Expert Interview: Carrie Bachman Public Relations Trailblazer

Cast a Wide Net says Carrie

This interview with a food-writing expert was conducted by Rachel Ciordas. She writes Next Level Gluten Free newsletter and works to make gluten free living more delicious every day. You can see more of her work and subscribe at

Hello friends,

Today I have an interview with the powerhouse of cookbook PR Carrie Bachman for you. I met Carrie a little over a year ago at a conference when she was accompanying a cookbook author to the event (such personalization). Our last expert Sally, reconnected us, and as you can see, it’s a small food writing world out there. I learned so much from my conversation with Carrie, and I know you will too.

Enjoy the interview,

Rachel

---

Rachel: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? Who are you, and what do you do?

Carrie: My name is Carrie Bachman, and I am a cookbook publicist. I run a full-service boutique public relations firm and specialize in cookbooks.

I've been doing it for 33 years. I started out at Hunter P.R., a public relations firm that then specialized in only culinary products. I worked with Tabasco and Jello; in fact, the last time I was in your area was for the Velveeta and Miracle Whip Traveling Cooking School!

Rachel: Kansas City eats a lot of Velveeta and Miracle Whip.

Carrie: Exactly. After four years, I transitioned to working with cookbook authors who were spokespeople for food products. I moved over to the Hearst Corporation, which was then acquired by Harper Collins, and was there for 10 years and was the director of cookbook publicity. After that, I’ve owned my agency, doing cookbook publicity.

I've worked with lots of celebrities over the years, including Jacques Pepin, Julia Child, Marcella Hazan, Dorie Greenspan, and Ina Garden, to name a few. It's been amazing. I'm very fortunate because I love what I do, which is probably why, 33 years later, I'm still doing it.

I don’t only represent celebrities, I like to work with a diverse group of authors, including indie cookbooks. I try to find something unique and interesting in every one of the books that I work on.

Rachel: So who needs a publicist? Who should hire one?

Carrie: I always tell authors to first find out what their publisher will do. Some of the in-house publishing departments do an amazing job. Also, consider how much travel you can participate in.

Doing a book tour isn't what it used to be, but it's still important to get out there. It’s important to create that buzz, to meet your audience, to create community. Some publishers might not have big budgets, but there are always ways to work around that. You can go to events that either cover expenses or teaching.

I'm also a huge fan of casting a really wide net. Everyone loves national TV, Good Morning America, CBS, the Today Show, but I also really love booking authors on public radio.

I usually like my first-time authors to do some food radio or podcasts just to get their feet wet. I'm also very big into Substack collaborations now. I'm very interested in making connections and representing collaborative authors.

Rachel: It sounds to me like you are taking such a global approach: in person and virtual, auditory and visual, bringing all of these things together. Do you think that P.R. is changing? Is it becoming more virtual or more in-person over time?

Carrie: I really love what Substack is bringing. Collaborations on Substack really bring together the community. Recently, they launched a virtual food festival, “Grubstack,” and I saw a lot of collaboration there, which I love because then you are really increasing the conversation and exposure for each author.

I love pairing authors who don’t know each other well or with a journalist because you get such an interesting conversation. I once paired Jacques Pepin and Tony Bourdain, and there was this amazing connection. I love pairing people up on panels and doing interviews that would make a more interesting experience together than alone.

Rachel: What an amazing interview that must have been. I can only imagine.

Do you see a mistake authors make in publicity often?

Carrie: Yes. I think it's important to start super early. You need a year. If you've never done podcasts and radio and then you wait until your book is going on sale, you are kind of behind. Everything gets booked much further in advance.

Start practicing early. Starting a Substack, reaching out to your audience, and doing your homework early in pre-sales are big. You want to build momentum. A lot of my authors will have done maybe 50% of the work before the book goes on sale.

One other thing I always ask my authors to do is to thank the people who interview them. I am a big stickler for a thank-you note. Hosts do so much work to prepare for these interviews. The least an author can do is thank them. People remember.

Rachel: A lot of cookbook authors may be on a budget. How can they get the most bang for their buck when it comes to publicity?

Carrie: Authors can always start local. Go into their local bookstore, meet with their local media, and invite them to cook with them. Do the local public radio, offer to be a writer for the local news outlets.

Do local TV. You might have to make the food yourself and cover your expenses, but then at least you’ll have great video. You can put on your resume that you were a contributor.

Authors on a budget can also look for places that are within driving distance. I'm also a really big fan of public library events. Some of them have budgets that would cover the author's travel and expenses. I think those are great ways to get out there.

I would also say to be supportive of others and to connect with others in the industry because things have a way of coming back. If you put that good karma out into the world, it will come back to you.

Sometimes, you have to go out of your comfort zone. I have a bunch of cookbook authors who are now doing more Ted Talks and talking about inspiration, sharing their stories. And although it's not directly cookbook related. I believe that if you put yourself in the right situations, you'll meet the right people.

Rachel: Thank you for doing this, for being our expert, Carrie.

---

Carrie Bachman was named recipient of this year’s International Association of Culinary Professionals Trailblazer Award chosen for her passion and impact in the food community. This award is intended to acknowledge those individuals who have shaped the culinary world.

Carrie has more than 30 years culinary & lifestyle public relations experience. She is currently president of Carrie Bachman Public Relations, a boutique firm specializing in cookbook publicity. From 1996-2006, Carrie was Director of Publicity for Cookbooks and Lifestyle at HarperCollins/William Morrow where she publicized hundreds of cookbooks written by top selling authors. From 1992 – 1996, Carrie was a publicist at Hunter Public Relations, where she represented premier brands including Kraft Foods, Mcllhenny Company (Tabasco) and Häagen-Dazs.

Carrie’s vast accomplishments include creating special events and book signings, spearheading national and satellite media tours, obtaining nationwide print and radio coverage for her many clients on premier media outlets including Oprah, The Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS Sunday Morning, Food Network, People, Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, Martha Stewart Living, USA Today, Parade, Instyle, New York Times, Associated Press and Wall Street Journal. Carrie has also led bestselling campaigns for a diverse list of books and authors, including Emeril Lagasse, Ina Garten, Trish Yearwood, Ellie Krieger, Rachael Ray, Dr. Michael Roizen, Mark Bittman, Dorie Greenspan, Kat Ashmore and The Joy of Cooking.

---

Other Links;

Main Library (List of Food Writers) | Recipes | Kitchen Tips | FSL Index | Q&A: Other People’s Kitchens | Q&A Other People’s Bookshelves | FoodStack Reads | Recommendations