What Does a Book Ad Cost? And Who's Gonna Pay?
By Chris Artis at Publishing Perpectives

In 1966, Jacqueline Susann's tireless and often shameless promotional efforts for her classic best-seller Valley of the Dolls "created a new way of selling a novel" in the words of legendary Simon and Schuster Editor Michael Korda.
Indeed, they helped propel it to the top position on bestseller lists around the world. Still, decades later, publishers generally maintain a "leave it to the pros" attitude when authors asked to exercise some control over their books' promotion. Advertising exec-turned-novelist M.J. Rose remembers a time when a publisher flatly refused to allow her use her own money to hire a publicist and fund advertising for a novel. (read on ...)