By the time you start Googling “book publicity agency,” you already know two things:

1. Your book will not market itself.
2. Whatever your publisher is doing (or not doing) is not going to be enough.

You’re not looking for a magic wand. You’re looking for a partner—a team that understands books, media, and what it actually takes to build visibility in a noisy market. And you’re trying very hard not to make an expensive mistake.

This is not a DIY guide to running your own PR campaign. It’s a filter. Use it to sort serious, book‑specialist agencies from the noise, and to ask better questions before you sign anything.

First, Be Clear About What a Book Publicity Agency Is (and Isn’t)

A book publicity agency is not:

• Your marketing department on autopilot.
• A guarantee of bestseller status.
• A substitute for having any platform, relationships, or plan of your own.

A good agency is:

• A specialist team that brings relationships, strategy, and execution you could not realistically assemble alone.
• A partner that helps you shape the story around your book and get it in front of the right people, in the right sequence, at the right time.
• A way to compress years of trial‑and‑error into a focused, time‑bound campaign that supports your long‑term goals.

If an agency talks like a vending machine—“insert budget, receive results”—that’s your first red flag. You’re choosing thinkers, not just doers.

The Real Stakes: You’re Not Buying “Exposure,” You’re Choosing a Story

Most authors who reach this point are already solution‑aware:

• You know you need help.
• You know “more Instagram posts” is not the answer.
• You know the market is crowded with agencies making big promises.

That’s where sophistication comes in. You’re not asking, “Should I hire PR?” You’re asking, “Who actually thinks clearly about books like mine—and how can I tell before I sign a contract?”

The questions below aren’t tricks to catch someone lying. They’re ways to see how an agency thinks, what they value, and whether their model fits the kind of author you are and the kind of career you’re building.

Use them in conversations. Pay as much attention to how they answer as what they say.

Question 1: “How do you define success for a book like mine?”

Most agencies will happily say “media hits,” “exposure,” or “bestseller lists.” None of that is inherently wrong—but it’s incomplete.

What you’re listening for is whether they:

• Ask about your goals before they answer.
  Are you trying to drive speaking? Leads for a business? Thought leadership? A strong backlist title that sells steadily for years?
• Differentiate between:
  Launch‑phase metrics (coverage, rankings, preorders, interviews).
  Long‑term metrics (email list growth, inbound opportunities, ongoing discoverability, authority in your niche).

A good answer might sound like:

“For a [business / memoir / novel] like yours, success in the first 90 days looks like X kinds of coverage and Y growth in your owned audience. Over 6–12 months, I’d want to see that turning into [speaking invites / inquiries / steady monthly sales]. Let’s talk about which of those actually matters most to you.”

Red flags:

• “Success is going viral.”
• “Success is a New York Times list” (especially if they say this for almost every author).
• No curiosity about your business model, speaking, or long‑term plans.

Question 2: “What does your timeline look like from the moment we start until 8–12 weeks after launch?”

This question separates agencies that understand publishing from those treating your book like any other product.

You want to hear that they:

• Insist on starting early. A serious campaign begins 3–6 months before your pub date, not two weeks before.
• Break the work into phases, for example:
  Positioning and messaging.
  Pre‑launch buzz (advance readers, long‑lead media, trade coverage).
  Launch‑phase outreach.
  Post‑launch momentum.

A thoughtful answer sounds like:

“If your pub date is in October, we should be defining your positioning and core talking points in May/June, sending advance copies and pitching long‑lead media by July, lining up podcasts and shorter‑lead outlets for September–November, and planning how we’ll keep the book discoverable into the new year.”

Red flags:

• “We can jump in whenever.”
• A “campaign” that starts a few weeks before launch and essentially ends on pub day.
• No understanding of media lead times.

Question 3: “Where do you think my best PR opportunities are—and where are they not?”

A good agency knows that “everywhere” is not a strategy. You’re looking for focused judgment, not blanket enthusiasm.

Listen for whether they:

• Segment opportunities in a way that fits your book and audience:
  Long‑form podcasts or business shows.
  Niche trade outlets in your industry.
  Regional media in markets where you have real ties.
  Book‑adjacent shows, conferences, or communities.
• Are willing to tell you what is unlikely to happen:
  “National morning TV is rare for this category. Here’s what’s more realistic, and where we’d focus first.”

A grounded answer might sound like:

“Given your topic and platform, I’d prioritize niche podcasts, trade press in [industry], and regional coverage in [markets] where you already have a presence. National TV is possible but not where I’d set expectations. If it happens, great—that’s upside, not the plan.”

Red flags:

• “We’ll pitch everyone” with no specificity.
• Promises of flagship national coverage with no explanation of why your book is a strong fit for those shows.
• No mention of niche or trade media at all.

Question 4: “How will you get to know my message and voice before you pitch me?”

Book publicity is not just sending your title to a list. It’s translating your ideas into stories that journalists, podcast hosts, and producers can use.

You want an agency that takes your message seriously enough to do real discovery work.

Look for processes like:

• A structured intake or strategy session to clarify:
  Your core message.
  The stories and examples you’re comfortable sharing.
  The topics you definitely do not want to talk about.
• Time built in to:
  Read the book, not just your back cover copy.
  Draft and refine talking points with you.
  Align on which angles are on‑brand and which are not.

A reassuring answer might sound like:

“We start with a deep dive: we read the book, talk through your backstory and your boundaries, then build 3–5 core story angles and a set of talking points. We won’t start pitching until you’ve seen and approved how we’re framing you.”

Red flags:

• “We’ll just use your existing materials.”
• No mention of reading the book.
• No questions about what you’re comfortable sharing publicly.

Question 5: “What do you handle, and what will you expect from me?”

You are not trying to learn to do their job. You are trying to understand workload, collaboration, and where your time will go.

A serious agency should own:

• Strategy and planning.
• Media list building and research.
• Pitch writing and customization.
• Outreach and follow‑up.
• Coordination of interviews and appearances.
• Interview prep and talking‑point review.
• Reporting and recommendations.

They should expect you to:

• Be available for interviews and prep.
• Share your own relationships and opportunities they can build on.
• Activate your email list and platforms when coverage hits.
• Keep them informed about events, launches, or business initiatives that tie into the book.

A clear answer might sound like:

“We own strategy, pitching, follow‑up, and coordination. We’ll need you for message work up front, and then for interviews, events, and occasional content. You shouldn’t be chasing journalists or managing spreadsheets—that’s our job.”

Red flags:

• “We’ll tell you what to post on social” but no clear ownership of actual outreach.
• Vague promises that boil down to you doing most of the visible work.
• No clarity on reporting or accountability.

Question 6: “How do you integrate with my publisher, launch plan, and other marketing?”

PR in a vacuum underperforms. Your publicist should care deeply about how and where your book is actually being sold, and what else is happening around your launch.

Look for questions from them like:

• Who is your publisher, and what are they doing for launch?
• How is your book distributed (retail, libraries, special channels)?
• Are there planned ads, events, or email campaigns we should coordinate with?
• Are you doing any direct outreach to bookstores, organizations, or partners?

A thoughtful answer might sound like:

“We’ll want to talk to your publisher’s team about timelines, distribution, and any retail pushes they have planned. On our side, we’ll align coverage with key moments in your launch—preorders, pub week, events—so you get more leverage from each win.”

Red flags:

• They never ask who your publisher is or how your book is distributed.
• They don’t care whether your Amazon page, website, or retailer presence is ready to convert new attention.
• They treat PR as completely separate from your overall launch strategy.

Question 7: “Can you walk me through a campaign you’re proud of—what you did and what actually happened for the author?”

Case stories reveal how an agency thinks far more than any sales copy.

Ask for:

• A campaign for a book that feels similar to yours in category or goals.
• A start‑to‑finish story: what they walked into, what they did, and what changed for the author as a result.

Listen for:

• Context: what kind of book it was, what the author’s platform looked like, what the goals were.
• Specifics: examples of coverage (types of outlets, not just big names), speaking invitations, lead‑gen effects, long‑term visibility.
• Honesty: what didn’t work, what they adjusted, and what was surprising.

A useful answer might sound like:

“We worked with a first‑time nonfiction author with a modest platform. Over four months, we positioned her around X, landed coverage in [named types of outlets], booked her on Y podcasts, and helped her turn that into Z speaking invitations and a growing email list. Here’s what didn’t land the way we expected, and how we adjusted.”

Red flags:

• Only celebrity or outlier examples.
• Heavy name‑dropping with no explanation of how those hits affected the author’s real goals.
• No acknowledgment that some things didn’t work.

Question 8: “How do you report progress and adjust when something isn’t working?”

Campaigns are living systems. Not every angle lands. Not every outlet responds. You want an agency that expects that and knows what to do about it.

Ask:

• How often will I hear from you, and in what format?
• What will I see—pitches sent, responses, confirmed interviews, coverage as it lands?
• How do you decide when to shift angles or targets?

A confident answer might sound like:

“We’ll update you [weekly/bi‑weekly] with what’s been pitched, what’s pending, and what’s confirmed. If certain angles aren’t getting traction after a reasonable number of tries, we’ll propose alternatives—either new story angles or different types of outlets—and talk that through with you.”

Red flags:

• “We’ll let you know when something big happens.”
• No clear reporting cadence.
• No language about learning and adjusting.

Why It Matters When You Bring an Agency In

All of these questions live inside a bigger one: “At what point in the process do you get involved?”

If an agency is comfortable starting a full campaign a few weeks before launch, they’re either:

• Not being honest about what it takes, or
• Planning to do something so superficial that timing doesn’t matter.

The strongest results happen when publicity is in the room while:

• Positioning, subtitle, and back cover copy are being finalized.
• Cover and packaging decisions are still in motion.
• Trade review and long‑lead media windows are still open.
• Your broader launch plan (events, ads, email, retail) is being sketched.

You don’t need every detail locked months in advance—but you do need the right people thinking about the arc of the launch, not just the announcements.

How to Sense “Fit” Beyond the Answers

Finally, pay attention to the feel of the conversation, not just the content.

Good fit often looks like:

• You leave the call clearer, not more overwhelmed.
• They ask as many questions as you do—about your goals, your readers, your business, your own capacity.
• They’re willing to say “no” or “not yet” when something doesn’t fit.
• They respect your expertise in your topic as much as you respect theirs in publicity.

Misalignment often feels like:

• You’re being sold, not listened to.
• Every concern you raise is brushed off with “we’ll handle it.”
• You feel rushed to sign before you understand what’s actually happening.

You’re not looking for hype. You’re looking for a thinking partner whose judgment you trust.

You Shouldn’t Do It Alone—But You Also Shouldn’t Go In Blind

You already know you can’t be your own publicist, designer, copywriter, media strategist, and spokesperson on top of being the author. You also know that “hiring PR” is not a guarantee of anything by itself.

Choosing a book publicity agency is choosing:

• How your book is framed in the world.
• Which doors are knocked on, and in what order.
• How your time and visibility are used in the months around launch.
• Whether your campaign supports the author you’re becoming—or just promotes a product for a few weeks.

The questions above are not hoops to make agencies jump through. They’re tools to find the partner whose model, process, and values line up with what you’re really trying to build.

You don’t need an agency that promises everything. You need one that’s honest about what’s possible, specific about how they work, and committed to doing the thinking with you—not instead of you, and not leaving you to figure it out alone.

Joanna Stone is the Managing Director of The Agency at Brown Books, where she leads public relations and digital marketing for authors. She specializes in building success stories that sell books and careers by pairing smart media strategy with modern digital campaigns.