by Sherrie Wilkolaski
Professional golfers rely on their golf caddies, like authors should rely on their book publicists. You don’t have to be a fan of the sport to appreciate what goes into a great game of golf. It is a mental game, blended with the same repetitive training that every writer experiences, working towards becoming a better at their craft. You have an incredible vocabulary. How you string your words together is conducive to how a golfer makes his way through 18 holes.
When it’s all said and done, a book publicist and a golf caddy have a lot in common. Let’s take a look at the similarities.
Caddy.
Caddies are the behind the scenes (so to speak) voice of wisdom for their golfer. Guiding them through the course…one hole at a time. They know the golfers strengths and weaknesses. Which club to use, when to offer advice and when to hold back. It’s all about knowing the athlete, where they are playing, in what conditions, and what is best for them. Every shot is an opportunity. The caddy has both the short-term and long-term goals on their mind. Get through the current hole in as few strokes as possible, while keeping the eye on the prize…winning the tournament.
Golfer Phil Mickleson was collaborating with his caddy when his ball made its way into the bushes. There was virtually no way to gracefully get it out of the brush. He attempted to lob it out and ended up adding more strokes to that hole than was necessary. He should have taken a penalty stroke and started back at the tee box. His decision, whether prompted by his caddy or not, caused him to double bogie, during the 2012 Masters. The rest of his game went downhill from there. For those who are not up on the golfing lingo, double bogie is not good. Did the caddy make the right recommendations and Mr. Mickleson didn’t listen? We’ll never know.
Book Publicist.
Like caddies, book publicists are the behind the scenes masters that help to excel an author to success. A publicist is there to guide the author down the right path. One that will help to build their platform as a writer while creating exposure and awareness for their book. There are short-term and long-term PR goals for every author and a book publicist plans and navigates. A book publicist knows the author’s goal, their niche and where they should focus for the biggest return on exposure and results. The author needs to be willing to listen and take advice accordingly.
If you’re watching the 2012 Masters Tournament, take a deeper look at the winners’ caddies. Do you think they were an integral part of the success? What about your book publicist? Are they helping you to move to the next level in your career as an author? Keep in mind that both golfers and authors are artists in their own rights. Many times determined to do it “their own way” and realizing after the fact, they should have listened to their professional guides.
Both caddies and book publicists are authorities at what they do. Caddies are typically paid a salary, plus bonus on tournament winnings. Book publicists are paid for their PR work, either on retainer or set-fee for a defined project term, with an option for bonus on results.
Watch out if your book publicist or your caddy is interested in taking on more of the spotlight than what they can offer you, golfer or author. Caddies should know the golf courses and book publicists, media contacts and opportunities.
Looking for book publicity campaign for your title? Please contact us, our team has taken many authors to the “masters” of publishing, the bestsellers list. If you need a good caddy, there may be a few unemployed caddies looking for work after this 2012 Masters Tournament. Best of luck to all the golfers and their caddies in this amazing tournament!
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Image courtesy of Revati Upadhya.
