5 Ways Book Clubs Can Boost Book Sales

by Shari Stauch Book clubs can be a defining moment in any author’s career because they often spark significant sales. The success of any book is accelerated if book clubs like it and begin spreading the news. To professional book marketers, publishers, and seasoned authors, they are highly regarded influencers — and it’s why book […]

5 Things Literary Agents Wished Every Writer Knew

by Laura Rothschild and Sandra O’Donnell, literary agents, RO Literary The 5 Things Agents Wished Every Author Knew As agents, we want your book to be a huge success. We really do. Our job is to sell your book to prospective publishers, and part of selling your book is selling you. Here are the top […]

Boost Your Book Marketing Brainstorm

When it comes to book marketing—or any kind of marketing, really—the brainstorming session plays a critical role in strategy development, campaign direction, and overall efficiency and effectiveness. At Smith Publicity, we review all angles of our clients’ materials—their book, message, background, personality, and our ever-important author questionnaire—before we even sit down at the brainstorming table. […]

What Publishers Want to Know About Your Book

By Greenleaf Book Group Publishing is a business. In order for publishers (and authors) to make money, they need to sell books. So, when publishers look at a project they ask themselves: What is the market for this? Who would be interested? How many people comprise that segment of the population? How often do they buy […]

5 Questions with Kirkus Editor Karen Schechner

Karen Schechner is the senior Indie editor at Kirkus Reviews. Kirkus Indie curates self-published titles to help consumers and industry influencers—publishers, agents, film producers, librarians, booksellers—discover books they may otherwise never find. Prior to Kirkus, Karen was the senior editor at the American Booksellers Association, where she worked with indie booksellers for nearly a decade. […]

5 Questions with Literary Agent Eric Smith

Eric Smith is an associate literary agent at P.S. Literary, with love for young adult books, sci-fi, fantasy, and literary fiction. He began his publishing career at Quirk Books in Philadelphia, working social media and book marketing on numerous novels he absolutely adored. Eric completed his BA in English at Kean University and his MA […]

A Robust Narrative of Game-Changing Crickets: Overused Words and Phrases

Book PR Campaigns Benefit from Well-Chosen Words By Dan Smith, Founder We’re prone to using some words too often in book publicity and marketing, and it’s that simple. In press releases, pitches, and phone calls, book publicists sometimes operate like walking clichés. We just can’t help it. I’ve gotten to the point where I cringe […]

4 Tips on Excerpting Book Reviews

By Erin Entrada Kelly, Book Publicist – Smith Publicity Reviews are a fantastic book publicity tool to lend credibility to your work. You can use them on your website, share them through social media, put them on your book cover. Praise has far more validity when someone else is tooting the horn for you. That […]

5 Questions with Editor Mary Kole

Mary Kole worked as a literary agent for Andrea Brown Literary Agency in California and as senior literary manager for Movable Type in New York before leaving agenting behind to become a full-time book editor. She has an MFA in creative writing from the University of San Francisco and has worked with authors at all […]

How to Hold a Social Media Contest

Can a Social Media Contest Market Your Book? Yes, running a social media contest can be an excellent addition to a book marketing campaign.  It can help you expand your audience, engage with readers (and could-be-readers), and get your name and brand featured more prominently online. If you know the proper steps to take to […]