by Penny Sansevieri
In as many years as I’ve been in the industry, one thing I know for sure: book-marketing services vary widely, and not all of them offer the same services, promises, or plans.
This matters for a variety of reasons. First off, finding a great book-marketing services company to partner with isn’t always easy. Sometimes the jargon is confusing. Other times their recommendations may not seem exactly what you’re looking for, or maybe they recommend things you never considered for your book.
Regardless of their offerings, I offer a list of things you should look for in a book-marketing services company:
1. The best book-marketing services will be honest about strengths and limitations versus selling you dreams.
Hope is not a marketing plan, by the same token, dreams are great things. I’m a big fan of shooting for the stars, but you want to partner with a book-marketing services company that is realistic about your book, the market, and what’s possible. I’m not suggesting a good book-marketing services company is all about being buzzkill–not at all. A realistic approach to your marketing plan is important, as is understanding the limitations of the market. This reliable way to grow your audience will also save a lot of money.
For example, I rarely or ever pitch a genre fiction book to the Today Show or any other major national morning show. Why? Because unless you’re already somewhat of a household name, it’s going to be hard to get you into big national media. Even if you are a national bestseller, have you ever counted how many times the Today Show interviews authors about their latest releases per year? It’s four. Stunning, right? We sometimes get authors who insist on appearing on national TV. When possible I offer it, but when it’s not, I suggest alternative ideas, then I tell them why.
Building a foundation for your book on dreams is a shaky foundation at best. You’ll wind up spending a lot of money in areas that don’t serve you or your book.
2. Will you walk away with new skills or insight versus starting at square one again with your next book?
If you read that and thought, “I don’t really want to learn how to do this myself!” that’s a very fair statement. Most authors like to outsource things they aren’t good at. As a business owner, I’m always outsourcing stuff I’m not good at. But a good measure of curiosity and willingness to learn things is never wasted time.
This matters because you don’t want to hire a book-marketing services company that does it all in secrecy and then sends you a report, or does the work and announces ”we’re done!” Some measure of learning should always come as part of this; otherwise, when it comes to book two (or book five), you’ll start from scratch.
3. Do they openly talk about long-term collaborations, or are they more structured for one-time sales?
There isn’t anything bad about a one-time sale, per se, but it’s good to know what you’re getting into before you sign on the dotted line, and it’s entirely up to you in terms of what you want.
A company that offers a one-time sale model should still provide you an update about what they’ve done, and it’s good to find out what their reporting system looks like. This is important for any book-marketing services company you hire. Reporting is key, otherwise you have absolutely no idea what they’ve done.
4. Do they have documented history in the book-marketing industry?
This is very important because you want someone with an investment not just in your success, but in the industry as well. I love when authors come to us by referral, and you only get that kind of recommendation if you’ve done this for a while. As you investigate book-marketing services, check their history. Where do they appear online? How long have they been doing this work?
You want to partner with a firm that takes their work and your book seriously.
The other way to uncover is to check their social media feeds. Do they use social media in a meaningful way, do they have a current blog and host events or webinars? Do they try to contribute positively to the industry in addition to running a business? This will show you their commitment to the business and their commitment to the authors they serve.
5. Beware of scammers and the reinventors disguised as book marketing services.
In every industry has people who want to take advantage of the goodwill of authors. If someone promises you big dreams, massive book sales, and big success right out of the gate, run for the hills. I’m not saying that all of that wondrous success isn’t possible, but it’s impossible to promise that to any author.
We never promise book sales, ROI, or any kind of bestseller status. Why? Because reputable book-marketing services companies don’t do that, and a company that does that won’t do it for long. We’ve had the good fortune to work alongside other publicity and book-marketing firms, and I can tell you none of the good ones do this. For this reason, and myriads of others, you want a firm that has been in the industry and not only has a history, but also knows new trends and guides you to making the best possible choices for your success!
Penny Sansevieri, CEO and founder of Author Marketing Experts, Inc. (AME) and an adjunct professor at NYU, is a best-selling author and internationally recognized book marketing and media relations expert. Her company is one of the leaders in the publishing industry and has developed some of the most cutting-edge book marketing campaigns.
