Q&A With Mary Interdonati 

My latest Q&A this week is with publicist Mary Interdonati. Mary has sent me early copies of upcoming novels coming out this year from some of her clients which are New York Times Bestselling Authors Jenny Colgan, Jill Shavis & Suzanne Park. I recently finished writing a review for Suzanne’s upcoming novel One Last Word coming out on April 16th & I will have both the review & Q&A posted in the future! 

Q: Mary, I’ve done Q&As with publicists, agents, & the editorial director at Simon & Schuster as well as authors. I know it takes a team to get an author’s work out there into the world. What is your favorite part about being a publicist and why?

A: My favorite part about being a book publicist is working with authors! Not everyone gets to brainstorm ideas with some of the most creative people who walk this earth, so I consider myself very lucky. I also love the strategic side of publicity. To think of an outlet that would be perfect for a particular book, write a compelling pitch tailored to that outlet, and then land the hit is super gratifying!

Q: Each publicist I’ve interviewed has had different stories about how they became a publicist in the industry. Would you please tell your story? Did you have to go to college or apply for an internship or was it something totally different?

A: I went to Fordham University and majored in communications, which sparked my interest in publicity. I always loved reading, so in college I was interested in learning about the business behind my favorite books. I interned at W. W. Norton & Company my junior year, which helped me land my current role at HarperCollins!

Q: How long have you been a publicist for? What would you be doing if you weren’t a publicist?

A: I’ve been a publicist for about two years now! If I weren’t a publicist, I’d probably want to try out the editorial side of publishing! If I weren’t in publishing at all, I’d probably still be working in publicity in a different industry or maybe be an English teacher!

Q: Would you like to tell the readers of the blog & I about some of the clients you work with that I didn’t mention in the introduction? 

A: I work with so many incredible authors, most of whom write romance, contemporary fiction, or historical fiction. All of the books I work on are perfect for book clubs. In addition to those already named, in no particular order, I am currently working with CJ Wray (The Excitements), Clare McHugh (The Romanov Brides), Jaclyn Westlake (Dear Dotty), Gill Paul (Scandalous Women), and Aimie K. Runyan (Mademoiselle Eiffel).

Q: If you were to write your own novel, what kind of novel would it be & would you represent yourself as your own publicist or agent or would you get someone else? 

A: I’d love to write my own novel someday, but remain at a block creatively, lol. I think I’d write what I like to read, which are essentially contemporary stories about regular people leading slightly dysfunctional lives – kind of in the vein of Taylor Jenkins Reid and Celeste Ng. 

I’d definitely find someone else to represent me – the more people, the more ideas! 

Q: Publicists I’ve interviewed in the past say that for authors to have a publicist, they would first need to have their book finished first & then an agent and then a publicist. Would you also say that is true?

A: Yes I’d agree!