During lockdown, I embarked on getting to know the wonderful people who work tirelessly behind the scenes at publishing houses across the UK. I titled the blog page, Meet the Gatekeepers. I thought, after nearly five years, it was time to revamp this and meet familiar friends and introduce new ones. Today is the first for 2025!
Meet Anthony Barlow, Publicist — Tiny Tree Books, Matthew James Publishing, Andrews UK
How did you get your start working in publishing?
I got my start in publishing nine years ago when I joined the team at Matthew James Publishing. I had previously worked as a journalist and also worked in marketing within the live music industry. I had known James, the publisher at MJP, for a few years and we were good friends. After collaborating on a book launch event, he asked me to join the team full-time. The rest, as they say, is history.
What are the highlights of your job?
I love working with authors and illustrators. Talking to them about their book and seeing how passionate they are never gets old. I enjoy involving them in the marketing process as much as possible — I find that kind of direct collaboration makes for the best results.
What are the challenges of your job?
Handling expectations might be the biggest challenge I face regularly. Everyone involved in the creation of a book wants a book to be the biggest success it can be but, as a smaller publisher, we know that success takes time and hard work and that overnight success is a rarity. Whilst I never want to dash any dreams, I also never want someone’s expectations to be out of sync with ours. It’s important that we’re all on the same page.
Describe a typical day- or are no two days alike?
No two days are really the same. There are a lot of repeat tasks, but the joy of working in marketing is that I’m always getting to sink my teeth into a new project. I’m also one of the few people who is involved in almost every step of the publishing process, so that’s good too.
Any tips for book bloggers?
As someone who is looking to connect with bloggers for reviews, interviews and other coverage, please make your email address accessible and include your social media handles where you can. If you have guidelines for reviews, favoured genres, etc, make those clear somewhere at the top of your blog. It really helps publicists like me connect with you.
What book are you most excited about for 2025?
The book I’m most excited to read (outside of any of our own) is Source Code — the autobiography of Bill Gates. If I can include Tiny Tree titles then I’m really excited for the conclusion to David Barker’s ‘London Falling’ trilogy. I’m excited for others to read that one too.
My Shelves Are Full 