Publicity campaigns is the theme today courtesy of your very own publishing insider, moi.

What are they? What do they entail? How long does one last? Remember, the answers to these questions are designed for the “perfect world” scenario. And, since I know that all of you have perfect lives, I say, bring on the ideal campaign! If your life isn’t perfect, exhale a sigh of relief and just do the best that you can with what you’ve got.

Q. At what point should I start my plans for a publicity campaign?

A. You should be thinking about your publicity plans all through the creative process of your book. Although it sounds like a battle of the brain hemispheres, I suggest that you compartmentalize as much as possible and make room for your “business-y” side to flourish. And, since your creative process IS creative, you’ll get some really great ideas along the way. Do like Hannah Friedman says and keep post-it’s and note paper around and jot down your thoughts as they arise.

Q. Does that mean that I should hire a pr firm while I’m writing the book?

A. If you are lucky enough to entertain the notion of hiring a publicist or public relations firm for your book, while your still writing it is a tad too soon.  However, the preparation that can go on then is that you can start to ask around, do some research and gather a list of prospects for the job. Also, if you had yourself a knock-out book proposal, you probably come with some nifty pr tools. Be sure to bring those to your eventual pr campaign. Your publisher will expect that. ( I’ve too often seen authors come to the “publishing party” with apparently solid  contacts in the media only to find out that they long expired – not died, mind you, but were no longer relevant. In other words, your time on Sally Jessy Raphael or The Dick Cavett Show have little today with this millennium).

Q. So, why do you call it a “campaign?”

A. Like its political counterpart, publicity campaigns have the most impact when firing off media nuggets in a given period of time with regularity, momentum and strength. A “roll out” or “launch” can mean several weeks of media coverage. Where every time you turn around you hear about, read about, or see your book in some form of media.  You know the saying, you can’t  swing a cat …(and, please don’t kill two birds with any one stone either)

Q. How do I time when this campaign should take place?

A. Ok. You need to remember how the media works. There are long lead and short lead outlets. You want to be there as they converge which means getting a jump on long lead media so that something about your book appears as the book is launched and as short lead media is popping.  More specifically, once you decide what are the appropriate long leads (usually magazines), you should inquire as to how far in advance they prepare their issues. If we’re in June in real life, it’s very likely that many magazines will be into their late fall or winter issues. They can only accommodate the “new” factor of your book if you feed them something months in advance. My experience is that it’s between 4-6 months. Believe me, that lead time can be a real bear.

Q. If my book doesn’t come out until November what would I give  a long lead editor and when?

A. We already established that the perfect world syndrome would grab something as early as May. Every editor would hope that your book was done by then, but even if it’s not complete, it’s fine to present an unfinished, uncorrected copy to a magazine editor. These advanced reader’s copies (ARC’s) should be as clean as possible, typically bound, and at least something close enough to the final version from which a reviewer can review or an excerpt can be extracted.

Q. Where can I find the appropriate long lead media for my book?

A. How about everywhere? Many will be obvious, some will be found through bookstore, library or online sleuthing and many data bases are available either for free or for a price. Just keep focused on your audience. Try not to be all things to all people. Narrow it down to the media that matters. Yes, we all know that one shot on Oprah and your world will be forever rocked, but try to have a few other media outlets to fall back on, ok? I mean, just in case.

That’s it for now. There’s a lot more where that came from. This is all you get for now, but do feel free to send your question in the comments area. And, if you need more time, you know how to find me….

Much more on publicity campaigns coming…

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