Book Publicity School equips authors and academics with the skills, strategies, and practical tools they need to promote their books effectively. Through online workshops and coaching, you’ll learn how to position your work, build visibility, and navigate the publicity landscape like a pro.
Informed by the full-service media campaigns we run at Press Shop PR—our sister company and one of the country’s top independent literary publicity firms—our workshops show you what works in today’s book promotion landscape, and how you can apply it to your own launch.
Press Shop PR has worked on media campaigns for #1 New York Times bestsellers including ON TYRANNY by Tim Snyder, MARCH by Rep. John Lewis, and WELCOME TO THE UNIVERSE IN 3D by Neil deGrasse Tyson, and over 400 other titles. Press Shop regularly lines up coverage in outlets like the New York Times, Washington Post, The Atlantic, and shows on NPR, MSNBC, and CNN.
Leah Paulos, founder of Book Publicity School and Press Shop PR, has spent over 25 years at the intersection of books and media. She has led publicity campaigns for hundreds of authors, securing media coverage and events while guiding them through the world of publishing. Wanting to support more writers than Press Shop PR could accommodate, Leah created Book Publicity School to share her expertise and passion with a wider audience at an accessible price.
She has spoken on book publicity at venues including the Columbia School of Journalism and the Authors’ Guild, and on podcasts like Brad Listi’s Otherppl and The Writer Files. Leah began her career as a magazine editor at Condé Nast and went on to write and edit for several national publications. A Cornell University graduate (1998), she lives in Brooklyn with her husband and co-book publicist, Andy Davis, and their two boys.
Emma McGlashen (she/they) is the Director of Book Publicity School and a publicist with Press Shop PR. She co-creates all of our programming, manages author relations, and oversees our advertising and marketing campaigns.
She is an alum of the University of Michigan with degrees in Literature, Neuroscience, and Drama. In her free time, she is the creative director of Murmuration Theatre Company, a Brooklyn-based independent theatre organization.
Madeleine (Maddie) Barnes (she/her) is a writer and visual artist who has worked with Press Shop PR since 2017. She is the author of one full-length poetry collection and four chapbooks, and she holds an MFA in Creative Writing from New York University.
At Book Publicity School, she wears many hats — she works on web design, marketing, social media, and curriculum development. Over the years, she has helped Press Shop with numerous high-profile campaigns, projects, and collaborations. This experience, in combination with her writing background and practice, continually informs her dedication to helping authors skillfully and creatively represent their work.
Book Publicity School is delighted to be the publicity partner of the Whiting Foundation, which has been supporting emerging writers and the arts since 1973. Past grantees include Colson Whitehead, Lydia Davis, Jeffrey Eugenides, Jonathan Franzen, Katha Pollitt, and Tony Kushner—all recognized by Whiting long before they became household names. Recent winners include Jia Tolentino, Ocean Vuong, Nicholas Boggs, Jericho Brown, Tony Tulathimutte, and Megha Majumdar.
More about the partnership in this Publishers Weekly piece.
Among the books Press Shop PR has worked on:
Book Publicity School is powered by Press Shop PR,
which was featured 2x in the Observer's annual list
of the country’s top PR companies.
