About Rick Frishman

President of Planned Television Arts

Rick Frishman, President of Planned Television Arts (PTA), has been the driving force behind PTA’s exceptional growth. In 1993, PTA merged with Ruder Finn, where Rick serves as Executive Vice President. He remains one of the media industry’s most energetic and powerful publicists while supervising PTA’s success. Rick continues to work with many of the top editors, agents, and publishers in America, including: Simon and Schuster, Random House, Harper Collins, Pocket Books, Penguin Putnam, and Hyperion Books. Some of the authors he has worked with include Mitch Albom, Bill Moyers, Stephen King, Caroline Kennedy, Howard Stern, President Jimmy Carter, Mark Victor Hansen, Nelson DeMille, John Grisham, Hugh Downs, Henry Kissinger, Jack Canfield, Alan Deshowitz, Arnold Palmer, and Harvey MacKay.

Latest Posts by Rick Frishman

March 27, 2009

Your Book Cover

The look of a book’s cover is important because it’s the first thing prospective readers see. Readers usually notice covers before they read titles or have any idea what the books are about. Covers give readers their first impression of books. If a book has a good look and feel,… Read more

Written by:
Rick Frishman and Robyn Freedman Spizman

In: Covers, Publishing

March 20, 2009

Interviewing and Hiring Your PR Firm

Choose four or five firms or consultants to interview. Before you contact them, formulate some basic ideas on what you want them to do and the results you hope to receive. However, be open to their suggestions because as experienced professionals, they probably will suggest better, more productive tactics than… Read more

Written by:
Rick Frishman and Robyn Freedman Spizman

In: Public Relations

March 6, 2009

How Publicists Work

Publicists work under a number of fee arrangements. The two most popular are the retainer approach and the menu approach, which we will discuss below. Some publicists insist on contracts for stated periods of time or the duration of a campaign. Others charge on a pay-as-you-go basis, with no minimum… Read more

Written by:
Rick Frishman and Robyn Freedman Spizman

In: PR Tactics, Platform Building, Public Relations

February 13, 2009

You, Your Book, and Your Publicity

Opportunities for publicity are all around us, whether we have a business to publicize or a new book to promote. We just need to be ready for them, and we need to be ready to persevere in our ongoing efforts to further them. For instance, a cancer survivor’s press releases… Read more

Written by:
Rick Frishman and Robyn Freedman Spizman

In: PR Tactics

February 6, 2009

How to Hire the Best Publicist

After they’ve signed with a publisher, most authors are surprised to learn that they have to spend their own money to publicize their book. For authors, hiring a publicist has become more the rule than the exception because publishers can’t be counted on to publicize their books. And book publicity… Read more

Written by:
Rick Frishman and Robyn Freedman Spizman

In: PR Tactics
Tags: hire a publicist

January 30, 2009

Book Publication Date & Review Plan

The first two or three weeks after a book is published are critical because booksellers only want books that move quickly. The giant retailers must receive a certain dollar amount from every square foot of their shelf space, so if your book doesn’t make an immediate splash, they may pull… Read more

Written by:
Rick Frishman and Robyn Freedman Spizman

In: Marketing Tactics

January 23, 2009

Book Promotion Campaign Elements

Not every element that follows may work for every book or platform, but the ones listed below are good cornerstones. Media List Your media list includes the names of those who will receive a copy of the sale version of the book. It will include those who received review copies… Read more

Written by:
Rick Frishman and Robyn Freedman Spizman

January 16, 2009

Advanced Review Copies of A Book Being Published

Approximately four months prior to the publication date of a book, publishers send advanced review copies (ARCs), which are also called review copies and bound galleys, to print publications. This process involves a number of steps, which include:

Preparing a list of reviewers to whom ARCs will be sent

Written by:
Rick Frishman and Robyn Freedman Spizman

In: For Authors, For Marketers, Galleys, Getting Published, Getting Published, Marketing, PR Tactics, Press Kits, Public Relations, Strategy
Tags: book-galley, book-reviews, galley, what-type-of-letter-goes-with-bound-galley-for-reviews

January 9, 2009

Speaking Engagements

Set up your speaking engagements months in advance. For most organizations that book speakers, four to six months prior isn’t uncommon. The largest, most high-powered organizations will hire speakers a year or more in advance. Host organizations frequently have long lead times and many want to fill out their rosters… Read more

Written by:
Rick Frishman and Robyn Freedman Spizman

In: Platform Building

January 2, 2009

Preparing Your Publicity Materials

Create a list of all the elements that will be involved in your campaign and then start working on those that will take longest to achieve. Keep in mind that everything will take longer than you initially expect, especially those items that will require you to rely on others or… Read more

Written by:
Rick Frishman and Robyn Freedman Spizman

In: PR Tactics, Publishing

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