The Book Publicist Angle
It’s long past time for my rant on the subject of so-called book publicists. I say “so-called” because book publicists do very little to actually publicize their clients’ books.
So what do they do? Well, they are great at promises. “I promise you that I have great contacts in the media industry in the DMV (the District of Columbia/Maryland/Virginia).” “I can connect you with scores of radio hosts who are dying to interview new authors.” “Go with me, and you will have access to my unmatched collection of book clubs, which are constantly and anxiously looking for new books to read and discuss.” Every time I’ve published a novel, I have heard these promises and, yes, I have succumbed to their allure. And I have learned, after sad experience, that there is an inverse relationship between the money I’ve spent on book publicists and the success of my novels, if success is measured either by sales or by the number of Amazon ratings, the only metrics that make sense.
Given what I’ve learned, one would have predicted that I would spend zero dollars trying to publicize Forgiven: A Novel through the book publicist angle. Apparently, I have not learned my lesson.
Of course, no publicist would guarantee sales, nor a notable increase in Amazon ratings, nor any particularly measurable exposure, and I don’t expect them to. What do I expect, then? I’m not sure anymore. The pundits say that a novelist needs exposure. The hiccup is that exposure – what I’m paying for – means nothing that can be rationally assessed.
The relative success of The Flight of the Veil (1094 Amazon ratings, 4.2/5 average rating) most likely has to do with its achieving notoriety through the contests I’ve entered, particularly the Bronze Award of General Fiction from Chanticleer. Thus, I’ve continued to enter my novels, including Forgiven, in all possible contests. The book contest genre … I won’t say “racket,” because maybe some of the people who will judge Forgiven are reading this essay – also makes its money from hopeful authors.
There are a lot of us hopeful authors out there. We are all fighting against each other, and the fight can be thought of as demanding courage and financing, as do all wars. The fight is bloody, and there are few winners.
With book contests, at least I have a good sense of what I’m paying for and the knowledge that my dollars are not wasted. In each contest, at least one person will actually read Forgiven: A Novel.