Audio Book Review: The Publicist by Christina George

SYNOPSIS

Can one woman change an age-old institution like publishing? Probably not, but Kate Mitchell sure wants to try. As a publicist with a large, respected New York publishing house, Kate finds herself at the mercy of a broken publishing system, books that don’t always sell (at all) and author egos that are often, well, as big as the island of Manhattan.

Enter the star Editor, MacDermott Ellis. Tall, handsome, charismatic, married, and ready to save the day. Kate wants to do the right thing but her hormones seem to be driving her decisions. Then there’s Allan Lavigne, once a revered author, now as forgotten as yesterday’s news; and his nephew Nick, who wants to sweep Kate away from New York for another coast, California.

As Kate tries to navigate the landmine of publicity, the over-the-top author expectations, and the careful dance of “I’m sorry, your book isn’t on the bestseller list this week”, she also finds authors who are painfully overlooked by a publisher wanting more sex, more celebrities, and more scandal.

GoodReads * Audible

~~~oOo~~~

REVIEW

I was fortunate to review both The Publicist and Shelf Life earlier in the year.  I also got to interview the author, Christina George.  Add to that, this is the first audio book to which I have listened (all the way through).

The Publicist translates well to the audio format.  Narrator Lisa Cordileone's voice works admirably, both with the narration and the characterizations.  There was one female character that she nailed so well, I wanted to jump through time, space and reality and slap said character upside the head - as we say around here.

The story of The Publicist is a fascinating look into the world of publishing.  A heck of a lot happens between the author writing and the public reading.  It's so easy to lump all of that activity into "the publishing process".  What we don't see is the all the people that are part of that process and all the different individual activities.  It's like going to a great movie and enjoying it and our popcorn, then seeing the five minutes of credits that scroll by at the end.  It takes a village to get a book from the author to a reader.  Thank you, Christina George, for giving us insight into this hive of activity in a most entertaining manner!

IMO (in my opinion), the best thing about audio books is that you can listen to them while doing something else.  It opens a whole new world for people doing chores around the house.  I listened to part of the story while waiting for a prescription in my car.  Not sure about listening while driving, due to the distraction factor (a la cell phones), but its great to pass time in cars (waiting for kids outside school, in line at the bank drive-thru, etc.)

But that's by no means the only benefit.  Having audio adds a dimension to a book you don't have in e-books or print books.  In those formats you have some physical interaction (turning pages or tapping a screen).  In audio, you have another sense brought into the experience.  You can hear a grating voice or fear in a character (think movie mood music) in a way you can't in other formats.

There are quite a few 'colorful metaphors' (extra points for those getting the reference), and some folks may have an issue with the fact that Mac is married.

But, the bottom line is:  you have a great story in a new and interesting format.  Whether you've read The Publicist before or not, you will be entertained

~~~oOo~~

AUTHOR INFORMATION

Website * Twitter * Facebook * GoodReads

Christina George has worked in publishing for twenty years (give or take). Here’s what this book isn't. It’s not a slam against publishing (though it is broken) and it’s not a slam against authors (though some of them are crazy). This book is not autobiographical though many of the stories are true. No you won’t know which ones, cause it’s more fun to guess, right? George continues to work in publicity and helps authors because at the end of the day she does love books, she loves publishing, and she loves authors. She hopes you’ll enjoy this romp through Kate’s world as much as she enjoyed creating it.  

~~~oOo~~~

Please click the logo right above to see the rest of the tour schedule, including more reviews as well as author interviews, guest posts and giveaways!!!

(Disclosure:  I received an audio file of this book from the author and publisher via iRead Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.)