[Resource of the Day] – A Publicity Timeline

Today’s Article: “Get Booksellers on Board with Publicity and Marketing Plans”
by Elisabeth Malzahn and Jen Wisnowski
via Publisher’s Marketing Association

From the day a book is signed by a major trade publisher, there is usually a 12-18 month gap between the sale of a manuscript and the release of the book. To anyone outside the industry, this probably seems like an incredibly long lead time. After all, editing should only take a week or two, and typesetting and cover design shouldn’t take much longer. Why would a publisher want to sit on something for a year longer than it needs to?

The answer is marketing. Publishers use that time to make sales and build awareness. Most trade publishers adopt a “push” strategy of marketing, focusing on building sales through their supply chain and then telling consumers that the product is something they need to buy. But trade publishers can also simultaneously use a “pull” strategy to get consumers interested in the product so they’ll place pre-orders, thus forcing retailers to order more. The timeline in today’s article is centered around the “pull” technique, but its aim is to also increase the effectiveness of the “push.”

The article begins with a question:

If we get this book on the shelves, will the publisher get it off? That’s the key question wholesalers, distributors, and retailers ask themselves when they’re deciding whether to deal with a particular publisher. Getting them to Yes involves providing a detailed publicity plan and a broader marketing plan that show how well you understand the publishing business and how intelligently you will work to generate sales from readers.

In other words, if you want the intermediaries in the supply chain — the wholesalers, distributors, and retailers between yourself and the customer — to consider carrying your book, you need to be able to explain to them how you’re going to promote your book. And when I say “promote” here, I don’t just mean advertising; I’m talking about press releases, press kits, television interviews, author appearances, and everything else needed to make consumers aware of your product.

The authors of the article suggest a six-month publicity timeline that’s really solid. You can read it in its entirety in the article, but here’s a quick summary, with a few notes of my own added in:

Six months before launch: Send out manuscripts to get endorsements and first serialization rights. Send out a press release announcing the product.
Five months before launch: Order advance reading copies (or galleys).
Four months before launch: Submit the advance copies to long-time-lead media sources, and create your press kit. Send out press releases to these sources.
Three months before launch: Follow up on reviews, where appropriate. This is a great time to send out another press release talking about the product’s launch details.
Two and a half months before launch: Submit advance copies (or galleys) to national television and radio media
Two months before launch: Submit advance copies (or galleys) to national consumer magazines and newspapers. Send printed copies to book trade sources.
One month before launch: Schedule author signings, and send press releases out to local media sources. Send review copies to enthusiast websites.
Month of launch: Follow up with media, send out more review copies as needed. Augment the month with a release party and author signings and appearances.

This is a very solid schedule, and it’s very similar to the schedule I’ve used to promote comic books. Clearly, parts of it need to be tailored to match a publisher’s product, but overall, it’s a good framework to start from.

The article goes on to explain that lead times are important, that local and niche media shouldn’t be ignored, and that breadth of coverage is important. But the most important point made in the article is that a promotional plan is not a wishlist; it’s a strategy that needs to be followed. If you tell members of your supply chain that you’re going to do something and then you fail to do it, you’ve got no one but yourself to blame if they’re reluctant to carry your products in the future.

Writing Scraps

by Sean J. Jordan