One of the biggest mistakes authors make is not trying to make themselves appear famous. What is PR? It is a perception. What is Fame? A perception. You can’t tell me, off the top of your head, the names of 10 starlets in last year’s top movies. But, you would call them famous. You wouldn’t recognize them on the street.

Promotion is that way. It is creating a perception that you are famous. It is acting like you are famous. What does a PR company? Make you appear famous - long before you are. In essence, that is how you become famous.

So, next time you are out, make sure you have the props, whether pens or business cards, or just a bag and  T-shirt with the name of your current WIP on it. After all: Famous is as Famous does.

There are so many ways to make your promotional package look like a PR agent made it. Graphics is important. Top Quality Paper is vital.

Today’s publishers are not looking for good books - they have more than they can handle. They are looking for authors who want to become famous, who want to sell books, and who want to create a full time career as an author. The days when an author could say ‘I don’t have time to promote my book because I am writing,’ are long gone.

In fact, author promotion is not new. In the past, authors were expected to spend up to a year promoting their books, travelling the country, doing public speaking engagements, volunteering, and managing book signings. The myth that the publisher paid for all this has created a generation of apathetic authors who think publishers should print, distribute, promote, and advance the author’s career.

Unfortunately, publishers are not eager to advance some one’s career who will most likely take their next book to a bigger publisher who may offer more benefits. The first publisher invested a few thousand dollars into the author’s career - only to have the author leave when that promotion is starting to pay off.

That is why authors who want to become well paid need to promote their own careers . Promotion equals sales. Sales equals fame. Fame equals better publishing contracts. In many cases, publishers are not looking at submissions unless the author has a following.

The good news - it is easy to build a following.