The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo

The 16-month omnichannel marketing campaign that I strategized and executed for The Familiar by bestselling author Leigh Bardugo was a fully immersive and holistic experience, ensuring a cohesive look and feel across retail partner and consumer touch points. Independent and chain stores nationwide received striking POS materials, reinforcing visibility at every level. Social media played a pivotal role, with a robust suite of assets, including the weekly video series Get to Know The Familiar and regular content teases, deepened reader engagement by connecting them directly with the author and the book’s themes. A strategic email marketing campaign incentivized early purchase, while a major preorder push and on-sale advertising campaign leveraged programmatic, social media, podcast, and targeted e-newsletter advertising to maximize reach.

To further drive demand, a highly curated influencer mailing (The Essence box) generated significant social media impressions and organic user-generated content. Every campaign element—down to the stained edges—was designed to balance excellence with intimacy, creating a memorable experience. This comprehensive approach made The Familiar an instant #1 national bestseller, sparking passionate engagement that extended beyond the launch.

Omnichannel

Images via Instagram @lbarudgo & @flatiron_books

Milestone Advertising

What Happened to You?
by Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey

The One Million Readers campaign for What Happened to You? by Dr. Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey was a strategic effort to build on the book’s success following its #1 debut on The New York Times bestseller list in May 2021. The initial campaign included major advertising, a 5-part virtual conversation series with celebrities like Jay Shetty and Kristen Bell, along with major media appearances by Ms. Winfrey.

As What Happened to You? approached one million copies sold, I executed a targeted advertising campaign (December 2022–March 2023), leveraging programmatic ads and direct ad placements on book-centric platforms like Goodreads. By tapping into a lookalike audience and retargeting consumers from the initial launch and aligning with “New Year, New You", I evolved the campaign branding and added the message Now it's your turn to inspire new readers. Kicked off by a social media post from Ms. Winfrey thanking readers, the campaign drove consistent sales growth week over week, cementing the book’s lasting impact on those seeking healing from trauma.

Banner ad appeared on Goodreads.com

Social Storytelling

Pageboy by Elliot Page

The campaign for Pageboy by actor and activist Elliot Page was a deeply collaborative effort with his team, ensuring an organic, visually driven narrative that stayed true to Elliot’s voice. As an avid reader who shares books with his audience, Elliot’s authentic engagement helped shape content that felt less promotional and more like a celebration of stories. This allowed us to drive audience awareness and interest, resulting in strong preorders for the memoir.

Over eight months, we carefully timed and crafted messaging to reach his 5 million Instagram followers, aligning with the book’s core theme: A love letter to the power of being yourself. We captured demand using this messaging through programmatic and social media advertising. Paired with a book tour and media, Pageboy reached #1 on The New York Times bestseller list—a testament to the impact of authenticity in digital storytelling.

Images via Instagram @elliotpage

Social Challenge

Once Upon a Broken Heart series
by Stephanie Garber

The #PickAnAppleForJacksChallenge has been a social media staple for four consecutive years during Peak Apple Picking Season.
I developed the concept to engage the fandom of Stephanie Garber's Once Upon A Broken Heart series by prompting them to share the book(s) along with an apple—the main character's favorite snack—on Instagram and use a branded hashtag that allows them an opportunity to win a prize.

The user-generated content from this challenge increased brand visibility with new audiences and has generated long-term consumer loyalty and a sense of community.

Images via Instagram @flatiron_books