The universe is made up of mathematical equations. We're all fascinated with the discoveries of formulas, that when followed, point to the desired result. (Which is odd, because most formulas point to more questions).
In book promotion tasks, many formulas abound:
Today Show appearance + PW starred review + "accidental" celebrity endorsement = bestseller.
Or:
Blog tour with lots of reviews, author interviews, and discussion + non-bookstore retail store placement = quirky, decent seller.
Or:
Get book in front of niche audience in variety of settings (media, shelf placement, online) at least 8 times.
In meetings with new clients, Mr. Obie Joe is often asked, "Well, can you guarantee we'll actually sell books if we do any promotion?" Resisting the impulse for the obvious answer -- well, I can guarantee no promotion will sell no books -- Mr. Obie Joe tries to focus on what matters. Which is, we're not always sure which technique gets what sale. Many times a person buys the book from something seen or heard weeks before.
Any book promotion technique seeds the ground for an eventual sale. Just as there are no guarantees, there are no shortcuts. Book promotion is a series of steps, one inspired by the one before.
We do know this: many books become hits by word of mouth, which is tough to quantify.
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