PR for Poets: A Guidebook to Publicity and Marketing

by Jeannine Hall Gailey

PR For Poets provides the information you need in order to get your book into the right hands and into the worlds of social media and old media, librarians and booksellers, and readers. PR For Poets will empower you to do what you can to connect your poetry book with its audience!

Genres: Nonfiction, Poetry

228 pages, Paperback

Published April 1, 2018

About the author

Jeannine Hall Gailey is a poet with Multiple Sclerosis who served as the second Poet Laureate of Redmond, Washington. She is the author of six books of poetry: Becoming the Villainess (Steel Toe Books, 2006,) She Returns to the Floating World (Kitsune Books, 2011,) Unexplained Fevers (New Binary Press, 2013) The Robot Scientist's Daughter (Mayapple Press, 2015), the winner of the Moon City Press Book Prize and the SFPA's Elgin Award, Field Guide to the End of the World, and the upcoming from BOA Editions, Flare, Corona. She's also written a guide to marketing for poets, PR for Poets. Her poems were featured on NPR's The Writer's Almanac and Verse Daily, and included in 2007's The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror. Her work has appeared in journals like The Iowa Review, Prairie Schooner, The American Poetry Review, and Poetry. She has an MA in English from the University of Cincinnati and an MFA from Pacific University.
Jeannine also writes book reviews which have appeared in The Rumpus, American Book Review, Calyx, The Pedestal Magazine, and The Cincinnati Review.
She has written technical articles and published a book on early web services technology with Microsoft Press in 2004.

Reviews

[Rita Martinez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have long admired Jeannine Hall Gailey's poetry, but I have also admired her media savvy and online presence. I have followed her blog closely over the last couple of years, and I was very excited to receive this book in the mail. PR for Poets does not disappoint. Gailey guides the reader by the hand through what can be a sometimes daunting and stressful process: promoting one’s poetry. As poets, we often focus so much on craft and fail to take the necessary steps to properly promote the fruits of our labor— poetry collections which have required precious time, sweat, and dedication. These are some of the topics Gailey covers: PR kits and sell sheets, pitch letters, social media, book prizes, reviews, readings, launch parties, and book tours. I also like that she interviews editors, poets, and industry experts throughout the book. They don’t necessarily teach all this stuff in graduate school. Much of it is learned through trial and error. Gailey’s mission is to help writers avoid some of those errors and pitfalls. I wish this book had been around when my first full-length poetry collection was accepted for publication. PR for Poets is a must-read for every poet who wants to reach as many readers as possible.

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

"PR for Poets: A Guidebook to Publicity and Marketing" is a must-read book for poets/writers who want to expand getting their work out in to the world. It is packed with a large array of tips, ideas and up to date info about using social media. Gailey not only shares her own publishing experiences and wisdom, but also includes interviews with other poets and book publishers about what works (or doesn't work) for getting getting published, marketing your book and establishing the brand that is you. When I read the table of contents online, I knew I needed to buy this book.

[Cheryl Malandrinos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeannine Hall Gailey, who served as the second Poet Laureate of Redmond, Washington, has created a superb publicity and marketing guide for writers of poetry. PR for Poets takes you from pre-publication, to finding the right publisher, to what to do after you get that coveted book deal, to book launch and beyond.

There are numerous insightful interviews with industry professionals, which the reader will find extremely helpful. Also included is information on how to track sales and, my favorite, a checklist that includes steps starting from one year before publication through one year and beyond the publication of your book. Finally, there are pages of additional in print and online resources listed that will make it easier for you to get started.

As someone who previously worked in online book promotion, I appreciate all that PR for Poets has to offer. Marketing any book can be challenging. PR for Poets empowers the reader to put together an effective plan to gain exposure for her work. If you're writing poetry for publication, PR for Poets should be on your bookshelf.

[Lissa Clouser · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a beta reader for this and now own a printed copy I bought for myself. I cannot recommend this book enough for anyone interested in publishing their poetry in some form. Jeannine does an amazing job of using her experience as well as the experience of other poets to put together a guide from which a poet at any stage could benefit. The chapters are bite-sized, but packed tightly with wisdom and often have exercises to help guide the reader in applying that knowledge to their own work. I recommend reading the whole book through to get the big picture, then backing up and focusing on just the portion(s) you are needing at the time. The rest of the resources will be there waiting to guide you as you progress!

[T.D. Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marketing information specifically for poets is scarce in comparison to that available for authors of prose books. So, nearing the publication date of my first collection, I ordered a copy of PR for Poets as soon as I found out about it. Flipping through its pages, I found answers to questions I hadn't even seen approached elsewhere. In short, PR for Poets is a must read guide for authors of poetry books: Jeannine Hall Gailey's personal experience and that of the poets, editors, publishers, librarians, and PR professionals she interviews gives readers a road map for the months before and years after their books' publication dates. With practical action items and wise advice, this book has been extremely helpful to me, and I highly recommend it.

[Debbie Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick read filled with valuable hands-on advice and action items to publicize and market a poetry book. What makes this non-fiction book unique is that it is aimed at poets and/or publishers of poetry books. If you don't think that makes a difference, then you don't understand the importance of targeting your material to a specific audience and seeking ways to reach those individuals and/or groups. Several of the author's examples are based in the U.S. but Canadian poets will still find the material useful. Is social media important for the marketing mix? You bet! If it wasn't for social media, I may never have discovered this book.

[Courtney LeBlanc · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute MUST-READ for any poet with a forthcoming book. Or any poet who WANTS to publish a book. Hall Gailey offers straight forward, honest advice about what to expect when publishing a collection of poetry and what you can do to help with the sale of the book. She includes easy checklists at the end of each chapter and interviews a variety of people who have experience publishing and marketing poetry. Overall a great read that will prove extremely useful as I prep for the publication of my forthcoming collection!

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gailey's book is expecially geared towards promoting a new book. While it tends to treat the interested poet as a newcomer to the world of poetry and book promotion, there are plenty of good nuggets for the more experienced poet, too. She even addresses the let down one can feel after the initial release of a book. The book is a proponent of "due diligence" - you've done all the work to write & revise & edit the poems, take heart and don't slack when it comes to creating sales & readers. I like that.

[Wes Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

I heard of this book reading Poets and Writers’ Guide to Publicity and Promotion (pw.org) book promotion articles while trying to figure out how best to promote and publicize my debut novel that’s being published by a small university press. This book was invaluable. It’s relevant to both poets and prose writers who are publishing on a small indie or university press like me. It’s a lot to learn, and I appreciate the frank and direct way this book is written. If you’re an author trying to figure out how to best promote and publicize your book, this is the book for you. Highly recommend.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re trying to sell a poetry book, you’ve got to read this. That’s what my publisher said, and he was right. Gailey, a poet herself, offers in plain English exactly what you need to do and how to do it. It includes references, links, expert advice, and action plans. Gailey tells what works and what doesn’t. I finished with a mile-long to-do list, but that’s okay because now I know what to do.

[Celia Lisset Alvarez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It got me excited about dusting off the old manuscript and trying again. Moreover, it has helped me immensely to put together a PR strategy for the journal I am now editing. Much of what Gailey says applies to prose writers as well as anyone involved in the publishing industry. The book is readable and concise. Each chapter ends with a list of steps to take in your campaign. This is an invaluable resource for writers and publishers.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

PR for Poets is a must read for anyone who writes (and wants to sell) their poetry. In this book, Jeannine Hall Gailey outlines guidelines for getting your book into the hands of readers. Among the many topics that are discussed are platform building, the use of social media, and the overall importance of being a good literary citizen. An easy-to-navigate fieldguide!

[Farnaz Fatemi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of useful info especially for those about to publish a book of poems. Although some of the chapters assessed things I found I was already doing, those helped me feel less anxious overall, and there are lots of general and particular tips and action items to help any poet interested in getting her work out there.

[Erika Dreifus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since so much of the PR/publicity that I've done—for myself and for other writers—has been prose-focused, I purchased this book to help sharpen my skills in the poetry realm. (No, I haven't yet managed to find a home for my own poetry manuscript, but I am receiving queries from poets who are interested in working with me.)

There's certainly much here that's specific to poetry—including advice from published poets and reality-checks in terms of sales numbers. But it's also reassuring to me to see how much of the work is similar to what I've done for my own prose and others'.

Bottom line: PR FOR POETS strikes me as a solid overview text for any new poet-author. 

[Doniell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This plainly spoken book is a wealth of information that is useful to writers of poetry. And let’s face it, we poets can have a difficult rap compared to other kinds of literature. I will be using information from this book to keep pushing myself forward.

[Brandon White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some excellent tips for those looking for advice on making the most of their release! Recommended!

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like that this book was specifically focused on PR for poetry. Many of the suggestions I could not use currently because of the pandemic, but there was useful info in here.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Useful to its core.

[Hayley · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a small press poetry publisher, this is exactly what I've been looking for to take my marketing to the next level. Great advice in every chapter!

[Jennifer Kanke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well organized with some great practical advice.