Join the Books Forward Family

You spent years honing your craft and writing your book, and now it’s time to put your “baby” out into the world. That can be a lonely, scary and frustrating experience. When you join the Books Forward family, you aren’t alone anymore! We become your advocate and partner, and help you navigate this wild world of book publishing and promotion.

We really get to know you and embrace your goals as our own. With decades of experience, our team helps you make informed choices and set attainable objectives for your book and author brand. Whether an author is a New York Times bestseller, celebrity or debut novelist when we meet — we support you on your journey to the next level.

“They were always helpful and somehow you got the feeling that you were the only author they were working with.”

—Charles Salzberg
Author of the two-time Shamus Award nominated Henry Swann detective novel series, and winner of the Beverly Hills Book Award

books forward team christmas 2019

We work with clients who share our commitment to integrity.

We won’t sugarcoat it – this is a tough and highly competitive industry. Getting your book into the right hands begins with choosing the right path.
Our authors are ready for the marathon and know it’s not a sprint. And we are here to help every step of the way.

With such fierce competition, doesn’t your book deserve to launch with experts who set the bar in the industry?

Just like the rest of the book industry, book publicity and marketing is dynamic and capricious. We are your expert partner to help give your book its very best chance to be seen and read by the world’s readers. We use eye-popping technology combined with good old-fashioned elbow grease. With a team comprised of several former journalists, we know what editors are looking for and employ the same newsroom work ethic on our campaigns. A reporter can’t come back at the end of the day without a story – and we won’t end our day until we share yours.

Meet the Team

A group of passionate professionals dedicated to results — our team is made up of publicity experts, book industry insiders and award-winning journalists whose combined talents and knowledge maximize the effectiveness of each campaign.

Julie Schoerke Gallagher

Founder

Marissa DeCuir

President and Partner

Ellen Whitfield

Vice President

E. W. Martin

Executive Administrator

Elysse Wagner

Senior Campaign Strategist

Jennifer Vance

Marketing Director

Angelle Barbazon

Lead Publicist

Jackie Karneth

Senior Publicist

Layne Mandros

Publicist

Simone Jung

Publicist & Social Media Strategist

Corrine Pritchett

Publicist & Digital Marketing Strategist

Brittany Kennell

Digital Marketing Strategist

Jeizebel Espiritu

Website Developer

Casey

Bookstagram ambassador for 2022

Katherine D. Morgan

Book Twitter ambassador for 2022

Lili

BookTube and blogger ambassador for 2022

I love working with Books Forward. Everyone is passionate about their authors’ books, friendly, savvy and intelligent. They have good connections, work hard for their clients, and take time to add a personal touch to their work, something that is rare. Working with them makes book promotion so much easier and far more effective. I’ve been impressed with everything they’ve done for me.

— Cheryl Rainfield
Author of Scars, a #1 American Library Association Top 10 Quick Pick