Testimonials

 I have been interviewed on over 24 regional radio stations plus national radio shows, Radio Five Live, The Jeremy Vine Show, Woman’s Hour and Classic Gold UK. I have been interviewed for 5 Irish radio stations plus The Gerry Ryan Show which is Ireland’s foremost radio show. TV appearances have been on Sky News, BBC News 24 and the very popular, Richard and Judy Show.

"Public Relation firms who contacted me subsequently with an invitation to let them act for on my behalf admitted that they could not have achieved anything near this coverage.

"Jacqui’s professional approach was impeccable and a great source of reassurance in what could have been a traumatic process. Having her on our team was a vital component in the book’s success and her effective introduction to a seemingly limitless number of pertinent contacts was handled so smoothly as to make working with her a distinct pleasure.

 "I have no doubt that Jacqui’s unique abilities and genuine warmth as a person will prove an asset to anyone requiring her specialised talents and I am happy to endorse her services.

Barbara Cartland

Dear Jacqui,

Thank you so much for all your hard work over the month. You have got some very good articles and interviews for the Pink Collection and you have been most professional.
I thought the News Weekly article read very well.
Thank you again and much love
 
Ian McCorquodale ( Dame Barbara Cartland’s son)

 

 

 

 

Ana Fischel – Author of ‘The Zartarbia Tales’
www.zartarbia.com

"We all know behind every successful business is successful promotion, in particular launching your project within the public domain, which is no easy feat. D’Image persistently achieves this and much more, carefully balancing the client’s expectations with media angles designed to gain maximum exposure.

 "As a business woman, as well as an author, I have been more than delighted with the results D’Image has produced for me to date. As a client you really feel that Jacqui MacCarthy cares about your project. The personal touch is defiantly at the core of how she runs her company, and I view her as much as a friend as I do publicist. She has achieved more in five months than I had ever had expected and has propelled my books ‘The Zartarbia Tales’ into the spotlight including securing BBC coverage and national newspapers such as The Guardian and The Mail – I have worked as a personal PR before (David Marks and Julia Barfield – the architects behind The London Eye) and so I know this is no easy achievement.

"As a company, D’Image is focussed not just on the bigger picture but the essential details that make that all important difference."

Chubby Cheeks Publications Limited
Elizabeth Hunt
Director

 "Although Jacqui and I have only just started working together, I have been extremely impressed with her pluckiness, her tenacity and her ability to turn existing relationships and sometimes tangential connections into press and publicity 'gold'.

 "In just over a month, she has introduced my Secret Agent Jack Stalwart children's book series to at least fifty journalists, securing interviews, reviews, promotions and features with both national and local media. She's prompt, diligient and competent - essential qualities for anyone running a critical PR campaign. I have no doubt over the coming months that thousands of children and their parents will be hearing about Secret Agent Jack Stalwart for the first time. The fact that they do will be in large part to Jacqui MacCarthy making it happen.

 "Elizabeth Singer Hunt, Author of the Secret Agent Jack Stalwart series and Director of Chubby Cheeks Publications Limited"

Illustrations by Brian Williamson.

FRANK HINKS
Author, Illustrator and Publisher of the Ramion Series
www.frankhinks.com

  The Ramion Series was launched in 2003 promoted by an eminent (and expensive) literary PR company. Publicity gained for expenditure incurred left much to be desired and in 2005 (after the launch of the second collection) I decided that the time was right for a new team: Gazelle Book Series Limited as distributor and Jacqui MacCarthy as publicist. Working with Jacqui has been a pleasure. Always enthusiastic and always supportive she has gained a far higher level of publicity (both national and local) than had previously been achieved. I look forward to continuing to work with her.

I could not recommend her more highly.

Sarah Parry, Author of Action Replay and Director of Dogstar Publications Limited

Writing a book is one thing, promoting it is another. Commissioning Jacqui MacCarthy of D’Image Ltd to handle the publicity for my children’s novel Action Replay was crucial if it had any chance of being a success. Within days of the review copies going out I was doing a live radio interview at 7am in the morning, followed by newspaper interviews, a feature on local TV and more radio interviews, resulting in my local branch of Waterstones stocking my book as soon as it came out.

 The publicity campaign is still in its early stages, but already Action Replay has been mentioned during the Alan Brazil Breakfast Show on TalkSport Radio and reviewed on CBBC Xchange programme. I have been interviewed by radio stations from as far north as BBC Radio Leeds to as far south as BBC Radio Cornwall, ensuring nationwide coverage. This month I am also being interviewed for Capital Disney Radio in London.

Apart from enjoying Jacqui’s expertise and extensive contacts, I have found her to be a warm, caring person, extremely reliable, whose personal touch approach makes for a very rewarding working relationship. For anyone making a first foray into publishing having somebody on your team as experienced and capable as Jacqui MacCarthy is a must. 

Ursula Kane Cafferty
www.ukcafferty.com

It was with reluctance and after much persuasion that Jacqui McCarthy of d’Image Ltd. eventually took me on as a client. 

As d’Image specialises in children's books Jacqui was concerned that she would not have the right experience to do justice to my book ‘Suitcase Number Seven – a rugby story with a difference’. She very honestly went on to point out the difficulties she foresaw in what I was proposing to do (i.e. attend the First Cape Town Book Fair as an exhibitor) and wished me well. Despite the foregoing, Jacqui went on to give me lots... and lots... and lots of invaluable advice. I JUST HAD TO HAVE HER AS MY ADVOCATE!!!

 What resulted was an excellent partnership. Jacqui had my interests at heart in everything she did. Her knowledge of the book world in general and book fairs in particular was of great benefit to me in my undertaking. The ongoing support and encouragement she afforded me before, during and after the event was excellent and she was always there for me to bounce even the silliest of ideas off. As a result I had a marvellous experience and came away wanting more of this.

But the best result of all is that I have found a new friend.

Weird Grape publisher of Nobby Travels
www.nobbytravels.com

In today’s fast moving world where consumers have a multitude of choices available to them at the touch of button, it’s more important than ever before that book publishers exploit every media channel possible to promote their titles.  Jacqui has helped us take advantage of these channels and by doing so has helped raise awareness of the Nobby Travels brand.   We have been working with Jacqui for 10 months and during that time we have seen a huge increase in awareness of Nobby Travels, and with it, demand, sales and profitability.

 

 

Good Night and God Bless
by Trish Clark
www.goodnightandgodbless.com

As a first time author I knew nothing much about promoting my book but when I found Jacqui things started to happen. She actions lots of wonderful ideas and she always follows up. This savvy publicist has been instrumental in having articles about my book published in the UK National press, European in-flight magazines, on travel websites and has arranged for me to contribute articles to various UK magazines – and I never thought I would ever be a guest on BBC radio to talk about my book, but I have – and more than once. I hope to engage her skills for my next book. And just as importantly, she’s easy to get on with as well.

 

PUBLISHED by Matador
Testimonial written by the author of ‘Waking Beauty’ - Julie Parrish
 
There’s an episode of ‘Absolutely Fabulous’ where PR guru Edina (Jennifer Saunders) is explaining to her daughter Saffron (Julia Sawahla) what she does for a living. Her typically over the top explanation goes something like “Lulu, darling, it’s all me!” This is really what I feel about Jacqui. ‘Waking Beauty’, darling, it’s all her.
 
When I first broached the subject of using a specialist literary PR with my husband his response was understandably negative. We are both journalists who have worked for Sky, the BBC, ITN and a range of newspapers. His predictable argument was that if anyone can write a press release we can. Having already spent money going down the self-publishing route I didn’t feel that I had a strong financial counter argument, so I soldiered on making calls and trying to contact magazine editors. However my expertise is really in news. Give me a bomb, a riot or fashion show and I can reach the right people but I have no contacts in the literary world.
 
I was saved by a fateful dinner party, when a journalist friend of ours suggested that we really did need help, his argument being that if it’s a good book it needs exposure. One shot is all you’ve got.
 
I flashed an article about Jacqui under my husband’s nose; we had a conference call and e-mailed Jacqui the manuscript of ‘Waking Beauty’. She contacted us a couple of days later to say she liked it. We set up a meeting in a London Hotel and Jacqui reassured us that she knew her way professionally around the world of PR and specifically literary PR, a world we understood the principles of but had no experience in.
 
We agreed a three month contract and after that I don’t think there was a day that Jacqui and I didn’t talk, text or e-mail. As somebody who has self-published, with no agent, it was like suddenly acquiring a fairy godmother. And what happened when she waved her wand?
 
Our first review was the Birmingham Evening Post; followed within days by an interview on London BBC TV News. The Yorkshire Post included ‘Walking Beauty’ in a feature and then amazingly the Sunday Express reviewed it. The local paper did a photo story, Education Magazine ran a competition giving away six free copies and too many websites to mention wrote their opinion (luckily all good). We are still waiting for two more reviews due in September. In fact autumn looks set to be completely nerve racking as we have entered several competitions with Jacqui liaising with Matador over the entries.
 
When a film company expressed interest in ‘Waking Beauty’ it was Jacqui who found the hot media lawyer. She also dispensed me to give a talk at a primary school where I had the amazing experience of meeting children who had read and studied my book!
 
Jacqui’s crowning achievement, however, has to be persuading Waterstones to stock ‘Waking Beauty’ in 20 branches. I knew I could persuade my two local stores but I never imagined seeing my book on the shelf in Waterstones Piccadilly, London.
 
 “Not bad for a self- published book by someone unknown,” said my husband.
“Ah, ‘Waking Beauty’ darling”, I said. “It’s all Jacqui.”