FAQ
Here are plain answers to the questions indie authors ask most before hiring a book publicist.
C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists answers 46 questions below, grouped by topic: what a publicist is, pricing, how a campaign works, who it is for, alternatives, practical details, getting started and common problems.
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A book publicist works to get an author and a book into the media. At C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists that means building a media kit, sending books and kits to media contacts, following up to secure interviews, reviews, features and bylined articles, and pitching the author to print, radio, television and online outlets, often tying pitches to breaking news the same day.
An indie book publicist is an independent publicist who works for the author rather than for a publishing house. C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists is a small independent firm founded in 1994 that builds customized media campaigns around each author's expertise and goals, instead of fitting a book into a publisher's seasonal list.
No. Book publicity earns coverage, such as interviews, reviews, features and op-eds, while marketing usually covers paid promotion and sales tactics. C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists focuses on publicity and also offers internet marketing support, such as helping authors develop content for social networks, websites and blogs so exposure continues after a campaign ends.
A book PR agency is a firm that handles media relations for authors and publishers. C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists describes itself as a small book publicity firm rather than a large agency, and it emphasizes personal, highly collaborative relationships with each author it represents, with campaigns tailored to that author's strengths and professional goals.
C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists runs campaigns across print, radio, television and internet media, including podcasts. Its authors have been featured in business publications, national newspapers, women's magazines and online outlets, and have appeared on regional and national radio and television. The mix for your book depends on your subject and goals.
Yes. Through its writing services partners, C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists can provide ghostwritten op-ed pieces and bylined articles based on your book and expertise for placement in newspapers, magazines and trade journals. The firm has also helped clients become regular contributors at sites such as Forbes.com, Psychology Today and Thrive Global.
Not this one. Premade covers are a design service, and C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists does publicity: media kits, pitching, interviews, reviews and bylined articles. If you are searching for an indie book publicist premade covers package, plan on hiring a cover designer separately and bringing the publicist in once your book and launch date are set.
C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists does not publish set prices. Each campaign is customized, so cost depends on the services you combine, such as book and author publicity, internet marketing, media coaching, speaker services or writing services, and on how long the campaign runs. Ask the firm directly for a quote based on your book and launch date.
Scope is the main driver. A campaign that combines publicity with media coaching, speaker services and ghostwritten articles involves more people than a focused publicity push. Length matters too, as does travel coordination across major media markets. Because the firm mixes and matches services, you can discuss which pieces matter most for your launch.
It depends on your goals. C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists positions authors as experts to generate book sales and future opportunities in publishing, client acquisition and speaking. One client, Mike Song, reports making over 100 media appearances and selling over 125,000 copies in 11 languages, but results vary by book, and no publicist can guarantee coverage.
Be clear about your goals, be available, and respond quickly. The firm pitches authors into breaking news, often the same day, so an author who can do an interview on short notice gets more chances. Clients report receiving updates as opportunities emerge and a monthly summary of results, which helps you track what your budget is producing.
C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists does not promise specific placements on its site, and earned media is never fully in a publicist's control. What the firm describes is the work itself: a media kit, intensive follow-up, timely pitches and relationships with editors, reporters and producers. Ask any publicist how they report results before you sign.
It starts with a conversation. The firm asks about your expertise and strengths, your media experience and, above all, your professional goals. From there it builds a customized media kit and a strategic campaign designed to generate interest in you and your book, matched to your schedule and the outlets that fit your subject.
A media kit gives producers, journalists, editors and bloggers background on you and your book. C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists builds kits that media contacts can use for reviews, story ideas, interview topics and bylined articles. Examples of past client press kits are posted on the firm's main website if you want to see the format.
They connect your expertise to stories already in the news. C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists develops timely pitches that align authors with breaking stories as they happen, often the same day, because the first publicist to respond to a hot-button event is the one most likely to book the interview or appearance.
Yes. The firm evaluates opportunities in major media markets and coordinates appearances with your personal travel schedule. Its own FAQ gives an example: if you planned to visit family in Florida, it could arrange a local television appearance or coordinate a book signing in the area while you are there.
Tell the firm up front. C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists customizes campaigns around your strengths, so it can lean on formats where you are comfortable. It also offers media coaching through partner professionals, which trains authors to look and sound confident on television, on radio and before live audiences.
C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists clients describe being kept up to date as opportunities emerge, plus a monthly summary of results. That rhythm lets you see interviews, reviews and placements as they land, and it gives you a regular point to adjust the campaign with the team.
Yes. C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists works closely with publishers' and businesses' publicity teams so its efforts complement theirs rather than duplicate them. That matters if your publisher plans to mail review copies while you want a broader campaign built around your expertise and goals.
Yes. David C. Lewis, the firm's vice president, helps authors focus their messaging and build their brand through frequent interviews on podcasts, radio and television. The firm's blog also covers how authors can get more from every podcast appearance, including new connections with hosts, other guests and listeners.
Authors and publishers with a book launching soon are the firm's highest priority. A publicist is most useful when you have a clear area of expertise, want media exposure beyond review copies, and have goals beyond the book itself, such as speaking engagements, new clients or future publishing deals.
C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists works directly for authors, so you do not need a large publisher's publicity department behind you to hire the firm. Campaigns are built around your expertise and goals rather than a publisher's list. Contact the firm with your title, subject and launch date to confirm fit for your specific book.
The firm has an established track record in ten subject areas: business, careers, work/life, parenting, health, diet and nutrition, food and cookbooks, self-help, human potential, and New Age and spirituality. Its published client list also includes authors writing on current events, economics and politics.
The firm's listed track record is in nonfiction areas such as business, health, parenting and self-help, and its campaigns position authors as expert sources for the media. If your book is fiction, ask the firm directly whether your title is a fit before you plan a campaign around it.
Yes. High-value speaking engagements and new client acquisition are stated goals of the firm's campaigns, and its speaker services partners help authors land professionally valuable speaking opportunities. The firm's blog argues that for executive authors, publication is the starting line rather than the finish line.
Yes. C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists serves both authors and publishers and builds collaborative relationships with each. Publishers with a title launching soon can bring the firm in to run or extend a campaign alongside their in-house team, so the two efforts complement each other.
Because a publicist works only on publicity, and works for you. According to C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists, unless a book is on a large 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 reviewers, with little or no follow-up.
Maybe. The firm notes that small, independent presses tend to work hard and have fewer books to focus on, but also fewer resources than big publishers, and usually lack the budget or staff for a targeted campaign for each author. An outside publicist can add media relationships and daily pitching on top of their work.
You can, and many authors start that way. The tradeoff is time and relationships: C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists spends every workday on publicity and reports first-name relationships with hundreds of editors, reporters, columnists and producers. Doing it yourself works best when your goals are modest and your schedule allows daily follow-up.
Neither is better for everyone. A small firm like C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists emphasizes personal, collaborative relationships and campaigns customized to one author. A larger agency may offer more staff. Choose based on who will work on your book day to day, their record in your subject, and how they report results.
Hire for the result you want. A book publicist earns media coverage that positions you as an expert, while a book marketing agency typically focuses on advertising and sales promotion. C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists centers on publicity, with internet marketing support to extend your exposure online after a campaign ends.
Customize. The firm can tailor a campaign to your expertise, goals, region and travel schedule, communicate with you daily to pitch news in real time, and promote a specific area of your work you want highlighted. Its FAQ says large publisher publicity departments generally lack the time, budget or staff to do that for every author.
The firm lists two offices: 2 Oriole Drive, Woodstock, New York 12498, and 31-F Stratford Lane West, Boynton Beach, Florida 33436. Its authors have been covered by national and regional outlets, and its campaigns have reached print media across the United States and Canada, according to client testimonials.
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 and Forbes.com.
C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists was founded in 1994 by Cathy Lewis, after seven years as an in-house publicist at publishing houses. That is more than three decades of book publicity work. The firm describes itself as small and focused on personal, highly collaborative relationships with authors and publishers.
Yes. According to the firm, Cathy Lewis's campaigns have landed authors on the Wall Street Journal and New York Times bestseller lists. Client Mike Song credits Cathy and her team as a big part of the success of his bestseller The Hamster Revolution, which he says sold over 125,000 copies in 11 languages.
The firm links to media pages of past clients, including Daniel Amen MD, Areva Martin, Ted Baxter, Ora Nadrich, Judith Orloff and Carol Roth, so you can see real coverage rather than promises. Those links are collected on the client results page of this site and on the firm's main website.
Use the contact page on the firm's main website at cslewispublicity.com. The firm lists Cathy Lewis and David Lewis as contacts, with the phone number 845-679-2188, and email at cslewispublicity@gmail.com or david@cslewispublicity.com. Include your title, subject and launch date so the team can respond with specifics.
As early as you can once you have a launch date. The firm's highest priority is authors and publishers with a book launching soon. Media kits, book mailings and follow-up all take time, and many outlets plan coverage ahead, so starting before release gives the campaign room to work.
Have your title, subject, publisher or publishing path, and launch date ready. Think through your expertise, past media experience and professional goals, since those drive the first conversation. Any travel planned around your launch is useful too, because the firm can coordinate media appearances with it.
Ask who will work on your campaign day to day, which media they know in your subject, how they tie pitches to news, how often they report results, and what past clients in your area achieved. C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists publishes client testimonials and links to past client media pages you can review first.
Check their track record in your subject, read client testimonials, and look at real coverage from past campaigns rather than promises. C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists lists ten subject areas, a long client list and links to client media pages, which lets you verify its work before you make contact.
Not necessarily. The firm's pitches tie authors to breaking news, which does not depend on release dates, and its blog stresses that publication is the starting line for an author's platform. Still, a launch window offers the most momentum, so contact the firm with your timeline as soon as you can.
Several C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists clients say they came to the firm after disappointing publicists. One describes a well-thought-through game plan that landed a spot on CNN, and another says he had heard all the bad things about publicists but was completely satisfied. Review the testimonials, then ask how the firm would plan your campaign.
Look at the angle first. Review copies alone rarely carry a book, so the firm positions authors as newsworthy experts and pitches them into current stories across print, radio, television and online media. If coverage has stalled, a fresh angle tied to your expertise is often the place to restart.
Tell the firm your availability. Campaigns are customized to your schedule and comfort, and options such as bylined articles, ghostwritten op-eds and online contributor posts can build exposure with less live airtime. Same-day news pitches do reward authors who can make time on short notice.
C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists gives priority to authors and publishers with a launch on the calendar. Share your title, subject and launch date, and the firm will talk through a campaign built around your goals.
Contact the firm about your launchPublished by C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists
