--Your editor's bubbling with enthusiasm about your latest manuscript. She says it's your breakout book, broader in scope, in theme, in reader appeal than anything you've written. In your heart, you know it's true.

--Your first novel will be published in six months.

--You're a 50-book veteran, but the national bestseller lists have eluded you.

--After 15 or 20 books, your advances are still so low you get the feeling this author business isn't a career; it's a hobby.

--The cover on your last book was a dog; the sell through was low. You'd better show good figures on your next release or your career could be history.

Your first reaction is, you're in this business with your publisher. Surely your house's publicist will provide the expertise and time you need to make things happen for you--right?

Wrong. One of the most overworked, understaffed areas within publishing is the publicity, or public relation, department. If you're lucky, your publisher has assigned a publicist--one--to promote all the romance authors who write for the house. Even if you're a lead author, she may have only a couple of hours a week at the most to devote to you.

That brings up the second point. First and foremost in priorities for publishers' publicists is the interest of the house. The house is in the business of selling books, not building authors' careers. Their promotions shine the spotlight on the magnificence of that publisher, on the books that house releases. The author is secondary. You, on the other hand, want to promote yourself as an author, who happens to write books for that publishing house. Big difference.

The reality: the responsibility for promoting yourself as an author is yours. Here are your options:

1) Do nothing, which will guarantee you won't influence the success of your career, except by writing terrific books.

2) Self promote, which is time-consuming and requires expertise and skill to be effective.

3) Co-op promote with friends (same considerations as #2).

4) Hire a personal publicist or public relations agency.

The fourth alternative is the most expensive in terms of dollars, but the potential results justify the investment, if the author brings the right publicist to the task and the two dedicate themselves to developing and maintaining a productive relationship.

But what to look for? How much to pay? What to expect, how soon, with what input from you?

What to Look for in a Publicist

The person or agency right for you depends on your overall objectives and specific goals. What do you wish to accomplish by hiring a publicist? If you merely wish to capture booksellers' attention for your next release, an agency creative in advertising specialties may suffice. If you think coverage by the traditional media (print and broadcast) will do the trick, a publicist who's skilled in writing creative releases and is good on the phone is vital. If you have your heart set on becoming a national bestseller, if you wish to maintain your bestseller status, your needs are more complex. You need a comprehensive public relations plan. That means finding a public relations professional, an idea person. That person or agency should be poised to work with not only the media and booksellers, but as a conductor to generate cooperation from your publisher, editor, agent, distributer, trade media, community, conference planners and scores of others on your behalf.

Other things being equal, a publicist or agency that's familiar and well connected ihn your genre will be the most productive and cost efficient.

In effect, your're hiring an employee. Check references and credentials of publicists you're considering hiring. Ask for a bio or resume; check with current clients for level of satisfaction. Ask industry professionals for their opinions of the individual or agency. Inquire about her or his business ethics. Does the individual present a professional image that meshes with yours? Does she have the respect of the media? (Media reps know the good ones and prefer to work with them than the authors directly. They deliver when promised, answer questions objectively and put a story in perspective through overall knowledge of the industry of which the author is a part.) How much work will the individual do himself? How much will he farm out to others? Find out who will do the release writing and ask toi see samples.

How Much to Pay

Some publicists work on an hourly rate that ranges from $40 to $150/hour. Most expect a monthly commitment of a minimum number of hours for a certain number of months. Three is the minimum; six months to a year produces better results. The author pays the retainer fee in advance monthly.

Other publicists quote by the job and add a percentage to vendor bills (printers, stationers, etc.) incurred on the author's behalf. Some publicists charge by the hour and mark up bills.

Expect to pay for expenses the publicist incurs promoting you--copying, long distance phone, travel, office supplies, postage and shipping. Some publicists require an expense deposit up front.

As for contracts, some publicists require them. Others prefer letters of agreement that spell out the specifics of the working relationship and financial arrangements. Both instruments should provide both the author and the publicist the option of terminating the agreement with appropriate notice.

What to Expect, How Soon

While a publicist may score a news medium placement as soon as an author signs on the dotted line, most will devote the first month to building a solid foundation for promotion. The publicist will want to read the author's books, study all promotional material she's already generated, all clippings, recordings of broadcast appearances and speaking engagements, bestseller lists made, awards won. Next she'll probably conduct an intensive interview to secure quotes for future use, to identify what;s unique about the author. She'll later translate this "product" into bios, releases and pitch letters.

Now it's time to create a comprehensive promotions plan tailored to the author's objectives and goals. Then comes the press kit, the publicist's principal sales tool. (Most publishers don't produce these, even for lead authors unless there's a major promotion and tour.) Be prepared to spend some bucks for a first-class package. Your publicists will insist on professional photos of you, both B & W and color.

Plan on mailing your publicist a copy of every manuscript as you ship it off to your editor. She'll need this early copy to determine unique promotional opportunities the storyline and setting provide and to extract excerpts for various uses. Likewise, rush her copies of cover flats and promotional copies of your book as soon as you receive these. (The single most effective tool to promote you to the media is a copy of your book.) Notify her immediately if you're nominated for or win an award or make a bestseller list. If a reporter contacts you directly, consult her immediately. Keep her apprised of your travel schedule. Fill her in on your work habits. Let her know in advance if you're uncomfortable with a particular news medium, such as television. Remember, however, that taking a tool out of your publicist's hands affects her ability to help you reach your goals.

Know that results often take time, that the media in major metropolitan areas are tougher to score with. The first and second rounds of contacts may yield nothing. Reporters and producers squirrel away neat story ideas in a "futures" file to draw from when they face deadlines empty-handed.

A publicist's success should not be determined by measuring clippings but by assessing what overall impact she or he has had on an author's goals and objectives.

Conducting a public relations campaign for an author is like building a house. It's only as strong as its foundation, as the cooperation between the owner, the builder, the architect and the skilled workers. The more the author puts into the relationship, the more effective her publicist can be.