Serving authors, small businesses, entrepreneurs 215.704.2397 • kleinerpr@kleinerprweb.com • FAX 215.247.6523 Making the Unknown Known

Are you an agent? What does an agent do?
No. An agent is primarily responsible for finding a publisher for your book and negotiating contracts with publishers. There are agents that cover certain genres. Usually, they receive a percentage of the royalties from sales of the book. See what agent Jennifer De Chiara has to say by clicking here.

What does a publicist do?
A publicist will work on getting you and your book out in the “public view.” This could involve arranging interviews or placing stories/reviews in newspapers, magazines, the broadcast media and the Internet. A publicist can also arrange appearances/book readings at different venues and sometimes distribution to stores or libraries. Michael Kleiner Public Relations charges by the hour for these services.

Why can’ t I do publicity myself?
Yes, you may be able to do publicity yourself, but by hiring a publicist you gain the professional expertise and creativity he or she can bring to publicizing a book. The publicist can create a campaign around the theme or themes of your book. A publicist should have the media contacts and resources to databases of publications that you never knew existed. Moreover, why do you need another thing to worry about? In addition, having a publicist pitch your book to the media rather than yourself adds credibility and professionalism to your venture and frees you up to write and prepare for interviews and appearances. The media or a store will react more favorably to the public relations practitioner than the author themselves because the publicist knows how to talk to the media and who to contact. Realizing that an author hired a publicist indicates to the media or store that the writer takes their book seriously and they're not just another author trying to sell their book. You must realize that once you publish that book, you are now a professional and you have to act like it. People can’t buy your book if they don't know about it. Further, you hire a roofer to fix your roof; hire a professional publicist to publicize your book.

See ideas from Penny Sansevieri, another publicist.

Do you concentrate on any particular genres?
Although at this point, I am interested in just about anything, I am particularly interested in biographies, sports, politics, mysteries, Jewish culture, and multicultural topics, especially books dealing with Norwegian history, culture and the Norwegian-American experience. Non-fiction is probably preferred.

Do I need an agent to sell my book?
If you want to publish the book through traditional publishing houses, it is advisable to have an agent. You have to be careful when selecting an agent. There are some dependable ones and unscrupulous agents. They should know the ins and outs of the industry and will know how to negotiate on your behalf. If you are a new writer who has not published a book before, it is essential.

Says agent Jennifer De Chiara: “An agent will negotiate a contract with the publisher. If you decide to proceed without an agent, be sure to go to a publishing attorney, someone who knows the publishing law business, who can negotiate terms with the publisher.” See more of what she has to say about agents and how to approach them by clicking here.

Do you know any agents?
I hope to build up more contacts with agents. Here are some links to web sites. Please follow their guidelines for submission of manuscripts:

Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency -- recently named one of the top 25 literary agencies in the country by Writer’s Digest. The agency specializes in children’s literature of all ages -- picture books, middle-grade, and young adult -- but also represents high-quality adult fiction and non-fiction in traditional and non-traditional arenas. Categories include literary and commercial fiction; mysteries; thrillers; celebrity biographies; humor; psychology and self-help; parenting; health and fitness; women’s issues; men’s issues; pop culture; film and television; social issues and contemporary affairs. Please contact me first before using my name when contacting the agency!
Metropol Literary (Drew Nederpelt, Agent)
Sheree Bykofsky Associates, Inc. Literary Agency

The Association of Authors’ Representatives, Inc. (AAR) --This is a not-for-profit organization of independent literary and dramatic agents. Members adhere to a strict Code of Ethics and the site includes a member database for authors to search. If you already have an agent, there is a checklist of questions you should ask the agent.

Guide to Literary Agents -- This site is designed to give writers accurate information on literary agents. There is news about agents and book sales and addresses for top agents. This site is part of the Fiction Writers Resource Web. Highlighted links include recommendations about 50 authors and their agents; a listing of 150 agents actively looking for new manuscripts and what they are seeking, and links to 60 literary agencies, “the largest on-line list of its kind.”

Writer’s Digest -- foremost resource for writers, featuring books, magazines, helpful articles. You cannot read articles from the magazine online, but can purchase copies.

What is POD?
POD is the acronym for Print On Demand. It is the latest technological entry into the book publishing industry, but as with everything, there are pros and cons. With POD, you are guaranteed that your book will be published. You do not need an agent and some agents do not work with POD companies. The basic premise is this: You pay a set-up fee to the POD company. You submit the manuscript in the format that they request. They will send you copies to proof and work on a cover design with you or recommend other companies that specialize in designing book covers. After everything is approved, the book is run off a digital printer and bound. Books are only printed when "demanded" or requested. The book is advertised on the POD company web site and they usually submit it to amazon.com, Barnes&Noble and Border's online databases and through Ingram Distribution, and they will assist and advise on how to obtain an ISBN number and copyright. The whole process can take a few months. Most of the purchases are done online. A visitor would go to the site, find the book and purchase it. Depending where they bought it, you would receive a certain percentage of the sale price. In most cases, you retain the rights to the book so you are able to take it to a traditional publisher later. Read the fine print of the agreements to see if there is a time period before you are able to do this.

Agents’ attitude toward POD may be changing as indicated by these comments by agent Jennifer De Chiara: “It’s difficult for writers to get an agent. I am a big supporter of POD. When I started as an agent, I heard horror stories about POD. I became an agent because I wanted to help writers get started, help them make their dreams come true. I get 12,000 letters a year, 500 e-mails a day. There’s not enough agents to meet the number of writers. POD is a great way to give authors the option to break in. POD can be a writer’s best friend. POD is a window for a writer.” Read more of what she has to say.

What are the pros of POD?
• Your book will be published. There are no rejection letters unless material is offensive or subject to copyright infringement.
• Your book will be published in a shorter amount of time.
• You do not need an agent to publish your book.
• You retain rights so you can market the book to traditional publishing houses. Some POD authors have been signed by traditional publishers.
• Royalties may be higher than industry standard
• You maintain editorial control, so the book is published as you wrote and visualized it. Some PODs are offering editorial services.
• Some of the POD companies do a very nice job and the book looks like any other book.
• As opposed to self-publishing or vanity publishing, you do not need to order thousands of copies that wind up sitting in the basement. You do need to expect to purchase a significant number of copies that can be used for promotion and sold at appearances. PODs will offer you a discount, but you do not receive royalties for books you purchase.
• Many of the traditional publishing houses -- even the larger ones -- have become part of a few conglomerates that are looking for name authors and/or titles that will sell for a profit. This is hurting new authors. POD allows new authors to publish.
• Since your book is printed on demand, it can never go out of print because of failing sales.
• Some POD publishers are now offering hardback and electronic versions of your book increasing the selling opportunities.
• PODs pride themselves on personal relationships developed with authors.
• POD is a technological revolution in publishing.

What are the cons of POD?
• Read the fine print of the agreements to see if there is a certain amount of time before you retain the rights to take the book elsewhere.
• A stigma and stereotype is attached to POD books that the writing and quality are of lesser quality than an author who published through traditional means because “anyone can publish through POD.” There is some truth and fallacy to this because there are traditional publishing houses that print bad books.
• Because of this stigma, be realistic about what you want to accomplish. While readings and signings can be arranged at different venues, it may not be at Borders and Barnes & Noble. Major chains would rather stock an inventory of a book than have to order a book each time a customer asks for it. POD publisher iuniverse.com has a partnership with Barnes & Noble so regional B&N stores sometimes have a New Authors Night. An iuniverse author is not likely to appear at Borders, though.
• You maintain editorial control. While this may be good as far as the content and message of your book is concerned, there are no POD editors reading your book. Mistakes, typos, misspellings are ultimately your responsibility. You will be charged for changes after initial proofs so have an editor or someone you trust read the manuscript before you submit it to a POD publisher. Don’t have your masterpiece published with mistakes. Then, a publicist won’t accept it and no one will read the book. Some POD web sites include a resource page that lists editors and some PODs offer editorial services now. See what editors Meredith Gould and Cathy Kessler have to say about the different types of editing and/or visit their web sites:
Meredith Gould
Cathy Kessler
• While POD publishers will submit the book to Amazon, Borders, B&N databases (which is important), distributors and include the book on their own web site, assist with ISBN numbers and copyright, most of the marketing and promotion of the book is your responsibility. They will include a marketing kit for you -- sometimes at an additional charge. Infinity Publishing.com holds an annual fall conference in Valley Forge, PA dealing with the POD process and promotions. There are some PODs that are investing more time in marketing the books or the best books they’ve published.
• You pay the publisher as opposed to the publisher paying an advance, although the advance is based on the projected sales of the book.
• Sales are reliant on the Internet, customers having access to the Internet and knowing about the book before going online.

Can you name some POD publishers?
Despite some of the “con” points mentioned above, I wouldn’t totally rule out POD. Here are links to some of the more popular POD publishers:
Xlibris.com
1stbooks Library.com
Infinity Publishing.com -- RECOMMENDED
iuniverse.com

When should I contact a publicist?
You can contact a publicist when the book is published. However, there are two promotional terms, sell-in and sell through. Sell-in is marketing and promotions to book sellers and trade publications that book sellers read. This can begin six months before the publication date of the book. This generates interest in the book among book stores and reviewers. Book stores can then plan on having the book in stock when it is released and customers come in looking for it. Sell-through is the post publication publicity, pitching the book to the mainstream media which the consumer reads, listens or watches.

---