horses for courses
Nomad said:
I don't think this is a good method for publicity for self-pubbed authors.... You can do this yourself for free. For each mention you receive in any paper or publication, it costs you several hundred dollars.
I don't significantly disagree. However, there are those writers, particularly self-pub types, who feel it's necessary, & aren't very interested in listening. Couple months ago, someone was dead-set ready to "spend $15,000 for the first year" on a publicist, which can easily go to building a blimp: really huge, but full of warm air, kept aloft only while the client has money to burn. If it's gotta happen, then the best I can do (short of wrestling 'em to the ground & sedating them until the episode passes) is suggest they spend their cash on
demonstrable results.
Nomad said:
If you're absolutely intent on hiring a publicist, then you should just hire one.
But that just brings us back to the root problem: If a writer is having a hard time spotting a legit agent, how much better will they be at finding a publicist that isn't merely a money-pit? The "performance based" model ain't perfect, but it's certainly an improvement.
It's likely of less aid to novelists. However, if your book has a "how to" angle, wouldn't it be nice to spend $1,200 for a balanced-but-positive review in a national trade-audience magazine? I'm trying to finish a "home-based business" book that I naturally feel deserves more than a ten-word review, however glowing.
