Timely new book
from the Harvard Press: The man who wrote that “all men are created equal” envisioned America as a white republic that would banish Black people from its shores.

Vox Media: Podcast Network | On with Kara Swisher .

We usually blame friction for slowing things down.
Turns out it’s also the force behind fire, engines, modern medicine, and spacecraft.

Jennifer Vail joined On with @karaswisher.bsky.social to talk about her new book Friction: A Biography. Check it out! podcasts.voxmedia.com/show/on-with...

My first podcast appearance 🥹

Thank you to @katecarp.bsky.social for having me on to demystify book publicity! I had so much fun yapping about it all and I’m glad we ended on the hill I will die on: books will ALWAYS matter. Culture doesn’t move without ideas and ideas still start on the page.

‘Tojo’ Review: The Man Who Led Japan to War Hideki Tojo viewed the Japanese army as an instrument of divine destiny. He ultimately led his country to ruin.

Always nice to see a Wall Street Journal review land!

Peter Mauch’s Tojo looks at how one man’s discipline/ideological rigidity helped steer Japan into a war it was unprepared to fight. As the reviewer puts it, the prose is “direct and determined, like the man himself.” www.wsj.com/arts-culture...

For those looking for freelance work in the wake of WaPo layoffs: I'm an editor at large overseeing Ideas & Culture at Bloomberg, including our Books coverage. Find me at skillingswo2@bloomberg.net

My heart breaks at the end of the Books section at the Post. So many brilliant people there, especially @roncharles.bsky.social, the most beloved book critic I know. I feel like I should write more about this, but I’m on deadline and trying to finish a freelance piece myself.

hahaha you are right, my apologies!!

Essay-ready = needs background, unfolds over time, makes room for history and complexity, not tied to the news cycle. This is not a lesser form, it’s often the right form.
Both are good. They just belong in different places. Mixing them up = a lot of work and a very polite pass

Quick test for authors (esp. big national papers): is your idea op-ed-ready or essay-ready?

Op-ed-ready = reacting to news within 24–48 hrs, clear in first 2–3 sentences, one sharp point, very little setup. Not a lecture. No jargon. If "can you say this more simply?" scares you, it's not ready.

Why op-eds matter for publicity: they're rocket fuel for radio bookings. Producers at NPR, public radio, podcasts are looking for smart guests who can speak clearly about the news. A strong op-ed is proof you can make a tight argument in real time. It's a audition tape that bookers actually read.

Small lesson from the publicist trenches: worked w/ author for months on an op-ed at a major paper, editor very engaged, I'm booking NPR in my head, victory lap ready... then boom a pass. Not bc it wasn't good, but op-eds need "why this, why now" immediately. Right now "now" lasts about 11 minutes.

Final takeaway: be nice to your publicist 🫶
There’s invisible work happening behind the scenes, and trust me, we want the coverage as much as you do. Your wins are our wins. It’s brutally competitive out there (academic books vs. commercial everything + everyone’s phone). We’re on your team :)

Publicity is not a vending machine where you insert a book and reviews fall out.
It’s a collaboration.

The best campaigns happen when authors brainstorm, share contacts, stay engaged, and move fast together.
Earned media is competitive. Teamwork matters.

Media wants a reason, not just a book.
The magic words are why this, why now.

A real news hook plus a genuinely new or provocative argument equals oxygen. If your work connects to the headlines, tell your publicist. We LOVE that.

Platform isn’t built the month your book drops.
It’s built by saying yes for years.

Review/blurb other books.
Write op-eds.
Do panels.
Be a generous colleague.
Opening a social account just to shout “MY BOOK IS OUT” is not a strategy.

🧵Academia trained you to speak in footnotes.
Media wants sentences.

Try the “19-year-old rule” explain your work to a room of curious undergrads who want to get it. That’s not dumbing down. It’s opening the door. Clarity turns the lights on.

Ep. 99 - Book Publicity 101: What Scholarly Authors Need to Know (with publicist Amanda Ice) In this episode, Leslie chats with Harvard University Press senior publicist Amanda Ice about the do's and don'ts of book publicity.

Hey hey, academic Booksky, first post is me doing the most publicist thing possible:
📣 sharing an interview I did about how scholars can get meaningful attention for their books.
Here's a few key takeaways:
yourwordsunleashed.com/ep-99-book-p...