Thursday 16 May 2013

Do I need to hire a book publicist?



If you are thinking that just because your book has gone for printing your work is done, then it is time to get real. This is not the time to sit back and relax. In fact this is the time when you should start to think about publicizing your book to the fullest. There are numerous ways through which you can spread a word about your book on your own. And if you are planning to take expert advice then you can hire a book publicist
 
Before you plan and finalize to hire a book publicist, it is important to know what they do. They are the best people and experts to know the way they should direct the attention to of people towards your book. They act as a perfect link between the author and readers. It is mainly and majorly the responsibility of the publicist to get the right contacts, get in touch with the media and acquire a strategy to promote the book that has been written by you.
 
At this time it is important to take into consideration that you would be the one who would be paying the cost to hire a book publicist. The pattern of payment that suits you the best should be acquired. It is necessary to talk and discuss with them about the time that they would be devoting towards your project. This in turn means that if it is a work that requires little time then you can look for a publicist that would be charging on hourly basis, there are few who would be able to work with you on project basis and charge a onetime fees, irrespective of the amount of time that they would be spending in promoting your book. Once you have established the kind of payment option that you would like to go for and you like the working style of the publicist you can have the same one for all your books. 

While you are about to hire a book publicist it is also necessary to do a quick background check on them. This would include the number of authors that they have worked for and the success rate that they have. They work on public relations and it is an integral part of their job to be in touch with people who can help in advertising your book. Asking questions about the type of authors that they have worked with and about the way they work is important and you should not hesitate in asking them. 

When you hire a book publicist don’t forget to tell him about your fears, i.e. you should inform him if you have any find of a stage fright or if you are not comfortable to speak in public. This would help him prepare a plan in account with all these things. At the same time he would be able to help you overcome them. He can prepare small speeches, a few interview questions or even have a role playing section for you to feel comfortable. 

In other words, when you hire a book publicist you allow him to take decision for what might be the best to promote your book. They work on success rate ratio and are accountable to deliver their promise. Since they have in-depth knowledge about the market, they are the best to handle them. However, it is important that you should take the following points into consideration when you decide to hire a book publicist:

·         You might be losing control on your work. This means the publicist can make your book available in the market. This in turn implies that you might be an expert about what you have written but it would be the choice of the publicist for what needs to be talked about.

·         There would be a lot of learning that would be required from your end as well. And it would be expected from you to adapt   when you hire a book publicist, he might ask you to write blogs, article and might also ask you to take part in different forms to make people aware about your book.

·         You would be required to maintain your schedule according to the publicist that you hire. You would have to leave your calendar in his hands so that he can make the maximum utilization of the time that you have in order to promote our book.
·         Being open about your book might not be comfortable for you but it is necessary to create an interest in people so that they get inclined towards reading your book which will in turn lead to sales.

At this time it is ok to ask questions on what else can be done to promote the book. Although you are hiring a professional to look into the details it still remains your piece of work.

Whether you have hired a publication house to convert your final draft into a book or you are planning to do it yourself, it would still be an added advantage to hire a book publicist. This would not only help in generate more and more revenue but at the same time it will also help you in making your name amongst the top most authors. One needs to understand at this time that it is important for people to know about your work so that they can demand for more. And once you get listed in the market and people are aware of your name it is implied that they would be expecting you to come up with more work and hence you would be able to generate more fan following http://howtopromoteyourbook.net/.

The choice would be yours to hire or not to hire a book publicist but it is important to remember that it is your book and your name that is at stake in the world of authors.