of a good reader is one who knows his or her reviewers. Even if you regularly read a critic you disagree with, that can be really valuable because you know what that person thinks that doesn’t jibe with your own preferences, so you can think about what to take with a grain of salt in terms of your own interests.
Thanks for reading, and I hope that chance to hire a publicist or PR person comes sooner than later!
Cheers,
-p.
On Twitter: @Porter_Anderson
Quality over quantity is usually an excellent rule. It’s especially nice to see you pin the difference down to preferring 20 contacts with some justification to 4000 with none.
(Not that 4000 is that impressive. I expect once a hack has built up a few hundred names with no real care who they are, it’s not hard to cull thousands more for the sake of the list size. That’s the kind of spam that *deserves* toilet descriptions.)
Hey, Ken,
Alas, yes, it’s not even hard to buy “high-quality lists” of journalists and other media contacts–many of which will be utterly out of date or perhaps entirely fabricated, of course–which is one reason that almost anybody can hang out a shingle as a “press agent” or “PR specialist” with zero experience and no inroads into the media industry.
The fact that the terms themselves are so blurred (and have been for decades) between “publicity” and “public relations” hasn’t helped anyone but those who like to hide behind fogs of confusion to keep unsuspecting clients from realizing what a shell game they’re playing.
One of the remarkable aspects of all the pitches that fall into my inbox is that they’re coming from so many people and “companies.” The idea of helping authors and publishers get media attention for their books is powering a lot of startups at dining-room tables these days.
Thanks for reading and commenting!
-p.
On Twitter: @Porter_Anderson
Porter, this is a great article. I think your point about well-aimed contacts versus large numbers of Jane Does is right on, and applies to social media as well. It makes more sense to expend energy and effort toward those who are quality and get what we’re trying to do, as well as those who truly engage.
There are a lot of disgruntled authors who have paid thousands and thousands for publicists only to have poor results. This is something we all talk about at length in our private groups. You’re only as good as those who represent you in the end, and you’re only as good as your novel is–both the quality of writing and the hooks that gain a reader’s attention–whether we like it or not. That’s a lot of ingredients in the pot that are difficult to control, but your advice helps tremendously in, at least, making better choices up front. Thanks, Porter!
“You’re only as good as your novel is.”
Yes, and to that I would add, “Your last novel sells your next one–or not.”
Yep and yep, Ben.
-p.
Thanks again for this note, too, Heather.
I can make myself available if a group discussion ever seems to be coming up against a question I might be able to answer from the press end of the equation.
Your parallel to social media contacts is absolutely apt. I was just telling Ken in answer to his comment that many self-styled publicists will buy media lists they can claim as their own–usually full of bogus listings, of course–and that’s exactly like buying “followers” on Twitter: complete rubbish.
And a part of the reason that so much scammy action can go on in this area is that very few author-clients have a good way to evaluate what an agency has done in the past. Lists of past or present clients tell you very little about what was actually done and how it went.
In many cases, the best candidates are publicists who have been journalists, themselves, and then “go over to the other side” with an inside knowledge of how a newsroom works. They’re the ones who never fax press releases to large news organizations because they’ve seen our interns dumping that pile of faxes, unread, into the trash each day, for example, and they know how to assess a journo’s answer to a release as meaning “I’m actually interested but on deadline” vs. “I’m totally not interested.”
One image problem (among several!) that journalism suffers is shared by authors of books: everyone else thinks what we do is easy. The whole world thinks it can write a book and the whole world thinks it can responsibly cover the most intricate news stories. We know that, in fact, both professions carry intensely sophisticated requirements of skill and talent, that experience can mean massive things in terms of potential success or failure, and that shortcuts don’t exist.
But here’s an odd thing: those of us who work in difficult, demanding walks of life tend to credit others with the same capabilities that we, ourselves, bring to our jobs. (A friend of mine once told me that this is a problem for many intelligent people in all walks of life–we tend to think the rest of the world shares our levels of intelligence. We’re shocked, I tell you, shocked, when ridiculosity shows up.) What happens, then, is that a writer can see a relatively good-looking Web site and hear a snappy sounding pitch from a press agent or PR office and feel that she or he is hearing from a bona fide, connected, veteran PR specialist ready to make her or his book sell through the roof.
We want to believe we’ve found a way in, right? The way to get that ball rolling right out of the hometown paper and up the road to The New Yorker, surely lies in the home office of that lovely press agent down the street. Right? Right? Wrong. Usually so, so wrong.
So I’ll tell you one more kind of blunt instrument worth considering in trying to choose help in this area: A PR agency that handles big accounts/personalities is likely to be where the strongest players are–and you want strength.
Now, this is a crude measure because it can make you bypass that as-yet-undiscovered PR whiz just three blocks away from you. But you’re going to spend so many hours and days and weeks trying to find that wunderkind in your own backyard that it can make the most sense to “go big early.” Talk your way into something on Wilshire Boulevard and see if you can find a newly added agent there who might get fired up about your book and take you under her wing as she starts climbing. There are some pretty severe tests that publicity folks have normally gone through to get picked up by major agencies, so anyone you find connected to a big house is likely going to have (a) some good scars already and (b) a big fat office full of helpful veterans to ask when she’s lost on your account.
When it comes to spending those thousands of dollars you’re talking about, unless a ready, gifted, really excellent local alternative is at hand, I’d see just how close I could get to a brand-name house and plan to fork over a few bucks to get their attention. It could well be worth it.
The next great ice cream flavor can be invented (by accident!) by your sainted mom or mine. But nobody’s mother is ever going to be the best press manager for an author. Unless she’s sitting at Rogers & Cowan. (And if she is, I want her phone number right now, LOL.)
Thanks again!
-p.
On Twitter: @Porter_Anderson
Porter, thanks for this whole thread.
My takeaway” …frankly, it can make the most sense to “go big early.”
Thanks, Tom, I’m so glad you’re susceptible to my pep talk in this regard.
You know how the medical profession is real good at making you think you need lots of prescriptions? The author-services crowd is also real good at making you feel that you need to “start small” and “take baby steps” and “go slowly” and so on. Quite frequently, what you’re hearing is a self-anointed press agent whose own experience is small and baby-steps level…she may not have the slightest idea how to reach somebody at the Times or the Post where your story belongs.
So I’m a big believer in starting up high and moving down a peg or two if you need to but only after you find out that the upper levels aren’t buying in.
One of my best friends has a lovely saying he pulls out whenever he’s looking at some sweet possibility in life: “Why not me?” As in, “Why shouldn’t that big break be mine?”
Go for it. :)
-p.
On Twitter: @Porter_Anderson
Porter, I’d love to see you do a full post on this that you said above in your comment:
“One image problem (among several!) that journalism suffers is shared by authors of books: everyone else thinks what we do is easy. The whole world thinks it can write a book and the whole world thinks it can responsibly cover the most intricate news stories. We know that, in fact, both professions carry intensely sophisticated requirements of skill and talent, that experience can mean massive things in terms of potential success or failure, and that shortcuts don’t exist.”
The other thing that made me shout out “YES! ALL THE TIME!” was your mention of assuming others have the same intelligence level–and I’d also add to that, work ethic–that those in our business have. They do not. Not even close, and the longer I’m in this business and the longer I’m on this earth, the more this is hammered into my brain. This makes it all the more infuriating when what we do is taken for granted. “I’ve always wanted to write a book…”
Porter: I don’t know from publicists. They’re all priced out of my pay grade. But my experience with New York’s theater district tells me that the fourteen themed bathrooms between 48th and 49th will be especially appreciated by the cane-and-walker set (of which I am a member) who go to Wednesday matinees. Charmin, you’ve got our back–thank you!
Hey, Barry, check back in the story. I’m adding another image, courtesy of Charmin. It’s a poster on one of the walls that turns Playbill into “Poo Bill” and announces those bathrooms as the best seats in the house. :)
Enjoy the show (or the go). :)
-p.
On Twitter: @Porter_Anderson
I did check back, Porter, and I love it. Tell me that poster wouldn’t sell out every night in every theater on the Great White Way. Well, every matinee anyway.
I forgot my manners when I failed to thank you for your cautionary post on publicists. The use of inflated contact numbers fits perfectly with marketers who claim they can give writers “access” to thousands of reviewers. As in politicians promising to give all Americans access to health care insurance, just the way Americans all have “access” to a new Maserati.
Thanks again.
Hey, Barry,
My pleasure, and yeah, considering the limited facilities in most Bway houses, I could see people dashing to 1601 during intermission, too, lol.
Right on the review scam (and many others) being aimed at authors these days, far too many parallel this kind of list-stuffing trick.
Like that access to a new Maserati, exactly. And healthcare, too. )
Cheers,
-p.
On Twitter: @Porter_Anderson
Hi Porter,
Though I’m far from needing the service of a “pressie”, I always enjoy your insights into the publishing business. I read major publications, magazines, newspapers, journals that review books. Such publications and word of mouth help me choose what I read. The job of writing and publishing will always be there–but we need more good readers in our society to support all categories of GOOD WRITING .I hope you enjoy your holiday season in NYC. LA could use such bathrooms, though permanent, for our homeless. .
Hey, Beth,
“We need more good readers in our society to support all categories of good writing” — so true.
And I’m still concerned that the industry has never done enough to build reading and readers, relying on the existing crowd to keep buying. Other industries seemt to work much harder to broaden the base of their consumership but publishing has tended sometimes to leave audience development to the presumed activities of the educational system. Not sure that can be relied on to deepen the ranks anymore.
Good holidays to you, too!
-p.
On Twitter: @Porter_Anderson
An important article, Porter.
Granted, we novelists thrive on making worlds and events up as if they were reality. And since our labors prevent us from getting out much, it is easy for us to be clueless about how things work on the street. But as chaotic as the street appears, it does operate with a clear logic.
Your advice to authors to interview publicists, then, is well-founded. A successful book travels one of a number of well-known routes involving events and hooks (which from a distance may seem like luck.) So it behooves authors to know all they can about each link in the chain, publicists being the penultimate one in both mainstream or independent publishing.
Your three questions focus on publicists’ outgoing mailboxes. It seems wise to me to also explore if the publicist understands our work. Have they read anything other than a blurb from a marketer? Since they will have difficulty representing something beyond their understanding, a short conversation might about it help our goals. Publicists can have passion, too.
Thanks.
Hey, Tom,
Thanks for this comment.
Your last point about talking with a publicist about how much she or he knows about an author’s work is important, you’re right.
In a way, it’s alarming that we even have to think of asking such a thing, but you’re right to point out that a potential press agent may not even have such a basic grounding in the work of a client — and if that’s the case, that’s almost certainly not going to be the right PR person unless he or she can offer certain channels into given communities you need to access to reach a book’s audience.
Thanks again!
-p.
On Twitter: @Porter_Anderson
Hey, Porter…
Thank you for another informative peek into the publishing world. Although I doubt I’ll ever be in need of a publicist, today’s post reminded me of an aspect of self-publishing and small presses that used to drive me nuts when I had my bookstore: the lack of research, about my community in general and my store in particular, before approaching me about carrying a book.
I had a small store, in a small, blue collar, rural mountain community that has a strong tourist trade in the summer, but is (or was) very quiet the rest of the year. Two-thirds of my annual sales came in June, July, and August, and by 2001 or so, so did about 90% of unannounced visits from self-published authors and small press sales reps., typically 2-4 a week.
Leaving aside the initial issues of quality with some of these books, what really started to bug me was the apparent expectation that my store should carry a book just because it had shelves. No thought was given to whether a book was a good fit for my store. A little research would have revealed that a store that generates most of its sales from local & regional history and guide books, and a strong backlist of authors like Edward Abbey, Ivan Doig, Wallace Stegner, Michael Pollan, John Muir, Terry Tempest Williams, Tony Hillerman, Craig Johnson, etc. is probably not the best place for a book about a time-traveling ghost who falls in love with an alien who’s stranded in the middle of Manhattan.
Initially, I bought two or three copies of everything, because I admired the initiative (writing and publishing a book is an admirable accomplishment), I love stories, and I wanted to encourage the writer, not be someone who stomped on their dream. But, as the trend grew, it became apparent I had to set some guidelines, as did most stores.
Whether looking for a publicist or doing your own promotion, a little research can save a lot of time and spare a lot of feelings.
Hey, CK,
Sorry for the late response — the seasonal nana collides with work this time of year, as we all know.
I do appreciate this comment, though. It’s so instructive, especially for some in the indie sector but also for many trade authors who are working to leverage their own local retail connections to bolster what their publishers are doing.
You’re putting your finger on an interesting mistake that many in the industry make, this way of thinking that “a book is a book is a book.” When, of course, the kind of specialized and regionalized bookstore you had proves that thinking so wrong.
The error frequently seems to lie somewhere between magical thinking and ignorance.
Ignorance is the easy element to understand. Particularly among self-published authors, we’re largely looking at publishing-industry amateurs who may have even less business acumen than trade authors who are working with agents through the contract process, etc. As evident as it certainly was to you and might be to any of us who gave it two minutes of thought, the retail needs in the specialized market of an independent bookstore in a resort-patterned seasonal market actually don’t present themselves readily to a lot of self-styled authors. This can often come along with such a peculiar sense of entitlement, too — the idea that yes, you have shelves so their books should be on them. Needless to say, this is not all self-published authors. And, alas, those who are more advanced and taking the care to train themselves in retail concepts tend to take great umbrage at us for pointing out that many others are making these mistakes.
The second aspect, harder to get hold of, is magical thinking. We tend to feel that it’s unwise to try to counter this in writers, many of whom can be buoyed up by pure hope, often in the guise of an idea that “my book is different and can overcome all odds.” Of course, this is rarely the case, and that time-traveling Manhattan ghost book really isn’t the one that’s going to turn around all your experience as a bookseller about what your store’s traffic will buy. Does the industry need to be much tougher in talking with would-be authors about what they can expect in a real world of stupendous competition from an entertainment combine bigger than any in history? Probably so. But many worry that too much straight talk could derail a Hemingway or run off a Didion. And social media actually don’t help in this regard. Authors, as one smart editor, Carla Douglas, has said, are now among the most social of workers. They’re able to be in touch continually, engaging in supportive communities and this, of course, is reassuring and good…except that an awful lot of magical thinking becomes amplified in such settings. Dreams seems to find traction in the encouragement of colleagues, many if not most of whom rarely have read any of the material they’re supporting. And so writers can arrive at a store like the one you were running, and some of them will be filled with simply misguided emotional energy for what they’re doing.
The magical thinking dilemma is an extremely hard topic to handle with many creative folks, not just writers. You can get some really dirty looks simply by raising the question. But the fact remains that balancing a healthy positive outlook with an equally healthy sense for realistic expectations is easy for none of us. And this can contribute to those requests that booksellers face so frequently.
As you say, research can be such a great reality check and education. Simply finding out about a market, testing the waters, thinking from the viewpoint of a retailer rather than a writer or other creative worker, could help so much. But it doesn’t come naturally to many and some may shy from it because they know that the truth of what a given community’s bookstore can sensibly carry might not support what their writing has to offer.
Guidelines, clearly, become necessary in situations like these, and your counsel about the importance of research in promotional issues is right on the money.
Thanks again,
-p.
On Twitter: @Porter_Anderson
I regularly put books on my TBR list because of articles in print or online media. Sometimes I even buy the book straightaway. If I’m in a sensible mood I check out the Goodreads reviews (a great antidote to publisher hype) before I buy, less so if the medium is one I trust.
Bloggers, Goodreads, and my book club also shape my reading choices. Of course all of those influencers are influenced by various sources themselves, often (in the case of book bloggers and the better Goodreads reviewers) by pitches from publishers, availability of titles on NetGalley and Edelweiss, and other bloggers and reviewers who in their turn are influenced by . . . (infinite loop starts here.)
My fantasy publicist would have contacts that range far wider than journalistic media, and her focus would shift as I (with any luck) move out of the typical indie model dominated by ebook sales into a broader mix of print, digital, and foreign rights sales. I’m not sure such a paragon exists.
Hey, Jane,
Thanks much for jumping in here, sorry to be late getting back.
Yeah, I agree that the flexibility of a publicist who can move with you through a widening array of formats and media is best. I think they do exist, but I think they may be seated primarily in the larger houses and rarely in startup or smaller offices.
As with literary agencies that evolve to handle film and television (as Curtis Brown has done, for example), it takes a certain buildup of foundational accounts, I think, to reach a point at which the range of availabilities can really come into play and that’s hard to get in smaller settings which normally will need to focus on one or another approach.
Over time, as the media interplay grows and becomes more pervasive (as Jeff Norton said at FutureBook, television production is now the leading cultural edge), change in this will be unavoidable — publicists and PR agents will have to be able to encompass the whole range.
But we’re in a deep transitional phase right now with so much uneven demand from the creative side (so many writers unready for wide-media development) and such difficult marks to hit in the more advanced ends (TV production, film, all highly specialized), and I think it’s hard for any but the biggest publicity and PR organizations to be across the whole breadth of it.
So as I was saying to someone else in a note here, shoot high. Don’t be afraid to see if you can attract the attention and support of the bigger players in the field, the ones ready to move you forward as the word develops.
Thanks again and happy holidays!
-p.
On Twitter: @Porter_Anderson