Publicity Timeline

A successful marketing campaign must include publicity that will create ”buzz” among readers and push them to their nearest bookstore or online retailer to pick up your book. To create this stir, you need to arrange for your potential readers to see something about you or your book regularly in the media during the weeks surrounding the pub date.

• Readers open their favorite magazine and find an article that features your title;
• Readers read their local paper and see a review and mention of an upcoming event;
• Readers flip on the radio and hear your talking as an expert;
• Readers turn on the television and see a story about your book’s topic.
• All this requires that you meet the media’s deadlines and requirements.

This is about reaching “earned media”—meaning media that will feature or review your book or interview you without expecting extra payment—and that not every step will be appropriate for every book.

Six months before pub date:

• Devise a publicity plan and a marketing plan.
• Send out manuscripts with cover letters for endorsements and to sell first serialization rights.

Five months before pub date:

Order advance reading copies (ARCs), F&Gs, page proofs, or bound galleys for the book trade and long-lead-time publications.

Four months before pub date:

• Write press materials or create a full press kit; write customized-pitch cover letters.
• Submit bound galleys, ARCs, F&Gs, BLADs, or page proofs for review to:
  • book trade and library review publications—Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Library Journal, School Library Journal, Choice, and so on
  • long-lead-time newspaper book reviews—New York Times Book Review, Washington Post Book World, Chicago Tribune, and so on
  • national consumer magazines and newsweeklies with long lead times—Men’s Journal, Family Circle, Time, People, Parents, Newsweek, and so on
  • high-profile Web sites—CNN.com, MSNBC.com, FHMus.com, Salon.com, and so on
• Be sure to send a press release and cover letter to each publication or site.
• Follow up to endorsement and serialization pitches.

Three months before pub date:

Follow up with contacts at long-lead-time publications and high-profile Web sites, excluding book trade. Book-trade review editors do not appreciate follow up due to the sheer volume of titles they handle. If they have questions or need more information, they will contact you.

Two-and-a-half months before pub date:

• Submit either finished books (if available) or bound galleys to:
  • national and high-profile syndicated television shows—Dateline, Today Show, Good Morning America, Oprah Winfrey Show, Anderson Cooper 360, and so on
  • national and high-profile syndicated radio shows—Talk of the Nation, Fresh Air with Terry Gross, PRI’s The World, The Leonard Lopate Show, Sean Hannity Show, and so on

Two months before pub date:

Submit finished books with press release and cover letter to:

• daily newspapers—Chicago Sun-Times, Sacramento Bee, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and so on
• news syndicates—Associated Press, King Features, The New York Times Syndicate, and so on
• appropriate community newspapers and alternative weeklies
• appropriate regional consumer magazines
• appropriate special-interest publications and organizations, including alumni magazines and newsletters for organizations and clubs the author belongs to
• appropriate local publications, including magazines and newspapers in the author’s hometown
• Follow up with both book-trade publications and long-lead-time publications by sending a copy of the finished book with cover letter and press release.
• Follow up to national and high-profile television and radio shows.

One month before pub date:

• Submit printed copies with press release and cover letter to niche Web sites and online publications—EXAMPLES: RottenTomatoes.com, ElleGirl.com, PopMatters.com, Epicurious.com, and so on and in particular for your genre or area of expertise.
• Submit printed copies with press release and cover letter to:
  • o local and regional television shows
  • o local and regional radio shows
• Schedule local in-store author events, launch parties, or book signings.
• Follow up with daily newspapers, news syndicates, community newspapers and alternative weeklies, regional consumer magazines, and special-interest publications and organizations.

By pub date:

• Follow up with any pending media leads, including niche Web sites and online publications, as well as any pending local media.

• Continue to promote the book through author events and book signings.