Unfortunately, most of us learn while making mistakes. When an author finishes a manuscript and experiences the euphoria of acceptance by a publishing house, the joy is often short-lived, for he is faced with yet another daunting task: the successful publicity for his title.

To that end, Lissa Warren has provided an exhaustive guide to aid the author in this next phase of book publication, discussing the broader meaning of PR as it relates to the author and the critical importance of finding the appropriate publicist, marrying the creative process (author) to financial success (publicist).

Not only does the publicist work closely with the author, establishing goals and assigning behind-the-scenes tasks that can be accomplished by the author, but she walks the him through the process: what to ask a publicist (what not to ask), what to expect in the way of services, the publicist’s role in everything from media outreach to setting up author tours and the interviewing process.

Offering author anecdotes and personal stories from her own experience as a publicist (most of whom, she claims, are female), Warren’s unique perspective allows the author a peek behind the often overwhelming aspects of the publicity machine, breaking the process down into manageable bites, taking one step at a time to achieve a mutually successful goal.

There are ten specific suggestions for garnering media attention, tips on putting together a professional press package, including samples (see Appendix) for creating the documents that make a package memorable, interviews, query and promotional letters, virtually an alphabet soup of what the author needs to know, including FAQs and advice from professionals in related fields, editors, critics and booksellers.

Warren speaks from personal experience in publishing, writing an insider’s guide to media attention while taking advantage of that critical window of opportunity when the book is first released. She discusses every part of the process in detail, current trends, book reviews, preparing for author tours and interviews, what to expect and avoidable mistakes.

This comprehensive guide is more than a resource; it is a valuable asset in a fiercely competitive publishing world, where that extra edge can make all the difference and a skillful publicist’s expertise can open the right doors, creating media buzz and pitching the title to an attentive audience.

Rather than be overwhelmed by the post-publication process, where the book may sink or swim according to the amount of media attention it gets, Warren offers pertinent suggestions, user-friendly and enthusiastic, while remaining realistic about goals. Get out your highlighter for this book; you’ll be using it a lot.