Career Profiles Book Publicist
A book publicist is an extremely important career in the publishing industry. A book publicist has the responsibility to promote books that authors have written. Publicizing new books includes anumber of tasks, including helping authors craft personal bios, organizing book tours, and coordinating author interviews.
In many ways, a book publicist is a specialized type ofpublic relations manager. They do everything they can to promote a favorable image of the author, and create buzz and excitement for a new book or new edition that will soon be released. A book publisher also acts as a liaison between the author and the general public.
The job of a book publicist can be extremely stressful. Sometimes an author frustrated with the press received regarding their book maytake it out directly on the book publisher. Despite this pressure, it is the responsibility of a book publicist to do all they can to promote the author's writing, regardless of the tension in their personal relationship. Book publicists must also be able to juggle avariety of different tasks at once, including balancing deadlines of several different projects simultaneously and getting up to date with the latest social networking tools of book promotion.
There are two primary types of books that book publicists promote. "Big books" are ones that are expected to be bestsellers, and are promoted through traditional media, such as on television and at book stores. And then there are other books, which may not be expected to have as much commercial success, and are promoted more through new media, such asblogson Internet websites.
The book publishing industry can be a difficult field to break into, especially with the rise of e-books and the decline of traditional media. Many large companies prefer to hire individuals with college degrees inrelated majors, such as English or Communications. Work experience is also a critical factor in landing a job as a book publicist. Location also matters a great deal for book publicists. Many of thebiggest publishing housesare in New York City, so being willing to move has a direct impact on employment in this field,
While a career as a book publicist can be very difficult, it can also be extremely rewarding. Themedian salaryof a book publicist is just over $50,000, and there are definitely opportunities to move up in the industry after gaining experience. If you think a career as a book publicist might be right for you, consider obtaining an internship or a related job in the publishing industry and go from there.
