Thanks!

Sandy

That’s great, Neil! Have fun digging into the list!

Sandy

I appreciate your disappointment, Barry. Who wouldn’t be disappointed in that situation?

There are no guarantees with publicity, and I’m sure Penny communicated that at the outset. And yes, of course she cashed the check. Publicists are paid for their time, although there are some who charge a set-up fee, then work on a pay-per-placement basis. I suspect Penny spent more time trying to get you results than she did on other client projects that were more successful, though, which would make her underpaid on this project.

Most authors will never sell enough books to cover the cost of a publicist, so if that was your expectation, you would have been disappointed no matter how many books sold as a result of publicity (and linking sales to publicity is difficult unless it’s the only promotional tactic you’re using). A publicist is a career investment. I go into that in detail here: https://buildbookbuzz.com/should-you-hire-a-book-publicist/

If it sounds like I’m defending Penny, it’s because I am. Good publicists are choosey about the projects they take on because they don’t want unhappy clients like you writing comments like this one on blogs or anywhere else. But because there’s so much that’s out of their control,* even the best fail from time to time.

*Example: Remember the federal building bombing in Oklahoma City? I was in NYC for media interviews for my first book the day that happened. My interviews were cancelled. Oh well.

In any case, anyone reading this who’s thinking about hiring a publicist needs to understand that if you can’t afford to lose the money, you shouldn’t spend it on a publicist. Media attention can’t be guaranteed.

Sandy

Hey Wendy, fiction genre review bloggers — those that only publish reviews — are inundated. But topic blogs? Not so much.

Sandy

I figured bloggers were inundated with books to review. Good post, letting us know the facts.

Wendy