Book Coverage: It’s All About Connections — Or Is It?

I’m sure you’ve heard this one before: “If you want to get any attention for your book, you’ve gotta know the right people. It’s all about connections.”

There’s definitely some truth to that — humans do tend to prefer people we know to people we don’t — but it’s not the whole story. And it shouldn’t stop you from reaching out to a journalist who seems like a good fit for your book.

Take a step back and think about it. It’s simply not possible for editors and producers to meet all their coverage needs with people they know. If, for example, they have to produce 3 interviews a week, they’re not going to have 3 friends who have just published a book on their show each and every week.

Second, the sentiment as a whole is outdated. It comes from a bygone era in media when a set of gatekeepers determined access to a limited number of opportunities. Back then, if you knew someone who was booking a given show, that could get your foot in the door. If you could take an editor to lunch, your odds of a mainstream review shot up.

But the media landscape has changed. Your audience has more options than ever for their news and entertainment, which means outlets are under real pressure to deliver the best. A smart editor with 40k subscribers isn't thinking, 'My audience only wants to hear from people I already know.' She's thinking about what her readers signed up for — the value, the interviews, the features — and she's going to find the best people to deliver it. That could be you

At the end of the day, journalists need stories. Stories that will nurture a loyal audience of listeners, readers, and followers. Figuring out how to pitch your book with a compelling story hook is key.

At our sister company Press Shop PR, we’ve been doing book publicity for decades now — so sure, we do have tons of contacts and we value them. But for any campaign, somewhere around 60% of the hits we coordinate are with people we had no prior connection to; a lot of our success comes from people we found via thorough media research and reached out to for the first time.

So there’s tons that you can do without connections — as long as you’re familiar with the basics of publicity. We rely on our research know-how and an emphasis on “story-forward” pitching for each and every project.