Wonderful Notes From a Great Publicist

We're always a little saddened when one of our favorite litbloggers takes a small, or extended, leave from their sites.  Some know how to make it at least a wash though, and Sarah Weinman is certainly one who does that, bringing in some great guest bloggers.

This time around, Sarah has Kathy Daneman, EWN'er, and former publicists for Beacon Press, and currently handling books for SoHo Press authors, to do some posting.  I've had the pleasure of working with Kathy a couple of times and she's extremely nice and does a fantastic job.  That makes her first two posts absolute must reads for today's authors:

Your Publicist:  A Refresher Course for the Veteran Author

Your Publicist:  A User's Guide for Novices

A small sample for the novices:

"Keep your publicist informed of all your activities. Don’t schedule readings or interviews without telling her. In an ideal world, journalists would always go through the publicist to set up an interview, but sometimes they went to kindergarten with you or live down the street and feel comfortable approaching you directly. Ask them to check with your publicist first, just in case she’s scheduling an interview with another show on the same radio station or she’s pitching an interview with you to another freelancer for the same publication. She’s crafty, your publicist.

Do not keep prominent author or journalist friends a secret. Do feel comfortable in reaching out to them, via your publicist, early on.

Do not follow-up every email with a phone call to see if your publicist received your message. Do not assume your publicist is doing nothing for you. She is a busy creature and she will get back to you when she has the information you need. That said, if she sends you a tour schedule, and you notice that several of the events don’t have times listed, feel free to ask her to give you those times.

Be realistic. Is your book really material for Oprah or the New York Times? Assume your publicist is familiar with Fresh Air and All Things Considered, and that she’ll pitch your book if she thinks it’s appropriate."

So, hop on over to Sarah's abode and see what else Kathy has to say about working with your publicist as your book is ramping up towards the long journey to your readers.

Comments

[E.J. Samadhi Whitehouse]

I'm a newbie to blogs so I shall see where this takes me.
I've been Googling for the past while, in search of book clubs to connect with regarding my first-ever narrative non-fiction, Circles in the Sand.

If looking at my web site, you will see some awesome reviews and some deeply emotional reviews. With my journey through life continually taking me back to the Middle East, plus many other perpetual hot topics being shared openly and with truth, I'm one of those new authors who believes my book is OPRAH material. At first, I was quite nervous in sharing my intimate feelings to, what I hope will eventually be, the WORLD. But as time as gone by, it's been made clear that my voice is our voice to so many women.
I am in search of a BIG BANG theory--with Circles in the Sand exploding on a global scale. But how do I get there? Word of mouth? That ONE person by happenchance reads Circles in the Sand? Money? And so, here I am, sitting again, prograstinating from my original plan to renew my passport and instead, I'm in a yellow-paged blog where I can only hope there is someone out there who has a plan for MY life [my book life, that is].
If you're there/here.... I'm ready. I want to be an inspiration, to be a mentor, to be able to share that there is a way out of the darkness and into the light. Even the desert has an oasis!

Thanks for listening... I hope my one special person is YOU!