The company
PR by the Book is a book publicity firm built on passion, partnership, and a commitment to amplifying authors’ voices. Founded over 21 years ago by Marika and Doug Flatt, the company has grown into a trusted name in book publicity, helping authors and publishers secure impactful media coverage and build a strong presence in the literary world.
Marika, the Chief Publicity Strategist, leads the charge with creative and results-driven campaigns, while Doug, the Chief Operating Officer, ensures smooth business operations behind the scenes. Their combined dedication and expertise have shaped PR by the Book into a reliable partner for authors seeking to make their mark.
With a proven track record and a passionate team, PR by the Book remains a trusted partner for authors and publishers seeking impactful media exposure.
The challenge
PR by the Book faced a complex and fragmented system for managing their operations. For years, they relied on Solve 360 as their CRM, but its capabilities were limited and lacked the robust features needed to support their growing business. To compensate, they developed a custom workload management software solution around 15 years ago and used it alongside FileMaker, an old database solution.
Their processes became increasingly siloed as they integrated various other tools, including for financials and email campaigns. Data had to be manually entered and updated across multiple platforms, leading to inefficiencies and a higher risk of errors. Despite efforts to streamline operations, the system remained fragmented, causing delays and difficulties in maintaining consistency.
Recognizing the need for a more comprehensive and automated solution, PR by the Book began exploring alternatives to unify their processes. The journey to find the right system involved several starts and stops, but the need for a stronger, more integrated CRM became increasingly clear.
The solution
PR by the Book needed a unified platform that could serve as a single source of truth, consolidating all their data and automating time-consuming processes. After evaluating several CRM options—including Salesforce, HubSpot, and Insightly—they found that Zoho CRM offered the best combination of features and value. The flexibility of Zoho allowed them to build a comprehensive solution without having to cobble together disparate systems.
Effective lead management
With Zoho CRM, PR by the Book streamlined their entire process from lead intake to client management. Instead of spending time manually replying to welcome emails, booking calls, entering data into a database, and creating contracts from scratch, everything is now automated. When a potential client fills out the contact form on the website, the information automatically feeds into Zoho CRM. From there, a welcome email is sent instantly, complete with links to book a call via Zoho Bookings, view pricing packages, and an introductory video from the co-founder.
Once a call is booked through Zoho Bookings, the system automatically moves the contact to the "Qualified Leads" pipeline—enabled by its integration with Zoho CRM. After the call, notes are added, and the contact is moved to the "Discovery Call Completed" stage, which triggers the creation of a deal. The team then uses mail merge to generate a proposal with all necessary terms and conditions, which is seamlessly sent through the Zoho Sign integration for approval. Unqualified leads that don’t book a call are sent into a follow-up workflow with automated emails over several months.
Improved productivity with automation
After a contract is signed, the client is marked as “active” and receives a setup email with links to a form. By integrating Zoho Forms with Zoho CRM, client information is directly captured into their contact and deal records. This automation has significantly reduced manual workload, saving hours each week and allowing the team to focus on client relationships rather than administrative tasks.
Customizing to align with business needs
PR by the Book uses a custom media database module, specifically tailored to meet their publicist's needs. The system tracks booked, declined, and pending media placements for each campaign, allowing for comprehensive reporting and collaboration. This database, once scattered across spreadsheets and Google Sheets, is now centralized and easily accessible, enabling the team to find relevant media contacts and campaign history effortlessly.
Advanced insights with analytics
The robust reporting capabilities within Zoho CRM have been a game-changer for PR by the Book. They can generate any data-driven insights at a moment’s notice, including automated weekly reporting. Setting up automated reports to track campaign progress has become a seamless process, helping managers stay on top of performance metrics without needing to dig through spreadsheets.
Empowering business success through Zoho's Partner network
Zoho Authorized Partner, 3Leaf CRM, played an integral role in the company's successful implementation of Zoho CRM. From initial planning to final execution, they guided PR by the Book through every step easily and cost-effectively. The support didn’t end after implementation—the Partner continues to assist with updates and optimizations as the business evolves.
"We wouldn’t have been able to transform Zoho into what it is today without 3Leaf CRM. They delivered exactly what we needed. We couldn’t be happier with their support and expertise.”
Benefits
One of the biggest advantages has been the flexibility to build custom modules that meet their specific needs. PR by the Book’s publicists now have a media database that integrates directly with Zoho CRM, making it easier to log media placements, track outreach, and collaborate on campaigns. Whether it’s pulling reports on booked media or generating client-specific updates, Zoho CRM’s functionality has transformed how they operate.
"Zoho has completely transformed how we work. It has saved us countless hours and helped us stay organized and efficient."
- Industry typeAdvertising & Marketing
- EmployeesBelow 50
- Type of businessB2C
Looking forward
With Zoho CRM as their central hub, PR by the Book is now well-positioned to continue growing while maintaining operational efficiency. The platform’s scalability and automation capabilities ensure they can take on more clients without compromising on quality or productivity.
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