Booking is now open for the February PPC meeting which will be held on TUESDAY 25TH FEBRUARY at Foyles, Charing Cross Road at 9.30am – please note this is a morning meeting, not our more regular lunchtime slot. The topic of the meeting will be COMMERCIAL RADIO OPPORTUNITIES.
To read our bumper newsletter including job opportunities at Bloomsbury, Headline and The Reading Agency as well as notes from our meetings at the end of 2019 and information about our LBF event, please click here.
Speakers will include:
Sebastian Clark, Magic FM
Faye Lyons White, Showbiz Correspondent, Global Radio
Jenny Nelson, Programme Manager, Scala Radio
Johnny Seifert, Showbiz Editor, TalkRadio
Doors will open at 9.15am for a 9.30am start for the meeting (the shop is open from 9am). Tickets cost £10 including tea and coffee. To RSVP, please email publisherspublicitycircle@gmail.com. Please ensure you have booked and paid in advance of the meeting.
Pay by BACs: Natwest, s/c 60-50-06, Acc. No. 41612744
Q4 Winner and Highly Commended!
Rosie Beaumont-Thomas from Waterstones kindly judged our Q4 award, the winner of which was automatically shortlisted for the annual awards. A statement from Rosie:
“In judging Q4, I was given an agonising job of choosing between some of the biggest campaigns in recent memory, alongside some of the most creative small campaigns I’ve ever had the pleasure to read. The standard was incredibly high, and each submission demonstrated that in the face of changing media, book publicists are adaptable, canny and defiant. Many – if not most – of these campaigns were presented with challenges of schedule clashes, limited media opportunities, fierce competition with each other, and enormous expectations – not to mention the turbulent political landscape as a backdrop. I was particularly impressed with the work of the children’s books publicists, whose work is challenging, yet obviously driven by passion and personal pride. I took this decision very seriously!”
Q4 winner: Kate Moreton, Orion, for In the Cut by Susanna Moore
At the outset, Kate had everything working against her: this was the first fiction campaign of her career, the book was a re-issue, she had no budget – and no access to her author. Yet she demonstrated a granular and sensitive understanding of the book’s themes for contemporary readers, created opportunities and talking points out of the campaign’s drawbacks, and managed to secure impactful non-author opportunities. She also demonstrated a genuine understanding of how to reach different audiences. I myself spent autumn experiencing a barrage of word-of-mouth insistence that I read this book, from people far outside the publishing industry. This submission impressed me the most because it was delivered with the same attention to detail, understanding, and confidence of a much more experienced publicist, and had the same impact as campaigns with far more budget and experience behind them. Kate is truly one to look out for.
Highly Commended:
Katy MacMillan-Scott, Hephzibah Kwayke-Saka & Harriet Venn (for The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman)
Fran Owen, Mari Yamakazi & Alison Davies (for The Testaments by Margaret Atwood)
Two of autumn’s most dominant books – from two of the world’s best-loved authors – understandably had two of the biggest campaigns behind them. Yet neither took it for granted or took the obvious route. Having collaborated with both teams on their launch events, I entered the PPC Q4 judging process almost determined to look elsewhere for inspiration. However, Fran Owen, Mari Yamakazi and Alison Davies; and Katy MacMillan-Scott, Hephzibah Kwayke-Saka and Harriet Venn ensured that their creative work (especially that which did not include their authors) created cultural moments which transcended traditional book publicity. Not only did they demonstrate what can be achieved collaboratively with the highest-possible targets, but each nimbly responded to unexpected challenges without loss of momentum. It was thrilling to read both their submissions – which could act as case studies for years to come – that I have chosen to acknowledge both of these PR teams (as is the vogue of the literary fourth quarter) with the PPC Highly Commended for Q4 2020.
A huge congratulations to Kate and all highly commended publicists!
Hope to see you on the 25th February,