Here’s the truth: publishing a book is only half the job.
Once the manuscript is edited, designed, and printed, you’re faced with the next big question: how do you make sure people actually find it? Not just your friends, family, and others who already know your work, but readers, reviewers, booksellers, librarians, and the broader literary community.
That’s where a media plan comes in. For a lot of authors, this part can feel overwhelming. There are so many possible avenues for promotion—including reviews, events, social media, podcasts, and essays—and it’s easy to get disoriented. But a strong media plan isn’t about doing everything. It’s about doing the right things, in the right way, with a clear understanding of what each piece actually contributes to your book’s success.
In this new lesson from The Publishing Playbook, Tobi Harper Petrie explains how to build an effective media plan and where to put your energy to move the needle, make connections, and get your book into the world.
Read below for an overview!
1. An Author Website
The non-negotiable piece of your media plan should be an author website. The only potential exception is if you were already famous before the internet existed (and even then, it wouldn’t hurt). A cohesive author website ensures that everything you do, from publications to artistic projects, build towards one central hub.
Your website should include your publications, a bio, contact information, past and upcoming events, media appearances, and anything else that helps establish your reputation as an author.
For debuts or authors with limited publications, a dedicated book website might sound appealing, but in practice, it’s rarely worth the effort. Building SEO (search engine optimization) for a single book is difficult and rarely pays off. Instead, you might create pages for each of your books on your main author site and build these out as your career goes on.
No matter what, developing an engaging author website should take top priority. When someone Googles your name, you want to own that top result.
2. Industry Reviews
Book reviews are among the most important (and least controllable) parts of your media strategy.
You can’t force reviews to happen, but you can set yourself up well, and your publisher is likely to help. They should provide a core list of reviewers. Some publishers, like Red Hen, automatically send their catalog for reviews in certain journals and outlets. But you should also think about your own network. Do you know someone at a newspaper? A magazine? A local outlet tied to your hometown or alma mater? Explore these connections.
Reviews matter enormously for driving sales, but also for libraries, a massive cog in the publishing machine. If a book has no reviews, many libraries simply won’t order it. On the flip side, a strong review (often known as a “starred” review) can put you on automatic purchasing lists.
All this said, there’s a crucial rule here: once a reviewer has your book, leave them alone. Don’t follow up. Don’t nudge. Don’t comment on reviews (especially negative ones). Not publicly, not privately, not under a pseudonym. It’s unprofessional, and it can come back to your publisher if you get caught.
Reviewers, like you, are members of the literary community, and it’s important to respect their role. The best way to honor their time and efforts is to let your work speak for itself.
3. Op-Eds, Essays, & Long-Read Pitches
Op-eds and essays—especially those published in well-read newspapers and journals—are incredibly effective at boosting sales. And unlike reviews, you have much more agency. These op-eds may or may not have anything to do with your book topic-wise, but what matters is that at the end, there’s a byline, a bio, and a link to your book.
If you’ve never written an op-ed before, take some time to study different publications and consider potential topics and angles that interest you. For larger journals and papers, focusing on relevant and/or current subjects increases your chances of publication.
When pitching, don’t write full essays until an editor asks. Instead, come up with between four and seven strong ideas, each described in two or three sentences. If an editor is interested, they’ll assign you specifics, such as word count, angle, and tone.
In your outreach, start with top-tier outlets (think The New York Times). Many of these folks will provide a quick turnaround on their decision, often within 48 hours. Once you get a yes or no, you can move on to others.
And the best part? You’re allowed to follow up. You don’t want to flood the inboxes of these editors, but you can gently, professionally inquire about the status of your pitch once a week or every other week. In this case, your persistence might just pay off.
