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The Question No Book Publicist Was Willing to Answer
Says something about the industry?
It seemed to me to be a straight-forward transaction. I’m an author needing help publicizing my books, and there are many, many book publicists needing author clients. And yet, I have spent the last 18 months in a fruitless search for a publicist whom I can hire to help me reach a broader audience.
I’m a philosophy professor and author. So far, I have had published nine books and many articles. My search for a publicist intensified this year because of my two books relevant to the election year of 2024. Left Wing, Right Wing, People, and Power and Why Trump?
In my search for a publicist, I looked at over 300 profiles, Web sites, and other listings. Because I have a podcast and YouTube channel, a number of other publicists contacted me offering their services.
People called themselves “book publicists,” “booking agencies,” “public relations directors,” “consultants,” “author’s agents,” and the like. The terms are interchangeable. Some portrayed themselves as large publicity firms, others as boutique teams, others as personal assistants. They all said they were SO eager to help authors get their name out there and sell books and authors! Sounded great!
