Q&A With Rachel Tarlow Gul 

Today’s Q&A is with Rachel Tarlow Gul. Rachel is a publicist who has represented some amazing authors such as Simon Tolkien, J.T. Ellison, T. Kingfisher, Paulette Kennedy and Jerome Charyn (and those are only a few of many 😉)! It is an honor that I get to do a Q&A with Rachel! Without the publicists, agents, editors, book marketers and others in the publishing world, we would not know of our favorite authors or their wonderful stories! 

Q: Rachel, I’m so glad you’ve agreed to be my guest on Book Notions! Did you always know that being a publicist was your calling or was it something you discovered later? How does a typical workday begin for you?

A: I’ve always been a big reader, but I wasn’t even aware that book publicists existed until I was in college and had my first experience in publishing. More on that later. Every day is a little different, which is something I love – some days are writing days when I’m drafting press releases and crafting pitches; other days I’m organizing and sorting through my media contacts to create targeted media lists for specific projects; I usually have a few calls and Zoom meetings throughout the week, speaking both with current clients about strategy and opportunities and with potential new ones to learn more about their books and publicity goals; and of course there’s pitching to the media, which takes up most of my time. I’m on email and social media a lot, trying to find the best outlets and the right fit for my clients. And despite what people think, I don’t read during the day. Reading is saved for evenings and weekends.

Q: I know a publicist’s job is to garner media coverage for an author’s book whether it’s for magazines, podcasts, radio, television as well as arranging literary events at libraries, literary festivals and bookstores. What is your favorite & least favorite part of your job? 

A: I love the people I get to meet and work with, from the authors, editors and agents to the book reviewers, podcast hosts and influencers. I also love that I’m introduced to so many fascinating books that I may not have picked up on my own.

As for the least favorite part of the job, it’s probably the fact that the nature of media and news cycles makes publicity outcomes unpredictable. It doesn’t happen often, but it can get frustrating if a breaking news story interferes with your efforts and your campaign.

Q: How long have you been a publicist for? What’s a skill or quality you believe is important for anyone wanting to become a publicist for an author? My friend Emi Battaglia, who’s also a publicist, says curiosity about the book world, having good communication & writing skills are important. 

A: I have been a publicist now for over thirty years. I agree that you need strong communication and writing skills, and I think you also need to be detail oriented and well organized since you are usually juggling several campaigns at the same time. A passion for books and reading is also a must.

Q: Each publicist has a different journey as to how they got to where they are today. Did you apply for an internship, or did you go to college for a few years? 

A: My first taste of the publishing world was during college when I had two different internships assisting the director of New York City-based book festivals. I was introduced to planning events, writing press releases, working with the media, and I was intrigued. I also loved the fact that there were (and still are) so many smart women in high positions in this industry. During my senior year of college, there were several publishing houses that came to my college to recruit, which ultimately led to my first job as a publicity assistant at Ballantine Books. Little did I know then that it would turn into my career as a book publicist. Twenty-five years ago, after several years at Ballantine Books, Jennifer Richards and I started Over the River Public Relations, a boutique PR firm that specializes in book and author promotions. OTRPR has allowed me to continue to do what I love but with more flexibility and the power to choose the campaigns we represent.

Q: You’ve connected me with J.T. Ellison & Simon Tolkien and after I read Jerome Charyn’s Maria La Divina coming out this September, I will interview him too. Can you name other big names and debut authors you work with and their releases you are looking forward to the public reading? 

A: I am very excited for this Fall and the lineup of great books I am fortunate to represent. In addition to the beautifully written historical saga THE ROOM OF LOST STEPS by Simon Tolkien (Sept 16, 2025) and the biographical novel MARIA LA DIVINA (Sept 16, 2025) by the talented Jerome Charyn about the world’s most iconic opera singer, Maria Callas, I am also working on ONE KILLER NIGHT by Trilina Pucci (Oct 14, 2025), a fantastic page-turner that combines spicy romance, hilarious comedy, and psychological suspense; ARTIFICIAL TRUTH by the renowned Korean author J.M. Lee which is a haunting and mind-bending novel about the meaning of being human in an AI-dominated world (Dec 1, 2025); and I am lucky to be working with the unbelievably creative T. Kingfisher on SNAKE-EATER, an enthralling contemporary fantasy about a woman trying to escape her past by moving to the remote US desert (Dec 1, 2025).

Q: If you were to become an author yourself, would you write fiction or nonfiction & what would your book be about? Would you represent yourself as your own publicist or have someone else represent you? 

A: I have been asked many times if I would write a novel, but I honestly don’t think I will. That is a completely different skill set than what I have. The authors who succeed are not just great self-promoters but also extremely creative and talented people with a drive to write down the story in their head or the dream they just had or even the characters that whisper to them at night. I am not that kind of writer. But when I combine my love of reading, strong communication and organizational skills, and a passion for talking about books with an author who does possess these innate creative skills, I’d like to think we form a dream team. 

Q: I know an author needs to have a book finished and then they have a literary agent and publicist. How do you know that you and an author are a great fit? What would an author need to do to be lucky enough to have you as their publicist? 

A: It’s just me and Jen at OTRPR so we are careful about the projects we take on and often get booked 9-12 months before a book is released. We also don’t take on self-published books or have the experience working with children’s books. We look for books that are well written and entertaining across many different genres by authors who are passionate about their writing and want to connect with their readers through social media, interviews, writing personal essays and guest posts, etc. We like fiction and nonfiction that is different in some way from what is already out there. We always read at least the first few chapters of a book before speaking with an author to get a sense of their storytelling and the book’s subject. We then set up a call or Zoom meeting to discuss publicity goals and to see if there is a connection. A publicist and author work closely together over the course of a campaign and it’s important to be able to trust each other.