Books Forward

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Indie-pioneering book publicity firm offering campaigns from $1,500 starter packages to $25,000+ full-service launches with media, social, and book-tour support.

Best for: Indie authors who want a tiered firm — small online-only promo at the bottom, full-service launch campaigns at the top — with explicit indie-author acceptance

Test budget:1,500 to start

$2k–$25k/project

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Verified May 2026

Price in this categoryBelow mid-range

$5k

Cheaper than 16 of 23 tools · this price is per project

Tools at this price point typically fit a Professional Stack ($2,000+ total).

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Details

Author Goal: Launch Book, Boost Sales, Drive Discovery
Service Type: Pr Publicity
Test budget: $1500 to start

pr-publicity media-outreach social-media-management book-tours· 2 categories launch-publicity indie-friendly· 2 categories

Books Forward is the publicity division of JKS Communications, founded in 2000 in New Orleans and rebranded to Books Forward in 2020. They are one of the first U.S. publicity firms to publicly represent both traditionally published and self-published books — and have championed indie authors through Indie Next Picks and partnerships with indie publishing organizations. Offices in New Orleans, Nashville, New York, Atlanta, and Montreal.

Best for: Indie authors who want to scale into PR — start with a $1,500 online promo and graduate into a full $20,000+ launch campaign with the same firm
Key services: Media relations, digital marketing, social media management, book tour development, blog and podcast outreach, awards strategy
Pricing: $1,500 (basic online promotions) to $25,000+ (full-service campaigns including cross-country tours); typical full-service campaign valued around $20,000
Indie stance: Explicitly indie-friendly — represented over 1,000 authors including NYT bestsellers and debut indie novelists
Lead time: Requires 6 months of lead time before launch for full-service campaigns
Limitations: Books must be professionally edited with a professional cover and active distribution; rates above $1,500 are quote-based and not publicly tiered
Why authors love it: Earliest legacy firm to seriously work with indies, broad price floor, and multi-city team that can run regional tours

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Smith Publicity

$5k–$30k/projectPick

Full-service book PR firm — TV, radio, podcast, print, and online media campaigns for self-published and traditionally published authors since 1997.

Also offers Pr Publicity

Similar price to Books Forward

Test budget:: 5000 to start
Best for:: Authors with a launch budget who want a recognized firm running a multi-channel media campaign — TV, podcast, radio, and online — across a 3 to 6-month window

PR by the Book

$200–$7k/projectPick

Full-service book publicity agency with rare partial pricing transparency — modular services from $200/hour consulting to $7,250 podcast launch packages.

Also offers Pr Publicity

Lower price than Books Forward

Test budget:: 200 to start
Best for:: Authors who want modular PR — start with hourly consulting or a single add-on (podcast launch, influencer outreach) instead of buying a full $20,000 campaign upfront

Book Publicity Services

$2k–$12k/project

Boutique indie-friendly book PR firm led by Kelsey Butts — campaigns spanning TV, radio, podcasts, magazines, and social media influencer placement.

Also offers Pr Publicity

Lower price than Books Forward

Test budget:: 2000 to start
Best for:: Indie authors who want a boutique single-publicist relationship with upfront pricing communication and a 3-month campaign minimum across nearly every genre

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