In this episode of the FrontMatter podcast, Len Epp interviews Leah Paulos, founder of Press Shop PR and Book Publicity School. With over 25 years of experience in media and book publicity, Leah shares her journey from magazine journalism to book PR, highlighting her career’s evolution, especially as media and publishing landscapes have shifted dramatically.

Leah reflects on how she moved from magazines like Condé Nast to running Press Shop PR, where she’s worked on major campaigns for books such as On Tyranny by Tim Snyder and March by John Lewis. Her transition to book publicity stemmed from her insight into media processes and her desire to help authors navigate the complex world of publishing. This experience led her to establish Book Publicity School, aimed at affordably equipping authors with the skills they need to promote their own books, particularly when they don’t have access to full-service PR campaigns.

The interview delves into the challenges and strategies in today’s book publicity, from creating effective media campaigns to leveraging platforms like social media. Leah discusses how authors must now be highly adaptable, as digital-native outlets, podcasts, and social media play bigger roles in publicity than ever before. She emphasizes that authors need to understand the publishing process and engage actively in promoting their work, especially since traditional publishers often rely on authors to take the lead in their own book promotion.

Leah also shares insights from Book Publicity School, which offers free and paid courses on book promotion. For example, her free monthly webinar gives authors an introductory overview of PR, while she also offers a comprehensive six-week workshop covering everything from media list building to social media strategy. Leah’s advice includes practical tips on researching relevant media outlets, crafting concise pitches, and using spreadsheets to track outreach efforts — key skills for authors to build a sustainable, long-term promotion plan.

The conversation concludes with Leah’s advice on handling book promotion on social media, noting that authors should focus on what works for authors like them who have successfully built audiences on the various platforms.

This interview was recorded on October 28, 2024.

The full audio for the interview is here: https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/leanpub_podcasts/FM304-Leah-Paulos-2024-10-28.mp3. The Frontmatter podcast is available on our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/leanpub, in Apple Podcasts here https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/frontmatter/id517117137, and almost everywhere else people listen to podcasts.