How to Promote Your Book: A Practical Guide to Publicizing Your Own Title

In this flawed manual, former book publicist Yager (Help Yourself Now) provides guidance on how authors can get the word out about their titles. “Through your promotional efforts, you are the one who is going to make the greatest difference in the success of your book,” contends Yager, explaining the basics of the bookselling world, how to prepare for publication, and what to do afterward. She notes that traditional media coverage is likely reserved for high-profile authors and that most readers will have a better chance at drawing attention via online platforms. However, she undercuts this pragmatism with such pie-in-the-sky suggestions as “it may be worth a try to get... featured in People, Time, Newsweek, or Woman’s Day,” though she provides little guidance on how authors with small platforms might get noticed by these outlets. She fares better when catering to first-time or self-published authors, as when she breaks down how to write a cover letter to potential reviewers and details how to secure speaking engagements at book stores and libraries. Yager’s attempts to appeal both to independent authors and to those signed with major publishers means some recommendations come across as basic while others feel unrealistic. Indie authors will get the most out of this. (Feb.)