A Q&A With a Book Publicist

This month, I answer some of your burning questions, talk about imposter syndrome, have a cool preorder deal for you, and more.

Happy September! This is my absolute favorite month of the year — the weather is cooling off but still warm enough for jeans and a hoodie, the leaves are starting to turn, and apple picking is in full swing. So let’s jump straight into this month’s updates so I can go back to being outside and enjoying this lovely pre-fall air!

A Q&A With a Book Publicist

I recently put up a post on my Instagram stories asking what your burning questions for a book publicist were — and I pulled a few to answer. Hopefully it clears up some things for you!

How do books at a publishing house get divvied up among publicists?

After we go to our seasonal launch presentation (where editors tell us all of the upcoming books for that year), we get to create wishlists of the titles that we want to work on! The scheduling of who gets assigned what varies based on availability, how full someone’s month is, etc. But for the most part, we get to hand-pick the books that we’re excited about!

What are some things that influencers do wrong when they reach out to request a review copy?

I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s something wrong, but…they don’t link their social media profiles in their request emails! I’ve said it before on various platforms — when submitting a galley request, you want to make it as easy for the team to say yes as possible. Share your links, your follower counts, your mailing address…anything you think they should know!

What is the one thing that you wish influencers knew about reaching out to publicists?

That galleys are, unfortunately, a finite resource. While I wish that I could give them to everyone, sometimes I have to be strategic about who gets what!

What do you look for when choosing which creators are a good fit for a book/campaign?

There’s no set criteria, but I love reaching out to influencers who cover books in the same genre — especially those who have fun, creative posts to shout out the books they love. It always catches my eye, and I often make a note to reach out when I have a title that’s a good fit for you!

What information would be helpful for an author to prep before their first meeting with their marketing & publicity team?

If you have any contacts in the media space (newspapers, magazines, TV, radio, etc.), both big and small. If there’s a local indie bookstore that knows you well/you have a good relationship with. Any particular ideas you have for a preorder campaign, influencers you’d like us to reach out to, your #1 news outlet that you’d like to see your book in, any ideas you could contribute for a feature or an essay…we come up with a lot of those things ourselves, but if you have any ideas for those things, we love to hear them!

(If you come up with blank on any of those subjects, don’t worry! That’s totally fine, too. But it’s good to know what ideas you have from the very beginning, so we can try to factor those into our plans.)

Do you focus on a specific genre for your publicity campaigns, or do you like a variety?

I tend to gravitate toward romance since that’s my true love, but I also enjoy spicing it up by taking on some other genres from time to time — fantasy, nonfiction, celebrity, mystery…and even a cookbook or two, if it’s a topic I find fun! I try to think about if it’s something that I’d enjoy reading, no matter the genre. It helps me get into a good headspace for a campaign! And diversifying your campaign genres helps keep your publicity skills sharp.

What’s your favorite thing about your job?

In my opinion, there’s no better endorphin rush than booking a media hit for your author that they’re excited about. Being able to break the news to them that they’re going to be on The TODAY Show, NPR, featured in People…it’s always so rewarding to have those things come through!

When should a debut author think about starting to gather a street team?

Honestly, as soon as your book is available on Goodreads/somewhere for readers to look it up and take note of it, I’d get started! It’s never too early to start building your fan base, if forming a street team is the avenue you want to try.

Did I answer your question, or you still have something you’d like to know? Keep an eye on my Instagram, where I’m frequently doing Q&As like these!

Let’s Talk About Imposter Syndrome

Okay, I have a confession to make — even getting a book deal doesn’t help you shake the never-ending, gut-wrenching feeling that you’re a bad writer. Seriously. When I was going through my first round of pass pages for We’ve Hit Turbulence, I had a specific moment where I broke and called my boyfriend in tears, telling him that this book was terrible and that nobody should ever lay their eyes on it. The words on the page had bored me and stopped making sense to me — and I figured that if I didn’t like the book, how could anyone else?

Then I had a fresh chocolate chip cookie, closed my laptop, and took a nap. And when I woke up, I didn’t feel like the world’s worst writer anymore.

Imposter syndrome, this phenomenon that so many creatives struggle with every single day, is loosely defined as a psychological experience where an individual doubts their accomplishments and fears being exposed as a fraud, despite evidence of their success. And I’m willing to bet money that every single author of any single book you’ve ever read has felt the exact same thing, at least one or twice. It sounds silly in theory, but it’s terrifying in practice — this icy idea that you’re a sham, that you got your book deal by mistake, that you’re more terrible at this than anyone realizes. It’s especially common when you’ve been editing the same pages over and over, and things stop making sense in your brain.

Well, even though I can’t cure my own bouts of imposter syndrome, one thing I can do is talk about it. I can voice my concerns to my trusted people when they arise, and let myself feel the scary feelings, and then I can wash them away by doing something I enjoy that relaxes me — reading a book, playing The Sims, or going out to eat with my friends. I’m done hiding the feeling, and I’m done letting it control me. Because when the fog eventually does clear (and it always does), I look at my work with joy and pride, because I’m not half bad at this writer thing after all.

So, all’s this to say that even writers with book deals — even global bestselling authors, the titans of our industry (which I most certainly am not!) — sometimes deal with imposter syndrome. And I’m making a conscious effort at getting better when it comes to recognizing it, letting myself feel all the feelings…and then reminding myself how untrue those feelings are, and that to get where I am, I couldn’t be all that terrible.

(I guess I still can be. But you get the point!)

Also, You’re in Luck — B&N is Having Another 25% Off Pre-Orders Sale!

If you missed out on July’s special preorder sale through Barnes & Noble, then you’re in luck! They’re hosting another preorder sale now through 9/5, where you can preorder We’ve Hit Turbulence for 25% off. B&N Rewards & Premium Members get 25% off all preorders during the sale — and Premium members get an additional 10% off!

It’s the perfect opportunity to grab a copy if you haven’t gotten around to it — you can click here for more details/to order with the code PREORDER25. If you haven’t ordered your copy yet (or copies of any of the other books you’ve been eyeing!), this week’s your chance. Print books, ebooks, audiobooks — they all count. Don’t miss it!

Something I’m Reading

I recently dove into Marisol Acts the Part by fellow romance writer and college friend Elle Gonzalez Rose, and it was such a treat! It’s such a fun, snappy, quick read that felt perfect to close out my summer. Plus, all of the Legally Blonde nods were a delight!

Something I’m Watching

I just started watching We Were Liars, after being a fan of the books for so many years — and I have to say, I’m intrigued! I’m still pretty early on in the show, but it’s been great to turn on while working on some crafting projects. (Including maybe one that I can show you soon…)

Something I’m Listening To

I love a good bookish podcast, and a few of my lovely colleagues, Michelle and Rain, recently started this one — The Book Was Hotter! I’ve been listening while answering emails at work, and it’s so fun and fresh. If you love talking about romance tropes, characters you can’t get over, and what’s new in publishing trends right now, then I recommend giving this one a listen!

Let's Get Social!

Don't forget to connect with me on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. I'm always looking for new bookish friends and would love to chat! And don’t forget to add my debut Young Adult romance novel, We’ve Hit Turbulence, to your shelf on Goodreads — you can preorder a copy here!

Are you an influencer, professional reviewer, or journalist? You can request a NetGalley copy of my book here, or reach out to my PR team on my website.

See you next month!