Q&A With Morgan Rath 

I’m honored to be doing this Q&A with Morgan Rath who is a Senior Publicity Manager at Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group. Morgan Rath represents several authors, one of which is New York Times Bestselling Author of The Lunar Chronicles & The Gilded Duology Marissa Meyer! 

Q: Morgan, welcome to Book Notions! Where did your love of books come from and what made you want to become a publicist? 

A: Bianca, hello! Thanks for having me! I’ve been a big reader for as long as I can remember, staying up way past my regularly scheduled bedtime to read just one more page. But, I didn’t actually connect that I could turn that love into a job until my freshman year of college. 

I was majoring in journalism and imagined that I’d end up in print or broadcast. After a few courses, I realized that wasn’t the right path for me. Thankfully, the journalism school at my college, Arizona State, had a fantastic public relations program. After switching programs and researching different careers within the field, I had my epiphany moment: There are people who have to make the books I love reading! From there, I found my way into book publicity, and the rest is history.

Q: Did you apply for an internship in publishing and that’s how you found your way into being a publicist, or did you go to college first? What is your favorite part of being a publicist and why? 

A: While I was pursuing my degree at Arizona State, I did a few different internships that helped me build relationships within the industry and figure out which area of publishing was best for me. I spent a summer as an intern at literary agency Dystel, Goderich & Bourret and then another with W.W. Norton & Company in their publicity division.

My longest internship was with BookSparks—a fantastic PR agency specializing in book campaigns based in Arizona. The BookSparks team provided me with so many great mentors and helped me solidify that publicity was the job for me.

There are so many things I love about publicity—from working closely with amazing authors and colleagues across divisions to building out creative digital influencer campaigns. But by far, my favorite part of the job is media pitching. I love crafting pitches and researching contacts. And while you do hear a lot of no’s (or more often silence), nothing beats the thrill of booking the perfect media spot for an author!

Q: What wisdom do you have for others wanting to become a publicist? 

A: Network, network, network! With booksellers, publishing professionals, bookish influencers, etc. In publicity it is particularly important to build relationships. The earlier you can make connections with bookish gatekeepers, professionals, and big mouths, the better! Follow your favorite bookish influencer on social media and engage with their posts. Go to an author event at your local indie and introduce yourself to the staff there. Connect on LinkedIn with publishing professionals whose career paths you hope to emulate and when you do send them the invite to connect, include a personalized message.

I also recommend subscribing to publishing trade journal newsletters— Publishers Weekly, Shelf Awareness, SLJ, etc.—and for publicity in particular, make it a point to stay in the know when it comes to bookish media hits. What’s the GMA book club pick of the month? What outlets and journalists are covering books the most? Which titles keep popping up as the most-anticipated of the season? Keeping up with the media landscape will not only help you stand out in an interview, but it will also make you a better publicist!

Q: If you were to write a book, would you write fiction or nonfiction and what would your book be about? Would you represent yourself as your publicist or have someone new represent you? 

A: I don’t think writing a book is in my future, at the moment. After nine years in the business, I’ve seen the hard work and vulnerability that authors put into bringing their books into the world and am truly in awe! I’ve decided that I find the most joy operating behind the scenes (insert Mean Girls mom gif here).

I think one of a publicist’s greatest strengths is their ability to bring a new perspective to a campaign, so I wouldn’t represent myself. Instead, I’d happily pass the baton over to any of my fellow Macmillan Children’s publicists. In my (completely unbiased) opinion, they’re the best in the business and would crush my publicity campaign!

Q: I love asking publicists this question! Would you like to give a list of authors you represent as their publicist and discuss any new releases you are looking forward to the public knowing about? 

A: My favorite question to answer! I’m working on The House Saphir—a spooky, romantic new twist on Bluebeard by the queen of fairy tale retellings, Marissa Meyer—a brilliant, thought-provoking new YA thriller from Angeline Boulley, Sisters in the Wind and Tricia Levenseller’s adult debut What Fury Brings, AKA the spicy revenge read that’s a MUST for romantasy lovers.

Looking at 2026, I’m teaming up with SNL cast member Kenan Thompson on his picture book debut Unfunny Bunny (which, you likely won’t be surprised to hear, makes me laugh out loud every read) and then the prolific Sara Pennypacker on her next historical middle grade The Lions’ Run, a truly inspiring page-turner that couldn’t be timelier.

I could go on and on, but I’ll stop everyone’s doom scrolling there 🙂