At this time’s publish is by writer Heather Sweeney.

After I acquired a publishing deal for my memoir Camouflage: How I Emerged from the Shadows of a Army Marriage, I assumed I’d have a publicist to assist promote my guide. Nonetheless, once I found how a lot it will price me out of my very own pocket, I procrastinated so lengthy on making a call that it was too late to rent one for my guide launch.

My memoir is out on this planet now, and I’ve discovered quite a bit about guide promotion by doing it myself. In some methods I’m glad I didn’t spend money and time vetting and hiring a publicist, however in different methods I want I had somebody’s experience to information me and relieve my already heavy workload.

In the event you’re on the fence, contemplate these professionals and cons of launching a guide with out a publicist.

Professional: You’ll keep away from an enormous expense.

It’s no secret that guide publicists are pricey. The charges depend upon many components, together with the size of the marketing campaign, however I’ve heard of authors paying wherever from $5,000 to effectively over $20,000.

Not solely did I not wish to dish out all that cash, however I additionally underestimated the opposite bills of selling a newly revealed guide. From touring and offering meals for writer occasions (how may I resist these lovely cake pops with my guide cowl on them?), to ring lights and podcast recording tools, to a Goodreads giveaway and transport the books to winners, to making use of for awards with no assure of successful something, the bills most publishers gained’t cowl appear limitless. I felt like I used to be already blowing my finances even earlier than factoring in a publicist.

Professional: You may handle your personal expectations.

Handing over 1000’s of {dollars} to a whole stranger and trusting they’ll do what you employed them to do is dangerous. Even when you get a referral from a trusted writer pal, there’s no assure the publicity marketing campaign you’ve paid for will produce the outcomes you imagined, whether or not it’s as a result of the publicist wasn’t delivering what was promised or as a result of your guide gross sales didn’t come near compensating for the price of the marketing campaign.

In the event you do it your self, you’re within the driver’s seat. your personal work ethic and your limitations. your capability to community and your time constraints. After I made my plan of how I needed to advertise my memoir, I had very real looking expectations. And whereas I used to be disenchanted by some doorways I couldn’t open, I used to be shocked and thrilled by others I may. Plus, as optimistic outcomes added up, I gained confidence and momentum to leap outdoors my consolation zone and goal greater.

Professional: You may depend on literary citizenship.

I’ve been informed I’m a very good literary citizen. What does that imply? It means I learn and share different writers’ work. I’ve helped different writers with edits free of charge and handed alongside editor contact data for pitching essays. I’ve shared my question letter and guide proposal for others to make use of as templates. I’ve supplied suggestions and recommendation in writing teams with 1000’s of members. I’ve learn many advance studying copies and left evaluations.

Whereas I do this stuff as a result of I genuinely get pleasure from serving to different writers, it additionally benefited me when it got here time to launch my guide. Simply as I’ve by no means forgotten the writers who’ve proven me kindness and good literary citizenship, I discovered at my guide launch that others didn’t neglect mine. Whether or not author buddies learn and reviewed my guide, posted footage of my guide on social media, or linked me with acceptable podcasters or essay pitch calls, my writing neighborhood got here via when my guide was revealed and continues to take action.

So when you’re a very good literary citizen—and you have to be lengthy earlier than you begin asking for favors—your guide launch is the proper time to ask others that can assist you as you’ve helped them.

Con: There’s a steep studying curve.

I’d by no means revealed a guide earlier than, so the one data I had of guide promotion got here via listening to what different authors had been doing. However I used to be solely seeing the outcomes, not the behind-the-scenes work. I needed to train myself every part via analysis and asking different authors for recommendation.

On the identical time I used to be studying how one can be a publicist, I additionally needed to learn to be a debut writer. I wasn’t simply studying how one can pitch podcasts, I used to be additionally studying how one can communicate on podcasts. I wasn’t simply studying social media finest practices, I used to be additionally studying how one can make book-related reels and compose efficient captions. I wasn’t simply studying how one can discover venues for occasions, I used to be additionally studying how one can overcome my lifelong worry of public talking. Studying each roles on the identical time wasn’t straightforward.

Con: Publicists have connections you don’t have.

I’ve been a contract author for 15 years, and I’ve curated a protracted record of editor contacts at nationwide retailers. However regardless that these contacts helped me when pitching companion items for my memoir, I needed to begin from sq. one when it got here to reserving podcasts, interviews, and writer occasions.

Publicists have in depth lists of connections and know how one can ship pitches and who to ship them to. Even when you’d choose to ship an essay or podcast pitch your self to present it a private contact because the writer, a publicist can do the leg work of discovering the suitable e-mail handle and assist draft the pitch. Regardless of every part I knew as a freelancer, a publicist would have compensated for every part I didn’t know.

Con: Publicists have time you don’t have.

Outsourcing this a part of your publishing journey frees you as much as write the companion items the publicist is pitching, apply your speaking factors for the podcasts the publicist is reserving, order these lovely cake pops together with your guide cowl on them for the in-person occasions the publicist is reserving. And whereas I used to be capable of do all of this stuff myself, the burnout from doing all of it for months hit me fairly onerous.

Plus, when you’re like most authors who aren’t making sufficient cash from their books to stop their day jobs, with out a publicist, you must do all of it in your free time. Simply as I wrote my guide within the pockets of time I discovered between my full-time job, parenting, and neverending to-do lists, I had a really restricted period of time to dedicate to guide promotion.

A publicist may be a useful a part of your launch staff when your guide is revealed, however it’s additionally very attainable to do it by yourself. Pleased guide launch!

Heather Sweeney is the writer of the memoir Camouflage: How I Emerged from the Shadows of a Army Marriage. She writes about divorce, life as a navy partner, parenting, and girls’s well being, and her work has appeared in The New York Instances, The Washington Put up, HuffPost, Enterprise Insider, TODAY.com, Newsweek, Good Housekeeping, Healthline, Reader’s Digest, Electrical Lit, and Army.com, amongst others. She lives in Virginia. Camouflage is her first guide.