by Dan Smith
There are many misconceptions about book publicity and book marketing; some are from a lack of knowledge and understanding, and some from outdated advice that no longer apply to today’s market.
Here are a few common myths I see in the current publishing and book marketing landscape:
- Radio interviews don’t sell books — Well, to be sure, radio interviews certainly don’t always sell books, but they often do—sometimes many. Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen credited radio interviews for selling tens of thousands of books when their famous Chicken Soup for the Soul series first launched. It depends on the topic and the skill of the guest being interviewed. Also, radio interviews follow what I call a “cumulative effect.” Put simply, the more you do, the more you will start to see books move. Picture a map on your wall, and pins stuck in the location of every interview you complete. The more pins on that map, the more likely you’ll see a cumulative effect. That momentum moves books.
- Book sales are all that matter in book publicity –Well, this may depend on the author, but now more than ever, media coverage provides a number of additional benefits, some much more lucrative than the profits from book sales.