Senior Publicist

Publishers Marketplace; United States; Remote; USD 65,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Fully remote work

Paid vacation benefits

Sick leave and holiday coverage

Health insurance stipend

Job summary

PR by the Book is seeking a Senior Book Publicist to independently manage publicity campaigns for authors across genres. You will craft strategy, develop media angles, pitch national and regional outlets, and lead client conversations while mentoring peers and partnering with leadership.

You will manage multiple campaigns with strong organization, communication, and judgment, thriving in a remote, collaborative environment. A genuine love of books helps drive impact.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of relevant publicity experience, including independent campaign leadership.
• Experience pitching media and securing earned media coverage.
• Strong writing and editing skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong understanding of how news media works and what makes a story pitchable.
• Ability to manage multiple clients (min. 6-7) and deadlines.
• Strong organizational skills and follow-through.
• Ability to work independently in a fully remote environment.
• Genuine interest in books, authors, publishing, and media.
• Proactive, solutions-oriented approach to problems.
• High professional standards and strong judgment.
• Existing relationships with national, regional, or top-tier media.
• Experience securing TV, radio, podcast, print, and/or major online media.
• Experience with expert positioning and thought-leadership campaigns.
• Familiarity with Muck Rack or similar media databases.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute strategic media relations campaigns for authors with creative, timely, and newsworthy media angles.
• Identify target media, reporters, podcasts, broadcast opportunities, and other relevant outlets.
• Write and customize compelling media pitches.
• Pitch and secure earned media opportunities across national and regional outlets.
• Respond to and manage incoming media requests professionally and efficiently.
• Research current events and trends to support campaigns.
• Build and maintain relationships with journalists, producers, editors, and other media contacts.
• Lead monthly client meetings and provide campaign updates and next steps.
• Guide authors through the publicity process and maximize media opportunities.
• Set realistic expectations and adapt strategy as needed.
• Help clients develop a consistent and compelling public-facing brand.
• Mentor less-experienced publicists as appropriate.
• Collaborate with leadership on campaign strategy and best practices.

Skills

Publicity

Campaign leadership

Media pitching

Writing

Communication

Media relationships

Organization

Remote work

Books publishing

Problem solving

Judgment

Media coverage

Top-tier media

Expert positioning

Media databases

Job description

Love books? Love publicity? Love getting an author the right media opportunity at exactly the right time? PR by the Book is looking for an experienced Senior Book Publicist to join our team and take the lead on publicity campaigns for authors across a wide range of genres and publishing paths.

This is a role for someone who already knows the fundamentals of book publicity and is ready to operate with a high degree of independence. You’ll develop campaign strategy, create compelling media angles, pitch national and regional media, continue to build relationships with journalists and producers, lead client conversations, and work closely with our publicity leadership to develop smart, creative campaigns. You’ll also have opportunities to mentor and support other publicists as you grow with the company.

ABOUT THE ROLE

As a Senior Book Publicist, you will independently manage and execute publicity campaigns from strategy through execution. You’ll work directly with authors, develop campaign messaging and media angles, pitch media, manage opportunities, and help clients make the most of the coverage they earn.

You’ll manage multiple campaigns at once, so strong organization, communication, follow-through, and judgment are essential.

This role is a particularly good fit for someone who:

• Understands how book publicity works and can hit the ground running.
• Knows the difference between good media and simply getting a name mentioned somewhere.
• Enjoys developing creative, timely, newsworthy angles—not just sending pitches.
• Is comfortable pitching national media and wants to continue building top-tier media relationships.
• Can confidently lead an author through a campaign and set realistic expectations.
• Believes that how we treat clients and colleagues matters just as much as the coverage we land.
• Thrives with autonomy but also enjoys being part of a collaborative team.
• Takes pride in being responsive, organized, thoughtful, and thorough.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

Campaign Strategy & Execution

• Develop and execute strategic media relations campaigns for authors and experts through creative, timely, and newsworthy media angles.
• Identify target media, reporters, podcasts, broadcast opportunities, contributed content opportunities, and other relevant outlets.
• Write and customize compelling media pitches.
• Pitch and secure earned media opportunities, including national, regional, print, online, podcast, radio, and television outlets.
• Respond to and manage incoming media requests professionally and efficiently.
• Research current events, news cycles, trends, seasonal opportunities, and other timely hooks that can support client campaigns.
• Build and maintain relationships with journalists, producers, editors, and other media contacts.

Client Management

• Ensure the client knows that you understand their book and are their cheerleader to the media.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for assigned clients.
• Lead monthly client meetings and provide clear campaign updates, recommendations, and next steps.
• Guide authors through the publicity process and maximize media opportunities.
• Set realistic expectations and communicate proactively when campaign strategy needs to shift.
• Help clients develop a consistent and compelling public-facing brand.
• Handle client challenges thoughtfully and professionally.

Team & Leadership

• Collaborate closely with the Director of Publicity on campaign strategy and execution, forming a productive working relationship.
• Share ideas, media opportunities, and industry knowledge with the team.
• Provide guidance and mentorship to less-experienced publicists as appropriate.
• Contribute to improving team processes, campaign strategy, and best practices.
• Bring a senior-level perspective to problem-solving and campaign decisions, with a positive attitude.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

• A positive can do attitude that works productively and positively with the existing team.
• 5+ years of relevant publicity experience, including demonstrated independent campaign leadership
• Demonstrated experience independently managing publicity campaigns from strategy through execution.
• Experience pitching media and securing earned media coverage.
• Strong writing and editing skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong understanding of how news media works and what makes a story pitchable.
• Ability to manage multiple clients (a minimum of 6-7 at a time) and competing deadlines without losing the details.
• Strong organizational skills and follow-through.
• Ability to work independently in a fully remote environment.
• A genuine interest in books, authors, publishing, and media.
• A proactive, solutions-oriented approach to problems.
• High professional standards and strong judgment.
• Existing relationships with national, regional, or top-tier media.
• Experience securing television, radio, podcast, print, and/or major online media.
• Experience with expert positioning and thought-leadership campaigns.
• Familiarity with Muck Rack or similar media databases.

WHY WORK HERE?

We know there are a lot of publicity jobs out there. Here's what makes ours different.

• Work From Home - We're a fully remote team. No commute and no office politics. We value results, communication, and accountability, not who is online earliest or latest.
• Work With Interesting Authors - Every campaign is different. One month you might be pitching a physician about a health topic, a business leader about entrepreneurship, and a novelist about a timely cultural conversation. You won't be stuck promoting the same product day after day.
• Have a Voice in the Work - We're a boutique agency, which means your ideas matter. You'll have the autonomy to develop angles, make strategic recommendations, and help shape campaigns.
• Work With Experienced Publicists - You'll be surrounded by people who know publicity and publishing. Our senior team brings over a century of combined experience to the work, and we believe the best campaigns come from sharing ideas and learning from one another.
• Room to Grow - We're looking for someone who wants to build a career with us, not someone looking for a short stop on the way to the next thing. As a senior publicist, you'll have opportunities to take on greater responsibility, mentor others, contribute to agency strategy, and grow your role over time.

BENEFIT & PERKS

• Fully remote work with a flexible schedule
• Two weeks of paid vacation/PTO to use throughout the year
• One full week of paid sick leave
• Paid holiday week between Christmas and New Year's
• 8 paid holidays throughout the year
• Half-day Fridays each summer so you can kick off the weekend a little early
• $150/month health insurance stipend for employees who carry qualifying Marketplace health insurance
• 401(k) participation to help you plan for the future
• Year-end profit-sharing bonus when company performance allows-we want our team to share in the success they help create
• $20/month mobile phone allowance
• Company-provided MacBook for your work
• A supportive, collaborative team that actually knows each other despite working remotely.

THE BOTTOM LINE

We're looking for an experienced publicist who knows their stuff, cares about their clients, enjoys the hunt for great media, and wants to be part of a team for the long haul.

If you're the person who sees a news story and immediately thinks, I know an author who could speak to that, we're interested in meeting you.

Compensation Package: $65,000-$75,000 year base salary, plus quarterly performance bonuses and year-end profit sharing.

Applicants must reside in a U.S. state where PR by the Book is authorized to employ. At this time, we are unable to hire employees residing in California, Washington, Colorado, or Oregon.