For Associate Publicist Maryam Ahmad, author care is a priority at Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing. She typically gets involved with a book once it has gone through the editing process and is close to being finalized. During this time, she creates a publicity campaign that includes pitching the book to media outlets, creating press materials, and submitting the book for relevant awards and festivals. The focus is on what is newsworthy about the book or how it is culturally relevant.
In addition to her own outreach, Ahmad encourages her authors to reach out to their connections and network, as they may be able to leverage these relationships to start a conversation, or introduce their connections to her team.
Media interviews are often an important part of book publicity campaigns, so Ahmad recommends authors prepare for these interviews by watching video interviews with other authors and practicing answers in advance when given the questions prior to the interview. She reminds authors that they know their books best, often working on them for years before she gets involved, and they should feel confident in their expertise.