The #1 red flag to watch for when hiring a book publicist
...and more in-the-trenches intel from a PR pro
Independent book publicist Angela Melamud emailed me out of the blue one day—she’d come across my Substack (hi!) and wondered if I’d like to chat with one of her clients for a Words With (Author) Friends interview. I was delighted to hear from her, not least because I was in the midst of interviewing writers about their experiences working with a PR pro:
And sure, I shared what some authors think (and, um, initially got some things wrong and had to set the record straight), but who better to teach us about book PR than a book publicist?! Angela very graciously answered a few of your (plus my…I believe the word I’m looking for is our) questions via email, covering how she decides which titles to represent, how she divvies up work with in-house teams, exactly when to start looking for a publicist, her average rates (yup, in actual numbers!), and more.
Check out Angela’s website to learn more about hiring her, and drop a comment or DM if you have more book PR questions—or you’re a PR pro yourself and down to chat! I’ve got more publicist Q&A’s (and publicity-related posts) in the works, wherein I’ll get into stuff like building a long-term strategy, marketing yourself via social media, and pitching your work to newspaper/website/magazine editors. (Have I told you lately how I want to drown my beautiful paid subscribers in high-quality content, yadda yadda yadda.)
Big thanks to Angela, and happy reading, writing, and promoting, friends!
Me: Can you share a little about how you work?
Angela: To ensure that we have enough time to successfully position a book in front of the right reviewers and editors, I like to begin publicity campaigns at least six months before the date of publication. This gives us the best chance of landing long-lead coverage in places like national newspapers, magazines, and major book outlets. I pitch for TV, radio, and podcast coverage/interviews as well. If my authors have the time and energy, I also love pitching for guest articles. There will usually be some sort of book tour planned around launch, which gives me a great peg to pitch local media.
How do you decide which clients to take on?
I typically work with traditionally published authors from one of the big houses, an indie, or a university press. Personally, I love historical fiction, family sagas, psychological thrillers, and small town romance, but I work with much, much more.
“Publicists need to be honest if authors are going to be realistic.”
How many clients do you work with at a time?
Per season, I work with around three to five authors. Before taking on a new author, I always consider which genres I’m already working on, since I don’t like doubling up. Having to pitch the same reviewers or editors twice in the same season may lead to the second title getting less consideration.
What kind of timelines should authors keep in mind?
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