July 2004 Industry Watch

Industry Watch: Book Publicity
July 2004

Q&A with Adrienne Biggs; Founder of BIGGS PUBLICITY

Q: Both PR and Publishing are often seen as glamorous industries. You've combined the two to create a job you love. What's the best part of your job?
A: When the media covers my authors and books, it allows me to do what I love most: connect readers with useful information that helps them thrive in their lives.

Q: Can you describe your work environment and what a typical day might be like?
A: My office is located in a Victorian building in the charming downtown area of San Rafael. I'm here most days starting at 8:30 a.m., and I stay as long as the work requires (usually several hours) and depending on what activities my daughter is involved in after school each day. I work alone except when my intern comes in, if I have hired a freelancer to work with me on a project and we need to meet, or if an author comes by to chat. It's a perfect set up for me.

Q: What path did you follow to find your heart's bliss?
A: Definitely the most meandering and least traveled path possible! My degree is in Humanities and Violin Performance from Pepperdine University . While I was a student, I worked for a radio show producer. After graduation, I worked at the Academy of Motion Pictures , the folks who produce the Oscar show. Then I moved to San Francisco and worked as a bookkeeper for a rare books publisher and a bookstore. I landed a three-day job in the PR Department at Lucasfilm and ended up working there for three years. After that, I worked in PR at an animation company, developed kid's products for The Nature Company, and took a four-month position at a large publishing house in San Francisco , taking over for the PR Director who was on maternity leave. She decided not to come back to her position so I was there for four years. This is where I learned the craft of book publicity, which is truly different from any other type of industry PR job. I left that position when it became clear that I could be more effective (and earn the same, if not more) by starting my own literary publicity agency. Also, I could pick the types of books I wanted to work on, books I'd actually enjoy reading and promoting! So far, so good. As you can probably tell, I love not knowing what's around the next corner.

Q: What makes your company unique? Why do your clients choose you?
A: We specialize in publicizing general interest, non-fiction lifestyle books, such as parenting, spirituality, environment, society, creativity, Buddhism, and new age. We will work on business or academic titles if they have an underlying theme that relates to one of the general lifestyle trends listed above.

People hire a freelance publicity group like ours for several reasons, but primarily to have a single "go-to" publicist that will give their book the attention they feel it deserves. Most publishers' publicity departments focus on a list of several new books each season; some publish up to 50 new books each quarter. One person may handle the early outreach related to the publicity campaign (early meetings with national media), another person may handle the long-lead print media (by creating the galley list and sending galleys), someone else may write the press materials, another staffer may create the finished book mailing list, and still another person may field media queries about your book several months after the book is published. We, on the other hand, can provide a single contact from start to finish.

Q: Who are your most high-profile clients, and are they your best?
A: Our most recognized author client is his eminence Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, an incarnate lama of Tibetan lineage who also trains falcons, runs in marathons, writes poetry, and is a fine painter (see www.mipham.com). All of this while being the spiritual director of nearly 200 Buddhist meditation centers around the world. His book is the bestselling introduction to meditation for Westerners, Turning the Mind into an Ally.

We work only with authors who are compassionate about the challenges and rewards that publicity brings. This means that they understand that most of our job (and what they are paying for) is contacting the most appropriate media people who would likely be interested in writing about their book. Most people are unaware that there are roughly 160,000 new books published every year, that's over 13,000 new titles coming out every month! There is a huge amount of competition, and book coverage is shrinking across all media formats. It's not like promoting a new type of tea or something, where you know who your "big three" brand competitors are. As with most publicity efforts, there is no guarantee that our outreach effort will result in coverage, so it takes a leap of faith on the part of the author. So in our eyes, all of our clients are superstars, because they believe in us.

Q: What does a typical publicity campaign look like?
A: In the best possible scenario, we are hired 6-12 months before a book is scheduled to be published. We are given the author's manuscript, the general marketing plan, and the Author Questionnaire, which is the document the author fills out right after signing the contract with the publisher for the book to get published. After evaluating the author's background, including their platform (i.e. their "big idea" or main point), experience, past books, past media placements, tour or presentation schedule, website, etc., we take a look at the publisher's expectations (where does this book "rank" on their titles list; what is the quantity of the initial print run; what was the author's advance payment; how much marketing money is being spent on ads, etc).

Three to six months before the book is published, we create compelling press materials that will be sent to the long-lead media (magazines, some national book reviewers, etc.) with advance "galleys" of the book. We finalize our galley mailing list during this time. The quantity of galleys sent depends on the expectations for the book, but most houses send at least 75 galleys out.

When the new book first lands in the warehouse, we need to have our final press kit materials in place. These will be sent to short-lead media (newspapers, TV, radio, websites, etc.) for coverage consideration. The quantity of books sent depends on the expectations for the book, but most houses send at least 100-200 finished books out.

All media placements (interviews, book reviews, feature articles based on the concepts in the book, etc.) are intended to appear right when the book becomes available to the public, or at least within the first three months. This is critical timing for most books, because bookstores start returning stock that hasn't sold after three months.

Q: How does publicity relate to public relations and marketing?
A: Public relations is how the client or product is perceived by the public. Marketing is when research is applied to determine the market for the product (i.e. parents, teenagers, gardeners, cooks) and how best to reach that market (bus ads, billboards, TV commercials, email blasts, blogs, etc.). Publicity is when a client is interviewed by a media outlet-for example, when an author appears on a national morning TV talk show-and the ideas in the book are discussed, and the book is featured or mentioned during the interview. There is a subliminal component to publicity (very much like advertising). Based on the effectiveness of the author's "platform" and the intrigue created surrounding the new book, viewers are more inclined to go out and buy the book.

Q: What's the biggest mistake publicists typically make and what advice can you offer to avoid that pitfall?
A: There are a few mistakes that will hold you back from success. Your database must be current. You should read the news every day. Try to connect talent with talent every time. And you must make those follow-up calls, even if you dread them.

Q: What are the top three attributes people need to succeed in your line of work?
A: Integrity, intuition, drive. And passion.

Q: What tips would you offer to someone wanting to break into book publicity?
A: Apply for an internship, whether at a large publishing house or at a small agency like ours.

Q: How has the publishing industry been affected by the past few bumpy years?
A: It is on an upswing, especially for political and spirituality books. A recent Gallup poll found that nearly 25 percent of all Americans are likely to choose a book about spirituality when selecting a book to read. Trends come and go, and like most industries 9/11 affected everything. People were trying to make sense of the role faith played in their lives so they were buying more of the kinds of books we work on.

When unemployment is high, people go to bookstores to find books on "right livelihood"-the kinds of books we specialize in. Publishers have recently been more open to experimenting with different kinds of titles. Who could have known that yoga, "chick lit," science fiction, and witchcraft books would be so big last year?

Q: Do you think there is such a thing as a "dream job"? If not, why not, and if so, what do you think it takes to get it?
A: A "dream job" is one that you create for yourself (because you've dreamed about it long enough, and now it's time to get going!). Find a niche, and make it your own.

Q: How have you changed since the beginning of your career?
A: My expectations are much more realistic! Also, I became a mother, so I'm much better at juggling priorities and saying, "No!" (As in, "No, I don't believe Oprah will be interested in your book.")

Q: Any regrets?
A: None. Well, maybe that I didn't start my own business sooner.

Q: Can you name another publicist whom you admire and/or learn from?
A: My publicity mentor is Lynne Hale, from Lucasfilm. When I worked with her, she always had a smile in her voice when she spoke to people.

Q: Is there anything else you'd like to tell our readers?
A: Be gracious with everyone you encounter. If you are, then good things come back to you tenfold.

Thanks for your time, and congratulations on doing something you love to earn a living!

ADRIENNE BIGGS

Adrienne Biggs is a former Publicity Manager for Jossey-Bass, a company of John Wiley & Sons. During her four-years there, Adrienne created the publicity plans for several hundred trade and professional books in the areas of parenting, psychology, spirituality, education, health, nonprofit and business, among other subjects.

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BIGGS PUBLICITY
Biggs Publicity is a full-service publicity group, specializing in general interest lifestyle and personal growth books. We work directly with authors and/or publishers to create the most targeted campaign for your book. Biggs Publicity is based in Marin County, just north of San Francisco.