Publicity and promotion are vital considerations when you're deciding how to market a book. Part of developing a more thorough understanding involves learning some of the tactics publicists use most often. One of the most essential is the high-priority media. They are top-level, national media, or media at any level for which a book or author is well suited. Size isn't always the most crucial determining factor of high priority. For example, a small, niche publication might be vital for a book in terms of spreading the word and sparking book sales. The same might be true for a high-quality niche blogger.

A great deal of success depends on introductory pitches from a publicist to media. They're nearly always accomplished by email, phone, or regular mail. For emails, an intro pitch needs to be several sentences, customized for the recipient, and crafted to precede a press release. It is intended to catch the attention of the contact and persuade him to read the press release and request more information, the book, etc. By telephone, publicists make a call to discuss a book or author with a media contact such as an editor or producer. Calls are brief and must capture the attention of the editor or producer quickly.

Baseline promotion refers to distributions of pitches to media that are regularly scheduled; they are broad distributions most often to radio shows. They are useful to secure radio interviews or to lay the groundwork for a more personalized approach. If a media contact has read something about a book or author from an initial contact remembers the name, she may be more receptive to a personalized pitch. Baseline promotion is in many ways similar to newswire services used by companies and corporate PR firms. When combined with other methods, it can win interviews that are helpful to the campaign.

Some books are better suited to newspapers, magazines, and online/blog coverage rather than radio and TV interviews. Therefore, publicists plan a print-heavy outreach campaign. Sometimes these decisions also are influenced by author preference. Despite their publicity value, not every author is willing to sit for radio and TV interviews. In those cases, publicists steer efforts toward print media. The same principle applies to books better suited for broadcast interviews, and not print, or authors who only want radio and TV interviews. There are many routes to good media coverage, and publicists can adapt.