Demystifying the Publishing Contract - podcast

When you're pursuing a traditional publishing contract, you may wonder exactly what you can expect from a publisher. Usually, the responsibilities of the author and publisher are clearly stated in a contract. The publisher promises to take care of certain aspects of publishing, and the author is expected to take care of others. So, is marketing included in a book contract? Marketing expert Shelley Rogers Landes helps to answer this question and clarify whether or not a full marketing plan is typically included in traditional publishing contracts. She says that years ago, each author had a dedicated marketing and publicity manager, and the whole marketing plan was created by the publisher. But those days are gone. Publishing companies try to provide some marketing support, but they expect the author to play a role too. For example, traditional publishers may set up social media for authors and give them brief tutorials, but it’s then up to the authors to do the work of making connections, updating blogs, posting on Facebook, and so on. These days, publishers expect authors to act as their own marketing managers.