About Krista Reiner Carnes
A few things have remained constant over the course of my life. My curly, often-frizzy hair, my resistance to athletic activity, my habit of never making the bed, my near rabid fondness for chocolate éclairs,
And my passion for books.
When I love a book, just about everyone in my life knows about it. I always knew I’d work with books, around books, on books – and that’s exactly what I’ve done.
An English Lit major in college, I immediately followed graduation with a month-long publishing intensive program designed to teach the various role and processes of the magazine and book publishing industries.
I left knowing the book business was going to be my business.
Grad school came next after a short stint as an editorial assistant for a gift book packager. On top of working as editor of the campus newspaper, I worked for two independent bookstores to learn about the publishing business from the retail side.
I headed back to the NYC-metro area with my master’s in journalism/mass communications and quickly took a job developing a new speaking campaign service for a small book publicity firm in Westport, CT. I got to work with books and authors, plus the role tapped my love of research and problem solving. It was my job to take an author’s expertise and find the right audiences for them. Then I had to sell them. I thank my father for my gift of gab, but truth be told, the “selling” was really just getting people excited about a book. You know, what I was born to do.
Events were booked. Books were sold. Relationships were made. We were on to something.
The Next Chapter
One of the best aspects of book publicity is the chance to work with authors with range of expertise, be it business, psychology, pop culture, parenting, health and other non-fiction topics. Wanting to only work with books that make me want to shout from the rooftops, I went out on my own, first as a freelance event developer and booking agent.
In 2008, I formally started Booking Authors to help authors and experts get their messages to their ideal audiences.
Since then, I’ve had the pleasure of working with some amazing people – authors, event coordinators, journalists, designers and other marketing pros – all of whom are dedicated to seeing the possibilities of an author’s message and making them a reality. My best campaigns are those where serve with our authors, actively communicating, exploring new paths and staying clear on expectations. Each new client brings the opportunity to share what I know about this ever-changing, often fickle world of publishing and promotion, and also the chance to learn new things and devise fresh strategies. It’s a business that keeps me on my toes, but dancing all the while.
Want to dance?
Find out more about our services here or Contact me.
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I’m psyched to say Booking Authors has grown to require the expertise and support of others. Meet our team:
