The Publicist

By: Christina George

Narrated by: Lisa Cordileone

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 sell, 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. Then there's Allan Lavigne, once a revered author - now as forgotten as last year's best sellers and his nephew Nick: Tall, gorgeous, sweet, single, and ready to sweep Kate off her feet. Kate wants to do the right thing but her hormones seem to be driving her decisions.

As Kate tries to navigate the landmine of publicity, 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 romance and sex, more celebrities, and more scandal.

Welcome to the world of publishing. The ego has landed.

©2014 Christina George (P)2014 Christina George

The Publicist

My first thoughts? Holy cow! What a way to start the story. George draws you in right from the first scene, dropping you right into the middle of her heroine’s life. She continues her story in an intensely captivating manner that will have you racing forwards to find out how it ends. The short chapters add a quick, forward pace to the novel, while the author’s well written, emotional style really packs a punch. George combines interesting subject matter with realistic characters that you can actually identify with into a novel that I not only loved, but had me questioning why I think what I do. There are definitely aspects of this novel that some will find controversial or immoral. The author doesn’t skirt around these topics or sugar coat them to try to put her characters in a better light. She lets the chips fall where they may. This novel was like a breath of fresh air for me. I found that the real life, career based backdrop made it all the more poignant.

I really liked the main character in this novel. She was a bit of a paradox, even for herself. She was firm in her beliefs, but followed her feelings and these rarely coincided. Watching her come to terms with this was quite endearing. The over the top emotions from the authors is absolutely brilliant. It really shows a sharp contrast between everyday reality and the reality of the main character’s job. You can’t help but laugh, even though you feel for the main character. The narrator in the audio version definitely does the characters justice. She brings everything to life in an unforgettable way.

This is a book about books & life & romance. How can you get much better than that?

Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this work in exchange for an honest review.

Enjoyable to consume as an audiobook

Would you consider the audio edition of The Publicist to be better than the print version?

I have read this book as an ebook. I found the audio version more fun and I enjoyed The protagonist, Kate, through Lisa Cordileone's narration as opposed to my inner voice.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Publicist?

I enjoyed the name dropping through the story telling. It kept me interested and made the story easier to relate.

Have you listened to any of Lisa Cordileone’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Cordileone rocked it! She nailed each character and added her own twist in the dialogue.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Christina George's book is not particularly moving, just a fun "listen".

Any additional comments?

An excellent introduction to the joys of Audible.com's potential for busy readers who also enjoy books on tape.

Who knew a book publicist had to be a super hero?

What did you love best about The Publicist?

There was a very pleasing mix of business and pleasure in this novel.
I was intrigued by Kate's friendship with aging author Allen who had yet to fulfill his contractual obligation. Kate has her hands full with business, her number one priority, and a couple of handsome, intelligent men trying to redirect her focus.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Hard to say who was my favorite.
Kate is capable and creative and a little vulnerable.
Mac is the kind of guy you can both love and hate. Nick is wonderful but sometimes I wanted to make him see the reading on the wall.
I wish I had a best friend like Grace.

Have you listened to any of Lisa Cordileone’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not but I appreciated her energy and vocal range.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It makes me want to continue with this series!

Wonderful story!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Publicist to be better than the print version?

I have not read the print version but I really enjoyed the audio edition.

Have you listened to any of Lisa Cordileone’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not listened to any of Lisa Cordileone's performances before. She does have a pleasant enough voice to "read me a story". There were times when reading the male parts that her voice sounded a little "nasally", but otherwise she did a great job at changing her voice to fit the different characters.

Any additional comments?

Having read "Climax", the third book in the series, before listening to this Audible edition of "The Publicist," I knew how the story ended, but did not know how it began. Kate is confused when it comes to relationships and men, but has no confusion in her career. Christina George is excellent at showing the strengths and weaknesses of her characters. Kate can handle authors, editors, and bosses. She took an author ready to be "dumped" by the publishing house, and found a way to make her shine again.

At times you want to root for Kate, and at other times you want to yell at her! George makes Kate so real, and Cordileone brings her to life.

I received a few copy of this audio book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved The Publicist

What made the experience of listening to The Publicist the most enjoyable?

I loved the book ~ I was immediately drawn into the book. The Publicist took me into the life of Kate, MacDermott, Allan, and Nick. I understood why they reacted the way they did. Christina George was excellent at expressing the emotions of each person addressing their wants, needs and desires. Understanding the publishing business was very interesting and at times extremely stressful for all involved.

What other book might you compare The Publicist to and why?

I really can not compare The Publicist to any other book I have read.

Have you listened to any of Lisa Cordileone’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This was my first experience listening to Lisa. She was a very good story teller. Her voice was easy to understand. I will be checking into other books she has narrated.

Any additional comments?

I listened to The Publicist when I was driving. The minute I got into my Jeep to and from work I turned on the Publicist. I found myself looking forward to the ride to find out what was going on with Kate.

Romance and turmoil in choosing between two lovers

What made the experience of listening to The Publicist the most enjoyable?

The best experience in listening to the Publicist is that I can relate to the love escapades and the turmoil Kate went through when choosing between two men.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Nick is my favorite character since his personality is gentle and sincere.

What does Lisa Cordileone bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Honestly, I don't care for Lisa's voice. I would have rather read the book.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, I wasn't that eager to listen to in one sitting.

Publishing: The Real Untold Story!

Any additional comments?

I was fortunate to review both The Publicist and Shelf Life (in print) 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.

(Disclosure: I received an audio copy of The Publicist from the author and publisher via iRead Book Tours in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.)

Standard "chick-lit"

Any additional comments?

The Publicist is a typical “chick-lit” book, but seems to be better written than many. The story itself is a standard tale of Kate, the plucky heroine versus the greedy business world. Thrown into the mix is Mac, the handsome co-worker who happens to be married. Part of the time is spent with the “will they won’t they game.” Kate fights the attraction, but predictably falls for Mac. I found most of their interactions rather boring. There is another character introduced to confuse Kate and to create a jump off point for the sequel.
The business part of the story is much more interesting, filled with interesting characters and twists and turns. There are attempts at sabotage within Kate’s agency and authors who are not who they appear to be. All in all, I enjoyed the book and may be tempted to listen to the second book in the series.
I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

The publicist

I received this book in exchange for honest review. I loved listening to the book. I tried to Chromecast it to play on the tv, while cleaning, but Silverlight didn't like me. So, I turned off the tv and listened from the computer.

Kate is a publicist, who helps upcoming authors with their books. In the first scene, she is helping one, hysterical author, keep from jumping off a ledge. Kate also has a crush on an editor at work (Mac), who is married, but is cheating.

I think the scene, which grabbed me the most, was when George focused on Mac's wife miscarriage, 20 or so years ago. I really felt for his wife, since I had a miscarriage before. The wife withdrew and moved into a separate room. She also has not been intimate with her husband since.

Then, you have Grace, Kate's good friend, who tries to keep Kate on the straight and narrow, especially from falling for Mac.

The book flowed well from one chapter to the next. I was on chapter 11 within a few hours. I also loved the scene, where Bernie, a low grade editor, forgets to order enough books for a book signing, Kate is helping promote. When Kate arrives at the book signing to set-up, she learns Bernie only ordered 20 books, when 200 people have arrived to see the authors.

Kate is not trying to fail because she has a hot book, she was promised to help promote, which will help jumpstart her career. No more hysterical authors to keep from jumping. or authors crying over a bad review (which I know the feeling)

Great Start to a Great Series!!!

Any additional comments?

This book was very fun and the narrator did a really good job reading. There are some audio books that I can't get into because the person reading has no personality behind the reading; as in pitch, inflection, etc... This book was not like that. I was hooked within the first 5 seconds. The story follows Kate Mitchell as she struggles with the stresses of trying to be a good publicist and deal with everyday life. Then there is the excitement of the love triangle. As many times as it is brought into books, I still find it interesting and it makes you wonder who she will ultimately choose at the end. I do have to say that I had already read the third and fourth books in this series, but it was fun to go back and hear that backstory. I look forward to listening to the second book next. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.