Book publicist Susan Schwartzman has been in the publishing and publicity for more than 30 years. She began her career in book publicity in 1992 as a freelance in-house book publicist, and has worked for major publishers, including Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, Wiley, Penguin-Putnam, Houghton Mifflin, St. Martin’s Press, McGraw-Hill, Workman Publishing, William Morrow, Harcourt Brace, Villard, Avon Books, Warner Books, American Management Association, Fodors, DK Books, Red Dress Ink, New American Library, and Downtown Press.
As an independent book publicist, Susan has promoted a wide variety of literary and commercial fiction and nonfiction titles including cookbooks, self-help books, business books, environmental books, health books, parenting books, memoirs and sports books.
In addition, she has promoted many academic titles from the country’s top university presses.
At Workman, where she freelanced for several years, Susan gained a special expertise in promoting their outstanding line of cookbooks, handling such award-winning authors as Steven Raichlen.
While freelancing at Workman, Susan handled a 20-city tour for the award-winning MIAMI SPICE by Steve Raichlen. The Denver Post hailed it as a “blowout promotional campaign that resulted in heavy-duty media coverage.” In addition, she helped to promote CARIBBEAN PANTRY, also by Steven Raichlen.
She also handled a nationwide book publicity campaign for THE MONDAY TO FRIDAY COOKBOOK by Michele Urvater, television series host of How To Feed Your Family on $99 a Week on the TV Food Network.
Susan briefly left freelancing to take a full-time position as Publicity Manager for Macmillan Books. In 1997, she launched Susan Schwartzman Public Relations. Her first client, Workman, retained her to handle a 20-city book publicity campaign for the award-winning THE BARBECUE! BIBLE by Steven Raichlen.
Steve Raichlen has just hired Susan yet again to help promote his smash-hit PBS cooking show, PRIMAL GRILL® with Steven Raichlen, which has just launched in May, 2009 to critical acclaim.
Susan went on to publicize such major cookbooks as:
- FROM MY CHÂTEAU KITCHEN
Anne Willan (Clarkson Potter), founder of the famous cooking school, LaVarenne - A MEDITERRANEAN FEAST
Clifford A. Wright (Morrow), the James Beard Award Winner for “Cookbook of the Year 2000”
- ¡CEVICHE!: Seafood, Salads, and Cocktails with a Latino Twist
Guillermo Pernot (Running Press), winner of a James Beard award in 2002 in the single subject category.
Other noteworthy cookbook publicity campaigns include:
- FIRST MEALS
Annabel Karmel (DK Books)
- Best American Recipes 2000
Fran McCullough (Houghton Mifflin)
- CHOCOLATE PASSION
Tish Boyle and Tim Moriarty (Wiley), editors of Chocolatiere Magazine
- Prairie Home Breads: 150 Splendid Recipes from America’s Breadbasket
Judith Fertig (Harvard Common Press) - AT HOME IN THE KITCHEN: The Art of Preparing the Foods You Love to Eat
Jorj Morgan (Cumberland Press)
Noteworthy fiction campaigns include:
- POWER PLAY, a New York Times Bestseller.
Joseph Finder (St. Martin’s Press)
- KILLER INSTINCT, a New York Times Bestseller.
Joseph Finder (St. Martin’s Press)
- DIARY OF A MANHATTAN CALL GIRL
Tracy Quan (Crown)
- PINK SLIP PARTY
Cara Lockwood (Downtown Press)
- THY FATHER’S SON
Leo Rutman (St. Martin’s Press)
- CONSIDER THIS SEÑORA
Harriett Doerr (Harcourt Brace), a New York Times Bestseller.
Successful nonfiction book publicity campaigns comprise:
- CONVERSATIONS WITH A PEDOPHILE: In the Interests of Our Children
Dr. Amy Hammel-Zabin (Barricade Books)
- How To Sell Your Home in 5 Days
William Effros (Workman); - The Job Family Challenge: A 9 to 5 Guide
Ellen Bravo (Wiley);
- Faust’s Metropolis: A History of Berlin
Alexandra Ritchie (Carroll & Graf); - I Know You Really Love Me
Doreen Orion (Macmillan), - The Stalking of Kristin
Pulitzer Prize- winning journalist George Lardner (Signet)
- The Tightwad Gazette II
(Villard)
“Having written four cookbooks, I had, unfortunately, come to expect very little from the efforts of a book publicist. So, when The New York Cabbie Cookbook was ready to go to press I had a rather ho-hum attitude when Susan Schwartzman first called me. Was I ever wrong! This lady really knows how to sell a book! I am thrilled with the response to the book and sales that can only be attributed to her efforts.” Holly Garrison, co-author, The New York Cabbie Cookbook
See why authors and publishers have been glad they chose Susan Schwartzman Public Relations for their book publicity campaigns.