Ailsa Stuart – Marketer

The Circus Infinite by Khan Wong

This was a great example of a campaign where I stretched the small marketing budget to achieve big results. I engaged with fans of LGBTQ+ science fiction on social media to build reader enthusiasm for the book, and used the great reviews from trade publications (including Library Journal and Publishers Weekly) and endorsements from other authors to show in lovely graphics that this book had a lot of other fans. I tapped into the key aspects of the story which readers were really loving and made sure to highlight those on social media as well as retail sites like Amazon and Waterstones.

We engaged with booksellers close to the author in California to arrange a fun launch event, where we provided bookmarks to the attendees. I created an Amazon A+ page and ran some Amazon Advertising to widen the audience and increase sales. These Amazon Ads had a Click Through Rate of
0.14% and a Return On Advertising Spend of 6.07. I also made all the graphics for the online blog/Instagram tour which the Publicity team had organised.

F*cked At 40 by Tova Leigh

While working at the publisher, Watkins Media, I took the lead on marketing activity for this high-priority non-fiction title. The author already had a strong online following, so a big part of my role with marketing this book was to help align the vision and activity of the author with the publisher and their audience.

A company goal with this book was to broaden the readership of the publisher into a new area so while the publicity team focussed on media coverage I found bloggers and reviewers who fit the new customer profile to share the book with. I ran the social media campaign and made sure that every time the author was posting content on her own channels, we were promoting it through the publisher's channels as well to maximise her impact and build the connection between the publisher and the author and her audience.

I worked on the back cover description for the hardback and the ebook. I wrote all the copy for the social media campaign around the hardback publication. I liaised with one of the author's partner brands to obtain gifted products relevant to the book, sourced attractive packing and wrapping materials and created gift boxes for key influencer contacts. I filmed the cover shoot and used the footage to create a promo video cover reveal. I also helped run a 'press breakfast' for the book.

Some other elements of the marketing campaign which I was responsible for include Amazon Advertising and an Amazon A+ page, and optimising the Goodreads listing. The Amazon Ads had a Click Through Rate of 0.17% and a ROAS (Return On Advertising Spend) of 5.3, which comfortably exceeds benchmark aims within traditional publishers. To date, this book has over 1480 reviews on Amazon.

Ledge by Stacey McEwan

This debut from TikTok sensation Stacey McEwan was a key title for the publisher, and I lead the marketing campaign for it. With Stacey's existing audience, TikTok was a key platform to promote the book, and I created multiple videos about the book in the months leading up to publication. We used sites like NetGalley to reach new and existing fans with e-book advanced reader copies, and built a lot of excitement before publication. We used both the publisher (Angry Robot) and Stacey's own social media channels to share any developments, from the cover reveal to the preorder incentive.
I made promotional magnets for the book, and wrapped early copies in tissue paper sealed with a wax stamp to help them stand out to reviewers and encourage photos.

Inaddition to social media graphics I also made an eye-catching Amazon A+ page for Ledge. To date, there are over 1640 Amazon reviews, 9960 Goodreads ratings and 1920 Goodreads reviews. At the end of my work on the campaign, shortly before publication, pre-order numbers directly through the Angry Robot website were around 200% of the campaign target, and pre-order numbers through Amazon were around 150% of the campaign target.

Bluebird by Ciel Pierlot

With Bluebird, we identified early on that 'lesbian gunslinger fights spies in space' and 'taking on the patriarchy' were two key elements of the book which readers would really be excited about, and leaned into them heavily. I coordinated review copies to get them to a primarily LGBTQ+ readership who would be able to really champion the book.

I created a broad range of graphics for Twitter and Instagram highlighting the tropes and core elements of the story, as well as sharing early reviews in eye-catching graphic formats. As readers were so important in this campaign, I shared lots of photos and reviews from others on the publisher's social media channels to highlight what other readers were loving about it.

I kept an eye on which Goodreads lists it was appearing on, and optimised the book description on key sites like Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Waterstones and Goodreads. I also made an Amazon A+ page. This book was one of the publisher's most consistent sellers over the course of 2022, frequently in their top 10 bestselling books each week, and to date has over 270 reviews on Amazon.

The Coward by Stephen Aryan

I joined the publisher as the sole marketing team member just a couple of weeks before this epic fantasy with a twist was published. In a short space of time, I assessed the key elements of the book and created a digital marketing campaign to support the launch and first few months post-publication, including Twitter graphics, an Amazon + page, and Instagram content. Following publication the book received some great endorsements from other authors, which I then incorporated into the campaign. It has gone on to be one of the most reviewed books from the publisher. I also ran Amazon Advertising for this book, where the ACOS (advertising cost of sale) was 22%.