FAQ
These are direct answers to 45 questions authors ask before hiring a book publicist, from C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists.
Questions are grouped by topic: what book publicity is, pricing, how campaigns work, who they suit, alternatives, getting started, and common problems.
Last updated: . Published by C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists
A book publicist earns media coverage for an author and a book. At C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists, that means creating a media kit, sending books and kits to the media contacts that matter, following up to secure interviews, reviews, and bylined articles, and pitching the author into news stories as they break, often the same day.
Publicity earns coverage you do not buy directly, such as interviews, reviews, and features, while marketing usually covers paid and owned channels like ads, websites, and email. C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists focuses on publicity and also offers internet marketing help: content for websites, blogs, and social and business networks so exposure continues after a campaign ends.
Author PR services build the author’s public profile, not only one book’s launch. C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists positions authors as newsworthy experts through print, radio, television, and internet exposure, helps them become regular contributors at outlets such as Forbes.com and PsychologyToday.com, and aims for new publishing deals, new clients, and speaking engagements.
A book PR agency is a firm that does publicity specifically for books and their authors. C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists describes itself as a small book publicity firm that does nothing but book publicity, serving both authors and publishers with customized campaigns rather than one standard package for every client.
A campaign can pursue print, radio, television, podcasts, and online outlets. C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists blends classic and new media in each campaign. Its authors have been featured in business publications, national newspapers, women’s magazines, and online venues, and receive regional and national radio and television interviews.
Cathy Lewis is president. She worked as an in-house publicist at publishing houses for seven years before launching the firm in 1994. David C. Lewis is vice president and helps authors focus their messaging through podcasts, radio, television, and contributor roles at sites such as Thrive Global, Forbes.com, Chief Executive, and PsychologyToday.com.
Costs vary widely with scope and length. Reedsy reports a median of $1,370 for a one-month campaign through its freelancer marketplace, and a publishing newsletter by Kathleen Schmidt estimates a full campaign at $15,000 to $25,000, both as cited by Everything PR. C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists does not publish prices, so ask the firm for a quote.
No. The firm’s website does not state prices, because each campaign is customized from a mix of services chosen for the author’s goals. The best way to get a number is to contact the firm, describe your book, launch date, and goals, and ask what a campaign would include and cost.
Scope is the main driver. A campaign that adds internet marketing, speaker services, media coaching, or ghostwritten op-eds and articles involves more people and time than core book publicity alone. Campaign length and coordinating appearances around author travel also change the work involved. Ask any firm to price each element separately.
It depends on your goals. Publicity is strongest when you value name recognition, expert positioning, and future opportunities, not only first-week sales. The Best Seller Publishing guide to publicity services notes that entrepreneurs who get the most from a book track inbound leads and speaking engagements for 12 months after release, not just early rankings.
A one-month campaign can create a burst of coverage, but building an author’s platform usually takes longer. Reedsy’s reported median of $1,370 applies to one-month campaigns specifically. If your goals include speaking engagements and new clients, plan for a longer window and measure results over months, not weeks.
Some publicists offer pay-for-placement models, but many firms charge for the work of pitching because coverage is never guaranteed. C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists does not publish its fee structure, so ask the firm directly how billing works and what reporting you will receive along the way.
It starts with a conversation about your expertise and strengths, your media experience, and your professional goals. From there the firm customizes a media kit and a strategic campaign designed to generate interest in you and your book, and works closely with your publisher’s publicity team so the efforts complement each other.
A media kit is the background material producers, journalists, editors, and bloggers use when deciding to cover you. C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists builds kits with reviews, story ideas, interview topics, and by-lined article options. Sample press kits from past campaigns, such as Carol Roth’s The Entrepreneur Equation, appear on the firm’s website.
They watch the news and pitch fast. C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists develops timely pitches that align authors with breaking stories as they happen, often the same day, because being the first publicist to respond to a hot-button event is how on-the-spot interviews and appearances get booked.
Ask for regular reporting before you sign. Client Mark Pastin wrote that Cathy Lewis keeps authors up to date as opportunities emerge and gives a monthly summary of results. The Best Seller Publishing guide also recommends requesting dated milestones so you can review progress at 30, 60, and 90 days.
Yes, and it is a standard part of the firm’s service. C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists evaluates opportunities to maximize author travel to major media markets and coordinates appearances with your personal schedule, such as arranging a local television appearance or a book signing in a city you already plan to visit.
Campaigns can be shaped around your comfort level, and coaching is available. C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists customizes each campaign to the author’s strengths and media experience, and its support services include media coaching that trains authors to look and feel confident on television, on radio, and before live audiences.
Yes. Podcasts are a regular part of modern campaigns. David C. Lewis helps authors establish their brand through frequent podcast, radio, and television appearances, and the firm’s blog explains how authors can get more from each podcast interview by connecting with the host, other guests, and listeners afterward.
Yes. Through its writing services, C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists can arrange ghostwritten op-ed pieces and by-lined articles based on your book and expertise for newspapers, magazines, and trade journals, plus newsletters and marketing material for your business or professional practice.
The firm lists an established track record in ten subject areas: business, careers, work/life, parenting, health, diet/nutrition, food/cookbooks, self-help, human potential, and New Age/spirituality. Its client list also includes current events, economics, and politics titles such as Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, 3rd Edition, by John Perkins.
The firm serves authors and publishers and works directly for the author when an author hires it. Its website does not set a rule about how a book is published, so indie authors should contact the firm with their book, launch date, and goals to discuss fit. Its client list includes books from small presses as well as large houses.
Yes. C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists serves publishers as well as authors, and works closely with publishers’ and businesses’ publicity teams so its efforts complement theirs. Past client books were published by houses including Hay House, Viking Penguin, St. Martin’s Press, Harmony Books, and Bard Press.
Executives, consultants, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders whose book supports their business usually benefit most. C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists aims business campaigns at publishing opportunities, new client acquisition, and high-value speaking engagements, and its blog argues that for CEO authors, publication is the starting line, not the finish line.
A publicist helps when you want health media to treat you as an expert. Health and medical titles form one of the largest groups on the C.S. Lewis & Co. client list, including books by Daniel G. Amen, MD, Susan Lark, MD, Judith Orloff, MD, and Stephen T. Sinatra, MD.
Yes. Parenting is one of the ten subject areas where C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists lists an established track record. Past parenting titles include Baby 411 by Ari Brown, MD, and Denise Fields, Healthy Lunchbox by Rallie McAllister, MD, and Shouting at the Sky by Gary Ferguson.
Earlier is better, because media kits, review copies, and long-lead magazine pitches all take time, and many publicists suggest starting several months before publication. C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists works with authors and publishers who have a book launching soon, so contact the firm with your publication date to hear what is realistic.
Often, yes, especially when the author’s expertise connects to current news. Because publicity pitches the author as an expert on timely stories, an older book can still earn coverage. Ask C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists how it would approach your title; the firm’s website does not set a rule about publication dates.
Because a hired publicist works for you. The C.S. Lewis & Co. FAQ explains that publishers release dozens of titles each season, so unless a book is on the top tier list, an author may get little more than a press release mailed to reviewers. A dedicated firm tailors a campaign to your expertise, goals, region, and schedule.
Small presses often work hard for fewer authors but have fewer resources than big houses. The C.S. Lewis & Co. FAQ notes that small presses usually lack the budget and staff to design a targeted campaign for each author, and lack the first-name relationships with hundreds of editors, reporters, columnists, and producers that a dedicated firm builds.
Both can work, so compare scope and relationships. Freelancers found through marketplaces such as Reedsy, which reports a median of $1,370 for a one-month campaign, can suit a short push. A firm like C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists has a team and can add speaker services, media coaching, and writing services to a longer campaign.
Yes, and many authors do some of it themselves through podcasts, social media, and their own websites. The trade-off is time and access. A firm such as C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists spends every workday pitching and following up, and brings established media relationships that a first-time author has to build from scratch.
Ask every firm the same questions. The Best Seller Publishing guide suggests asking for the specific podcasts, trade publications, or broadcast segments a firm has placed clients on in the last 12 months, and requesting dated milestones at 30, 60, and 90 days. Also compare subject experience, team size, reporting, and what the fee includes.
Ask each firm for client references and real coverage examples. C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists publishes client comments on its References page and links to media pages of past clients, such as Daniel G. Amen, MD, Carol Roth, and Ora Nadrich, so you can see actual coverage from its campaigns.
Use the contact page on the firm’s main website at cslewispublicity.com/contact-us. It lists phone and email contacts for Cathy Lewis and David Lewis, along with the firm’s offices in Woodstock, New York, and Boynton Beach, Florida. Mention your book, publication date, and goals.
Have your book’s title, publication date, publisher, and a short summary, plus a clear sense of your goals, such as sales, speaking, new clients, or a next book deal. Note any past media experience and upcoming travel. C.S. Lewis & Co. starts every campaign with a conversation about exactly these points.
The firm lists two offices: 2 Oriole Drive, Woodstock, New York 12498, and 31-F Stratford Lane West, Boynton Beach, Florida 33436. Publicity work runs by phone, email, and media pitching, and the firm’s authors have been featured in media across North America.
Cathy Lewis launched C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists in 1994 after seven years as an in-house publicist at publishing houses. According to the firm’s About page, her campaigns have helped land authors on the Wall Street Journal and New York Times bestseller lists.
A small firm can offer close, personal collaboration. C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists describes itself as a small firm that takes pride in highly collaborative relationships with authors and publishers. Client Mark Pastin noted that Cathy Lewis has a team working with her so she can cover everything, and the firm brings in specialists for speaking, coaching, and writing.
It can, and that is one of the firm’s stated goals. C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists designs campaigns to open opportunities in publishing, new client acquisition, and high-value speaking engagements, and offers speaker services through partner professionals to help authors land paid or professionally valuable talks.
No honest publicist can guarantee coverage, because editors and producers decide what runs. What a firm controls is the quality of its pitches, its follow-up, and its relationships. Ask for examples of recent placements and a reporting schedule so you can judge the work as it happens.
Talk with your publicist about changing the angle. Strong campaigns keep producing fresh pitches tied to the news rather than repeating one story. Reviewing results at 30, 60, and 90 days, as the Best Seller Publishing guide recommends, gives you natural points to adjust course before the budget is spent.
Look for clear reporting, realistic promises, and verifiable past results. Ask to see real coverage from recent campaigns and to hear from past clients. C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists publishes client comments on its References page and links to real media pages from client campaigns.
Measure beyond launch week. The Best Seller Publishing guide notes that entrepreneurs who get the most from a book track inbound leads and speaking engagements for 12 months after release. Count interviews, reviews, bylines, and mentions too, along with new opportunities in publishing and business.
The coverage keeps working. C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists aims to create an online presence that generates new exposure long after a campaign ends, and helps authors form long-term relationships with editors, producers, and journalists who come to regard them as experts in their field.
Tell C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists your title, publication date, and goals. Every campaign starts with that conversation.
Published by C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists
