What You Need to Know About Hiring a Publicist

Hiring a publicist is an investment--here's what you need to know before making the leap.

In a previous edition of this newsletter, I wrote what you needed to know about book publicity. Many elements universally apply to book publicists, whether freelance or in-house (meaning a publisher employs the publicist). However, hiring a freelance publicist to work on a book has unique questions. I hope I can demystify the process by explaining it!

Introduction

In a perfect publishing world, publicity departments would have realistic workloads, and each publicist could spend enough time on their assigned titles. As we know, book publishing is quite imperfect, but we love it anyway. When authors are faced with the decision of whether to hire an outside publicist, it can feel scary. I’m here to tell you that it isn’t a frightful experience if you know what to ask and what you want.

Contents

Let’s dive in.

Q: Why should you hire a publicist?

A: The answer to this question depends on what you feel you will get in terms of publicity support from your publisher versus what you want. Some small publishers don’t have the staff to service authors’ publicity needs. Some big publishers have large publicity staffs but publish so many books that publicists are stretched thin and can’t provide sufficient support for midlist authors ( I define midlist authors as not the huge bestselling ones and not big debut ones—a discussion for another time). You need to ask yourself: Is the publicity plan presented to me what I envision for my book?

By “envision,” I don’t mean debuting on the NYT Bestseller list at #1 or being a celebrity book club pick. Is the publisher presenting you with a publicity plan that aligns with your goals for the book—and your professional goals? If you aren’t clear on your publicity goals for the book, I want you to write down a list of ten real things you’d like to see happen for your work. Where do you think the best media coverage for your book will come from? A publicist can tell you the answer, but you should have your own ideas.

If, after discussing publicity with your agent, editor, and, later, your in-house publicist, you feel you’d like to explore your options, start thinking about hiring a publicist.

Q: When should you hire a publicist?

A: Most publicists take on clients 4-6 months before a book’s publication date. For example, if your book is being published in October, you should look for a publicist now (April). If your book is being published in May or June, it is late in the game and risky to hire someone on short notice. I’d even say that if your book is being published in July, you’re cutting it close by hiring someone now. On the other hand, if you want to hire a publicist to pitch specific media—say, podcasts—it is reasonable to hire a publicist on somewhat shorter notice. My disclaimer here is that every publicist has different ideas about what they will take on and when. I will talk to authors who need someone on short notice, but that’s just me. It truly depends on what I think is realistic in a given timeframe.

Q: How much does hiring a publicist cost?

A: This is often the first question potential clients ask me, and the answer is no one will tell you that during your first conversation. Further, publicists don’t include fees on their websites. The reason is that every campaign is different, and there isn’t a universal fee for what we do. You should expect to pay at least $1500-$3000 for the lower end of services—meaning, not an entire campaign, but a part of the campaign that maybe your publisher isn’t handling. You aren’t going to get much for $1500, so be prepared. Something that has struck me lately is that publicists’ fees have remained flat for years. The same $5K per month an author would pay a publicist ten years ago is what they’d most likely pay today. I attribute that to our chosen industry. Most authors aren’t making bank, and publicists need the cash flow, so fees aren’t increasing. If you are flush and want to hire a publicist to handle your entire publicity campaign, nuts to bolts, it will cost between $15K-$25K (estimate). Granted, every publicist has different fee schedules. Be prepared to pay 1/2 the fee up front and the other half closer to your book's publication date or to pay a monthly fee.

Q: How do publicists decide what to charge for their work?

A: I can only speak for myself. During my initial call with an author, I get a sense of the scope of work necessary to write a proposal. My proposals are well-researched and specific to each author. I do not copy and paste an arbitrary list of media to pitch. Sure, the same suspects appear in proposals where an author would like me to pitch book review editors, but I take the time to specialize my proposals. My fee (and I think my peers would agree) depends on 1) how much work I will need to do on the campaign and 2) what work I will have to turn down because of the campaign. If you want to hire me to handle your entire publicity campaign, my fee will be higher because it is a lot of work, and I won’t be able to take on many additional projects while I work with you. And, if you are paying that much money, I shouldn’t take on many other projects because I need to focus on yours. Publicists know what kind of workload they can handle—which is usually a lot—so be cognizant that their time and expertise are valuable and don’t diminish the effort they will put forth for you.

Q: What am I paying for when I hire a publicist?

A: Good question! You are paying for quite a few things. First, let’s break down publicist fees. We will use the hypothetical cost of $10K and a campaign where the scope of work includes pitching book review editors, podcasts, and digital media. Here is what this will look like for you:

First payment to publicist upon signing contract: $5K

Includes (remember, I am applying this to my own services): Pitching book review editors, podcast producers, and digital media. For this example, I am pitching 75-100 places. You will receive/schedule weekly or bi-weekly status updates, emails, phone calls, texts, and Zoom meetings from and with me. You have access to me as you need it. I will write a pitch letter (email), a press release, and a bio if you need one. I will communicate with the in-house publicist as required and mail advance reader copies or books to the media. Usually, I ask for a specific number of copies from the publisher. All of the postage costs are included in my fee. Then consider that I must pay for wifi, gas, my mobile phone, mailing supplies, printer ink, paper, an expensive media database, and subscriptions to keep tabs on who is doing what in the media…and you get the picture. While I don’t rent an office, I incur overhead and must pay my bills. The first installment of $5K sustains my business until the second installment, which isn’t due for another 2-4 months. Also, consider that I have to take 20% out of each installment for taxes, so I’m only netting $4K (or $8K total).

Considering in-house publicists earn, on average, between $50-$75K in salary(I’m being generous), $8K isn’t a lot of income for freelance publicists. We hustle, and we can earn a decent living. Still, we don’t receive cost-of-living increases, health insurance, or other benefits unless we shell out a lot of money or have a partner with excellent benefits.

Q: Okay, but you said you were pitching 75-100 places, but my book only received a couple of reviews, and I only did five podcast interviews! What’s up with that?

A: No publicist can guarantee results. If you encounter someone who does, they are either going to 1) confirm coverage in many places no one has ever heard of. 2) possibly “pay for play” using the money you paid them. 3) scam you.

One of the reasons I write this newsletter is because I want more transparency in the publishing industry. In that spirit, this is the truth: for every 50-100 emails a publicist sends with a pitch for your book, they are lucky to receive five responses. That’s not a reflection of a publicist’s ability—it is an unfortunate byproduct of working in a world where email is everything. That’s correct: no one uses the phone anymore. All pitching is done via email, and the inboxes of media people are something to behold (hi, media friends!).

You are paying for a publicist’s best efforts to pitch you and your book. You are paying for a publicist to use their relationships with media—that they have nurtured over the years—on behalf of you and your book. You are paying for a publicist’s expertise. And, you are paying for publicist-as-book-therapist because we are here to listen to you, guide you, cheer for you, get mad on your behalf, and be your partner in promoting your book. It is priceless, don’t you think?

Q: When shouldn’t I hire a publicist?

A: Not long ago, I had a pleasant conversation with an author who thought he needed a publicist. I liked the book and liked him, but he did not need me, and I told him so. Why? Because he was doing fantastic! He had already been on several podcasts, had more scheduled, and anticipated a couple of pieces coming out about the book. So as much as I needed the income, I didn’t feel I could add value to what he was doing.

When a lot is happening for your book and more to come, take a beat and think about what’s still possible and how a publicist could add to that. It is essential to consider the timing: bringing a publicist on board is tricky if your book has already been published. Most of us are “launch publicists”: we work on books before and through their publication dates. Granted, some publicists will take clients whose books have already been published. My advice, in that case, is to proceed with caution because book review editors aren’t likely to revisit books whose publication dates have passed.

Q: I am self-published. Do I need to hire a publicist?

A: Again, transparency is essential to me, so here it goes: Getting reviews and interviews for self-published authors is tough. I am a romance reader, and many authors I read are self-published. They are also fantastic at building communities on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Do I think some of their books need better editing? Yes! I love them anyway. My point is that there are millions of self-published books, and most are only available as ebooks. It’s difficult for publicists to work with that. It’s also a matter of logistics: there has to be a pre-publication plan, a publication date, a publication plan, ways to send media printed copies, etc. Remember that getting the media to pay attention to self-published books is challenging.

This is a good time for me to say that a service I offer is: Consultations! If you are self-published or about to self-publish, you can schedule a Zoom with me to talk you through the process and what you should do to promote your book. I charge a flat fee between $500-$1500 for consultations. Inquire within! kathleen@kmspr.com

Q: Are the contracts for publicists complicated?

A: Not at all. My contracts are essential protection for both of us. They are two pages, and the most important clauses are about payment, cancellation, and results. I’ve been in situations where a client doesn’t pay me or decides they aren’t happy after I’ve done a lot of work and asked for their money back. It stinks, but the contract explains my late fees and that I don’t guarantee results—and other important stuff.

Paying your publicist on time is a decent thing to do. However, if you don’t or go MIA, it wreaks havoc on someone’s finances. It could mean the difference between someone paying their rent or being late with it. If you have financial issues, talk to us—we are human beings. We get it. There is always a solution.

Q: What happens if you receive requests for me or my book after the campaign ends?

A: I operate in good faith, so as a courtesy, I inform my clients about requests I receive after the contract ends. I think most publicists do the same.

Q: I liked your proposal but will use it to negotiate a lower price with a different publicist. Is that okay?

A: I can’t enforce exclusivity when I send a proposal to an author. The cost of doing business as a publicist is that potential clients might take the proposal and run. It happens more than you know. It’s crappy to do to someone, so please try to avoid it. We put our best foot forward when we create proposals, which means our ideas are on paper for you to see. Some proposals are simply the framework for publicity campaigns because publicists fear their ideas will get stolen if they are too specific. Publicists are wise. We can sense if someone wants to the world but isn’t willing to pay for it. If you are considering hiring a publicist, ensure you are serious about it and have the cash to do it. Book publicists know each other and talk—don’t make yourself the main character on our “do not take as a client” lists.

Q: Can I ask if I want you to add more work to what you are already doing for my publicity campaign?

A: Always ask, but also be prepared to pay additional fees depending on the work you request. My contracts include the scope of work and specify that it must be discussed and agreed upon if a client wants more. Sometimes, if the media I’ve pitched isn’t responsive, I will add more outlets at no extra cost because I want to do right by you and the book.

Q: Do publicists book speaking engagements and other events?

A: Yes. Remember to discuss that in your first call with a publicist; they will tell you what is possible.

Q: Can a publicist find me an agent?

A: Sometimes! It depends on the situation. If you are unpublished and looking for an agent, a publicist shouldn’t be your first stop. I highly recommend checking out agent Carly Watters’ Twitter feed. She is excellent at explaining the querying process and all things agent-related. You should also check out Jane Friedman’s website. In a future edition of this newsletter, I will do a Q&A with an agent, I promise!

Q: Can I pick your brain?

A: Yes and no. I always answer questions when I can, but I am also a busy lady with clients, an MBA program, two teenagers, and a dog. So I’ll tell you a secret: a lot of bartering goes on in the book world!

Afterword

I hope you found this information helpful. I’m exploring a couple of platforms where I can teach online book marketing and publicity courses, so stay tuned. I’d love to hear your thoughts about whether that interests you. Drop me a line: publishingconfidential@gmail.com

Index:

What I’m Watching: I started watching the docuseries Emergency NYC on Netflix with my 15yo daughter, and whew. It is intense. It takes you through what it is like to work in Emergency healthcare in New York City. I cried during the first episode.

What I’m Reading: I am a nerd, so I read the latest issue of The Economist last night.

What I’m Listening to: Okay, so, as much I was “meh” about Daisy Jones & the Six, I absolutely love a song from the soundtrack: Look at Us Now (Honeycomb). So good.

And! I discovered that national treasure Julia Louis-Dreyfus has a podcast! It is called Wiser than Me, and season 1 premieres on April 11. She interviews women OVER a certain age. Love her for that.

Where I am/Where I’m Going: I talked to Lithub about what’s happening with author events. You can read the piece here.

I was interviewed on The Write Approach podcast. It will air on April 18.

Next week, I’ll list upcoming literary/book industry events. A lot is happening this spring.