Author Porochista Khakpour tweeted last week that she’s on a major prize committee, and books she would’ve expected to see nominated are nowhere to be seen. She blames book publicists (those employed at major traditional publishing houses), saying they are overworked. Khakpour advises authors to breathe down the necks of publicity: “They aren’t doing their jobs. I am not talking two books—I am talking a dozen maybe!” Here’s the full thread. She was later taken to task by the sales director at Penguin Random House, who tweeted, “Stop it. Before you lose the support of the entire industry.”
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
