The cringey mistake authors make when they're working with a book publicist
A top PR pro on spidey-sensing a hit, just saying no to authorly ~branding~, and being the kind of novelist a publicist would kill to work with
Kimberly Burns of Broadside PR is one of the most sought-after book publicists in the field—and for good reason! Some of her clients include Sloane Crosley, Susan Orlean, Bill Clegg, Salman Rushdie, Angie Kim, Bianca Bosker, Laila Lalami, Yiyun Li, Imbolo Mbue, and many many many others. (Ever heard of ‘em?) She’s a verified PR rockstar…and she very generously took time out of pitching her stellar clients’ titles to chat with me about start-to-finish strategy, working with in-house publicists, and how she decides whom to rep. (Pinch me—I feel like I flagged down Tom Hanks to ask him my burning-est questions about acting, you know?)
Friends, what Kimberly told me blew my mind! Read on for so much candor and five-star tips. Huge thanks to Kimberly for the insider advice and mind-boggling intel—authors, you don’t want to miss this one. (And if you’re interested in learning more, check out my past posts on book publicity, including how as an author I’ve muscled my books into Marie Claire, CNN.com, and more.) Happy learning, and as always, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
Me: Hello!
Kimberly: Oh hi!
Me: Thanks so much for talking with me! Can you share a bit about how you work—how many clients you take on at a time, how long you work with them for, and how you decide which books/authors to rep?
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