Indie book publicist

Indie book publicist: what one does for your book

An indie book publicist is an independent publicist hired by the author, not the publishing house, to win media coverage for a book.

C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists is a small, independent book publicity firm founded in 1994. It builds custom campaigns across print, radio, television and online media that position each author as a newsworthy expert, aiming for book sales and future opportunities such as speaking and new publishing deals.

Last updated: November 2026

What does an indie book publicist do day to day?

Mostly, they pitch and follow up. The daily work is less glamorous than the results: contacting the right producer, checking whether a review copy arrived, and sending a fresh angle the moment a story breaks. Here is what C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists lists as its core book and author publicity work:

Create a media kit that producers, journalists, editors and bloggers can use for reviews, story ideas, interview topics and bylined articles.
Send books and media kits to every media contact that matters, then manage intensive follow-up to secure interviews, features, mentions, reviews, op-eds and bylined articles.
Write a continual stream of original, timely pitches and align them with breaking news, often the same day.
Build a custom list of top media contacts the firm already has relationships with, and offer each one story ideas that fit their audience.
Coordinate appearances in major media markets with your own travel schedule.

Indie book publicist basics

Indie book publicist, defined

An indie book publicist is a publicist or small firm that works independently of any publishing house and is hired directly by an author or publisher. Because the author is the client, the campaign follows the author's goals: the subjects they want promoted, the regions they will be in, and the formats they are comfortable with. C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists has worked this way since 1994, after founder Cathy Lewis spent seven years as an in-house publicist at publishing houses and decided she could serve authors better on her own.

What an indie book publicist does not do

Publicity is not cover design, editing, distribution or paid advertising. If you are searching for an indie book publicist premade covers bundle, you are looking for two different specialists. C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists focuses on publicity, supported by internet marketing help and partner services for speaking, media coaching and writing. Get your cover and launch date settled first, then bring a publicist in early enough to plan the campaign.

How is an indie book publicist different from a publisher's publicist?

An in-house publicist at a publisher divides time across a whole seasonal list. According to C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists, unless a book is on a large publisher's top tier list, the most an author can usually expect is the book and a press release mailed to reviewers, with little or no follow-up. Small presses tend to work hard with fewer titles, but have fewer resources.

An indie book publicist adds daily attention, real-time news pitching and a campaign tailored to one author. The firm also works alongside publisher teams so the efforts complement each other. See the full independent publicist vs publisher comparison.

Signs you are ready to hire an indie book publicist

Your book has a launch date, ideally still a few months away.
You can explain your expertise in a sentence a producer would understand.
You have goals beyond sales, such as speaking, consulting clients or a next book.
You can say yes to interviews on short notice when a story breaks.
Your subject fits areas where the firm has a track record, such as business, health, parenting or self-help.

Back to the full guide to book publicists for indie authors

Common questions

What is an indie book publicist?

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.

Does an indie book publicist provide premade covers?

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.

What does a book publicist actually do?

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.

What can an independent publicist do that a publisher will not?

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.

Do you work with self-published and indie authors?

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.

Do you represent fiction?

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.

See all 46 questions in the book publicist FAQ

Have a book launching soon?

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 launch