March 22, 2021
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A book is an incredible accomplishment. Consider Humanities Communications your partner in ensuring your book gains the visibility it deserves. While your academic press will work with you to secure book reviews, inclusion in catalogues and distribution to academic audiences, Humanities Communications is your resource for ensuring your book reaches and engages a public audience (community, media/journalists, donors, alumni, students, UCI leadership, broader public) through strategic communications and audience-building efforts. Here are some benefits to your book reaching and engaging a public audience, as well as a few case studies pertaining to SOH faculty:
  • Visibility of your book among a general public audience can result in partnership opportunities, invitations to speak at events, funding opportunities and more. Professor of History Sharon Block received an invitation to present her book research to the UCI Libraries; and Professor of History Pat Seed says she was inundated with partnership and funding opportunities after news broke about her computer game.
  • Visibility of your book among the right journalists can lead to coverage in mainstream, highly visible and credible online and print publications. SOH faculty who have received coverage of their books in media outlets include: Jessica Millward in OC Weekly; Andrew Highsmith in Financial Times; Pat Seed in Daily Pilot; Barry Siegel in LA Times; Jeffrey Wasserstrom in Foreign Policy; Catherine Sameh in Ms. Magazine; Frank B. Wilderson III in The New York Times; and Aaron James in Orange Coast. Visibility of your book among journalists can also lead journalists to leverage your expertise in future stories not necessarily tied to your book.
  • Visibility of your book raises your visibility as a scholar, which can raise the visibility (and reputation/credibility) of your department and academic affiliations (centers, programs, initiatives, etc.).
  • Julia Lupton, associate dean for research and professor of English says, "Working with Annabel Adams and her team helped me get the word out about my book to local and national audiences. The profile she wrote was shared on social media accounts inside the School and was also selected for the campus-wide news feed. The Chancellor picked it up in one of his monthly letters to the campus (which goes out to thousands of people). I received many queries about the book from people who read the profile and wanted to learn more about my research and teaching and the work we are doing at UCI." In addition, a trade press contacted Julia about a crossover project that she is now pursuing.
Some of the ways we work with you to achieve the above include press releases, targeted pitches to journalists, social media posts, inclusion in marketing materials and e-communications, and story-telling. We also work with you to craft key messages that communicate the relevance and impact of your work to a general audience. 

Because the timeliness of a new book publication is of importance to journalists, please give Communications at least six months lead time. 

Anywhere from 300,000 to one million books are published in the U.S. each year. In addition to working with Humanities Communications to secure visibility for your book, here are some additional actions you can take to ensure your book stands out amongst the noise:
  • Write an op-ed, or story for The Conversation, that leverages research from your book and list your book in your bio (see Andrew Highsmith’s op-ed in the Los Angeles Times here).
  • Learn more about writing for the public here.
  • Host a public book launch event.
  • Create a book postcard. You can display these at department-hosted events, school wide events, academic conferences, etc. (Template forthcoming)
  • Send an announcement to any mailing lists you subscribe to about your book publication.
  • If you don’t already have a social media presence, now is the best time to start. It’s more strategic to have a following before you have a book publishing than trying to build one while promoting your book (see social media tips here).
  • Leverage your network and make a specific ask. In general, it is always best to be as specific as possible when making an ask, and to make it easy for people to follow through. If you’d like your network to Tweet about your book, provide a sample Tweet. If you’d like them to write a review on Amazon, give them directions how to do that.
  • Then there are the smallest details: add your book to your e-signature, faculty profile and any bio of yours that’s online.
Additional resources:Examples of stories related to Humanities book publications: