Luxuries & Publicists

Here's a great example to illustrate my point about luxuries in the industry and how they vary depending on who you sign a contract with: my publisher emailed me yesterday and said I could invest £299 and create a bespoke cover design for my book. Now, if I had been with a traditional, big name publisher, I would have got a cover like that as par for the course.
See the difference?
I've also been reading up on the debates that came out of the London Book Fair in April this year. One of them is you don't need a publisher anymore, you need a publicist - especially fitting if you choose to self publish. Ok, it would come at a price, but if they generate lots of press for your book - wouldn't it be a worthwhile investment? Certainly they would hold more sway with the Press than little old me. Unless you're a debut author with a film franchise hot on your heels, be prepared for the publisher (Traditional or Independent) to bat back the marketing of your book as your responsibility.