Valerie Peterson

Booklover, book publishing professional, book author — I've been all around the book block and will help you navigate the publishing industry by bringing you evergreen wisdom and immediately-actionable advice.

Loyal readers, book authors & book publicists - SIGN UP for my free weekly book publishing newsletter here* to get weekly notifications of my newly-published articles on The Balance and elsewhere, book pro and author interviews, news — plus some interesting and fun Bookends & Odds.

Book publicists, I'd love for you to sign up because:

• I do sometimes use thoughtful, targeted pitches to write book industry stories that give my readers peeks behind the book publishing scenes and... 
• I sometimes do original, thoughtful Q&As with authors about their unique writing or publishing processes...

*As of June 2016, About.com is condensing newsletter and there will no longer be a Book-Publishing-only round-up. 

Strategic Book and Author Marketing

I teach and speak on the subject of book publishing and book marketing, and regularly consult with authors, entrepreneurs, publishers, and brands on their book proposals, market positioning, brand and content / social media strategies. 

As head of marketing for the cookbook and travel book divisions of John Wiley Publishers, I had the honor of creating and directing the execution of ground-breaking marketing and branding efforts for such authors as  Mark Bittman and Nigella Lawson and national brands like Betty Crocker and Frommers Guides. As associate marketing director of Doubleday, I developed award-winning marketing campaigns for dozens of best-selling authors such as James Lee Burke and Robert Crais. From book promotion to publicity to content strategic and social media — I've run every facet of book marketing, touched every part of the book publishing process, and have produced dozens of videos, too. Prior to my book publishing career, my corporate strategic experience included developing and writing strategic plans for a high-growth division Fortune 200 Corporation and directing their primary and secondary market research efforts.

Writing, Publishing, Producing

Currently completing my first novel, I'm the author of Peterson's Holiday Helper and Peterson's Happy Hour humor/cocktail books (Random House/Clarkson Potter), and the co-author (with Janice Fryer) of Cookie Craft and Cookie Craft Christmas (Storey Publishing/Workman). I write for periodicals including the New York Times, and was named a semi-finalist in the 2015 Robert Benchley Humor Writing Competition.

I was a finalist for the 2015 CBS TV Writing Mentorship Program and my first TV drama pilot achieved Quarterfinalist status in the 2015 Austin Film Festival and Screencraft Pilot Launch competitions. My short film The Maid of Honor was an Official Selection of the Sedona International Film Festival and my time travel screenplay The Jane Austen Syndrome has been recognized by numerous screenplay competitions, including those sponsored by The Austin Film Festival, Cinequest, The Big Apple Film Festival and MORE magazine.

I've written for national publications including The New York Times, as well as contributed to glossy magazines like Brides.

I'm a proud product of Yonkers public schools, Fordham University, and New York University's School of Professional Studies (where I got my Film and Television Directing credentials) and the BarSmarts Program (where I got my cocktail recipe development chops)...

... but much of my "education" has come from the smart, accomplished, and passionate people I've worked within the creative industries — as well as my insatiable appetite for self-help books. I hope to contribute to your book publishing success by sharing what I've learned.

If you have a question for About Book Publishing...

... please address it to me on my Facebook page with the following caveat:

I take your questions and comments very seriously, and I do use your feedback to help determine what I cover on the site. However, due to the high volume of correspondence, I can't answer your queries personally and do not accept manuscripts for reading or feedback.