Behind the Author

We at The Reading Cafe thought it would be fun to find out what goes on behind the scenes to help an author publish their book. So “Behind the Author” was born. We plan to meet with those who work closely with the author, such as their publicist, agent, editor, assistant or the illustrator who helps with cover of the book. Today we start it all off with publicist extraordinaire...Erin Galloway.

Behind the Author – an Interview with Erin Galloway

TRC:  The Reading Café would like to welcome Erin Galloway, who is a publicist for Berkley/NAL, a division of Penguin Group (USA).   Erin is the publicist of some wonderful authors that many of us read.  Erin is here to give us a look at what is a publicist, and what goes on behind the scenes to promote the authors book.

TRC: Tell us a little about yourself, how you decided to get into the publishing field, and how you became a publicist.

Erin: I love books, so publishing seemed a natural fit for me.  I started out in editorial, but one of my supervisors persuaded me that my talents were best used in publicity and he was right!  I’m able to read the books I love and promote them for a living.  It doesn’t get much better than that.

TRC: Tell us what a publicist does in helping the author, as well as in publishing and selling the book.

Erin: My job is to get as much media attention for a book as possible, whether that’s print, radio, TV or online coverage.  My role is to ensure as many people as possible know about a book’s release. 

TRC: What is a day in the life of Erin Galloway like?

Erin: One of the things I love about publicity is that no two days are the same.  I work in a fast-paced department with wonderful colleagues.  Some things that I regularly do are contact media members to pitch and promote books and set up blog tours, book tours and other events.

TRC:  Do you read your author’s book after it’s done, and if necessary, offer advice?

Erin: Yes, I read my authors’ books—one of the best parts of my job!  Any advice I have to offer is limited to publicity.  I leave the editing up to the very talented editors here at Penguin!

TRC: Tell us the scenario of when an author completes their book, and now it is in the publishing company’s hands.  What do you do with the author from that point, until the book is released?

Erin: I typically begin working with an author around five months in advance of the book’s publication.  I work to ensure that a book receives as much media coverage as possible, through reviews, interviews, articles, etc.  I also schedule book tours and author events.

TRC: Are there any books coming up in 2012 that you are excited about, and want to share?

Erin: There are so many wonderful books releasing this year.  Some of the books I’m excited about in the next couple of months are Nalini Singh’s Tangle of Need, Karen Rose’s No One Left to Tell, Christine Feehan’s Samurai Game, Maya Banks’ Echoes at Dawn, JoAnn Ross’ Moonshell Beach, Kay Hooper’s Haven, and debut author Juliana Gray’s A Lady Never Lies, which is the first in a fabulous new historical romance series.

TRC: What is your favorite Genre to read?

Erin: Romance!  I also love urban fantasy and romantic fantasy novels.  

TRC: Do you have a favorite author you enjoy reading?

Erin: I have way too many favorite authors to list here.  I’m so fortunate that I work in publishing because I never run out of books to read.

TRC: What is your favorite Novel, and Character?

Erin: I simply can’t name just one.  I will say that I really love characters that I can return to over and over again.  That’s one of the reasons I love J.D. Robb’s In Death series as well as Patricia Brigg’s Mercy Thompson and Alpha and Omega series.

TRC: How do you think the rise of eBooks will affect the publishing world?  As a publicist, you are still promoting the author, therefore it would seem that your job would remain similar.  Any thoughts?

Erin: I can’t predict what the future holds for book publishing in general, but I will say it’s an exciting time.  And regardless of whether readers prefer to read in print or digital format, books still need to be promoted in order for readers to take notice of them.  So while the role of publicists may change and evolve, I know there will still be plenty of work to do!

TRC: Is there anything else you would like to add and share with us?

Erin: I’d just like to thank all of the readers out there to who enjoy our authors work.  It’s such a pleasure to hear the responses from readers when they’ve found a book or series they love.

TRC: Thank you, Erin, for taking the time to talk to us.  This was fun, as it gives everyone a chance to see what is behind the author and meet them personally.

Erin: Thanks for having me!