BOOK PUBLICIST

Get to know your instructor, the course, and what you’re in for. This lesson sets the tone — from key outcomes to how your work will take shape.

• Meet your instructor
• Course structure
• Assignments & final project

Step inside the publishing industry. Understand how publicity fits into the bigger picture and how it can make or break a book's success. Get the foundation you'll need for every decision throughout this course.

• Discussion: What was the last book you bought, and what made you buy it?
• Book publicist role
• Current UK media landscape
• Book publishing ecosystem
• Publicity vs. marketing
• Case study: Successful book publicity campaigns

Every campaign starts with understanding your audience. Learn how to dissect a book, find its unique hooks, and pinpoint exactly who will care most.

• Target readers
• Identifying the audience
• Finding the hook
• Author appeal
• Demo: Brainstorming audiences and publicity angles
• Workshop: Develop targeted publicity angles from a book synopsis

Assignment #1: Outline Audiences for a Title
Analyse a provided title and outline 3-5 core audiences, plus 5 USPs that would appeal to each group.

Before your campaign takes off, you need the right tools. Learn how to craft strong, clear materials that will carry your campaign into inboxes — and hopefully, headlines.

• Types of media outlets
• Key publicity materials
• Press releases
• Pitch letters
• What is in a media kit? 

Words matter. In this lesson, we’ll break down what makes a press release sing and a pitch letter resonate. Then you’ll create your own, sharpening your persuasive edge.

• The art of the pitch
• Demo: Live editing of a sample press release and pitch letter
• Workshop: Draft a press release for a book of your choice

Assignment #2: Pitch Letter
Write a pitch letter for a book of your choice, tailored to two media types. Show 3-5 key differences in each approach.

Once your pitch is ready, it’s time to send it out. Learn how to find the right journalists, build a media list, and refine your outreach strategy. You will also hear from a pro guest speaker on what grabs their attention.

• Targeted media lists
• Media lead times & submission guidelines
• Guest speaker: A journalist or editor on what makes a pitch stand out and what they look for in a story
• Workshop: Verbal pitching practice

Reviews and endorsements build credibility. Learn how to land them, from trade reviews to influencer blurbs, and how to align them with your campaign goals.

• Book reviews influence
• Key review outlets
• Strategies: Soliciting & managing book reviews
• Acquiring endorsements
• Workshop: Identify potential review outlets and draft an endorsement request for a selected book

Assignment #3: Target Media List
Create a top 20 media list for a given book. For each media type, include 2-3 bullets on pitch focus and angles.

Events bring books to life. Discover the variety of event formats, how to match them to your audience, and how to turn them into buzz-worthy moments.

• Event types
• Matching format to audience
• Timing the events
• Promotion & audience engagement
• Case study: Successful book events
• Workshop: Who hosts - panel or interviewer, who do you partner your author with? 

Online presence is everything. Learn how to use social media strategically to build hype, grow community, and spotlight your author or book.

• Author branding & platform
• Author online presence
• Social media for book promotion
• What if an author doesn’t have social media?
• Bloggers & booktokers
• Case study: BookTok as a publicity tool: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, Empyrean Series by Rebecca Yarros 

Assignment #4: 6-month Social Plan
Choose a book and outline a social media plan with 10–15 posts, plus 5 influencer outreach ideas with content suggestions.

What does success really look like? Learn how to measure, track, and report on campaign performance — and how to communicate results with honesty and impact.

• Publicity campaign KPIs
• Success beyond coverage
• Coverage tracking & sales conversion
• ‘Setting up paperback’
• Demo: Creating publicity reports for authors and publishers
• Linking publicity to book sales challenges

Assignment #5: PR report
Draft a one-page PR report for a fictitious campaign, outlining successes, results, and next steps.

Every campaign is different. Learn how to adapt strategy based on genre, author availability, and budget. Together, plan a full publicity campaign from start to finish.

• Case study: Examples of fiction, non-fiction, cookery, and children's
• Workshop: As a class, run through the full campaign planning process

Publicists are relationship builders. Learn how to manage expectations, build trust, and navigate the tricky moments when things don’t go to plan.

• Building author trust & agent/manager role
• Difficult conversations & author nerves
• Collaborating with internal teams
• Discussion: Balancing the needs of the author with the goals of the publisher
• Is all PR good PR?
• When a book isn’t PR-able? 

The book world is changing. Learn how to stay relevant, build meaningful industry connections, and think laterally when the usual routes aren’t working.

• Building a professional network
• Staying on top of trends
• Adapting publicity strategies
• Effective time management
• Diversity in publishing
• Discussion: What are the key trends currently shaping the book publicity landscape?

Course Project: Comprehensive Book Publicity Plan
Create a detailed publicity plan for a book launching in the next 1–6 months. Use all course learnings to map out your strategy from angles to outreach.