Times have changed and gone are the days when marketing was part of the package offered to authors by the publishing house. While a commercial or university press may help the author some, most publishers these days do not promote their authors the way they once did.

With self-publishing and vanity publishing being commonplace, more and more people are becoming authors. And because publishers still get thousands of query letters from new authors seeking publication with a huge advance and royalties, they are able to be more selective and will only choose authors they know can make money for them. That is usually a celebrity or someone who already enjoys a good bit of notoriety.

What does a publicist do for an author?

Publicists do everything publishers once did for their authors. More and more authors are hiring a publicist to help them find radio and TV spots, arrange press coverage, write press releases, obtain reviews, line up book signings, and place strategic ads in newspapers and magazines.

As a freelance writer who ghostwrites many books each year, I feel compelled to help my clients find contacts in the publishing world. I try to connect my clients with publishers and agents I know personally and link them with a good publicist.

Thankfully, I do have contact with a variety of publishers and publicists. I have interviewed two publicists on my podcast Writers in the Sky: Maryglenn McCombs in November 2006 and recently Pam Lontos of PR/PR. Her show will be uploaded this month. Both are very experienced and wonderful to work with. There are a lot of marketing activities you can and need to be doing while your book is still forthcoming.