Book PR in Action: Spring 2025
Everything we teach at Book Publicity School stems directly from our decades of publicity experience at Press Shop PR, where we develop and execute over 30 book launch campaigns each year. Some recent highlights:
It was a busy spring at Press Shop PR!
We worked with Rachel Cockerell on her incredible book Melting Point (Farrar, Strauss and Giroux; May 2025) and landed some spectacular hits, including a spot on MSNBC’s Morning Joe and, after a huge feature in The New Yorker and rave reviews in The New York Times, The New York Review of Books, and The Washington Post, this campaign was truly a stand out.
Another exciting TV hit we scored: CNN’s feature of Defiant (Stranger Comics; June 2025), a graphic novel written by Rob Edwards. In addition to our national media pitching, we dove deep into an array of specialty outlets for this project, covering everything from history to comic books, Black audiences to South Carolina local news. Check out these great hits in The Christian Science Monitor, Geek Hard, The Root, and South Carolina NPR.
We worked with Stanford professor and Twain scholar Shelley Fisher Fishkin on her book Jim: The Life and Afterlives of Huckleberry Finn’s Comrade (Yale University Press, Black Lives; June 2025), which explores the lasting relevance and psychological resonance of this Black character written by a white author. Fishkin (along with Twain!) wrote a biting op-ed for The San Francisco Chronicle and she was featured in this Axios article and on many excellent history, literature, and culture podcasts.
Daniel Breyer is the author of the novel Smokebirds (Rare Bird Lit; April 2025). He used his insider’s perspective—as the son of a billionaire—to write a smart satire of the ultra-wealthy. We were thrilled to snag this great feature in The Wall Street Journal.
We are obsessed with Abigail Leonard’s Four Mothers (Algonquin; May 2025), which takes a look at the first year of motherhood for four women in four countries–and why it differs so vastly from place to place. In addition to a dozen podcast interviews and other coverage, we landed a spot on PBS Story in the Public Square and excellent features in The Guardian and Ms. Magazine.
How can we live practically and mindfully amid the current climate crisis? In Shelter and Storm (University of Minnesota Press; April 2025), Tamara Dean explores her path to living lightly on the planet, in the Driftless area of Wisconsin. Dean had a lovely interview on Prairie Public Radio (North Dakota NPR) and TMJ4 Morning Blend, plus a great interview on Daily Yonder.
Ok, phew. Clearly, we need a little summer break to catch our breath!