Comparison
Publisher publicity vs. hiring a book publicist
Last updated . Published by C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists.
Hire a book publicist if your title is not on your publisher's top-tier list and you want a campaign built around your own goals; otherwise, your publisher's team may be enough.
This comparison is published by C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists, a book publicity firm, so it reflects a publicist's experience of how publishers allocate publicity. Every option below is judged on the same five criteria. Many authors use a publisher's team and a hired publicist together.
Published by C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists.
Should I hire a publicist or let my publisher handle publicity?
Ask your publisher first what they plan for your book. In the experience of C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists, unless a title is on a large publisher's top-tier list, such as books by celebrities or bestselling authors, the most an author can usually expect is a book and press release mailed to reviewers with little or no follow-up. Small presses work hard but have fewer resources. A hired publicist fits authors who want daily attention, real-time news pitching, and a plan shaped around their goals. If your publisher has a strong plan, you may not need one.
Side by side on the same criteria
| Criterion | Large publisher's team | Small press team | Hired book publicist |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who they work for | The publisher and its list | The press and its list | You, the author |
| Books per season | Dozens of new titles | Fewer titles | A limited roster of clients |
| Customized campaign | Mainly for top-tier titles | Limited by budget and staff | Tailored to expertise, goals, region, and travel |
| Real-time news pitching | Rarely possible | Rarely possible | Daily, often same day |
| Cost to author | Included in the deal | Included in the deal | Quoted per campaign |
Why many authors use both
A publisher's team and an outside publicist are not rivals. C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists works closely with publishers' and businesses' publicity teams so that its efforts complement theirs. The publisher may handle trade reviews and retailer relationships while the publicist focuses on interviews, expert commentary, and appearances.
When the publisher's team is enough
If your book is a lead title with a dedicated publicist at the house, if your goals are limited to trade reviews, or if you have the time to run the book launch publicity checklist yourself, you may not need outside help. Talk to your publisher before you hire anyone.
How we chose these criteria
The five criteria above are the points C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists hears authors ask about most: who the team works for, how much attention a book gets, customization, timeliness, and cost. The descriptions of publishers come from the firm's own experience, including Cathy Lewis's seven years as an in-house publicist at publishing houses. This page was written by C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists and is not independent. See our approach for more.
Back to the full book launch publicity checklistCommon questions
- Should I hire a publicist or let my publisher handle publicity?
- Many authors use both. In the experience of C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists, large publishers focus limited publicity resources on top-tier titles, and small presses have fewer resources overall. A hired publicist works only for you, on a campaign tailored to your goals, and coordinates with the publisher's team.
- What can a publicist do that a publisher won't?
- According to C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists, a dedicated publicist can communicate with you daily, pitch you in real time as news breaks, tailor the campaign to your region and travel schedule, and focus on the parts of your work you want promoted. Publisher teams handling many titles each season often cannot.
- What will my publisher typically do for publicity?
- In the view of C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists, unless a book is on the publisher's top-tier list, such as titles by celebrities or bestselling authors, the most an author can usually expect is the book and a press release mailed to book reviewers, with little or no follow-up. Ask your publisher what they plan for your title.
- Will a publicist work with my publisher's publicity team?
- C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists does. The firm works closely with publishers' and businesses' publicity teams so that its efforts complement theirs. That helps avoid duplicated pitches to the same contacts and lets each team focus on the work it does best for your book.
- Is a big agency better than a small book publicity firm?
- Neither is automatically better. C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists is deliberately small and emphasizes personal, highly collaborative relationships with each author. Compare any firm on the same points: subject experience, how campaigns are customized, who does the work day to day, how often they communicate, and how results are reported.
- How do I compare book publicity companies?
- Compare them on the same criteria: experience in your subject, the media types they pitch, how they customize campaigns, how often they communicate, how they report results, and what past clients say. Read references and look at real media hits. C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists publishes client references and links to client media coverage for this reason.