Why You Are Thinking About Publicity the Wrong Way

Publishers need to shift their views on publicity. Here's why.

As many of you know, I’ve spent most of my career in book publicity, so I feel more qualified to discuss this subject more than any others. What’s been on my mind lately is this: How do we publicize books in 2024 and beyond when more books are published than there are media to cover them? What challenges lie ahead for book publicists?

There are several answers, so let’s talk about them.

Media Brand Equity Matters

One key factor that has caught my attention recently is the shifting landscape of major media outlets. Various issues have significantly affected their brand equity, from political reporting to internal conflicts. This shift has a direct impact on book publicity. The reputation and influence of a media outlet can make or break a book’s reach and success. It's crucial to understand this dynamic and adapt new strategies accordingly.

When media outlets like The New York Times, CNN, The Washington Post, and NPR (to name a few) lose their luster and, in many cases, their subscribers/viewers, one has to consider the ramifications. Yes, a review in The New York Times matters to authors and publishers, but it matters a lot less to the general public, so the effort to get such reviews rarely correlates to sales. I’ve previously written about the decline of book reviews' influence on the public, which will not change. Further, when publishers rely heavily on a media outlet’s brand equity, they are doing so with the assumption that the brand will remain consistently strong when such is not the case. It is no longer as simple as believing a review in a major publication will move copies because many publications have lost many readers. Publishers are making a mistake if they don’t take the decline of traditional media to heart. The urgency of adapting to the changing media landscape is evident.

My prediction is that authors will have to rely more on their brands (yes, you all have one), and publishers must be able to support their endeavors. Authors may scoff at the idea of branding, but part of branding is telling people what you want them to know about you and your book(s). Whether that happens online or in person is up to the author. This shift in focus to individual branding can empower authors, giving them more control over their success.

The Paywall Conundrum

Print subscriptions to magazines and newspapers have been in a death spiral for years, yet some in publishing still think the only valid coverage is that in printed media. The digital shift occurred gradually and resulted in a landmine of paywalls. People don’t like paywalls because they are a barrier to accessing stories. Most audiences prefer to click and read, not click, fill out a form, and provide payment information just to read a review. Maybe that’s bleak, but it’s the truth. Take stock of your paid subscriptions and consider how they compare with the audience's perception of a book. Do they pay for subscriptions? Which ones? Answering these questions honestly is half the battle. Understanding the audience's preferences is critical to effective book publicity.

When I wear my publicist hat (which, quite frankly, is wilting as I write this), I think about who reads book coverage in The New York Times versus People Magazine. I bet more people read US Weekly’s summer reading roundup than The Washington Post’s. Why? Because US Weekly’s coverage online is free. Did they buy books? Maybe. Were authors happy to be in that roundup? Probably.

The industry’s reliance on other brands to make or break authors is unhealthy. This is why publishers need more vital branding to highlight their respective imprints. Brand from within, and don’t convince yourself that everything rides on a review in particular media outlets.

Digitally speaking, authors must consider what they want to do, what they already know how to do, and what they’d like to learn. You don’t have to be an expert in building online communities to get people talking about books. You do need to be willing to put yourself out there a bit. If it is a case where an author is using digital surrogates, they must align themselves with the right people with robust brands.

AI is a Publicity Problem

News organizations are signing deals with Open AI and reassessing what metrics they use to measure an audience’s attention. If you’ve conducted a Google search recently, you’ve probably seen an AI summary appear first, then sponsored articles, and if you’re lucky, you’ll find what you’re looking for.

I asked Google what “Book Lovers” by Emily Henry is about. Here is how it answered:

This affects a book’s discoverability and people's willingness to read reviews or other book coverage.

Next, I searched “Book Lovers” on Amazon. Look at all the information a reader sees before getting to the blurbs. We live in an attention economy. Do you think most consumers are willing to scroll through EIGHTEEN blurbs? They are not. Granted, Emily Henry’s books are wildly popular, but the same thing will happen for lesser-known books:

Here are the Amazon results for “The Last One” by Will Dean (this is the book that Atria promoted via a TikTok influencer on a cruise). There are eleven blurbs, but why would I read them if 1) I see that 2.5K copies of the book were purchased within a month—why wouldn’t I want it? And 2) I can read short samples of the writing:

Several authors noted Amazon’s new feature: a book's page shows the number of copies purchased or read within the past month. It is important to note that this isn’t an occurrence for every book—I guess there is a sales threshold titles must surpass—and that clothing brands have been using the same tactic online for some time. Whenever I put something in my online cart at Old Navy, I receive a pop-up message that it is going fast. I used to fall for it until I realized items remained in my cart for a few days. Thanks, AI.

AI will help marketers and publicists create materials and assist with some administrative tasks, but it will also hurt the visibility of reviews and blurbs.

What’s Next?

The line between marketing and publicity has already blurred, and the two elements of a book’s promotional campaign will further be intertwined. Publicity for publicity’s sake (a one-line mention in a media outlet, for example) no longer sells books. I don’t think it ever did, but we have all been trained to believe that the more media hits we can list, the better.

Marketing, including branding, will become more necessary than ever. We are already more than halfway there. This is not to say that book reviews aren’t valuable—they are. A shift in thought is needed, though. Reviews should now fall into the branding bucket, not necessarily the publicity=sales bucket.

Additionally, publishers must commit to building authors' careers instead of giving up on them so soon. Yes, this is a general statement. No, it doesn’t always happen, but it happens enough that I hear about it weekly.

Publishers must look ahead at the media landscape and honestly assess their lists and budgets and how to reconcile those two things to give a book the best chance possible. If they don’t, they are doing authors (and themselves) a disservice.

END NOTES:

What I’m Reading: I’m re-reading THE MEMO by Rachel Dodes and Lauren Mechling. Stay tuned for an author interview with them!

What I’m Watching: I binged “Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult” over the weekend, and my jaw dropped. These kids have appeared on my “for you” TikTok feed many times, and I always felt like something was off—TikTok is not about dancing anymore, so their content seemed irrelevant. Nope! They are in a cult. It made me think about the lack of culpability from social media platforms.

What I’m Listening To: Not to make you jealous, but it’s so lovely to have my office windows open and listen to the seagulls and water.