Thank you for this. What you said reinforced my own experiences and suspicions, especially about IG, where I continue to flail around ineptly. It's a good thing we love the books we write because they can break our hearts if we let them. . . I have a new memoir out (I know: who doesn't?) and after an initial happy sales run it's gone flat. I believe it's temporary, but it's hard to always feel like I'm pushing a huge boulder up a mountain.
This is incredibly helpful and insightful, especially noting the difference between publicity and sales! You could write a book, if you haven't already.
Many thanks for this illuminating post! You have certainly opened my eyes to realities I did not understand, and I shall adjust my strategy accordingly.
This is such useful information and I’m reading it right when I’m spiraling about marketing my books. I appreciate this insight so much and the timing makes it feel like you wrote it just for me 😆
Lots to consider in this post! My debut picture book, releases in a few weeks! So I’m all about considering different marketing angles, possibilities and opportunities!
Thanks for this, Kathleen! Looking forward to part 2 of this, and more of your thoughts on Goodreads. Personally, Goodreads is still the thing that influences me most in discovery (I care about what my smart, well-read friends are reading and adding to their to-read shelves), but the reviews are inconsistent. There are some wonderful, insightful armchair critics out there whose perspective I really enjoy. But also, so much garbage. And I agree on your perspective on the ARC giveaways.
Thank you for such a detailed breakdown of the benefits (or not) of different ways of publicising books with the best chance of selling. I agree that digital is the way to go, but sad that it is becoming less likely someone will browse a bookshelf and discover an author, long after their publicity tours. Also, kids are reading less than ever before - which leads to the problem of who will buy our books in the future?
Interestingly, I notice the lack of youtube. The authors I know of that sell well because of youtube have been building an audience for maybe five to ten years? Brandon Sanderson’s classes actually made more people aware of him and his books. Alexa Donne is another famous traditionally published one. It’s definitely a long game.
I have a question which I think I know the answer to but I’d love your take. I’ve often seen it written that “the cream will rise to the top” - that idea that quality writing will eventually beat mass marketing.
Maybe. No one really knows what’ll make a book take off. Years ago, I worked on a fiction book called The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. There was marketing in place, but indie bookstores took a liking to the book and it debuted at #1 on the bestseller list. It was the author’s fiction debut. We were stunned. It was only after it appeared on the bestseller list that reviews started to appear--but hardly any of them were positive. Sometimes what readers love isn’t what reviewers love, and sometimes it doesn’t matter. I explained to someone today that since publishing doesn’t do focus groups, every book is an marketing experiment. I think that’s pretty true. What frustrates me are the great books I’ve read that don’t receive attention. I’m really trying to solve that problem.
While I appreciate your expertise - we have found so many of these that you say don't sell books to sell books all the time. It's a bit dangerous to generalize based on the books you have handled.n - while you have handled a lot of books of course so have others who don't agree with your experiences. Just one thing alone - blog tours - the right ones still can sell books like crazy. I don't want to argue your points - you are entitled to the but so many of us in this space have different experiences than yours.
I’m not going to argue with you. I’ve been doing PR for 30 years on every kind of book you can think of. I know what I’m talking about. Time and again, working for publishers, I’ve spent money on some of the things I mentioned and there were results but not sales. I’ve sat in countless sales meetings where things like blog tours and Instagram book tours are discussed because they didn’t result in meaningful sales. Time and again, I’ve seen salespeople unmoved by a NYT review bc it didn’t result in sales. I have examples of this from a broad spectrum of titles. You don’t know all the books I worked on, so you can’t really say what I’ve written only speaks to specific books I’ve worked on. I also wrote a disclaimer n the newsletter, but people only see what they want to see. I’m not going to pretend that certain publicity sells books when it doesn’t. Go back and read the disclaimer before commenting that I’m generalizing, etc.
With all due respect - we have been working just as long in the biz - started marketing books in the 1980s:) and since 2005 over 100 books a year - we simply said we see different results than your report -I just think people deserve to know there are lots of options out there. I always have respected you, Kathleen - nothing personal here.
It seems personal because I specifically wrote at the top of the newsletter that it was a general overview and that nothing is guaranteed to sell books--that is there for a reason. The reason being that I want people to read it as an overview. It isn’t a slight on what anyone else does for business. I understand where you’re coming from, but I didn’t write anything negative. I respect the time you’ve put into the industry and authors always know there are options. Im sure you’ll have a lot to say about part 2 of this!
Thank you for this. What you said reinforced my own experiences and suspicions, especially about IG, where I continue to flail around ineptly. It's a good thing we love the books we write because they can break our hearts if we let them. . . I have a new memoir out (I know: who doesn't?) and after an initial happy sales run it's gone flat. I believe it's temporary, but it's hard to always feel like I'm pushing a huge boulder up a mountain.
Very helpful, thank you
This is incredibly helpful and insightful, especially noting the difference between publicity and sales! You could write a book, if you haven't already.
Very helpful -- and realistic -- post. Thank you.
Thank you for reading!
I've been a book publicist for 25+ years and I cannot cosign hard enough!
Many thanks for this illuminating post! You have certainly opened my eyes to realities I did not understand, and I shall adjust my strategy accordingly.
Glad it helped.
This is such useful information and I’m reading it right when I’m spiraling about marketing my books. I appreciate this insight so much and the timing makes it feel like you wrote it just for me 😆
I'm glad it helped. Don't spiral! There are so many ways to market books--you just have to know where to find your audience.
Thank you! You’re absolutely right & I just finished reading Part 2 and the ideas are already percolating
Lots to consider in this post! My debut picture book, releases in a few weeks! So I’m all about considering different marketing angles, possibilities and opportunities!
Really helpful and I cannot wait for part 2! As I head into an October launch I am hanging this on my wall!
So helpful! Podcasts, NPR and Substack...
Thanks for this, Kathleen! Looking forward to part 2 of this, and more of your thoughts on Goodreads. Personally, Goodreads is still the thing that influences me most in discovery (I care about what my smart, well-read friends are reading and adding to their to-read shelves), but the reviews are inconsistent. There are some wonderful, insightful armchair critics out there whose perspective I really enjoy. But also, so much garbage. And I agree on your perspective on the ARC giveaways.
Thank you for reading! I’ll discuss more about Goodreads in an upcoming newsletter.
Thank you for such a detailed breakdown of the benefits (or not) of different ways of publicising books with the best chance of selling. I agree that digital is the way to go, but sad that it is becoming less likely someone will browse a bookshelf and discover an author, long after their publicity tours. Also, kids are reading less than ever before - which leads to the problem of who will buy our books in the future?
I think about this a lot--future generations of readers--and I’m not yet sure of the solution.
How would you get someone to review your book, when most people won't even leave comments on Substack or facebook or xwitter?
It truly depends on the book & who the audience is for it.
Interestingly, I notice the lack of youtube. The authors I know of that sell well because of youtube have been building an audience for maybe five to ten years? Brandon Sanderson’s classes actually made more people aware of him and his books. Alexa Donne is another famous traditionally published one. It’s definitely a long game.
There’s a part 2 forthcoming where I’ll include YouTube. I didn’t get into it in this edition.
😊 looking forward to it!
Thanks for that really helpful post!
I have a question which I think I know the answer to but I’d love your take. I’ve often seen it written that “the cream will rise to the top” - that idea that quality writing will eventually beat mass marketing.
Yes, no or maybe?
Maybe. No one really knows what’ll make a book take off. Years ago, I worked on a fiction book called The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. There was marketing in place, but indie bookstores took a liking to the book and it debuted at #1 on the bestseller list. It was the author’s fiction debut. We were stunned. It was only after it appeared on the bestseller list that reviews started to appear--but hardly any of them were positive. Sometimes what readers love isn’t what reviewers love, and sometimes it doesn’t matter. I explained to someone today that since publishing doesn’t do focus groups, every book is an marketing experiment. I think that’s pretty true. What frustrates me are the great books I’ve read that don’t receive attention. I’m really trying to solve that problem.
While I appreciate your expertise - we have found so many of these that you say don't sell books to sell books all the time. It's a bit dangerous to generalize based on the books you have handled.n - while you have handled a lot of books of course so have others who don't agree with your experiences. Just one thing alone - blog tours - the right ones still can sell books like crazy. I don't want to argue your points - you are entitled to the but so many of us in this space have different experiences than yours.
I’m not going to argue with you. I’ve been doing PR for 30 years on every kind of book you can think of. I know what I’m talking about. Time and again, working for publishers, I’ve spent money on some of the things I mentioned and there were results but not sales. I’ve sat in countless sales meetings where things like blog tours and Instagram book tours are discussed because they didn’t result in meaningful sales. Time and again, I’ve seen salespeople unmoved by a NYT review bc it didn’t result in sales. I have examples of this from a broad spectrum of titles. You don’t know all the books I worked on, so you can’t really say what I’ve written only speaks to specific books I’ve worked on. I also wrote a disclaimer n the newsletter, but people only see what they want to see. I’m not going to pretend that certain publicity sells books when it doesn’t. Go back and read the disclaimer before commenting that I’m generalizing, etc.
With all due respect - we have been working just as long in the biz - started marketing books in the 1980s:) and since 2005 over 100 books a year - we simply said we see different results than your report -I just think people deserve to know there are lots of options out there. I always have respected you, Kathleen - nothing personal here.
It seems personal because I specifically wrote at the top of the newsletter that it was a general overview and that nothing is guaranteed to sell books--that is there for a reason. The reason being that I want people to read it as an overview. It isn’t a slight on what anyone else does for business. I understand where you’re coming from, but I didn’t write anything negative. I respect the time you’ve put into the industry and authors always know there are options. Im sure you’ll have a lot to say about part 2 of this!
Never saw the top of the newsletter with your caveat - at all - just goes to show you how badly many of us read! Sorry!