The Incredible Power of Publicity for Authors

by Scott Lorenz | Blog, Book Publicity, Book Publishing, Book Title Generator, Marketing a Book, Social Media

By Scott Lorenz
Westwind Book Marketing

Some people say a book’s success is based on luck. Some say it’s the right opportunity at the right time. But the real secret? Publicity. As a book publicist, I have seen firsthand what publicity can do for authors. It is not the same as advertising or marketing. Publicity happens much more organically, and it can be the key factor for an author’s big break.

From Obscurity to Stardom: The Power of Publicity for Authors

Let’s look at four amazing success stories by well-known authors!

Ever Heard of SLOW HORSES?

British spy novelist Mick Herron began his career as an obscure author who wrote mostly for himself. He had a day job, and he didn’t expect his literary career to ever get off the ground, especially when he got dropped by his publishing house due to low sales of his first spy novel, Slow Horses.

His agent reached out to an independent publishing house in New York, Soho Press, for his second book, Dead Lions. At first, it didn’t seem like much had changed. Then, his new publisher nominated him for the U.K. Crime Writers’ Association’s Best Novel of 2013. He went home with the top prize, and the attention immediately increased his sales. A U.K. production company even optioned for television rights for Herron’s book. Even so, it wasn’t life changing.

It wasn’t until four years later when librarian Nancy Pearl raved about Slow Horses on National Public Radio. In the following month, the book sold 20,000 copies—more than the past seven years combined.

His novels boomed in popularity, earning him connections with a British publishing company, allowing him to reissue the two books. The relaunch of his writing career put him in the spotlight, and Slow Horses was picked up by Waterstones, Britain’s largest bookstore chain, as their Thriller of the Month in 2017. This was seven years after the book was originally published.

Herron has now sold over three million copies under his British publisher, and even more in the U.S., as well as being picked up for an Apple TV+ series.

It wasn’t an interview or typical advertisements; Herron’s success came from someone praising his book on public radio. That’s the power of publicity.

Dan Brown: The Role of Timing and Radio Interviews

Timing is everything when it comes to publicity. Authors can go years without being recognized. Thriller author Dan Brown is a perfect example of this. At the start of his career, he was a failed songwriter and an unknown author. His first three books sold less than 10,000 copies each. He signed with a new publisher and a new agent, who released the fourth novel of his Robert Langdon series, The Da Vinci Code. To Brown’s shock, it made its way quickly onto the New York Times bestseller list. This boost of attention drew curious eyes to his other works. Digital Fortress, Angels & Demons, and Deception Point, the first books of the series, soon became bestsellers as well. He has now sold millions of copies.

The difference? Brown dove head-first into publicity for his fourth book. He met with executives of major bookstores as well as smaller ones. He created a new image for himself, one that painted him as a scientific researcher. He deleted all evidence of his weak self-promotion and failed career.

By painting a specific image of himself to go along with his book, he got people’s attention. Not to mention, his rank on the New York Times bestseller list was an instant spotlight on his work. His book was thrilling, gripping, and left people talking about it for years after. However, this wouldn’t have happened without publicity. In a Masterclass episode, which I highly recommend, Brown credits Radio TV Interview Reports (RTIR) a printed publication which was mailed to thousands of media outlets announcing new authors and their availability for interviews. He booked himself on dozens and dozens of radio and TV shows, and then his book began to sell. That mailer has morphed into the National Publicity Summit a virtual meeting where authors can pitch themselves to show bookers via ZOOM. Check it out here: http://j.mp/PR-Summit

Rachael Ray: From Cooking Demonstrations to TV Stardom

A successful career in the writing field can also open up many other opportunities. Everyone knows who Rachael Ray is, whether it is from her TV shows, bestselling books, or product lines. Did you know that her career began with some in-store cooking demonstrations, which led to cookbooks and radio appearances?

Before her big break, Rachael Ray had sold around 10,000 cookbooks and was appearing regularly on her own TV segment. However, working behind the scenes, her publicist was booking her on a number of radio shows to promote two of her cookbooks, Comfort Foods and Veggie Meals. While on these programs, listening in was a friend of the Food Network’s VP of Programming as well as Al Roker the weatherman from The Today Show. Their praise of her segment led to hit appearances on both networks. Then, she received the call from Oprah that launched her daily TV show.

Rachael Ray can trace her “big break” to that one radio interview.

The Real Secret to a Book’s Success: Publicity

I personally worked with Jared Knott, author of Tiny Blunders/Big Disasters. His terrific book began with few reviews and little attention. Westwind created a press kit, book trailer, solicited book reviews, posted on Twitter and other social media. We booked Knott on dozens of radio interviews and podcasts. Jared is an engaging interview and his enthusiasm drove sales. With the newfound spotlight, Tiny Blunders/Big Disasters made its way onto eight Amazon Bestseller lists, and it now has more than 3,000 reviews. At one point the reviews were coming in so fast, we could even watch the number of reviews tick up on Amazon right before our eyes!

Knott says, “It is one thing to have a very good book. It is something else for the world to know about it, like it and want to buy it.” With the help of publicity, his book has kept up its popularity for over a year and is still growing. Knott was very complimentary about our services and has graciously thanked me. “No one gets better or more powerful results in a shorter time than Scott Lorenz of Westwind Book Marketing. He knows the industry inside and out. He and his very professional team know what works, what doesn’t work.” Thank you, Jared!

Keila Shaheen: TikTok’s Role in Book Publicity

Even self-published books can become hits with the right publicity. Social media sites such as TikTok allow authors to reach a new audience. Keila Shaheen, self-published author of the book The Shadow Work Journal, became a bestseller thanks to the app. Fellow influencer Kohn Gray (@girldadsos) raved about Shaheen’s work, making many short-form videos about it, leading thousands to purchase the book directly from TikTok Shop. It has now sold over a million copies.

While TV shows and radio programs are still around, social media has taken the new generations by storm. One hit post or video can bring millions of people to an author’s page. It’s a new form of publicity that is already showing its incredible success.

Interviews on podcasts, radio, TV, and print help truly motivated book readers to buy a book. If they like an author interview, they’ll read the synopsis, check out the reviews, and then buy the book. If they like it, those book buyers become advocates themselves and tell their friends, family, and associates. For authors, there are tons of resources out there for publicity. Hiring agents, using social media, and traditional marketing are just some first steps.

Still unsure? Check out this list of 127 ways that publicity can benefit authors.

The Bottom Line: Word-of-Mouth IS FREE, but it takes a financial commitment from the author or publisher to get the publicity going so that word-of-mouth can do its work.

About Book Publicist Scott Lorenz

Book publicist Scott Lorenz is President of Westwind Book Marketing, a public relations and marketing firm that has a special knack for working with authors to help them get all the publicity they deserve and more. Lorenz works with bestselling authors and self-published authors promoting all types of books, whether it’s their first book or their 15th book. He’s handled publicity for books by CEOs, CIA Officers, Navy SEALS, Homemakers, Fitness Gurus, Doctors, Lawyers and Adventurers. His clients have been featured by Good Morning America, FOX & Friends, CNN, ABC News, New York Times, Nightline, TIME, PBS, LA Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Woman’s World, & Howard Stern to name a few.

Learn more about Westwind Book Marketing at https://WestwindBookMarketing.com or contact Lorenz at scottlorenz@westwindcos.com or 734-667-2090. Want help titling a book? Check out Scott Lorenz’s new award-winning, bestselling book: Book Title Generator- A Proven System in Naming Your Book www.BookTitleGenerator.net