Publicists are having to be “more and more creative” as they look to manoeuvre changing print and online opportunities for their titles, industry professionals have told The Bookseller. 

While some newspaper literary editors say their print coverage is holding steady after cuts to pages during the Covid-19 pandemic, publicists say competition is tougher than ever for small spaces, with magazines and journals often hard-hit. 

Jess Gulliver, associate director at Premier Comms, said: “Since 2021 review coverage has shrunk even more, there is less space than previously, and more books being published, and with that more novels being proofed and sent out earlier and earlier. Our industry publicists are having to be more and more creative. With non-fiction it can be easier to get traction, but there’s still as much of a drive from authors, agents and editors to secure reviews from traditional media.”  

Gulliver said there is still the “enormous pressure to secure these really small spots” for the “highly-sought and tough-to-get reviews”. She added: “As ever, publicists are having to think more and more creatively, and I also think – especially in terms of commercial fiction — the lines between marketing and publicity are getting more and more blurred, and eventually both roles will be redefined or merged, especially as the media landscape continues to change.” 

Freelance book publicist and publicity manager at Reaktion Books Helen McCusker told The Bookseller: “The literary coverage landscape has dramatically changed since I first started working in publishing almost two decades ago – even more so in the last two years. Print coverage continues to shrink — and in some instances, disappear completely — as many magazines migrate to online, subscription-based platforms. Technological changes have something to do with this — the rise in e-reading, social media and the way we consume our news.”  

The pandemic has also left an impact. “I also think the post-Covid working environment has changed the way we all work, literary editors included, and with many journalists now working from home, most of our daily correspondence is virtual. Sending unsolicited review copies to home addresses is frowned upon and rightly so, which means publicists need to think more creatively about how they pitch their new titles. I’ll often pitch a new book on social media, rather than by email…. A viral social media post could ultimately sell more copies of a book than a lengthy long-read. Whereas digital coverage used to be a ‘nicety’, it’s now become an essential part of any book publicity campaign.” 

McCusker believes that publicists now need to work holistically and comprehensively across a range of platforms. She said: “Publicists now have a wide array of alternative reviewers and influencers at their fingertips – a positive review by a popular BookToker or BookTuber could result in books flying off the shelves the same day. Followers are the new review column readers.  

“The digital world has increased the promotional opportunities available for books, although one could argue that it has dispersed potential readers across a wider publicity landscape – thus making it more difficult to reach a larger number of potential book buyers in one hit. There is also the issue of editorial guidelines online, or lack of, with a book blogger being able to post whatever they wish on their personal site (good or bad).”  

She added: “An expansion of diverse publicity channels for books in recent years – a mix of self-published magazines, celebrity endorsers, niche podcasts, professional literary reviewers and amateur bloggers – means that more opportunities are available to publishers, but with considerably less control.” 

Among magazines, Stylist still has reduced coverage post-pandemic though it regularly features books and writers. Features editor Hannah Keegan, who oversees the book coverage, said: “Our books page is monthly and we run author interviews and book round-ups online and occasionally in print — space is more limited than pre-pandemic. In terms of interviews, the book’s subject and/or author needs to be particularly pertinent to the reader or well-known for us to run a profile.”