Following the lead of book publicists-turned-writers Laura Zigman (Knopf) and Jennifer Gilmore (Harcourt), increasing numbers of publicists are picking up pens. Spiegel & Grau/Doubleday’s Lucy Silag just sold her debut trilogy to Penguin imprint Razorbill, while three more publicists have books coming out in ’08. You can bet their publicists are going to be on their toes.
Sloane CrosleyI Was Told There’d Be Cake (Riverhead, Apr.)Day job: Associate director of publicity at Vintage/Anchor BooksWriting a book taught me: “It’s okay to stop being a publicist when I’m talking about my own work and just be the person who wrote it.”Did your experience help or hurt? Neither. “The thoughts I had to put aside were far more mundane than 'will the market sustain this title?’ They were daily lingering concerns about flights and jpegs.”Sarah Burningham
How to Raise Your Parents: A Teen Girl’s Survival Guide (Chronicle, May)
Day job: Associate director of publicity at William Morrow
Writing a book taught me: “I spend all day every day touting my wonderful authors, but talking about myself is a whole new challenge. I understand more now why certain authors get so anxious putting their work out into the world.”
Did your experience help or hurt? “Knowing the industry and the time line of things has been really helpful,” as has experience with publicist tricks like writing personal notes.
Martin Wilson
What They Always Tell Us (Delacorte/Random House Books for Young Readers, Aug.)
Day job: Publicist at Vintage/Anchor Books
Writing a book taught me: “That children’s and YA books, once published, get more time to grow, over a year (or maybe longer), whereas adult books pretty much get all their publicity (and sales) in roughly four months.”
Did your experience help or hurt? Help. “I know not to ask, 'Am I going to get on Oprah?’ and not to be pushy or overzealous. It’s measured excitement.”
