Smith Publicity, Inc.

While our team is deep into planning for 2025 releases, it’s not too late to be promoting your 2024 publication!Smith Publicity is widely considered the premier book promotion agency in the industry. For more than 25 years, we have promoted successful books from every genre, from self-published, first-time authors to traditionally-published New York Times bestselling authors.We market books and elevate authors through aggressive, customized, and comprehensive national and international book publicity campaigns. We also offer marketing consultation for authors and publishers at various points in the publishing process.The Smith Publicity Book Marketing System includes a wide range of marketing tactics to help your book gain attention. Some are rooted in founder Dan Smith’s earliest book promotion successes, and, over 25 years, we’ve consistently developed, modified, and refined services to keep pace with the evolving media landscape. We employ a hybrid push-pull promotional set of services in which we pull media interest through compelling pitches, push to get books to long-time media, and then follow up to secure interest.Email us today at mailto:[email protected] to explore the possibilities for building visibility for your author brand and book!We look forward to hearing from you ♥️

Smith CEO Sandra Poirier Smith joined Charles Daly’s Notes from a Ghost 👻 podcast to discuss some of our company wins and stories!Take a listen through the and let us know what you think!

Did you miss our most recent webinar? Don’t worry! We recapped it for you in a blog post.

For authors navigating complex publishing pathways, a literary agent serves as a guide and advocate,cutting through the noise and opening up the doors to new opportunities on your behalf. Not only isworking with a literary agent essential for any kind of traditional deal, but they can also help authors withtranslating publishing contracts from hybrid and indie houses as well and can curate long-lastingrelationships with editors and publishers alike. But first, before working with an agent, you have to query them. What does that entail? And once you’ve signed on, what are the best practices for creating apositive working relationship? We’re glad you asked!

Donya Dickerson, Literary Agent at , and John Willig, Literary Advisor and Content Coach at Literary Services Inc., joined Host , Smith Publicity’s VP of Business Development, to discuss how to query and work collaboratively with literary agents.

Literary Agent and author discusses tips for querying and other ways to get connected to and signed by an agent in this episode of All Things Book Marketing!🤩 Here’s a snippet from the conversation 🤩“Most writers think that they have one shot and then they’re done. This is not the case. There are so many reasons why a pitch didn’t land the way it should have, so there is no reason to give up completely.”🎧 Listen here: https://www.smithpublicity.com/2024/07/new-podcast-episode-how-to-connect-with-literary-agents-with-lucinda-halpern/👀 Watch here: https://youtu.be/2gZ0qrtpVCI

What makes you want to buy a book? 🤔

Read this full post on Books Uplift with !

By focusing on the tips below and leading with the desire to authentically connect and help others, you increase the likelihood that people will be interested in your book and won’t tire so easily of hearing what you have to say.

💡Share your valuable expertise with others. 💡If you’re a non-fiction author, chances are you have significant expertise in the area that you’ve written a book on. For fiction authors, you likely have interesting insights and takeaways related to the creative process or the lessons imparted by your book.📣Activate your most ardent fans. 📣These individuals are going to be more willing to go that extra mile to help promote you and your book and will not be easily worn out by doing so. 🤑Give some to get some. 🤑By offering promotions that incentivize purchases of your book, you can give people more bang for their buck. 🥰Show up authentically and with genuine interest in others. 🥰It’s crucial when promoting a book not to be solely driven by what you want from everyone else, but instead to focus on how you can authentically show up for and support others.🗓️Post regularly but with purpose. 🗓️In addition to incorporating non-promotional content into your feed, it’s important to post content at different times and to switch up the content you’re sharing so that it’s not always the same on every channel.

We are excited to announce the winner of the 2024 Smith Publicity Book Marketing Scholarship! Christina Gogzheyan is a student at studying neuroscience and she submitted a highly convincing essay on this year’s topic: “What contemporary book (any genre published between 2014-2024) should be required reading for all high school students? Why? What did you take away from the book, and how did it change the way you see the world?” She selected the book “True or False: A CIA Analyst’s Guide to Spotting Fake News” by Cindy L. Otis and blew us away with her persuasive writing on the impact it could make on impressionable young minds.Congratulations, Christina!

🎧 Audio content is in with readers and that means that audiobooks are now expected from authors, not just recommended. 🔊

David Wolf, Founder of Audivita Studios, answers some commonly asked questions including the who, what, when, where, and why of audiobooks in this episode of All Things Book Marketing.

Listen here: https://lnkd.in/gpM4PYMm

Watch here: https://lnkd.in/eA4GNTfG

Here’s a sample!
“For any content creator, not participating in audio excludes a lot of opportunities for new audience members. We’ve observed that the audiobook side of publishing is the fastest growing part of digital publishing, surprisingly, even more than eBooks.”

Russell Climie, photographer and founder of , shared some tips for enhancing your author headshot and visual branding in a new blog post!Here are some questions to consider:❓ Are you a “more” or “less” person?Do you post and share often? Or are you more of a spectator on social media?❓ Where will the images be used?Podcasts, socials, newsletters, TV and radio....❓ What does a good headshot look like for you?Headshots are the new handshake!❓ What are you going to wear for your photos?Try wearing what you normally wear to meet with clients.❓ What photos do you need for publicity?Smith Publicity recommends a professional headshot, an action shot, and a casual candid shot!Check out the post on our blog for examples more more advice!

What questions do you have for literary agents?

For authors navigating complex publishing pathways, a literary agent serves as a guide and advocate, cutting through the noise and opening up the doors to new opportunities on your behalf. Not only is working with a literary agent essential for any kind of traditional deal, but they can also help authors with translating publishing contracts from hybrid and indie houses as well and can curate long-lasting relationships with editors and publishers alike. But first, before working with an agent, you have to query them. What does that entail? And once you’ve signed on, what are the best practices for creating a positive working relationship? We’re glad you asked!

Donya Dickerson, Literary Agent at Aevitas Creative Management, and John Willig, Literary Advisor and Content Coach at Literary Services Inc., join Host Corinne Moulder Smith Publicity’s VP of Business Development, to discuss how to query and work collaboratively with literary agents.

Join us for our latest webinar, Get on the Same Page with Literary Agents: How to Query and Grow a Relationship with Leading Author Advocates, on July 10th at 2pm ET to learn more! Register link in bio!

Smith Publicity Client Services Manager offered up some tips for how to appeal to a publisher as an author in her Q&A with Authority Magazine!Below are her 5 things authors should consider to appeal to a publisher:🔎 Research. The more you know and understand about publishing, the better you can determine what’s right for you.🖋 Work with a professional editor. Many debut authors make the mistake of having a friend (i.e. English teacher, professor, etc.) proofread their manuscript and believe that is enough.📱 Create an online platform. Whether you end up getting published by one of the Big 5 or a small-mid publisher, one thing remains true, having an active online presence matters.📚 Get reader feedback. Publishers are looking for marketable books, so it’s important to know you have an audience that wants to read your book.📑 Create a book proposal. This not only challenges you to look at your book from different angles, but it shows publishers your level of understanding of how your book is marketable, relatable, relevant, etc.Read the full Q&A in the bio for more!

Audio content is BOOMING and it’s no longer a question of IF you should have a podcast to promote your expertise, but HOW should you run a podcast to promote your expertise. Luckily, we have ’s founder to help us! Here is an excerpt:“If you’re using a book for subject matter expertise, I’m sure you’ll agree that podcasts are the new Speakers Bureau. A podcast has become a visibility tool, a lead generation tool, and just an overall brand building foundational pillar.”👂Listen here:https://www.smithpublicity.com/all-things-book-marketing-podcast/👀 Watch here:https://youtu.be/quD-Liwjw-U

Literally us in the office!

What’s your favorite book?

What formats do you read???

Astra Crompton with contributed this great blog post that summarizes the pros and cons of all the different editions you should be considering for your next publication! Here are a few as a sneak peek:📄 PaperbackPro: Less stigma for “rough” readers (dog-earring, annotating, etc)Con: Flimsier covers don’t protect interior pages as well📔 HardcoverPro: Beautiful design for collectorsCon: More expensive to make and ship💻 eBookPro: Can include hyperlinks to external resourcesCon: Requires electricity for battery life🎧 AudiobookPro: Handsfree readingCon: Potentially higher time investment for readers

So many Smith authors were selected as 2023 book award winners and finalists!Congratulations Oscar Trimboli Stephen Martin Kohn, ESQ. Tra Williams Munashe Kaseke .delauney

So many Smith authors were selected as 2023 book award winners and finalists!

Congratulations Oscar Trimboli Stephen Martin Kohn, ESQ. Tra Williams Munashe Kaseke .delauney

was kind enough to contribute to the Smith Publicity Blog 3 critical ingredients your book marketing strategy needs for long term impact:

1) Diversified Strategy
The best strategies are diversified by tactics and promotion types.

2) Dynamic Strategy
You want to build in the capacity and mindset to take advantage of unexpected opportunities and to adapt quickly when unforeseen challenges arise.

3) Individualized Strategy
Ask yourself, “Will it reach my target audience? Is it a good fit for my unique gifts, skills, and talents? Am I excited to use this tactic, or am I forcing myself to use something that worked for someone else?”

What did and didn’t when you were marketing your last book?

Smith Publicity President, , and Marketing Manager, , sit down to discuss the highlights and takeaways of 2024’s U.S. Book Show hosted in NYC by and !Here is a snippet:“Many of the top digital book buyers in the US are K-12 schools. However, our libraries and librarians aren’t going anywhere. Libraries are using a lot of new technology and algorithms to help students with research, and they’re also using social media, book talks, and virtual book clubs.”Watch/Listen to the full episode using the !

Self-promotion is HARD. But it’s also the only way people are ever going to hear about your book!

So, for our authors that need a little bit of inspiration, we’ve written some posts that we encourage you to copy, rewrite, and use as you see best.

We can’t wait to see more of your amazing work on our feed!

Comment below the title of your book(s) and where bookstagrammers can buy it for a little extra promotion 😘📚

Smith Publicity CEO joined to discuss her career and how she arrived at book marketing from architecture(???)!Listen in through the as Sandy and Neil Thompson explore her unique journey, the benefits of public speaking in her career, and much more. QOTD: Do you work in the field you got your degree in?

Map Change’s co-founder and WSJ bestselling author Jack Murtha joins us on this episode of the All Things Book Marketing Podcast to discuss brand strategy for companies, authors, and experts and how these different brands can collaborate and inform promotional efforts including marketing and publicity.✨ Here’s a highlight ✨ “Traditionally, in our society, the executive has served the business, and that is what boards expect. That’s what investors expect. That’s what everybody expects. But in the digital age, things have kind of gotten turned around.”What are some of your favorite brands? Who do you think does branding well? Let us know in the comments!Listen to the full episode through the link in our bio!

The Smith Publicity Book Marketing Scholarship is awarded to one high school senior or undergraduate college/university student in the United States. To apply, the student must write a compelling 1,000-1,500-word essay. The 2024 essay prompt is: “What contemporary book (any genre published between 2014-2024) should be required reading for all high school students? Why? What did you take away from the book and how did it change the way you see the world?”

For full application instructions, please visit the 2024 Book Marketing Scholarship page on the Smith Publicity website. All applicants can apply through the following form by May 15, 2024. The winner of the 2024 Smith Publicity Book Marketing Scholarship will be notified by June 28th, 2024.

Happy ! Our founder, Dan Smith, is sharing quality time with his chickens to get caught up on their EGGStraordinarily long TBR. 📚🐣

What are you reading this month??? Let us know in the comments below!

We’re thrilled to be sponsoring the this month! Meeting up with agents, editors, marketers, and other book publishing professionals is one of our favorite pastimes, right along with continued education for our team. We have a number of our staff attending including but not limited to CEO , President Marissa Eigenbrood, VP of Business Development , VP of Publicity Janet Shapiro, Business Development Manager , and Marketing Manager .Comment below if you plan to attend on the 22nd and we’ll keep an eye out for you!If you haven’t registered yet, there is still time! Visit usbookshow.com.

Us getting ready for this weekend! You can never have enough bookstore merch, right? I’m personally a HUGE fan of totes and stickers (obviously)!

Which indie bookstores are you going to visit on Saturday?

Smith Publicity senior publicist Madison Scheuer gave some incredible insights on how publicists shape influential leaders in her Q&A with Authority Magazine!

Below are her 5 things you need to know to shape a personal brand:

🌟 Focus on what differentiates you!
Before any work is done on your personal brand, you need to ask yourself, what sets me apart? Do your research.

👯 Narrow down your audience.
Don’t be afraid to get granular. The more targeted and specific you can go in terms of identifying who your audience is, the better.

😎 Live your brand.
Your audience is smart — they can see behind a façade. Your personal brand should reflect who you are at your core.

🦋 Don't be afraid to evolve.
It would be quite a rarity for your personal brand to stay the same. Your personal brand needs to evolve — to stay current, to stay compelling.

🕰 Be patient.
Personal branding is a long game. Whether or not you’re working with a PR person, it takes time to build and to establish your credibility.

⬇ Read the full Q&A below for more! ⬇

The Power of Personal Branding: Publicist Madison Scheuer On How Publicists Shape Influential… An Interview With Chad Silverstein

As in intro to our webinar later this month, we’ve invited Josh White, the Managing Director of Epic Keynotes, to explain how to begin developing your speaker brand, where your book fits in, and goals to consider.