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Punk Rock Book Publicity: an Interview with Lisa Levy
by Writing Workshops Staff
A day ago
Lisa Levy doesn’t just know publishing—she lives it. With a career spanning over 25 years as a book critic, editor, and essayist, Lisa’s work has been published by the Washington Post, New York Times, Lit Hub, and beyond. Her expertise is unparalleled, and her no-nonsense approach to writing and publicity is as refreshing as it is effective. Now, she’s taking all that insider knowledge and distilling it into a one-of-a-kind mentorship: Punk Rock Book Publicity: How to Promote Your Writing and Reach Your Publishing Goals.
This isn’t your typical writing class or mentorship. Forget the ivory tower of MFA programs or the intimidating maze of publishing gatekeepers. Lisa’s mentorship is for writers ready to break the mold, roll up their sleeves, and take charge of their careers. Whether you’ve got a book under contract, are gearing up to self-publish, or are just starting to envision your long game, Lisa’s practical, personalized guidance will arm you with the tools, strategies, and confidence you need to make waves in the literary world.
In this interview, Lisa shares why understanding publicity is just as important as writing a great book, how to craft pitches that editors can’t resist, and why the best writing careers are built on strategy, not luck.
But this isn’t just an exploration of Lisa’s prolific career. It’s an invitation to join her mentorship and gain direct access to her years of experience, tailored feedback, and actionable insights. Whether you’re looking to crack the code of book publicity, build a writing practice that aligns with your goals, or simply demystify the publishing process, Lisa’s mentorship promises to be your backstage pass to the world of writing success.
Get ready to take notes, because Lisa Levy is here to show you how to rock your writing career—punk rock style.
Writing Workshop: You’ve been in the publishing industry for more than two decades. Can you share a pivotal moment in your career—maybe a misstep or a triumph—that crystallized your philosophy about what writers truly need to succeed?
Lisa Levy: Sure. One was when I started writing for the Believer, which in its first incarnation was a great publication environment and a phenomenal editing experience (it's changed hands at least once since I wrote for them). I pitched Heidi Julavits--with whom I would write three pieces that I still think are among my best work--a piece about Susan Sontag and Tom Wolfe. She quickly said to drop Wolfe and focus on Sontag, who had died a few months before. The piece turned into a study of Sontag's obituaries, an approach a lot of publications would have deemed too esoteric or indirect. But it was the right focus, and with the help of a great editor I wrote a much richer piece than the one I pitched.
Everybody wins when the writer, the editor, and the publication align. Pitch widely, as it can take some time to find your key publications and outlets. Developing editorial relationships is part of your job as a writer, and having been on both sides I know what editors want. Editors love writers who are thoughtful, ambitious, and capable of turning in great copy on time. That's the dream. Writers, in turn, should look for editors who push you to make your writing better.
I've written about Sontag three more times, and she's in my book in progress. I still haven't written about Tom Wolfe.
WW: Your mentorship is titled “Punk Rock Book Publicity,” which conjures images of going against the grain. How does that “punk rock” ethos translate into practical, everyday strategies for emerging authors trying to get their work noticed?
LL: The name is part of my philosophy as a writer and a person. Even though I am now within the publishing ecosystem, I will always question how institutions function to reinforce the status quo. I think a punk rock ethos encourages people to find their own way while remaining cognizant of what is systemic and can't be changed and what's personal.
Write what you love: put your heart and soul into it. There's no shame in that. But publish with your head. Don't just sit and wait for the decisions to come. Be active about your submission process so you don't fall into the frustrating limbo of refreshing your email and fretting. Disappointment happens. No one lands every pitch. Taking the punk rock approach means you take the knocks and keep going. There are lots of resources to help you find new places for your writing, but you have to be writing to get into your dream publications.
WW: Writers often struggle with the balance between craft and promotion. From your perspective as both a book critic and an editor, how can writers ensure they’re preserving their artistic integrity while also aggressively marketing themselves?
LL: I recently worked with a writer who handed me a proposal that didn't address the elements an agent and/or an editor look for to make the business case for the book. The writer complained that doing the marketing section made them feel slimy, but marketing is not a dirty word.
I don't want anyone to feel slimy. But if you don't know how to reach your audience--if you don't know who your audience is and where they hang out--you won't sell a book. Do what feels okay to you: if that's beefing up your social media numbers, that's great. If it's making sure you've built a solid publication record, then figure out your best outlets and publish. It won't feel slimy when you are using promotional channels that don't make you want to sink into a rewatch of Mad Men (a show essentially about marketing).
WW: Your upcoming book, Funeral in My Brain, delves into migraine and its storied history. How has your own experience with migraines impacted the way you approach writing and publicity—and does this personal journey shape how you mentor other writers?
LL: First, a slight correction: Migraine is like asthma or diabetes, a condition you have all the time. When you are symptomatic, it's a migraine attack. You don't get migraines, you have migraine. This is not only a more accurate reflection of the relevant science. Changing the language undercuts the too easy equation between a headache and a neurological condition (the most common in the world) where headache is one of a menu of a possible symptoms.
Migraine shapes my entire life. It blew up my first book deal in 2003, as my onset was a few weeks after I signed my contract. I got so sick so quickly that I could barely show up at my day job, where I was a ghostwriter of stories about angels (I have had a lot of unusual jobs). After nine years of work that book, We Are All Modern, currently lives in a drawer, but I did eke out an essay from it about when Gertrude Stein went to London and hung out with the Bloomsbury circle that won an Honorable Mention in Best American Essays in 2022.
Chronic illness at my level of frequency is a full-time job. I have 25 migraine days per month, meaning days when migraine interferes in my daily activities, from taking care of my dog to interviewing a hotshot doctor. I protect my productive time, especially my writing time, and always have a running list of what I need to do so I can accomplish something every day, even on the worst days.
It is a challenge to live in productivity culture with a chronic illness. Migraine has forced me to speak up in situations I might let slide if my life were different. It has taught me to respect people's time and limitations, and to be empathetic when that's what a mentee needs--even if I'm not feeling very much like discussing feelings.
WW: You’re well-versed in shaping author essays for major outlets. What’s the biggest misconception writers have about crafting these so-called “publicity essays,” and how can they leverage them to launch or elevate their careers?
LL: Whatever you do, don't write about your book unless it's for a publication aimed at writers. Readers don't care about how dedicated your agent is, or how your editor is so brilliant she made the book sing. When I was at Lit Hub a debut writer turned in an essay about how his book took him decades to write without mentioning that his wife was the sole breadwinner during his epic struggles. That's all for your acknowledgements, or your therapist
The best author essays tell a reader something unexpected about you. I love Deb Shapiro's essay about soap operas, which is a perfect vehicle for her to talk about character-driven narratives. Jim Ruland's essay on being in the Navy and designing his own MFA is also a favorite (Jim is a true punk spirit). Adrian McKinty is one of the most creative essayists I've edited: this piece on trying to write in Kafka's room is a great example of personal experience with a dash of craft. McKinty happens to be a crime writer at his day job, but the essay doesn't discuss crime fiction at all.
WW: It’s easy for writers to get caught up in chasing the ‘next big break.’ You place a strong emphasis on the “long game.” Can you talk about how you help mentees develop a publication strategy that moves beyond quick wins toward bigger, more sustainable goals?
LL: My realizations about the long game are a direct lesson from my graduate degree from the school of hard knocks. I spent a long time being frustrated at a respectable level: I had already published quite a bit and I'd been an editor at LARB and Lit Hub but I couldn't break into the publications I thought of as big league. I complained about this to another writer, who said, "Well, if you really want to get into Harper's, how often are you pitching them?"
I had to admit I hadn't pitched them. I had an email for an editor I had gotten from a friend, but I had been waiting for the perfect pitch. That's a publication strategy for someone who is much more patient than me. I started pitching the top tier, and I landed a piece in the New York Times a few months later. I have gotten several real rejections from Harper's, but I don't mind rejection. Someday the right pitch will come.
WW: Most authors anticipate a house publicist or hired PR to handle their marketing push. From your vantage point, what are three crucial steps writers can—and should—take on their own to drum up coverage, regardless of publisher support?
LL: If you have a house publicist or have hired an independent publicist, your best strategy is to communicate with that person and get out of the way. Ask questions about what they plan to do and make your own plan which compliments theirs. For example, publicists will usually deal with pre-publication reviews (also called trade reviews). What you can do is use a positive trade review to pitch pieces to venues where your readers lurk. You don't want to duplicate efforts. But as author essays are ultimately down to the writer, I think having your own campaign going helps ease authorial anxiety and to build anticipation for your book. Getting your byline into different publications is like working the room: you don't have to be everyone's favorite person, but you want to make a positive impression.
WW: You’ve talked about “finding your Cat Fancy,” i.e., meeting your ideal audience where they are. What’s your process for identifying those specialized publications or micro-communities, and how can writers pitch in a way that resonates with these niche editors?
LL: Fun fact: editors are people too. They get lots of pitches, and don't always have time to respond. I have a formula I use for follow-up that's respectful of their time and yours, but I still get ghosted. I don't take it personally.
You will know you've found a good perch or niche if an editor is interested in you beyond a single pitch. Developing relationships with editors is crucial to building bylines, and it's important to remember they have career trajectories too. People who were assistants or interns when I met them are now editors. It is an industry where people move around a lot, so it's a good practice to read the trades and keep up with who is where you would like to be. At the minimum, follow all the publications and editors you are pitching (or dream of pitching) on social media. You might get a glimpse of their humanity.
WW: Publishing can feel opaque—especially the ‘gatekeeping’ side. How do you pull back the curtain in your mentorship, and what’s one insight about how coverage decisions are really made that might surprise emerging writers?
LL: One rule of thumb about book coverage is that big outlets want big names for big titles. If you want to review the new Cheryl Strayed book, don't pitch it to the New York Times. Chances are they already have it covered. Find the small book you can champion at a big outlet, especially if that small book fits in your area of interest or expertise.
One of the first pieces I got attention for at LARB was a critique of Alain de Botton, his terrible book about sex, and the watered-down self-help of The School of Life called, "How to Think More (but Not Better)." I was on a rare vacation when LARB's editor-in-chief, Tom Lutz, called me to say it had reached the number one spot on their website. I had written several ambitious pieces for LARB already, but this was the hit. I leveraged the writing I had done for LARB--which was not a money maker but a place with smart editors, a liberal attitude toward book coverage, and no allegiance to the cult of optimal word count--into doing longer reviews and deeper critical takes.
If you still have something stuck in your craw about Cheryl Strayed, try a smaller venue and make sure you have a strong angle. "I want to review the Cheryl Strayed book," is not a pitch. "I'm interested in how Strayed takes elements of a grief memoir, travel writing, and the rhetoric of recovery to describe the destabilizing period after her mother died in Wild," is a pitch. A pretty good one, I think.
You can sign up for Lisa Levy's upcoming class Punk Rock Book Publicity: How to Promote Your Writing and Reach Your Publishing Goals, and avoid the waitlist.
Mentor Lisa Levy is a 25-year veteran book critic, editor, and essayist. She writes a monthly column about crime books for the Washington Post Book World. She is also a contributing editor at Lit Hub, a founding editor of Crime Reads, and the former Mystery & Noir editor at the LARB. She is working on a book called Funeral in My Brain: A Biography of Migraine, a narrative nonfiction book that looks at the long history and storied lives of migraineurs from Freud and Darwin to Sylvia Plath and Joan Didion; new advances in the treatment of headache disorders; and a memoir of her sudden and debilitating descent into chronic migraine which sold in a pre-empt to St Martin's. You can read her work in the New York Times, Lit Hub, the LARB, Brevity, and The New Republic.
