What Press Shop does

Press Shop PR is a New York City-based, founder-owned book publicity firm specializing in securing high-profile media coverage for nonfiction books. Founded by Leah Paulos in 2013 and operating from Brooklyn, the firm runs full-service publicity campaigns for authors and publishers, delivering press materials development, media outreach, interview and op-ed placement, media training, and event coordination. Its track record includes multiple #1 New York Times bestsellers, a National Book Award winner, and Pulitzer finalists, with coverage secured across NYT, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, TODAY, The Daily Show, NPR, MSNBC, CNN, BBC, and CBC.

The firm operates two service lines. The primary revenue stream is full-service book publicity campaigns conducted alongside publishers' in-house publicity teams; pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The secondary line is Book Publicity School, a sub-brand offering tiered virtual workshops (free Book Publicity 101, Office Hours, a 6-Week Intensive, and a 6-Month Strategy + Support program) for authors seeking education below the full-service price point. Press Shop is privately held with no outside investment and has been recognized twice by the Observer as a top U.S. PR firm; in Fall 2025 it became the official publicity partner of the Whiting Foundation.

The team is intentionally small, led by founder Leah Paulos (former Condé Nast editor with 25+ years in books and media) and co-owner Andy Davis, supported by Senior Publicist Emma McGlashen and Associate Publicist Nora Sullivan Horner. The firm's competitive advantage rests on founder credibility, an extensive journalist contact network cultivated over two decades, and selective client intake. Press Shop is not a technology company: there are no proprietary platforms, APIs, or AI/ML capabilities underlying the service offering, and revenue mechanics are entirely labor-based professional services.

Name

Press Shop

Legal name

Press Shop PR

Website

https://pressshoppr.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Press Shop PR is a Brooklyn-based, founder-owned book publicity firm running full-service PR campaigns and educational workshops for nonfiction authors and publishers, leveraging deep journalist relationships cultivated over two decades.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Book Publicity Services

NAICS

Public Relations Agencies (541820)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Media Relations & Press Office Services (MPAAADAI)

Keywords

• Book publicity services
• Media outreach
• Press campaigns
• Literary public relations
• Author promotion

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Full-Service Book Publicity Campaigns: Comprehensive publicity campaigns for authors and publishers that include writing press materials, conducting media outreach, coordinating interviews, media training, and op-ed support. This is the primary revenue stream for the firm.
2. Book Publicity School Workshops: Virtual workshops, coaching, Q&A sessions, and online groups offering book publicity guidance at a lower pricepoint than full campaigns. Includes Book Publicity 101 (free), Office Hours, 6-Week Book Publicity Intensive, and 6-Month Strategy + Support programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Press Shop PR delivers full-service book publicity campaigns for nonfiction and literary authors and their publishers, including press release and pitch writing, media outreach, interview coordination, op-ed placement, and media training. The firm also operates Book Publicity School, an educational arm offering workshops and multi-week programs for authors seeking to learn self-promotion skills.

Product overview

Press Shop PR operates as a book publicity firm offering two main service lines: (1) Full-Service Book Publicity Campaigns—a comprehensive PR service where the team handles all publicity activities for authors and publishers, including writing press materials, conducting media outreach, coordinating interviews and events, and providing media training and op-ed support; and (2) Book Publicity School—a separate educational arm offering virtual workshops, coaching, and self-service programs for authors at various price points. As of Fall 2025, Press Shop also handles publicity for the Whiting Foundation's nonfiction grantees. The company specializes in nonfiction, memoirs, literary fiction, and academic titles, with expertise spanning politics, history, science, technology, climate, higher education, social justice, and parenting topics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Book Publicity School: Virtual workshops for authors providing book publicity education at a lower pricepoint than full campaigns. Includes Book Publicity 101, Office Hours, 6-Week Book Publicity Intensive, and 6-Month Strategy + Support programs.

Products and services

• Full-Service Book Publicity Campaigns Bespoke end-to-end book publicity campaigns for nonfiction and literary authors and their publishers, including press release and pitch letter writing, targeted media outreach, interview coordination, op-ed placement, broadcast pitching, and media training. Priced via custom quote; capped per season to ensure senior attention per title.
• Book Publicity 101 Workshop Free 1-hour primer workshop for authors covering the fundamentals of book publicity, journalist pitchcraft, and the media landscape. Serves as the entry-level educational offering in the Book Publicity School portfolio, designed to onboard aspiring and pre-launch authors.
• Office Hours (Bimonthly) Bimonthly subscription workshop sessions offering authors ongoing access to publicity coaching, pitch review, and Q&A with Press Shop publicists. Designed for authors seeking continuous guidance between or alongside a campaign engagement.
• 6-Week Book Publicity Intensive Six-week structured intensive program teaching authors the complete book publicity workflow — from defining the publicity hook through executing a media outreach plan. Targets authors preparing for an upcoming launch who want hands-on training rather than a full-service retainer.
• 6-Month Strategy + Support Program

Quantifiable outcome

• National coverage achieved in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, TODAY, The Daily Show, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, NPR, MSNBC, CNN, SiriusXM, BBC, CBC
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Whiting FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPress Shop PR serves as the official publicity partner of the Whiting Foundation, handling publicity for their nonfiction grantees starting Fall 2025. This partnership demonstrates the firm's reputation in the literary and publishing community.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• InkHouse: InkHouse is a larger integrated PR agency with an active authors and books practice serving nonfiction authors and publishers. It competes with Press Shop for nonfiction book publicity but operates as part of a broader technology, healthcare, and consumer PR portfolio.

Emerging players

• BookEnds Literary Agency: BookEnds Literary Agency is a full-service literary agency that includes book launch marketing and publicity support for its represented authors. While primarily an agency, its author marketing capabilities compete with portions of Press Shop's service offering.
• Folio Literary Management: Folio Literary Management is a New York literary agency that has expanded into hybrid author representation with publicity-adjacent services. Its book marketing and launch support overlap with Press Shop's author-facing publicity work, though Folio's core function is agent representation.

Direct peers

• Smith Publicity: Smith Publicity is a book and author publicity firm offering media campaigns, book tours, and author branding. It competes directly with Press Shop for nonfiction and literary authors seeking national media exposure.
• The Book Group: The Book Group is a New York-based independent book publicity firm serving authors and publishers with campaigns similar to Press Shop. Like Press Shop, it specializes in media outreach, reviews, and interviews for trade nonfiction and literary titles.
• Goldberg McDuffie Communications: Goldberg McDuffie Communications is a New York-based book publicity firm specializing in trade nonfiction and literary titles. It offers campaigns with comparable services to Press Shop, including media outreach, reviews, and author media training.
• Media Masters Publicity: Media Masters Publicity is a book publicity firm providing campaigns for nonfiction, literary, and lifestyle authors. It offers comparable services to Press Shop including national media outreach, broadcast bookings, and author media training.
• Berk Communications: Berk Communications is a New York-based PR firm with a dedicated books and authors practice that secures media coverage across broadcast, print, and digital outlets. It competes with Press Shop for nonfiction and literary book publicity engagements.
• Tugeau2: Tugeau2 is a book publicity firm specializing in campaigns for trade nonfiction, literary fiction, and memoir authors. It competes with Press Shop in securing reviews, interviews, and feature coverage in top-tier outlets for books and authors.
• Paper Lantern Lit: Paper Lantern Lit is a literary publicity firm working with publishers and authors on book campaigns. It offers comparable book publicity services to Press Shop, with a focus on fiction, memoir, and literary nonfiction titles.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/pressshoppr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/3725129
• Facebookfacebook.com/pressshoppr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Press Shop