In an interview on www.gumbowriters.com,
top literary agent Peter Miller tells it like it is (which isn’t the same as
“like it should be”…).
“We look for authors who not only are great writers but are willing to promote their work and who also understand the enormous sea changes in the industry. It used to be 75% about how good the book was and 25% about the marketing but now it is 75% about the marketing and 25% how good the book is.”
And a great example of getting publicity from the same blog is Cheryl Kaye Tardif, talking about her book, “Finding Bliss”:
"I decided to write this novel on my new iPhone 3G and I sent out press releases locally and via the internet. News of my creative endeavor spread fast and on the first day I participated in 3 media interviews. More interviews were done on TV, radio, in newspapers and online. Even now I am still being contacted about my 'iPhone novel.'"
The story of that stunt/method is at www.cherylktardif.com/finding-bliss.
(For help with marketing as well as writing, see my book, "Your Writing Coach," published by Nicholas Brealey. It includes a chapter on traditional marketing and another one on using the new media.)