The Shlepping of a Book

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When should the marketing of a new book begin? The month before? 6 months? A year? The answer is D...none of the above. You can begin marketing even as you're writing a book simply by building a mailing list of those interested in your writing.

Just in case you ever wondered about the magical world of how a publisher markets a book, today I'm pulling back the curtain and giving you a peek. Here's an average timeline for the PR of a book once it's been accepted by a publisher (taken from The Insider's Guide to Book Publishing Success)...

Once Book is Contracted

• Decide on a title and format (ebook/trade/hardcover/etc.)
• Begin working on a cover
• Decide on a launch date taking into consideration any major holidays or events that might enhance that launch
• Build a website for the book
• Send manuscript to other authors and prominent authorities in the same field to get endorsement quotes
• Set a budget for promotion and devise a plan of action

6-9 Months in Advance of Publication

• Begin talking to publicists, if hiring one is an option
• Print ARCs (advance reading copies) and distribute them
• Gather info on advertising pricing, design, specifications and deadlines

3-6 Months in Advance of Publication

• Work on setting up events at bookstores and other organizations
• Decide on a publicist and the length of the campaign
• Send advance copies to trade review publications (most require at least 3-4 months lead time)
• Ads are probably due around now

1-3 Months in Advance of Publication

• Begin promoting the book and any events round its launch
• Reach out to bloggers and online publications
• Update the website

Pub Date

• Consider launching with a specific event or promotional push
• Push the book hard to the author's networks
• Try to schedule some big media around the publication day

First 3 Months

• Keep doing events and promoting them to the author's network
• Keep pushing interesting angles to the media

4 Months After Publication

• Evaluate the books' promotional strategy, figure out what has been most successful and what has failed
• Take stock of whether there is money left in the budget...if the book is selling well, consider establishing a new budget to keep the momentum going...if not selling well, decide whether it is worth committing any additional money to the project
• Come up with a new strategy for how to keep promoting the book
• If the book originally launched in hardcover or ebook-only formats, consider whether publishing a paperback might help gain new sales

If you've signed with a traditional publisher, most of these steps will be taken care of by them. If you're a self-pubber, however, you'd better sit up and take notes. This handy dandy list could help your book baby become a success.