Publicize Your Book: An Insider's Guide to Getting Your Book the Attention It Deserves

by Jacqueline Deval

Book Overview

This indispensible guide from a book-publicity insider offers everything authors need to know to assist their publishers in publicizing, marketing, and promoting their books. From working alongside... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0399534318
• ISBN13: 9780399534317
• Release Date: July 2008
• Publisher: Penguin Adult Hc/Tr
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 9.0"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

This author knows her stuff

This is a great resource for any writer. The author obviously has a good deal of experience in the topic of book publicity and demystifies "publisher's speak" in regards to midlist and new writers. The information will help authors understand the publishing process and how to work well with publicists, editors, and marketing people. The entire book underscores the realization that today authors need to be in charge of their own destiny. Even if an author is signed with a large publishing firm, he or she still needs to be active in marketing their book. And this includes preparing a marketing plan from even before the book is published. While much of this information was geared toward writers published with a traditional publishing house, as I self-published writer I also found valuable information that I can incorporate into my own marketing plan. The author addresses the proper way to approach print markets, radio, and television (even giving realistic info on approaching that holy grail called THE OPRAH WINFRY SHOW). This book provides valuable websites, contact ideas, as well as templates for press releases and pitch letters. From the author of The Difference Now, A New Dish, and At the Coffee Shop.

Absolutely the BEST book on the subject.

Having just had the best book of my career--The Joy of Digital Photography--published and wanting it to do well, I spent a lot of time researching the subject of book promotion. The way I feel, any book that offers even a single useful tip is probably worth the cover price and if that is true, then Deval's book is worth a fortune: it is literally dripping with interesting and practical information. The 30 or so pages on "Resources" (which cover great web sites for finding newspapers, radio stations, book fairs, etc.) will save you dozens of hours of often frustrating online or library research. Jacqueline Deval's description of the in-house promotion process is invaluable--you simply won't find a better description anywhere (and incidentally, I don't know the author and never heard of her before buying this book). Almost every detail of what she describes is something I've encountered with the in-house promotion for my latest book. In fact, it's a bit unsettling just how accurate her descriptions are. One of the things I like best about this book, in fact, is that it is written to promote books that are being published through normal mainstream publishers. Many promotion books are written for self publishers--and those publisher/authors will certainly find this book more than useful--but there are fewer books written for traditionally published books. This book takes you inside the promotion departments of the biggest publishers and there is not a single page that is not overflowing with great information. The chapters on "Internet Marketing" (she should probably change the name to "Online Marketing" which sounds more modern) and how to "Set up Your Own Publicity" are terrific. Listen, publishers will promise you the world when it comes to book promotion and they will deliver what they can--but you cannot sit back and wait for your book to hit the bestsellers list: you must work the promotion game for yourself. And the more you know about which promises they are able to keep and which ones are going to fall through the cracks, the better off you are. This book is the best education you'll get (other than going through the process itself!). Let me put it this way: if you are having a book published,currently writing a book or self-publishing a book, spending $15.95 on Deval's book will save you hundreds and hundreds of hours of work and no doubt help you make thousands of additional book sales. The one thing I wish she had included more of are actual anecdotal examples--good case histories. She includes a few, but I would like to see more--many more. My new book is The Joy of Digital Photography (Lark Books) and it's a wonderful and fun book on taking digital photos--but if no one knows about it, they won't buy it. Promotion is what it is all about. Market, market, market. And incidentally, no matter who your publisher is, begin asking questions about promotion before you sign a contract and get as much as you can in w

The best one out there

Because I'm a first time author, I've read several of these kinds of books about publicity and marketing in an attempt to educate myself about the business of writing. So far, Jacqueline Deval's book is the best. I didn't feel overwhelmed or discouraged after reading it (as with some other books out there); instead, I felt inspired, informed and eager to get started on my marketing plan. The author puts forward her ideas and suggestions very clearly, and conveys an encouraging tone to the reader. It's still very current (published April 2003), so the web sites listed in her book are easily accessible, and the information is up to date. I recommend this how-to manual over any other book of its kind on the market.

Comprehensive while NOT Exhaustive

Originally reviewed on May 29, 2003 I put off starting Jaqueline Deval's "Publicize Your Book" as long as I could, and much to my surprise, this is the first instructional/How-to book I have read cover to cover. The style is straightforward and easy to read. Not too long and not too short, with just the right amount of asides for me to understand the details and apply them to my genre. I am a first time author of a gift book, and found Deval's guide covered book publicity as well as the parts of publishing relevant to publicity. Just what I needed.After many months of trying to understand both the industry in general and my publisher in particular, I wish this book came out a year ago. Michael Duranko, Bootism: a shoe religion www.bootism.com

Get the word out about this book.

Book writers tend to come in three categories: (1) the unpublished who lament about how difficult it is to get published, (2) the newly published (and midlist authors) who lament about how little publishers do to promote their books, and (3) the wildly successful who lament about their taxes. This book is just the ticket for writers who are in or about to enter Category 2. It explains the realities of how publishers allocate their publicity resources and how to make the most of what they give you. It also gives you realistic guidance on how to get publicity for your own book ranging from hiring a publicist, arranging for events personally, and media training. It covers everything from the little leagues such as getting a story into the local weekly (easy) to the big leagues such as getting on Oprah (really hard). This is a genuinely solid book written by an industry professional who achieved miracles when she was promoting her own book. With a little luck, and a lot of work and planning, you just might become one of those authors who disgusts everyone else at writers' conferences by complaining about their taxes.