The New Rules of Book Publicity
By Anne Robertson
Let me take you back for a moment.
It’s 1989. I’m a young book publicist at Simon & Schuster, working on The Real Frank Zappa Book, published by Poseidon, one of S&S’s imprints. Frank comes to New York for his publicity tour, and I know—this is going to be big.
In a whirlwind few days, we hit Today, NPR, Larry King Live at CNN headquarters, newspaper interviews (including The Philadelphia Inquirer), and a massive bookstore signing in Greenwich Village. Fans lined up for blocks—Wall Street types, hippies, kids, artists, every demographic you can imagine—waiting hours just to meet him.
There was a limo (driven by Frank’s childhood friend, Eddie), champagne lunch at Le Cirque, espresso stopover at a downtown biker bar, and a book signing so wild people jumped on the limo when we arrived (Frank loved it; security… less so). The tour ended with a boozy Italian dinner where the restaurant closed its doors for privacy, Larry King Live that night, and late-night drinks at The Brasserie, where Frank regaled us with Hollywood stories before handing me a rose and a signed book.
The book became an instant bestseller. Of course it did.
Those were the days.
And if you’re an author today thinking, “Why doesn’t publicity work like that anymore, for any of us, celebrity or not?”—you’re not wrong.
Welcome to the Publicity Existential Crisis
That golden era of book publicity worked because attention was centralized. Newly published authors of all types and genres went on pre-scheduled media and bookstore appearance tours across the country. A handful of national outlets could reach millions of people at once, while local morning TV, radio, and newspaper features amplified the buzz in every city. If you landed the right show or feature, sales followed. Careers could be launched in a measure of weeks.
Today? The limo isn’t coming.
Media is fragmented. Review space is limited (or more accurately, has shifted to online reader review platforms). Launch windows are short. Algorithms decide what’s visible, media consumption keeps transforming and even strong books can feel invisible almost overnight.
Authors ask:
Why did my book disappear after pub week (or after a few months of launching)?
Why am I doing “all the things” and still not seeing results?
Does publicity even matter anymore?
Publishers ask the same questions—often quietly, often anxiously.
This is what is called the publicity existential crisis: not because publicity is dead, but because the old rules no longer apply—and no one handed out a new playbook.
So what actually changed? And what didn’t?
Publicity didn’t stop working. Mass publicity stopped working.
Readers didn’t disappear. They scattered.
Today, books are discovered through genre communities, newsletters and Substack, podcasts and niche media, influencers and reviewers, bookstores, libraries, festivals, and word of mouth that builds slowly and then sticks. Discovery is quieter, more personal, and often cumulative rather than explosive.
Publicity used to be a moment. Now it has to be a relationship.
This shift has real implications for authors, whether traditionally published or independent.
Authors can no longer be passive participants in their own publicity. That doesn’t mean becoming an influencer or posting nonstop. It means understanding who your readers are, having at least one direct way to reach them, and showing up consistently in ways that feel authentic rather than performative.
The authors who struggle most right now are often doing plenty—they’re just doing it without a clear strategy for connection. Visibility without resonance rarely leads to lasting awareness, which impacts sales.
What Publishers Are Up Against
Publishers, meanwhile, are under enormous pressure. In-house publicity teams are working with fewer outlets, smaller staffs, shorter timelines, and bigger expectations than ever before. Launch week has become the entire strategy—not because it’s ideal, but because it’s manageable.
The problem is that most books don’t sell in a week, or even a month. They succeed because readers discover them over time, awareness and trust grow, and momentum compounds. The gap between how readers find books and how publicity is structured is where much of today’s challenges live.
The solution isn’t to go backward. It’s to rethink what a campaign is.
From Campaigns to Ecosystems
Think of campaigns as ecosystems.
Modern publicity works when media, influencers, author platforms, events, long-form content, speaker gigs and community engagement support one another over time. It’s less about a single splash and more about sustained presence. Less about being everywhere and more about being in the right places consistently.
The existential crisis isn’t the end of publicity. It’s the moment for a reset, when we stop relying on the old playbook—and use what still applies to build something better in its place. Books and stories still change lives. Readers are still hungry. When publicity meets readers where they actually are, it still works—just differently than it used to.
Why We Started InkFox Publicity
InkFox Publicity (a LAVIDGE Co.) – which launches later this month – was born from this exact moment, to help authors and publishers build sustainable visibility and real reader relationships in today’s landscape.
Have a burning question for a publicist, ask in the comments below.
About Anne
As both a former journalist and a longtime PR leader, Anne Robertson began her career at Simon & Schuster, gaining firsthand insight into how books reach their audiences.
Before joining InkFox Publicity, Anne spent 18 years leading the Public Relations division at LAVIDGE, supporting clients across education, healthcare, hospitality and corporate sectors. Her newsroom background and strategic PR experience give her a sharp instinct for what makes a story stand out.
With more than two decades promoting authors and brands, Anne blends media savvy with modern digital strategies to build meaningful visibility. Known for her crisis communications expertise and industry connections, she is a trusted advisor to debut writers, established and growing publishing houses, and executives alike.
Header Photo by Binh Nguyen on Unsplash
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Great article!
Could you send me information about InkFox Publicity? My book launches in March. I am a self-published author.
Hi Deb, thank you for your response! We're launching InkFox Publicity (a LAVIDGE Co.) at the end of the month; please email me at ar********@*****ge.com with your contact information and I'll share more information with you.
Hi Deb, here's my second attempt to share my email, it didn't go through in my first reply: arobertson at lavidge dot com and see if this works, thanks!
The Second Comin' Jesus for President Santa for VP 2028. A game changing campaign!
Hi Anne Robertson, Your pertinent blog immediately attracted my attention. Way back in 1984, husband and I had just sold our modest hotel in Bournemouth and moved back to Essex, where lay an intriguing letter awaiting collection asking if I would like to write a book on buying a small hotel?! I did a double-take?! Years before, I had been a secretary at a publishing company and my old boss knew the main editor at Kogan Page , Lon don who published factual books. (I wrote some poetry and a few short stories, but was flabber-gasted! The word serendipity registered!!) After a little editing, Running Your own Small Hotel was published and soon reprinted an d I was an 'author'...'It didn't cost me a penny piece and my bank balance grew steadily. I wrote a second book for them and updated a few of their old prints, before writing a Memoir and an eclectic mix - ten in all (present one unpublished: set in Poland and the UK in second world war covering three generations of an artistic family: The Dobrowski Portrait.) Fast forward to 2,000 and how things had changed! Cheers. Sincerely Joy Lennick
Thanks for sharing your author journey, Joy! Very interesting, and yes, things have certainly changed a lot since then!
There are SO many truths to this article. As a traditionally published author, the traction of sales and success described for today's authors really resonated for my personal situation. I have a very talented in-house publicist but for my own part, I feel as if I'm shouting into a void. Thank you for writing this, and revealing the shift.
Thank you, Donna, I appreciate your feedback and am glad this resonated with you!
We really needed this post at this time with changes and challenges in our usual platform algorithms and everything changing all around us. I have seen my sales/engagement drop. One constant piece of advice is always KNOW YOUR READERS and where they hang out, etc. but my big question is (if you don't have a lot of engagement from them) how do you know who they are? How do you get a clear picture of who your reader is? I am discouraged by "talking to an empty room." (I would welcome more info on InkFox)
Hi Lisa, thanks for your response! Building reader engagement takes time, especially given today's shorter attention spans. Finding those online groups and communities that represent your ideal reader audience starts with the question, who am I am writing for, who wants to read my story? If you'd like to contact me about InkFox, which launches later this month when our website goes live, please email me (I need to spell out my email address for this site section): arobertson at lavidge dot com
Back in the day... How differently things were done.
Indeed.
My first two books benefitted from a publicist for their launch period, and that was great fun. Then reality set in. My third book in the Carolina Coast series sold more, but that was due to online publicity. Eventually, the publishers went silent, and I took control. Now, I quietly write books nine and ten, hire editors and narrators, publish, and offer my words to the world. Perhaps I should post a Help Wanted notice on my website...
Hi Normandie, thanks for sharing your experience, sounds like taking control post-launch was the right move for your series!
Anne, thank you for a concise and informative explanation. You nailed what authors are dealing with. For someone who craves order and organization, book publicity in the age of technology, social media, influencers, etc. sometimes feels like throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks. Publicity is now also more complicated for introverts, which I suspect includes a majority of authors considering the solitary nature of the writing process. It's great that there are folks like you who have a handle on this brave new world! Best wishes on the launch of InkFox!
Hi Linda, thank you for your insights and encouragement! You're right about publicity today (the spaghetti analogy lol); that's why customizing and tailoring the publicity journey for each author is so important.
So true! I have almost 50 traditionally published books, and this time the publisher's involvement was very limited. I even hired a publicist, but did 89% of the work myself. I'll be interested to see how your service develops.
Thank you, Robin, and congratulations on your 50 traditionally published books!
Good column. Your succinct description of the new realities of book publicity dovetails with other author marketing folks. Very helpful.
Thank you, Victoria, I'm glad you found it helpful!
Thanks for the article! It is a timely piece thar explains a lot of confusion around book launches in this changing era.
Kris
Thank you, Kris, glad you found it timely and helpful!
For those of new to hiring a publicist, can you give an indie author a ballpark of what the costs are and if there are levels for smaller budgets.
Thank you,
Hi Tam, thank you for asking! We tailor our options to an author's goals, timing and budget. There are smaller budgets but we do have a minimum. If you want to reach out to me directly, here is my email (I need to spell it out for this site section): arobertson at lavidge dot com.
Fantastic piece and perfectly describes the crisis many publishers and authors are facing as they try and find ways to get the word out about their projects!
Thank you for your response, Lindsey, and glad you found value in this piece!
Thanks for this, Anne! As a small indie publisher, I feel this crisis deeply. Every day, looking at books and thinking, how can I get these to be more visible!
Thank you, Lisa! Appreciate your feedback, and I know you get it too. The evolution of book publicity is a work in progress, indeed.
Thank you for this post! Very helpful insights.
Thank you, Wendy, happy it provided helpful insights for you.
I had a flash of absurdity which I have to share.
* have friends set up your table.
* make sure there is a banner for your books
* Hire a limo
* With your shades on, step from the limo, shake the mane you know you have ... and people automatically assume you're a star ... and the books? well they'll fly off the shelves.
OKAY so absurdity aside, marketing and publicity is hard work and expensive.
Many many years ago, I was visiting my mom in S. Calif. To get to San Diego on my way home, she called for an airport limo. What came to the house? A real. live. limo. complete with driver.
Of course, being an espresso addict I asked the driver to pull up to an espresso shop. I did have a long mane. I did have shades. And dressed in jeans, I sauntered in - not planning to look like a star, just someone who needed coffee but the heads all of them in the coffee shop turned. Voices whispered.
I left feeling limo-ed and really appreciated.
I was a nurse...
Who lived in a manufactured home without A/C in S. Oregon, and dirt poor.
LOLOL.
THAT was fun.
It's amazing how things have changed.
Thanks for this, Anne. Added to the chaos of publicising a new release is the plethora of scam publicists, many seemingly out of Nigeria, that clutter my inbox every day!
Hi Apple! Yes, scams are unfortunately part of the new world of publicity and marketing. We include a warning about scams on our InkFox website (which goes live later this month). I always advise that if sounds too good to be true, run!
Anne— Very clear and worthwhile explanation about how publicity works now (and loved the Zappa story). When I completed and edited my first novel, I sent about thirteen queries out, tailored to follow standard query-writing recommendations I’d read in articles. But as friends and family kept asking when they’d see the book, I quickly gave up on the process.
So, I self-published on Kindle (POD & ebook) and Apple iBooks. No advertising, no promotion. Predictable results.
For my second novel, I decided to make a serious effort querying. Sent about 79 and got feedback from two who seemed sincere about having discussed it further with their colleagues (still about 20 unanswered). This year, therefore, I’m going to release a 2nd edition of my first novel (re-edited and following a small recommendation by a Nebula Award winner who enjoyed it and thought it was good… but doesn’t blurb non-trad books). This time I plan to aggressively promote it, the use any progress to help lead in to the release of book two.
Please send me information on Inkfox. My email address is jhtabbott at me.com… jh*******@**.com .Thank you!
Hi Jerold! Thank you for your feedback and sharing your author journey. I'll get in touch with more information about InkFox Publicity and our launch (website goes live end of this month). You can also contact me at my email: ar********@*****ge.com. I look forward to connecting soon!
Fantastic post, Anne!
I do business branding in my day job and, believe me, it's not just book people having the existential crisis. Companies are too.
I really enjoyed your breakdown of it all, and the window into Frank Zappa's champagne-filled tour!
Thanks Jenny! So glad you enjoyed it, and I agree that the crisis impacts all sectors, not just book publishing.