The Savvy Author's Guide to Book Publicity [Paperback]

Lissa Warren (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 9, 2004

Here is an essential reference for writers—from the self-published to those published by major houses—written by a leading book publicist who pitches books to media every day of her working life. Tapping into her years publicizing such authors as pediatrician Dr. T. Berry Brazelton, poet Mary Oliver, and economist John Kenneth Galbraith, Da Capo Press Senior Director of Publicity Lissa Warren covers book promotion with a publicist, without a publicist, and when a publicist isn't getting results. Each chapter details what happens to a book once it's off press, and how authors can be helpful in the promotion process—or even spearhead it if need be—to get the coverage they deserve. Warren's advice is buttressed by her stories of authors—the enterprising, the shy, the well-prepared, and the novice—relating tours gone awry, best-sellers made and nearly made, and great and not-so-great author/publicist collaboration. The Savvy Author's Guide to Book Publicity covers everything from how to write press material, targeting the right shows and publications, following up effectively with the media, and hiring people who can help ensure that every bookseller and consumer has a chance to hear an author's message loud and clear.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

An author's work doesn't end when a book is written—at least, not if the author wants the book to sell. Warren, now senior director of publicity for Da Capo Press, has learned this over the course of a career publicizing well-known and unknown authors, and she shares her wisdom in this practical, information-packed volume. Authors who aren't already in the publishing industry should read this just for the crash course in jargon it provides, but there's so much more. Warren covers all the topics authors might be wondering about, from publicity basics to working well with your publicist and creating buzz in the media, plus plenty of areas many authors might not consider, such as doing a "big-mouth" mailing of a book and what to wear for a TV interview. Simply reading this won't guarantee publicity for a book, but it will give authors an understanding of just how hard they have to work to accomplish that key element to a book's success: "Get the customer to go to the store and buy it."
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Lissa Warren is . . . the hardest-working, smartest publicist I have had the pleasure to work with. 6 stars out of 5. -- Howard Rheingold, author of national bestseller SMART MOBS: THE NEXT SOCIAL REVOLUTION

Lissa Warren is the publicist’s publicist. Her book is the secret weapon in an author’s arsenal of marketing tools. -- David Goehring, Director, Harvard Business School Press

Lissa is one of the . . . best publicists I’ve encountered.... Ignore [her book] at your own peril if you’re an author. -- Richard Pachter, MIAMI HERALD

Lissa knows every facet of the industry and provides level-headed advice while remaining imaginative in her approach. -- David Weinberger, co-author of the national bestseller THE CLUETRAIN MANIFESTO and author of SMALL PIECES LOOSELY JOINED: A UNIFIED THEORY OF THE WEB

With Lissa . . . I began to think I had a right to appear in the NEW YORK TIMES, WASHINGTON POST, CNN. -- Steven Wise, author of DRAWING THE LINE: SCIENCE AND THE CASE FOR ANIMAL RIGHTS and RATTLING THE CAGE: TOWARD LEGAL RIGHTS FOR ANIMALS

Product Details

• Paperback: 252 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (March 9, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786712759
• ISBN-13: 978-0786712755
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #333,666 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars How do you trust Amazon ratings after reading this book?, January 22, 2006

By 

Sasha B "banditqueen44" (Midwest) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Savvy Author's Guide to Book Publicity (Paperback)

Firstly, I would warn self-publishers that this book is not intended for you. This book is a guide to working WITH a publicist. If you can afford such an expense then proceed to purchase, but most self-publishers are not in that boat (yacht).

Secondly, I took issue with the author's promotion of manipulating Amazon feedback through recruiting as many friends and family as possible to give 5 star reviews. It is because of this abuse of Amazon feedback that I gloss over the positive feed back and read the one and two star reviews to get to the ugly truth. Sometimes these low ratings are baseless; most times they are credible critiques.

Lastly, if you want to get an idea for the REAL value of a non-fiction book, take a gander at the number of USED copies available and the lowest asking price. If published within the last 5 years and still relevant to its topic, a truly valuable book tends to stay within $3 to $5 of the Amazon price and if recently published, won't have an excessive amount of used books available. A better alternative to this book (that would be valuable to self-published and traditionally published alike) is The Complete Guide to Book Marketing by David Cole.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Book offers simple approach and builds confidence, March 31, 2005

By 

Michel Sauret "Michel" (Pittsburgh, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Savvy Author's Guide to Book Publicity (Paperback)

What this book does most effectivly is provide information that every writer should know about once the book is actually in print. Some Amazon critics say that Lissa Warren gives too much credit to the publicist in the book, or accuse her that the author should kiss up to his publicist, but that's because these readers probably have no people skills.

What Lissa Warren was really trying to say is that it's important for every author to build a good relationship with his publicist because so much of his success depends on it. The publicist isn't his slave once his book is in print, and these Amazon critics who gave Lissa only one or two stars probably don't understand that.

Lissa details every bit of information with simplicity, making the confusing process of book publicity much more clear and visible in the reader's mind. She explains how things can go wrong (such as during a book reading event), and how to deal with them in a professional manner. In all, her book builds confidence in an uneasy writer who doesn't exactly know how to approach the publicity aspect of his book.

plain and simple: excellent

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "If you've written a book, you have a new job... and the name of that job is `publicist'"., September 17, 2006

By 

Luan Gaines "luansos" (Dana Point, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Savvy Author's Guide to Book Publicity (Paperback)

This book is an excellent resource for the newly published author faced with navigating the treacherous shoals of post-release publicity and the acquisition of an appropriate publicist to interface with the media and influence the sales of the title. Writing from a publicist's personal experience, Warren has distilled information designed to aid the author in choosing a publicist and participating as much as possible in the promotion of the book, hopefully creating a successful marriage between the creative process and publicity.

One would assume that finishing a manuscript and the validation of acceptance by a publisher (or self-publishing) would leave the author with nothing more to do than a few interviews while cashing those large royalty checks that have begun to roll in. Unfortunately, the real world doesn't work that way and the author has only reached the next phase of his endeavor. Bridging the gap between this daunting realization and the actual work ahead, Warren walks the reader through the role of the publicist, the criteria for choosing a publicist, establishing a good working relationship, the publicity process from start to finish and behind-the-scenes activities an author can do to accelerate the progress of his book in the market, all while maintaining the dynamic of the publicist/author relationship.

There are insider author stories and personal anecdotes to soften the blow, a reminder that while the machine is huge, we are all human, with expectations, dreams and the will to be successful, given the right tools and effective marketing skills. There are ten proactive suggestions for garnering media attention, tips on putting together a press package, frequently asked questions and advice from professionals in the field, editors, critics, radio producers and booksellers. Warren leaves no stone unturned, covering every aspect of the process, from interviews to creating a buzz and making a pitch to the reading audience through various media events, including author tours. The Appendix offers samples of press materials that may be created by the author or in coordination with the publicist, promotional letters, press releases, interview Q & A's, etc.

I have only one caveat regarding a suggestion found in the FAQ section of the book, where the author recommends that the author have friends send reviews to Amazon.com: "It's important for you to ask friends, family members (with different last names than yours, of course) and colleagues to post reviews." Further, there is a suggestion to post a number of these, knocking less favorable reviews off the first page. I reduced my rating one star when I realized (after scrolling through the earliest Amazon reviews) that the author followed her own advice, unnecessary considering the quality of the book. That this suggestion is made in the publicity community is discouraging, if not surprising. Other than this misguided suggestion, this book is an important contribution to a successful author's bag of tricks. Luan Gaines/2006.