September Theme: The State of the Industry (Tracy Barrett)

There’s so much contradictory information about publishing these days! The print book is dead and e-readers are taking over; e-readers are a fad that will burn out soon. Sales are up; sales are down. Children’s apps will replace children’s books; apps will enhance books and book sales. Using social media boosts sales; social media takes a lot of your time with little result.

One thing that’s clear, though, is that budget and staff for promoting books has been cut way, way back. Not that it’s gone away—publishers still promote. The thing is that they reserve most of their efforts and funds for top-selling authors. And without promotion, getting your book noticed is an uphill battle.

What’s a mid-list author to do? Take over your own promotion, of course! Problem: I don’t know much about marketing and I’m not very good at blowing my own horn.

So I've hired a publicist. I heard her speak at the SCBWI conference in L.A. last month and was quite impressed. Her credentials and client list are similarly impressive. (I wrote about the selection process in a bit more depth on my own blog, Goodbye, Day Job!)

The size of the check I wrote made me see stars for a moment, but I figured if I didn’t do it I’d always wonder what would have happened if I had. It’s time to invest in myself!