HIRE THE PUBLICIST TO GET THE PUBLISHING DEAL

HIRE THE PUBLICIST TO GET THE PUBLISHING DEAL

by R. Scott Penza

Great Press Public Relations/Los Angeles

Div. of Creative Hive Integrated Marketing

If you’ve written a hot manuscript, one that’s sure to set off the fire alarms, your publishing deal is probably less than one phone call away. The determining factor is who places the call. You or the RIGHT publicist.

Many of our clients who come to us with really marketable material, carry the frustrating burden of hundreds of rejection letters. After sweating hours at their laptops crafting query letters that

-- following some “writers’ guide” magic formula -- might defy the laws of Physics by somehow summarizing a 400 page work into a few paragraphs sure to “bowl over” the target publisher, these authors are sobered by the quantum stream of declines. If you’re a struggling author you know these words by heart:

– “Thank you for considering our agency but we’re not reviewing new material at this time….” “Due to the highly competitive nature of the publishing industry we must be highly selective in the titles and writers whom we sign…” “We know you have spent a great deal of time on your project and put your passion into every page but our client roster is currently full…”

You don’t need one more “Dear John, my harem is full letter” to establish that you’re full of disappointment. What you may need is one more call. Not to an agent or publisher or published writer who may be willing to introduce you to his or her agent. No, if you’re material is really good, really really good, you probably need to phone in a literary publicist.

No one is better equipped to run your manuscript to a prospective agent or publisher.

Too often, too many authors think that the publicist gets called in to generate great press after the book has moved from sign on the dotted line to on the shelf at Borders. Not so. In fact, at this literary public relations firm and certainly others, publicists are frequently called in early on by market-savvy authors to pitch the project to an agent or to a prospective publisher

Why is this a highly effective approach to landing a deal?

In this 21^st century dawn, book publishing has changed. Publishing costs have skyrocketed at the big firms even as the publishing industry itself has fragmented—ironically providing new possibilities for first time authors with the right approach. The traditional houses now place greater emphasis on shelf-ready manuscripts “escorted” through their doors with a well-written and carefully strategized marketing plan. Many of these houses have severely cut back on their editorial departments. The day of the assigned editor who sticks with the unknown author from query to rewrite to galley is vaporizing like yesterday’s dot.com.

So when an agent gets the call from your publicist, that agent is far more likely to take a

serious look at your book because, he or she knows now that there’s a PR firm behind it. And the publicist’s marketing plan and presentation tells the agent:

This is a project worth looking at, worth campaigning for with publishers, worth the effort to make it a best seller.

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Publishers, we have found, often echo that reaction. Only they’re more likely to be convinced to put up the cash necessary to make the book happen because they see that a literary publicist is already working for the same goal.

An ambitious, aggressive author gets signed by a Literary PR firm – in advance of the publishing deal. The author who has established a working relationship with a publicist, will have that publicist ready the day the galleys are prepped for release to reviewers and thereafter.

The point: a publishing house will be more inclined to invest heavily into marketing an untried, new author if that new author herself has set the campaign in motion by hiring a publicist who has already worked out a marketing strategy to attract vital media attention. That author is miles ahead of the other supplicants at the publishers door. And once on board -- many times -- a publishing house will contribute to, even split the publicist’s fee. It’s in their best interest.

In today’s book publishing economics, PR — seeking free press-- will always be a less expensive buy than advertising. The publicist — if he or she’s good at it — knows how to decisively lock those radio and television talk show bookings in a timely fashion, knows how to potentially influence the outcome of a major metropolitan daily literary review, and has the creativity to make the author a household name just in time for the second or third book.

Professionals in the literary public relations industry recognize the value of a call.

Rarely do they waste a call.

When our agency accepts an unsigned author who walks through our doors with a work we recognize will be a page turner, the first step in the representation process is to research who

the most appropriate agents or publishers are for the specific manuscript in question.

Tapping our in-house databases, our carefully cultivated personal contacts, and online

research, our staff will identify anywhere from 10-15 agents who are, in our opinion, best suited and likely most interested in representing the property. Among others, considerations include the number of titles similar to our client’s mss that an agent has signed in the past two years. We combine these assessments with our market intelligence garnered at the trade shows and through personal contact.

After identifying a preliminary target list, we typically conduct an agency audit. This approach which involves pre-pitching the author’s project without revealing title or author is borrowed from the proven media audit conducted by most PR firms prior to pitching a story. The goal is to secure an approximate read on the media’s reaction to a particular story by randomly testing the story on a handful of print and electronic journalists.

Some in our profession dub this the “dangle the carrot” approach because the publicist is literally enticing the reporter’s reaction by holding back, carefully selecting excerpts from the book we feel sure will excite the journalist’s interest without giving away too much, and amassing data. If the pre-pitch shows that the story has legs, i.e. the majority of randomly (or purposefully) selected journalists reacted favorably, many of those same journalists will be included on the media target list when the full pitch is underway. Having expressed interest before all the details were disclosed, those same journalists are more likely to take a look at the story when it’s ready for release later on.

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Our experience shows that the same holds true for agents.

During the agency audit phase of our client representation, our research in advance of the phone calls or face-to-face lunch meetings will provide us with 10, maybe 15 reasonable targets who are ideal for presentation of a new property. When we phone or meet with these agents, our staff quickly determines if there is interest in the particular subject area. Armed with research, we demonstrate why there will be wide interest in the author’s subject area.

We show why there is a need for the property now -- and we lay out our assessment of the market. We show why the “window” is now. We relate it to the current news climate. For example, we are aware that Federal government recently released new obesity guidelines suggesting that more than half the nation is overweight.

And we’re putting a self-help weight loss book on the table.

We’re convinced this in-depth, “pro to pro” approach is the most effective, because we like our score: almost every time we hear:

“So, when can I see the book?”

Now the costs:

Many part-time publicists will take on an author for as little as $750 usually for anywhere from one to three months. The adage: “You get what you pay for” applies strongly here. Without a real sense of how to make a book successful these cut-rate deals are usually worthless. And the promises at sign-on fade faster than the media interest—which is often non-existent..

Experienced Literary PR firms (like ours) typically charge anywhere from $2,000 to $3,000 per month plus expenses. Some firms insist on a minimum three month contract, others represent their author clients on a month-to-month arrangement.

While a three month contract totaling a potential $9000 to $10,000 (after expenses) may seem

steep, to the first-timer, the goal: a potential $50,000 to $150,000 book advance makes this PR effort a sensible investment.

Engaging a literary publicist plainly increases the chances that the months, and sometimes years, an author spends on sweating through his or her creative drive to produce that book will be – as it should be -- rewarded.

If as you read this , you know that you have finally finished that terrific novel, or breakthrough self-help book, or creative children’s illustrated story, submitted it to hundreds of agents and received hundreds of rejections—you know you need help,

Don’t call 911. Call your local literary publicist. We’ll take care of setting your work on fire.

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R. Scott Penza has served in the entertainment, high tech and literary public relations industries for more than 15 years. He is president of Great Press Public Relations/Los Angeles which is a Division of Creative Hive Integrated Marketing. Penza’s firm is always on the lookout for the next best seller. To contact him, write: gr8press@aol.com or visit his company’s site at: www.creativehivegroup.com or phone: 1-888-963-2224

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