Smith Publicity Blogs

While there's no doubt some books are seasonal in their appeal and need to be launched and promoted accordingly, many other books are seasonless. Therefore, if you've written a book and are planning its launch, should you avoid some months. Opinions will vary depending on which book publicist you ask, but experience shows successful book launches happen throughout the year. For example, a lot of people automatically think they should avoid the November-December holiday period. But book promotion procs routinely feel otherwise, and some say the effect of the holidays is overblown. If you like to go against the flow and can see its advantages, launching a book in November or December means you face much less competition for the media's attention. Publicists promoting books late in the year have found more accessible openings for major shows and articles because others haven't spoken for them. The media stays open for business 365 days a year and has pages and airtime t...

Discoverability is a crucial concept in book promotion, and if you're an author, it's something you want to have to work for you. A publisher, marketer, or literary agent will all tell you that for books to sell, they need to be discovered by target readers. Few if any books are for everyone, but when news of them reaches a group of interested readers, they can begin to sell steadily. It's why when books are launched, and it's crucial to have a well-planned publicity program underway. Media exposure is one of the most effective ways to reach target readers – and it's also brilliant content for your website and social media. Given the immense competition today in the bookselling marketplace, successful book marketing campaigns require many tactics. For example, well-followed author social media can be an excellent way to augment a traditional media campaign. An author's website is also essential because fans/prospective readers and the media alike will check onli...

  If you write and publish a book on your own, eschewing a publisher, literary agent , and other industry members, it's a significant achievement. But don't get yourself to the finish line and make an error that stands in the way of your book sales – and a surprising number of self-published authors do when they make it challenging for people to buy their books. The goal is to have the book for sale in places that are easy to find and where your target readers are browsing. Savvy authors today understand the value of promoting their books, which means fully completing the pages about it available online. Even if your book is available for sale on a mega bookselling website (we all know the one), you need to do your part by fully completing the web page about the book and your author page. Make sure to fill in all the blanks and give it some time as you did in writing the book itself. Don't forget to add keywords to help search engines direct potential customers to you. If ...

If you're an author self-publishing a book, there are book marketing trends in the post-pandemic world that you need to know. Once you've had your book edited, designed a cover, and figured out how to get an ISBN number , it's time to start working on your publicity and marketing program. Some trending things are a continuation of an evolving media landscape, and others started out of necessity during the pandemic but worked well and are here to stay. If you're planning to promote your book DIY, make sure you've set aside ample time because it's a lot of work; it's even better if you hire an expert publicist. One of the most significant books PR trends is podcasts' rise (and incredible marketing value). Because most are long-form interviews/conversations, they let listeners get to know you and become more interested in your book. They tend to have niche audiences that are loyal and highly interested in the podcast topic. While it's always good to ap...