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Thoughts on books, publicity, and the media from our Cave Henricks staff.

The juggle: building a brand, running a business… and promoting a book

Image from Joe Juggler

Image from Joe Juggler

Most often, our authors are not only business leaders, but they’re also business owners. They’re supporting their employees and clients, building their brand, and – by the time they come to us – preparing to promote their upcoming book.

This creates a difficult juggle that comes as a surprise to many authors as they struggle to strike a balance. So what can authors do to keep the balls from hitting the ground?

Firstly, be upfront with your publicist about how much time you have available to promote the book.

 Promoting a book requires significant support from an author – from writing guest bylines, to creating an author video and establishing relationships with the media online. It’s critical that your publicist know from the onset how much time you can set aside for publicity purposes, as this will drastically shape the strategy for the campaign. For example, rather than pitching byline opportunities, which can be quite time-intensive for authors, your publicist may focus instead on securing an interview or review – requiring less effort on the author’s part.

Consider hiring additional support.

As noted in my previous blog post, bylined articles have become one of the most successful outlets for authors to looking to share their ideas and promote their book. Brought on by shrinking newsrooms and the public’s appetite for content, a typical campaign brings anywhere from two to 10 byline requests – and sometimes even more, each ranging from 750 to 2,000 words.

Given the increasing demand for bylined articles and the great opportunity for book coverage that they provide, authors who are unable to commit the time required to write these pieces may benefit from hiring additional writing support – also known as a freelance writer. Your publicist can assist you in finding a strong fit – someone who thoroughly understands your message and, importantly, can capture your “voice.”

Don’t stretch yourself too thin.

The fastest way to failure is by trying to do it all. Instead, focus on what you are able to do, and do it well. In addition to keeping your availability in mind, your publicist can also help you prioritize publicity requests to keep you from becoming overloaded.

Juggling a business and the promotion of a new book can be difficult; however, it is certainly not impossible. Using the above tips, you can almost guarantee less stress, more success.