When people find out what I do for a living (President of full range public relations firm), they often ask me what it takes to “make it” in the publishing industry. The hard truth in the publishing industry is that the most financially successful books–whether Christian or secular–are written by famous people. That is, people who were already famous (or infamous) long before they (or their  ghostwriters) ever decided to join the ranks of the literati. Sure, there is the occasional bestseller that seems to come out of nowhere (i.e. William P. Young’s The Shack), but the fact that the rise of an unknown author becomes the stuff of headlines proves that this is not a common phenomenon. So where does that leave you, an author full of promise and big dreams of sharing your work with the world? You may have written the most creative, compelling, culturally relevant work of Christian fiction in history. If only the world were fair, the obvious merits of your work would be recognized by a massive audience. But anyone who has ever attended high school can tell you that the spotlight of public adulation is rarely guided by merit alone. You need someone with the power to push you into the spotlight, someone who can level the playing field in the competition for readership. You need publicity. When you hire a publicist, you are gaining an advocate who will draw media attention to you and to the strength of your message. A good publicist has built strong relationships with the gatekeepers of a variety of media outlets-print, radio, television, and internet-and will use his or her connections to convince the right people that your book is fabulous and you are brilliant. This will directly result in media appearances for you and your book. Basically, you will be receiving a highly televised endorsement of your book from a source (i.e. Focus on the Family, CNN, Christianity Today, etc.) that has already gained the trust of thousands, or even millions of people. With each television appearance, radio interview, magazine write-up, and blogger review, your name is gaining recognition. Little by little, you are becoming famous. In the interest of clarity, I fell it is important to draw the distinction between publicity and advertising. Both have their place in advancing your readership. Advertising involves paying for the placement of your product or message. Other than the fee you pay for the services of a publicist, publicity is always free. You are not paying The 700 Club to invite you on their show. One final caveat: In most cases, the quality of the publicity exists in direct correlation to the quality of the publicist. Before you entrust someone with this important task, do your homework. Look for someone who has a good reputation, who has produced consistent results, and with whom you feel comfortable. In the end, you’ll find that good publicity is worth every penny. Tina Jacobson, President The B&B Media Group