Author Shares How Career in PR Shaped Her Approach to Becoming Novelist

By Cynthia Price

Rachel Beanland describes herself as a huge reader and writer. Despite that, she said she never considered she could attend school to study creative writing. She chose public relations because it was a practical way to keep writing. 

Little did she know that her 15 years in public relations would influence her writing of her first novel, Florence Adler Swims Forever, which was published by Simon & Schuster this summer amidst a pandemic. 

In its release, Simon & Schuster said the book “is a brilliant depiction of a bygone era of the Jersey Shore, a great novel of big dreams and loss. Based on a true story of her great-great-aunt, Beanland’s family saga is a breathtaking portrait of just how far we will go to protect our loved ones and an uplifting portrayal of how the human spirit can endure — and even thrive — after a tragedy.”

The book was selected as an Indie Next July 2020 pick, an Amazon Best Book of the Month for July, a Barnes and Noble Book Club selection for July, and the Most Anticipated 2020 Summer Read by Good Morning America and Parade. 

Beanland talked about her career and the novel during a Zoom meeting with VPC members in October. Because of Zoom, she has met with many more book clubs and organizations than she might have pre-pandemic days. 

Before turning to her writing full-time, Rachel worked in public relations, including for a zoo and in higher education, and in nonprofit management. It wasn’t until she worked for the Visual Arts Center of Richmond that she merged her interests and talents. “It was there that I became inspired to write the novel,” Beanland said.

Beanland loved working in public relations. She enjoyed that no two days were ever the same. She also found she could continue to write, even if it was a strategic plan. Her words could inspire actions. 

While her public relations writing was different from working on a novel, it did help her become a better novelist. She wrote a piece for Business Insider about how she learned the power of conciseness, to effectively research, and the importance of telling a story transparently and honestly. 

When Beanland was trying to hook people to read her news releases, she learned to write tightly. She applied that approach to her novel’s opening, shaving 20 pages. 

She had the makings of a novel on her computer and then enrolled in a novel-writing workshop at Virginia Commonwealth University. During the course, she completed 150 pages and by the fall of 2018, she had a first draft completed. Her professor, Tom De Haven, introduced her to her literary agent, Chad Luibl, of Janklow & Nesbit Associates in New York.

Beanland had embarked on the pre-publication tour. “It was all fun until the global pandemic hit,” she said. Launch parties were canceled and book stores closed. Once again, Beanland put her PR skills to use. She created a launch party in a box and provided them to anyone who pre-ordered her book through the independent bookstore, Chop Suey Books. Her party in a box featured prosecco, saltwater taffy, and information about the book. She also signed books on the day of its release with physical distancing in place and masks required. 

She’s at work on her next novel but isn’t sharing details yet.