What are some upcoming trends for the next year?

I expect that we will continue to see globalization across publicity teams in publishing over the next year. As the media landscape becomes more porous with readers consuming their content from all over the world (as opposed to geography-specific media), publicity teams will have to innovate to work across media markets globally. Publishers will have to figure out how to catch up with global publications, differing publicity timelines, and media exclusives if they want to really take advantage of global PR in real time for their books.

What book/genre/topic would you like to see cross your transom?

I largely work with experts across a multitude of fields, and I’m always excited about new books that help explain or shape our world, like Antisocial Media: How Facebook Disconnects Us and Undermines Democracy by Siva Vaidhyanathan; Cyberwar: How Russian Hackers and Trolls Helped Elect a President by Kathleen Hall Jamieson; and Hate: Why We Should Resist It With Free Speech Not Censorship by Nadine Strossen. I’d really like to see the Thomas Paine of our time step forward and reinvigorate Americans across the political spectrum to effect real change.

What topic don’t you ever want to see again?

I’m incredibly tired of Trump books…aren’t you?

How do you work with self-published authors?

I run educational workshops for authors. They are typically small and hands-on, covering the gamut of promotion, from publicity to traditional marketing to social media. I like to divide the workshops by the authors’ subject area (a workshop for historians, for example), and I do plan to run sessions for self-publishing authors since their needs are unique.

What do you want to change about publishing?

We have a very female-dominated industry that is still largely run by men. I’d like to see a significant shift in senior leadership that reflects the demographics of the industry. I’d also really like to see a similar dynamic shift in the books being published. Given that women are doing a large part of the acquisitions and we also buy more books than men, on average, why aren’t we seeing that reflected in the publishing we’re doing? I’d also love to see more innovative solutions to these problems. And Other Stories adopted the “Year of Publishing Women” wholeheartedly and learned some really interesting lessons.

What’s unique about your corner of the publishing industry?

I started my career in the traditional trade publishing world but have spent eight out of the last 13 years in the interesting crossover world of academic trade publishing working with some of the most brilliant academic minds of our day in a climate that has become increasingly hostile toward experts. In my opinion, university presses are doing some of the very best publishing: crossing all genres, winning awards, and delivering unique and exceptional reading experiences.

Anything else you’d like to add?

I don’t think so; thanks for the opportunity!

Sarah Russo is the founder of Sarah Russo Public Relations and a publishing professional with experience working across the spectrum of publicity, communications, traditional marketing, social media marketing, branding, and business development. Most recently, Sarah was the global head of audience engagement, publicity, and social media for Oxford University Press. Her work at OUP spanned trade books, the dictionaries program, journals, and online products. Sarah has worked in-house for Alfred A. Knopf, Doubleday, Farrar, Strauss & Giroux, and as a consultant for organizations and companies like the National Book Critics Circle, the Association of University Presses, the American Booksellers Association, Curtis Brown, Ltd., theOxford American, and Coffee House Press.