TESTIMONIALS
Kimberly Burns did a sensational job for me and The Enchantress of Florence, she’s in the process of doing a fabulous job for PEN American Center, and, in my view, she is the best there is.
— Salman Rushdie
You dream that someday you will have a publicist who truly loves your book and is adamant about sharing it with the world; who wants more for it than you dared hope for, and then makes it happen. Wake up! Your dream is real and it’s Kimberly Burns. Working with her was glorious. Navigating the emotional turmoil of publishing with her by my side felt immeasurably better. She is sharp, creative, absolutely professional, passionate, wise, funny as hell, knows everyone and everything, thinks big, achieves big, makes the impossible happen, makes you feel like a star. She’s the best investment I ever made in myself.
— Susan Orlean
So many people will tell you about Kimberly Burns’s professional competence — her knowledge of the baroque taxonomy of publishing, her feeling for how to put a press release together, her instinct to send the galley to Person X and not Person Y. But none of that is the reason she’s a legend. She’s an author-whisperer: a compassionate, protective, understanding friend at the most vulnerable time of a writer’s life. That’s why I, and so many others, don’t just like Kimberly: I love her.
— Benjamin Moser, winner of the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for SONTAG
Hiring Kimberly Burns is the single best decision I made in launching my debut novel, Miracle Creek, into the world. I took full advantage of Kimberly’s expertise and guidance through this new-to-me literary world. She listened to and answered all my questions about this too-often confounding and confusing process with wisdom and patience. She’s not only the best literary publicist, but also an awesome therapist, advocate, counselor, and friend. I can’t imagine publishing a book without her.
— Angie Kim
I’d never before worked with anyone but an in-house publicist, but my hunch that Kimberly and I would hit it off was entirely right, thanks to her absolute reliability, adaptability, good humor, and love of books and writing. I was looking for someone sympathetic but also completely honest. I learned a lot working with her. It was my good luck she wanted to work with me, and I have nothing but good things to say about her amazing energy, vast amounts of knowledge, and her devotion to whatever project she takes on.
— Ann Beattie
Kimberly Burns is a unique force in publishing. She’s funny, smart, efficient, and above all devoted to the writers she cares about and to their books. At a time when publishing a book can seem like dropping a pebble down a well, Kimberly makes sure that the author always hears an echoing splash. She can make a book tour into a pleasure, a bookstore reading feel like a real event, and an early morning radio call feel like a summons from Zeus. Anyone who has her as the trailblazer on his book is lucky beyond what words — even mine — can describe.
— Adam Gopnik
Kimberly Burns is a rarity among book publicists–she’s driven to usher the books she works on into the world–she works tirelessly–and is beyond smart. She thinks about both the book and the author and comes up with events and interviews that capture the context and intentions that are best suited to the material. She should teach a course in How to Be the World’s Best Publicist–and EVERYONE should be required to take it.
— A.M. Homes
If putting a book out into the world is a nerve wracking proposition, it is made infinitely less so when you have a publicist as perceptive and inventive and frankly joyous as Kimberly Burns working by your side. Not only is Kimberly passionate about the projects she represents, but she has a nuanced understanding of the ever-changing media landscape, a quality that becomes ever more important. She is a person of enormous integrity and her authors are the beneficiaries of her well deserved reputation.
— Marisa Silver
Hiring Kimberly Burns was one of the best career decisions I’ve ever made. If it’s possible to make an art out of publicity—a fine art, even—she has done just that. She is tireless, intuitive, generous, hilarious, super smart and possibly a little bit psychic. Having her in my life was the best part of the publication process and honestly the only reason I can see to ever write another book is to get her back so I can talk to her every day.
— Meghan Daum
Kimberly Burns is an ace publicist, obviously. But what I liked most about her was we had so much fun. In the time we spent together I never felt like I was with my publicist. You know, there was none of that gushing, telling me how wonderful my books were type stuff. Nope, she never said a single complimentary thing about me or my books, either to me or anyone else. In fact, now that I think about it…
— Geoff Dyer
Kimberly Burns loves a good book. She is prepared to put her considerable energy, her fierce intelligence, her good humor and her truly astonishing rolodex to use in the service of the good book, and the lucky author who finds her.
— Amy Bloom
Few publicists have the kind of good will amongst critics, booksellers, radio producers and culture editors that Kimberly Burns has. She’s a pro and one of very the best in the business.
— Bill Clegg
Kimberly Burns is one of the most capable people I’ve ever encountered. If only she could run my life as effectively as she’s promoted my books. She loves and understands writers. Working with her is not only a huge advantage, it’s downright fun.
— Bernard Cooper
We live in a society of specialization, one that expects us to do one thing only. An actress who writes literary fiction seems to most like an oxymoron. Enter Kimberly Burns who isn’t prepared to accept the status quo. As brilliant as she is tenacious, Kimberly is a fierce ally, an articulate advocate, a compassionate critic and a tireless worker. I am absolutely sure that there is no one who could have positioned my debut fiction When It Happens to You in a better light. Her careful thought and dedication to how it was released have made the difference. And somehow, she managed to make the experience fun. In Kimberly Burns I found a woman of real integrity who followed through on every promise she made. She is the rarest kind — a person who tells the truth. To be able to also call her my friend now is proof of my good fortune.
— Molly Ringwald