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Originally Posted by Cinisajoy
So what exactly are the publishers doing to promote?
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For some authors (especially new or low midlist), not much. They do help (in various amounts from a little to a lot) with...
arranging book tours & signings
paying stores for book placement
con appearances
TV, radio, newspaper, magazine, blog & podcast interviews
author chats
book giveaways
ads in genre magazines blogs & on rare occasion TV & radio
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So without actually following an author, how would someone know that Jack Canfield, Clive Cussler or anyone else put out a novel?
Am I supposed to walk in 100 degree heat to see who is newly out at the book store?
What if someone doesn't have an email address so can't receive newsletters?
How does someone not near a big city, learn about all the new traditional published books?
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Not sure what you're expecting them to be doing exactly?
Book discovery has always been an issue for readers on various levels. Most readers have their own routines for discovery and keeping abreast of favorite authors be it author websites, publisher websites, genre & book magazines, genre message boards, fan sites, book info sites (Fantastic Fiction, FicFact, Fiction DB), book social sites (Goodreads, Library Thing, Shelfari), book clubs, libraries, browsing local & online book stores, genre, author and general book blogs, etc., etc.
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How many authors have you seen mentioned on television or radio in the last year?
Not counting Harper Lee as she has been everywhere.
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Are we talking ads or???
For ads not many, the ROI just isn't there especially for TV.
For appearances it's hard to say. I don't watch daytime talk shows, but I know some authors get play that way. For radio I can think of at least four authors I've heard giving interviews in the last six months and I mainly listen to audiobooks in the car and not a lot of radio. Appearances of course compete with other things, often things more popular with a wider audience, for air time.
A lot of it has to do with how much work and author is willing to do promoting. It's got to be a partnership to work & some authors are loathe to do promotion.