Valium and champagne. But not at the same time! And you must GIVE the champagne to the bookseller! 

Seriously, this is a very tough call. There's very little you can do on a personal level, beyond visiting all of the bookstores in your local area, being generous and professional and gracious and understanding of their job. (And the champagne never hurts.) When you do a signing, take a gift. When you do a drive by (walk in and sign stock), be respectful of their time. If your book is not on the shelf, don't pitch a fit. 

On a wider scale, mailings of bookmarks (about 15 - 20 per store) is effective, but time consuming. Target your stores. Use the famous list of Waldens "Romance Friendly" authors. There a million things you can do, but NOTHING puts your backlist or your books on the shelf but the sales job done by your publisher to the big accounts. And what goes on in those meetings is the great mystery of life.

We asked Roxanne three specific questions about working with a publicist.

QUESTION #1:  Have you worked with a publicist? If so, what goes on "behind the scenes?" 

QUESTION #2:  What marketing support do authors receive?

QUESTION #3:  What words of advice would give to an author regarding developing a good working relationship with a publicist?

I spent almost 20 years as a publicist (a PR professional) and still I had to hire a publicist. But not until I reached 'critical mass' and had five or six books out, and still can only afford to retain her on a project basis, not a monthly retainer. 

My publicist and I work out a strategy for each book, an audience and key message and, most importantly, a budget. My publisher's marketing department is involved, sends out huge quantities of ARCs for review and "buzz development" and provides books and other kinds of support. My advice is to be smart and strategic. You can't reach every reader. You can't reach every bookseller. Start with the audiences and decide what communications vehicles are most effective to reach that audience. 

Create a reasonable budget and ask your friends who are published authors for cost-effective vendors. Do one big booksigning locally and turn it into a party (I invite about 200 people -- everyone I know, basically!) and never, ever, ever leave the house without either postcards or bookmarks that can be handed to any person in line at the supermarket, gas station, hair salon, you get the idea. Word of Mouth is the road to success --and it starts with YOUR mouth!

Biographical Profile on Roxanne St. Claire

Roxanne St. Claire is a bestselling author of romantic suspense for Pocket Books, chick lit for Downtown Press, and contemporary romance for Silhouette Books. Prior to launching a full-time career as a novelist, she spent nearly two decades in public relations and marketing. 

Since her first book was published in 2003, she has sold twelve more novels in three sub-genres under two slightly different names. This year, her new releases include: KILLER CURVES (February 2005/Romantic Suspense); WHEN THE EARTH MOVES (April 2005/short contemporary); HIT REPLY (Reissue/May 2005/chick lit); THE HIGHEST BIDDER (October/short contemporary); and KILL ME TWICE (October/Romantic Suspense). 

She is a member of multiple Romance Writers of America chapters and is a frequent presenter on craft, the writer’s life and getting published. More information, excerpts and articles are available at www.roxannestclaire.com.