Best-selling authors know the book business is 50% about writing and 50% about visibility and promotion. R.R. Bowker recently released statistics on U.S. book publishing. Bowker says over 200,000 new titles are now released each year. That means 547 other books came out the same day yours did.
The competition is enormous. Just sending out press releases and review copies won't get you very far. Buying ads in media magazines doesn't work well either. The reality is, many authors will fade into obscurity for lack of effective promotion. Only a select few will receive major media attention. What is their secret? What do they all have in common? The answer is, they are represented by a leading publicist.
Why do the most successful authors hire an independent publicist? Why not just use the publisher's in-house publicity department? The reason is that an in-house publicist must promote all of a publisher's books and authors. Their priorities are divided. It is the same reason why all successful actors hire their own publicists. The studio publicist's job is to promote the film or television show, not the individual stars. In other words, it is always smarter to have a publicist who is specifically focusing on promoting you and your career.
There are hundreds of talent agents out there, but only a few real starmakers. Likewise, there are plenty of so called PR experts, but only a handful of truly accomplished publicists. We won't try to sell you any do-it-yourself publicity books, seminars, tapes or media lists. Major level publicity requires expert skill and representation.
"In publicity, contacts are everything."
-- PR Week Magazine --
How do you find a well connected and experienced publicist? Look for one who has worked with a wide variety of clientele and some very famous names. Remember also, the most effective publicists are well known by the media. To illustrate, here is an excerpt from the reply when we recently asked a publicity seeker how she heard about the Garis Agency -- "I have heard of your agency through a few different sources, Wesley Buford (former executive producer, Montel Williams Show), Claire Weinraub (ABC 20/20), associates at Viacom and LeBaron Taylor (Sony Music, SVP and friend)." In other words, be sure your publicist is recognized and respected by the major media.
Most clients come to the Garis Agency by personal referral from literary agents, publishers, producers, journalists and even celebrities. Referrals have been received through: Oprah Winfrey, Robert DeNiro, Jennifer Lopez, Jason Priestly, Dawn Wells, Christopher Atkins, Maury Povich, Montel Williams and many others.
" Your agency was recommended by Margery Buchanan,
marketing director from Harper - San Francisco."
-- Lisa Fitzpatrick - Manager of Acquisitions --
Palace Publishing Group
"Would you hire a doctor who never cured a patient, or a lawyer who never won a case? Then why would you go to a publicist who has no famous clients? Isn't that what they are supposed to be selling? The best indicator of a good publicist is their track record. If they don't have any famous clients, how good can they be? How good can their contacts be? Everybody can't be a superstar, but any publicist you are considering should have at least a few household names."
-- From SpeakerNet News Tips --
"Your website -- rather than promising 'secrets' -- showed well-known clients you've served. Other agencies bragged about what they could do. But if they are so cutting edge and competent, how come I've never heard of anyone they've supposedly helped?"
-- From A First Time Author --
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We know how to pitch, when to pitch and who to pitch.
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We are very proud to have represented official "Disney Legend"
and author, Charles Ridgway, former publicist to Walt Disney.
Look for his name on a Main Street window at Walt Disney World in Orlando.
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