While most authors may have publicity managers to coordinate their book marketing campaigns, they must provide information and be available. There is an axiom that books can't promote themselves, which sums up the need for an author's involvement. Experienced publicists may be able to develop some campaign aspects, but the process is more authentic when information also comes from you as the author. Uniqueness means everything today, and the parts of your personality than come through in the campaign will make it effective. People buying books like to know about their authors.

The traditional goal of a book marketing program is to generate buzz, reach target readers, and help spark sales. For many authors, those continue to be the objective and way to measure success. But a growing number of authors write books to advance their careers and grow their businesses. For them, seeking single-copy sales may be less critical. Whichever the case, your presence in the planning stages of the book marketing campaign is essential. The strategies and tactics will differ depending on why you've written your book and what you hope to accomplish with it over time.

Media appearances connected to book promotion produce the most consistent results when they include key messages. Publicists will hone and fine-tune them, but you can contribute the ideas as the author. Marketing theory holds people's attention spans are short. When speaking for articles and interviews, you must get across a distinct set of points. They are the things you hope will persuade people to buy your book or hire you. Tactfully working them into your comments will help assure that they are included in the coverage of you and your book – your involvement as the author is, again, crucial.

In addition to your talking points/key messages, it's important to develop a summary statement both in writing and to speak about your book. It's a quick summary of a couple of sentences that convey the meaning and appeal to target readers. There will be many needs for such a summary throughout the promotional process, and having one ready will help. Authors need to be involved throughout the marketing planning and campaign implementation. Adding your input strengthens the campaign and makes it more authentic to you and your book. You'll see better results and ultimately sell more books.