What Happens at a Book PR/Marketing Meeting

Yesterday, I had my first big PR/marketing meeting as a debut author, so I thought I’d break down a little bit about what was discussed. For context, I’m with a mid-sized publishing house, and not every publisher will do things in the same way.

Who Was There

Me, my agent, the team’s social media manager, PR manager, and my editor.

Expectations and Schedules

A lot of the meeting was about what to expect in the coming months, from scheduled social media posts and outreach leading up to the book launch, to when galleys would be sent out and how many bookstores had requested my book.

Pitch

Next, we discussed how the book would be presented to the wider world, from potential events to which influencers (and how many) would receive the book, and any upcoming giveaways to promote it.

This was also a chance for me to share some of my ideas for promoting the book, and how I could collaborate with the marketing team.

Questions

Some of the questions I came into the meeting with:

• Will there be any signings/author events or tours?

• Any interviews/podcasts lined up?

• Any plans for book cons or speaking events?

• How many pre-signed book copies will I do, if any?

• Will we do book boxes?Are we reaching out to any influencers?

• Are there plans to submit the book to any reviewers?

• Once published, do you plan to submit the book for any awards?

It was a great jumpstart to a lot of exciting things happening to promote my debut, and I couldn’t be more excited (or overwhelmed)!