Phenix & Phenix Literary Publicists is a full-service literary publicity firm that specializes in serving the unique publicity needs of authors and major publishing houses. Founded in 1994, Phenix & Phenix has publicized more than 27 best sellers and has implemented successful publicity campaigns for books across every major genre.
From front-list releases at top publishing houses to novels by first-time authors, our firm was founded on the belief that books change lives, and we seek to represent only those titles with the potential to make a positive impact on society. For queries, please visit our website at phenixpublicity.com , or check out our blog with regular tips for authors and literary publicists: phenixpublicity.blogspot.com.
I typically classify events (book signings, speaking engagements, conferences, etc.), social networking (book pages on MySpace, Facebook, etc.), viral messages (e-mail campaigns), direct-mail pieces, and other direct-to-consumer promotion as marketing.
Marketing plays a big role in creating buzz for a book and often goes hand in hand with a publicity campaign.
Marketing plays a big role in creating buzz for a book and often goes hand in hand with a publicity campaign.
Book publicity is not focused directly on consumers but rather on reaching consumers indirectly through media attention. Such attention can include book reviews, feature stories, radio interviews, television spots, blog mentions, etc. The key advantage of book publicity to authors (especially new or relatively unknown authors) is the third-party credibility that the media provides. When you are quoted in The Wall Street Journal, interviewed on CNBC, or reviewed in Publishers Weekly, the media is giving you an implicit stamp of approval that is vital to building your platform as an author.
Dollar for dollar, what is the benefit of a private publicist?
Here are a few that most authors highlight:
Attention. Whether you are published by a small independent press or a large NY house, unless you are an established A-list author, you are not likely to get a large amount of publicity support. Most publishers have time to do a mail-out to the trade and top reviewers and perhaps an e-mail blast to certain broadcast contacts, but they rarely do much more. When you hire your own publicist, a lot of what you are paying for is the time the publicist needs to explore a variety of opportunities for your book.
Relationships. Top firms have spent years creating mutually beneficial relationships with beat reporters, broadcast outlets, online personalities and a variety of other media and leverage those relationships to create ideas for features, interviews, expert source opportunities and a variety of coverage beyond book reviewers. Similar to the relationships that top literary agents have with editors, good publicists have the ear of the media and act as a filter for top outlets. This is the reason that on the front end quality publicists are going to be as interested in interviewing you to see if you are a good fit for them as you are in interviewing them.
Results. Top publicists have built their reputations through the years by delivering substantial media coverage for their clients. This media industry has a “what have you done for me lately” approach to just about everything, including publicists. When a good publicist takes on an author, they do so because they are confident that they can deliver solid results for the author, and they invest their time and energy in coordinating an effective national launch.
At what point in the publication process should a writer begin promotion, marketing and seeking a publicist?
Most authors should begin interviewing publicists at least six months before the book releases. However, before an author makes any final plans regarding hiring an outside publicist, we always encourage them to talk with the PR Director at their publishing house. Not only can you quiz them on their plans for the book (who knows, maybe they plan to hire an outside firm for the book), but you can get referrals of firms that have worked well with that publisher in the past. The best way to learn about a potential publicist is through a referral from a former client or colleague.
Of all the creative author marketing and publicity you've encountered, what effort has provided the most effective results for both the publisher and the author?
Authors need to be adaptable going into a publicity campaign because the best results often come as a result of breaking news or trend stories that a publicist jumps on quickly. We spend much of our day combing top news and pop culture outlets looking for breaking stories that we can connect to our clients. Often the biggest hits come as a result of a publicist pitching an author as a resource on a breaking story. Here is an example:
We recently handled a national campaign for The Ice Man (St. Martin’s Press) by Philip Carlo. The hardcover was a New York Times best seller and as a result of the initial success we were brought back on board to handle the paperback release early this year. This February the FBI started a massive round-up of mafia figures spanning two continents and we positioned Carlo as an expert on the mafia and secured a large number of bookings. Although his book was written on a specific mob hit man who had already been locked up (and passed away under, um, mysterious circumstances), his expertise and background writing about the mafia positioned him as a great resource for top outlets.
Of all the marketing and publicity angles you've seen, what would you suggest that an author not do or not invest in?
The no-brainer here is to never invest in a prepackaged or form publicity campaign. No two campaigns are the same, so don’t ever spend money on a package service. More specifically, don’t spend an incredible amount of time and money mailing books to hundreds of book reviewers at newspapers, magazines, trade publications, etc., unless you are either an established author or published by a top imprint. Your time would be much better spent focusing on beat reporters, broadcast outlets and online opportunities. Reviewers at newspapers and magazines are so inundated with submissions and have such limited space in which to review books that submitting to them can be a waste of time for new authors.
Great interview and thanks for the wisdom. I'm still new, but I've found that having a professional publicist is a blessing and I trust them completely. They have a better handle on the industry than I do.
ReplyDeleteI think if an author is on a small budget, it's easier to establish relationships with their local book store owners, libraries, media outlets, and even friends than to focus nationally.
Even if you have a publicist, getting involved locally actually helps the campaign. Has anyone else found this to be true?
Thanks, Rusty.
ReplyDeleteYou've shared some helpful information.
Great interview! We like being able to pick the brains of experts in the field :-)
ReplyDeleteRusty,great interview, and really solid advice! Publicity can really make a huge difference the career of an author and in the sale of a book.
ReplyDeleteI especially liked your point about how PR firms spend a lot of time building up good relations with media outlets. Much easier to pull out of the media “slush pile” when it’s someone the media likes to work with.
I appreciate the interview, Kelly. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteTina, you are correct in saying that starting locally can be the best way for a new author to begin building relationships. Often times the mere fact that you have a local connection is enough to justify coverage. I always encourage authors to build relationships before you need them, so those authors that are still working on their first book can begin building those contacts now.
This is really solid information.Thanks.
ReplyDeleteInteresting that the no-brainer (pay a standard price for a package instead of getting a custom package) is something people actually do! I had coffee with someone who recently paid a stack of money for a package he saw online, and he was excited because it was a '50% off' sale. Poor guy. I didn't have the heart to burst his bubble.