about megan posco

I’ve spent the entirety of my career as a nonfiction book publicist, working in-house and out-of-house, with well-known public figures and unknown first-time authors.

After spending a few years at a book publicity firm, it became clear that the model of charging incredibly expensive monthly retainers creates a barrier to entry and reproduces the inequality already baked into the publishing industry. When this is how publicity works, the ideas that get the biggest megaphone are not necessarily the worthiest but the most moneyed.

The books that I love to publicize—those that imagine a better future and offer new perspectives on important issues—are often written by people who don’t have the resources to work with expensive PR firms. I’m hoping to address disparities in exposure and level the playing field for academics, first-time authors, indie presses, and marginalized voices by providing high-quality publicity without the big city premium.

I pride myself on cultivating true partnerships with my authors. As they navigate the maze of launching their books, I provide honest feedback and realistic expectations, brainstorm all manner of ideas, and offer best practices on all things book promotion. And I only work on projects that I genuinely care about and believe I can add value to. I have a special interest in books about criminal justice, climate change, social movements, economics, public health, and sociology.

Service is an essential part of my business. For the past three years, I have represented John J. Lennon, a prison journalist writing from Sing Sing Correctional Facility in New York. As part of my pro bono work, I help John’s mentees: pitching their essays to mainstream publications, liaising on their behalf with editors, and ensuring they receive payment for their writing. One highlight of this work was landing an op-ed by Joseph Sanchez in the New York Times.

In 2024, I established the Emerging Voices in Publishing Award at my alma mater, UMass Lowell. This yearly grant will help one student in the English department pursue a career in publishing by supplementing under- and unpaid internships and otherwise supporting their professional development.

Outside of work, I enjoy playing piano, sending snail mail, and trying to keep my houseplants alive. I’m based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

out and about

✽ I spoke with The Guardian about Prison Banned Books Week and the difficulties I’ve experienced sending reading materials to incarcerated writers.

✽ My friend and fellow publicist Cassie Mannes Murray interviewed me for her excellent newsletter about book promotion.

✽ Publishers Weekly included my perspective in a roundup of publishing industry experiences during the first year of the pandemic.

✽ On WBUR’s Here & Now, I shared my favorite moment from 2021: meeting my nephew, Cameron.

kind words

“Brilliant, compassionate, and a force for good, Megan read California Against the Sea with a thoughtful eye and championed the book with immense care. She builds meaningful and lasting relationships with writers, producers, and editors, and I could feel that deep sense of community as she connected my work with different audiences across the country.”

“Working with Megan was an education. She has helped transform my sense of what is possible in terms of how we talk about this craft that we love in public, as well as how to get more of the sort of books we love out into the world. If you want to work with someone who will represent your writing with care, consistency, and real imagination, look no further.”

“A good publicist is the secret to any successful book. Megan is more than that—she is one of the best publicists I’ve worked with in my nearly 30 years in publishing. It’s one thing to write a good book, and another to figure out, in this crowded marketplace of ideas, how to bring it successfully to readers’ attention. Megan is a miracle worker and you could not ask for a more tenacious and resourceful partner. She is both creative and relentless in chasing down leads and finding the right angle to hook any given outlet. She is also rare in her commitment to delve into the substance of a book to find creative ways of connecting its ideas and insights with the news. I couldn’t recommend her more highly.”

“It’s the plain truth that my book wouldn’t have received a fraction of the attention it did without Megan as its publicist. She’s mission-driven, strategic, persistent, savvy, and an absolute delight to work with. In addition to getting my book some astonishingly good media attention, she drafted excerpts, sharpened my talking points, developed editorial angles for op-eds, answered questions I had as a first-time author, and, in perhaps the most impressive feat, kept me organized throughout. All I can say is that if you have a labor of love you’re launching into the universe, Megan is the rocket booster you want attached to it.”

“Megan is the complete publicist. A strategist. A thought partner. A connector. An editor. A colleague for life.”

“Working with Megan is a joy. She is a big-picture strategist who can also zoom in to manage the manifold details of a well-run launch. She has a finger on the pulse of what’s current and an eye for the long term and what is evergreen. She is a fun and serious thought partner, reads voraciously herself and considers all manner of ideas. She has been fearless in representing our interests and in coaching us on how to do that as well.”

“Megan is the best in the biz. It’s rare to have a publicist who feels like a true partner—someone equally comfortable developing a high-level strategy and tinkering with the syntax of a sentence. Her passion for books is apparent in everything she does. Any author would be lucky to have her in their corner.”

“I found promoting my book almost as exhausting as writing it, but Megan was the perfect partner: respectful of the material (which she actually read and thought about), inventive and relentless in her pitching, insanely well organized (she prepared a detailed briefing for every podcast, radio interview and bookstore event), and patient with her author. I’d work with her again in a heartbeat.”

“When I retrieved Megan’s letter from my cell bars, I opened it and saw it was handwritten. She’d done her homework, read my work, knew I had a book deal, and offered to help me pro-bono. Seeing the angle, getting at the heart of it, this is how I pitch. It’s how Megan pitches, too. But she does it in nuanced ways, promoting her authors. Few writers and journalists are good at promoting themselves. It’s weird. We nail the big stories and we think the interview requests should just appear in our inboxes. A good publicist is always connecting the dots, seeing the play, and it’s often one you can’t make yourself as a writer. It’s been humbling and impressive to see Megan, the grinder that she is, help me promote my own projects in the media. She is a tough and persistent publicist. Straight up, she was the missing piece to my career.”

“Megan impresses me time and again with her creative pitches, exhaustive follow up, and uncanny ability to monitor every breaking news story that touches on topics related to her books. Her intellectual curiosity, work ethic, and organizational skills make her an asset to any author.”

“Megan is a dream publicist because she cares so deeply about getting important ideas into the world. Her passion for books and authors, coupled with her steadfast drive, organizational skills, and deep understanding of today’s competitive market, help her to identify media opportunities at both the loftiest outlets and the niche ones. Megan has cultivated strong media contacts, understands their wants and needs, and carefully crafts and clarifies authors’ messages. Then, she pitches relentlessly, making certain every book she works on is given its best shot at getting into the hands of readers.”

“A careful eye, deep intuition, and acumen are invaluable in choosing a publicity partner, and Megan has them all. It turns out she’s also incredibly thoughtful, kind, and supportive—the things authors also really need to successfully launch their work into the world.”

“Megan is a dynamo! She combines extensive industry experience and know-how with deep creativity. She was brimming over with ideas for how to market The Power of Trust, newsy pitches for a wide variety of outlets, and lots and lots of media tips. We were thrilled to be working with her!”

“As an alumna, Megan has a long-standing relationship with the English department at UMass Lowell. In addition to sourcing student internships and attending job talks, she annually volunteers to guest lecture in the Introduction to Editing & Publishing class. With enthusiasm and candor, Megan’s lectures demystify an industry that can seem inaccessible to underrepresented voices–especially first-generation college students. Her perspective has sparked curiosity and interest. No fewer than five of my students remarked that her recent presentation inspired their vocational discernment and helped them imagine new futures.”

“It was brilliant to work with Megan. It’s not often I get the chance to collaborate with someone who’s a better project manager than I am. I’ve been lucky to work with some special people in my life and I’d put Megan among the top.”