by Trena White Co-founder and principal of Page Two As a busy hybrid publisher of brilliant non-fiction, we work with a wide range of clients—some are well-known authorities in their field, others are just beginning to make a name for themselves. Many come into our first meetings declaring they want a bestseller.  Of course, we believe all our authors’ books are brilliant! But the truth is, creating a bestseller isn’t only about getting the right words on the page—it’s about attracting the eyes and ears of the public. And while we’ve certainly seen some of our more plugged-in authors achieve i ..read more

In the latest episode of the “All Things Book Marketing” podcast, Dan Smith and Vice President of Publicity Services Mike Onorato discuss the changes in book marketing from 1999 to 2019. Here’s a look at just some of the topics they discuss. Like many service industries, book marketing and book publicity have changed substantially in 20 years, primarily due to evolving technology. Email: When what would become Smith Publicity started in 1997, 10 million people in the world had email accounts; today there are nearly six billion active email accounts worldwide. So in the early days of Smith, the ..read more

The classic, traditional book tour certainly isn't as popular as it once was in book promotion. Years ago, many more authors set up, or had their book publicists set up, multi-city tours across large swaths of the country. Not so much anymore. There are likely a few reasons. Due to the incredible number of books published now as compared to the past, there are simply not enough venues to accommodate the number of authors who want to book events as part of a broader book tour. Related to this, with only one major bookselling chain, Barnes and Noble, the number of traditional bookstores is obvi ..read more

For fiction authors as well as  authors of humor or very niche topic non-fiction books, engaging fans and maintaining relationships is key. First, you must build your author fan base by collecting names and email addresses from your website. To do this, you need to give something to get something. People won't give their email address to you unless there’s something in it for them; an interesting and fun or informative newsletter or other offerings. The book promotion ideas below can help you get fans … and keep them! 1.) Provide sneak previews of your forthcoming or just published book to you ..read more

by Dan Smith Most authors take the time to educate themselves about the book marketing process and go into campaigns understanding key elements of what book publicists do, how they do it, and how the process works. On the other hand, based on observations of over 3,500 book publicity campaigns Smith Publicity has implemented, we’ve seen various mistakes, missteps and attitude related issues that have derailed efforts to secure media coverage and expand awareness of a book. Too many authors go into book promotion with a lack of understanding of what’s involved, what they’ll need to do and have ..read more

Read a great post on the BookBaby blog that discusses the excellent work of publicist Emma Boyer through the book publicity consulting services Smith Publicity provides BookBaby authors. Click here to read the post. Check out BookBaby's marketing services here. The post BookBaby Author Praises Smith Publicity Consulting Services appeared first on Smith Publicity ..read more

by Dan Smith Did you know … Any author can do publicity on their own. Book publicists will take your money and get the same kind of results you would get on your own. Book publicity really never sparks book sales Book publicists are fast-talking BS artists. Actually, the real “did you know” is that there are many unfounded myths about book publicists and book publicity in general. Let’s examine just a few: Book publicists are a seedy, untrustworthy lot. No, the vast, vast majority of book publicists don't take your money and run and are not fast-talking BS artists. This just isn't true. For s ..read more

The post New Podcast Episode: What Do Book Publicists Really Do? A Day in the Life With Michela DellaMonica appeared first on Smith Publicity ..read more

Yes, we think Smith Publicity is a great book promotion firm, but we also know there are other good firms out there. There are many, many things to consider when hiring a book publicity firm or solo publicist to promote your book. In this post will give three of the most important ones. Personality: This is the intangible consideration. Beyond results, track record, etc. how do you feel about the firm? Did you connect with the people you spoke with there? Were they friendly, too salesy or just kind of bland? You want the person and company you work with to be excited about your project, genuin ..read more

 Smith Publicity, the leading book marketing and book promotion agency in the publishing industry, secures many hundreds of radio and TV interviews for authors every year. Understanding the most effective ways to communicate key messages as well as knowing what to avoid in interviews is essential for authors in the midst of book marketing and author publicity campaigns. Smith Publicity offers the following tips for authors: -- For radio interviews, if possible, use a landline. --Authors are interviewed, not books! No one wants to, or can interview a book! Avoid over-mentioning your book. Con ..read more