Marketing + Publicity in 2026: Change Needs to Happen

The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Instead of writing a list of publishing industry predictions, I decided to stay in my lane and focus only on what I think should happen in marketing and publicity in 2026. As you can imagine, I think about this topic a lot with the introspection of someone who has been working in book publishing since the pre-Internet days. It was not so simple back then. Research was conducted using media guides published by Bacon’s. There were no publicity databases—you really did have to depend on your Rolodex. If you wanted to pitch media, you had to do so by phone (the horror!), and press releases were sent by fax. I am of the generation that entered publishing when typewriters existed in the office. To say things have changed is an understatement. Buckle up, because you’re about to get a dose of brutal honesty.

Publicists, in essence, are connectors. We connect authors and their books with media, etc., and marketers connect authors and their books with readers. The line between the two is completely blurred at this point, so my first prediction is that marketing and publicity departments will become more integrated. Publicists need a marketing mindset to be nimble, and marketers need to understand how publicity works fully. I know marketing and publicity departments often work closely together—that’s not where I am going with this. Instead, I think the two departments will be combined at some publishing houses. The reason is the following prediction: There will be even fewer opportunities with legacy media.

Can we please finally say the quiet part out loud? Most publicists spend their days emailing a banal list of media that will never respond. Why? What is the purpose? To show that an effort was made for a book? The industry must accept that some books absolutely will not get attention from legacy media and move towards what works for each book, whether that's a marketing-heavy campaign or just pitching podcasts. Why are we still creating arbitrary publicity plans for every title when we know most of it is b.s.? Because that’s what people have always done and what they want to see. The thing is, it doesn’t work. Publishers know this, but carry on as they always have (mostly). The industry is full of people-pleasers, and it must stop. Destroy the marketing and publicity template and start over. Wouldn’t it be sensible to be honest with agents and authors instead of manufacturing disappointment because the media you knew wouldn’t come to the table didn’t? Legacy media has been in steep decline over the past five years. Even freelance writers are having a hard time placing pieces. As a mentor once told me, “There is no point in sugarcoating the truth. If you do, it only leads to disappointment.”

This isn’t to say that no book is worthy of legacy media coverage, but I don’t have to tell you that certain books make it to the front of book review editors because publishers ensure it through robust marketing campaigns. Now and then, there will be a surprise, but every publisher reading this knows that they have a fiscal responsibility to make certain books work. The other books are in a sort of purgatory, which is unfair to authors, which leads me to the next.

The “you must have a platform” line won’t work forever. I speak to published and unpublished authors every day. Their primary concern is finding a “good enough” platform to get published and/or sell books. While I agree that author platforms help, they only do so if the author is good at creating content, and the majority of authors lack that skill (no shade to authors—I wouldn’t expect all of you to have content-creation skills!). What I mean is that there is no shortage of content on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Threads, BlueSky, YouTube, and Pinterest. To get someone’s attention, you need great content. Publishers must support authors in their endeavors to create content, perhaps by introducing a “content lab” that they can use.

What concerns me is publishers’ reliance on an author’s platform to sell books. It doesn’t always work—because content on social media is free, and a book is a financial decision. I’ve seen authors have above-average followings and below-average book sales. I understand that authors must engage with readers these days, but the industry cannot and should not continue to rely so heavily on platforms controlled by other CEOs (see: Twitter). We have reached a social media saturation point where going viral can be meaningless and should not be the goal; authenticity and creativity should. That said, someone’s lack of platform shouldn’t be a dealbreaker. If the book is excellent, why not sign the author, have someone run a lab like the one I mentioned above, and enroll the author? It seems like a win-win to me.

In-person events are important again. Everyone is sick of Zoom. People, especially the younger generation, want to gather, but it must be cool and fun. Bookstore events still rule (not every author should go on a book tour, though), but there are venues—like Burger King for The Perverted Book Club gathering this week—that motivate more people to attend in-person events. I mean, who wouldn’t want to wear a Burger King crown right now? Events like this don’t have to cost a fortune, but they do require a lot of coordination. I am continuously impressed by how many people show up for Silent Book Club events, and I think building a community like that is smart. People want to feel like they are a part of something, and generally want to spend time offline. There is a great opportunity here for publishers.

Social media marketing takes a nosedive. Heading into 2026, publishers need to recognize that the influencer age is its way out. Consumers are savvy enough to know that influencer recommendations are not organic, and they balk at buying products through their affiliate links. I am not diminishing the power of specific influencers; instead, I am pointing out that those kinds of influencers are few and far between. Something I think about is how TikTok created 8th Note Press, and it failed. TikTok HAD the data they needed to make it work from a marketing perspective, so I’d love to know what exactly happened. At the same time, Bindery Books has had several successes, uses a membership model, and has “tastemakers” across social platforms with their own imprint. In that case, you have a non-publishing person with certain book sensibilities acting as a de facto publisher. In other words, they are accessible and relatable—something traditional publishing often lacks.

Here, again, I will say that we have reached a saturation point. There is so much social media content that Instagram Reels will soon be available on TV. I don’t think that’s a good thing, but I suppose we’ll find out. What publishers must figure out is how to make their social media campaigns stand out. If they remain somewhat uninspired, the money spent on social ads won’t convert into book sales.

Places worth exploring for advertising. I hate to admit this, but I am at Drybar twice a week for blowouts (it’s my one luxury), which means I am a captive audience for whatever is playing on their TVs. I have watched Twilight about 100 times. I digress. What’s interesting about Drybar is that they do partnerships with movies and some TV (currently The Bachelorette, I think), but I have never seen a book on the screen. It’s so perfect for romance titles!

Additionally, the streamers I pay for with ads never have book ads. You can’t skip them! Again, captive audience. Hulu even offers an à la carte ad service. Forget billboards in Times Square. Those are nothing but ego boosters, and we all know it. They don’t sell books. Nor do digital ads. The metrics usually highlight how many clicks the ad received, but I have never seen many sales follow. It’s a waste of money.

Publishers are not utilizing Instagram to its full potential. I never thought I’d like broadcast channels on Instagram, but I do. It’s fun to receive extra content or sneak peeks that way. Kudos to Avon Books for doing such a great job. Instagram channels are a great way to make readers feel part of a community. They are also as good as landing in someone’s inbox. More imprints should be active on Instagram channels. (Personally, I also love Architectural Digest’s channel)

Why aren’t more publishers on Substack? Authors Equity was the first (or one of the first) publishers to make an effort on Substack. At this point, every publisher should be here. If they do not have someone who can operate as a storyteller for them, they should hire someone (Hi, it’s me). PR people who can write well are a double threat. PR people who can write well AND know how this platform works are a triple threat. Find them. Use them. If The New York Review of Books can be here, so can you.

An old school thing that still works: blog tours. I love my blog tour people because they love books. Blog tours are still 100% viable today, and sometimes, they are the only online coverage a book will get. That is not a bad thing. Often, bloggers also have podcasts, so you can kill two birds with one stone ( I am full of analogies today). I am fully on board with them for 2026.

An old-school thing that doesn’t work: agents, editors, and salespeople not understanding that publicity is more than legacy media. One problem with the sales pipeline is that salespeople often look for a significant publicity hit in the traditional sense. It is no longer 2010, and this no longer works. It’s unacceptable to me if sales departments aren’t educated about different publicity paths. Do you honestly think three minutes on the Today Show makes a dent in this day and age? It doesn’t. Does a big review in The New York Times sell a ton of books? No, and it rarely did. Coverage in newsletters and interviews on podcasts is the independent media hits we need, and they are obtainable. Everyone needs to fully grasp all the pieces of the publicity puzzle.

AI can help lighten the burden of publicity and marketing. It’s not a secret that publicity and marketing departments are understaffed and overworked. A lot of AI tools are coming to market to lessen the load: they can write pitches, create media lists for you, send pitches for you, and more. I know the industry is grappling with all things AI, but some of these tools are huge time savers and may help a book more than hurt it. Example: An overwhelmed publicist can’t put a lot of effort into book “B” because they are consumed with book “A.” The solution could be to have an AI program pitch book “B” to the media. All the publicist has to do is enter book details (without uploading a manuscript), check out sample media to ensure the right places are pitched, and go. To do this effectively, the AI program must write in your voice, so specific instructions are needed. The downside is that most of the AI-powered PR platforms are expensive. Still, if publishers know publicity departments are stretched thin, this is a good investment.

My 2026 Publishing Wishlist:

• Substack writers interested in covering books add emails to their bios (PLEASE).

• Less negativity about the industry on Threads.

• A great monthly glossy magazine that I can read in my hands.

• Publishers telling authors the real deal about potential coverage for their books up front.

• Proposals for clients that are not laborious.

• Fewer digital ad spends.

• More fun packaging and in-person events.

• Hybrid publishing becomes more normalized.

• Publishing programs at colleges switch up the curriculum.

• Better pay for junior staff.

• REALISTIC expectations.

• Fewer 6-7-figure advances for political books that will obviously flop.

• A BookTok reckoning of sorts.

• Can we please have “best of” lists that don’t list all the same books?

• Consumer-facing trade reviews.

• A cookbook by Ann Michael Maye (Patriots QB Drake Maye’s wife—check her out on TikTok for Bakemas).

• A Pedro Pascal memoir. You know you’d read it. You know you’d listen to it. Can I be the publicist?

• Ditto for Noah Wylie and Oscar Isaac. Now you know my celeb crushes.

• More support for publishing adjacent nonprofits.

• And finally, more places for book coverage!

Thanks for sticking around this year. There’s more content to come before Christmas and the new year!

END NOTES:

Have you signed up for my 6-week publicity cohort? You can read about it here and sign up here. There are 12 spots left. The cohort begins on Wednesday, January 14th. All sessions will be recorded and sent to cohort members after each class.

What I’m Reading: An ARC of Courtney Maum’s Alan Opts Out.

What I’m Watching: When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, The Family Stone, The Holiday, and cheesy Netflix holiday movies.

What I’m Listening to: Christmas music. :)