Questions to Ask Your Publicist

Whether you are publishing with a traditional house, an independent publisher, or self-publishing, the bulk of book marketing responsibility is on you as the author. Many authors are choosing to hire a book publicist to help connect with readers and potential audience members.

Before you hire a publicist, it is important to ask a few basic questions to help you determine if he or she is legitimate, effective, and has the background and strengths that you are looking for:

Payment & Fees

• Do you charge a monthly retainer or is payment based on bookings?
• How much is the retainer?

Campaign Details

• How long do most of your campaigns last?
• What type of publicity do you book most: radio, TV, online (blogs, etc) or print?
• Can you describe the involvement required from me?
• Can you describe the extent of online initiatives? The balance between online and traditional media?
• Who will be involved in my campaign?
• How far in advance of publication do you start working?

Campaign Results

• What kind of results are reasonable to expect?
• What results do you consider particularly successful?

Former Clients and Books

• How many national bookings have you gotten in the past 6 months? Which ones? For what book?
• Will you send me a sample schedule for a client with a book similar to mine?
• May I speak with some authors you've represented?

Every author may not need to ask every question, and some authors may want to go into more detail about what they are specifically interested in. But these represent some of the most important items to know before you hire your publicist.

Visit Galleycat to see a great list of book marketing experts and publicists to follow on Twitter.