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| Why do I need my own publicist,
won’t the publisher handle this? |
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Maybe, if you are very lucky or already a bestselling author but typically authors must become
their own PR Directors. Publishers are very busy and the in-house PR folks typically work on
18 books per season which doesn’t leave them much time for any one book. The first 90 days that
your book is in stores is critical -- if your books doesn’t sell well it will be returned to your
publisher. To insure that this doesn’t happen, it’s advisable to have your own publicist working
hard on your behalf.
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| When does the publicist begin? |
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In the best of all worlds, four months before the publication date. This way they can begin
pitching the monthly magazines which have at least a 3 month lead time. Many of clients are
signed up with us six months prior to publication and we begin working fours month prior.
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| What can you expect on a normal
tour day? |
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Most cities have morning local TV and radio shows as well as daily newspapers and local magazines.
You will be up before 6:00am and plan on doing interviews until early afternoon. In between going
to interviews, your author escort will take you to bookstores to “sign stock.” You may
also have radio phone interviews to do during the day for stations across the country. Your
booksigning will usually be at 7pm.
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| Is having a small booksigning mean
that my book is not selling? |
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Often times the booksigning will have a small turnout but by doing the signing you get great
placement in the store which will increase your sales. Most bookstores will include you in their
mailer that goes out to their database and do in store flyers. All of this will help promote your
book.
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| What’s an author escort and do
I need one? |
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Author escorts are people that drive the author to their interviews while they are in a city. They
are a huge help for authors. Especially, when you have never been to that city before. They know
all the interviewers in the city and prep for the show. They can take you around to bookstores on
your down time and have you sign stock. They can pick you up from the airport, or pick you up at
your hotel and take you back to the airport. They are a huge help to the touring author and we
definitely recommend using them.
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| How do you decide which cities are
best for my book? |
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Based on the topic of your book and where we think we will get the most interviews for you.
Opportunities for interviews in cities are always changing with shows being added and
cancelled.
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| What’s media training and do I
need it? |
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We recommend that all authors be professionally media trained. Even if you have been on radio and
TV many times, it’s critical to learn how to sell your book in a few short
soundbites.
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| Does The Ford Group represent all
types of books? |
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No. We specialize in non-fiction and we never work with fiction. Generally our books are
self-help, health, alternative medicine, spirituality, and new age.
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| Things to Remember: |
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Understand that the interviewer probably hasn’t read your book.
Be aware there will be interviews added and canceled up to the last minute.
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| Things you will need on a book tour: |
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A flexible attitude and a sense of humor
A cell phone
Extra copies of your book
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