Marketing & Publicity

As your first step with Hewes House, you’ll speak with our Founder, Josh Boardman, on a 15-minute phone call to discuss your book, your goals, and where you are in the publication process. We’ll cover questions like:

• Is your book launching soon, or already out in the world?
• Do you have an existing platform (website, newsletter, social media)?
• What kind of marketing feels sustainable to you, and what feels impossible?
• Are there specific opportunities you’re hoping to pursue (events, media, bookstore placement)?

We’ll use this conversation to determine if the retainer is a good fit and to start shaping your custom plan. If we think you’d be better served elsewhere—say, you need a full-time publicist or your book isn’t quite ready for a marketing push—we’ll tell you.

Based on your consultation, we’ll introduce you to the marketing and publicity specialists who will be working with you. You may be working with a single person or several. Know you’re in good hands to meet your goals articulated during your consultation call. You’ll have a kickoff call to align on priorities, establish your communication rhythm, and identify what to tackle first. Typically, author platform concerns come first, so the first month of your retainer will likely be spent setting things up. This is normal. We make sure you do a thorough job on the front end to make things smoother down the line.

Together, we’ll map out how to use your 10 hours each month. Early months often focus on foundations—website, bio, messaging, newsletter setup. As those pieces come together, the focus shifts toward outreach, content, and events. Your plan evolves as your needs do, and we revisit it regularly to make sure we’re spending time on what actually moves the needle.

Not every author needs the same things. Some come to us six months before launch and want to build slowly. Others have a book signing next week and need to hit the ground running. Some want help writing pitches; others just need someone to tell them which pitches are worth pitching. We build each month around your priorities.

Before you can reach new readers, you need a home base. We’ll build or refine the essentials: a clean website with working buy links, a newsletter ready to send, social media profiles that represent you well, and a bio and headshot that feel true to who you are as a writer. You choose the size of your own platform. All of the above, or just a selected few. We’ll give you advice as to where we think your efforts are most effectively spent.

Once your platform is ready, we shift focus to getting your book in front of people. We’ll research and pitch podcasts, publications, and bookstores relevant to your work. We’ll identify angles specific to your book—not just “author has a novel” but the particular hooks that make journalists, producers, and booksellers say yes.

• Podcast and media pitches tailored to your book’s themes
• Outreach to independent bookstores in regions that make sense for your work
• Press releases and review copy coordination
• Readings, interviews, and event dispatches
• Contact lists you can continue to use and build on

We’ll also help you think through events: where you want to show up, who you want to invite, and how to make readings and signings feel worth the effort. Have you ever done a public reading before? Some of the most fulfilling moments in a book’s life occur when you can read your words in person to other humans and clock their reactions in real time. Some opportunities we’ll pursue on your behalf; others we’ll coach you through. Either way, you’ll know what’s going out and why.

At the end of each month, we review what happened: what worked, what didn’t, what opportunities are on the horizon. Maybe a podcast pitch landed and now you need to prep for the interview. Maybe the bookstore outreach got a lukewarm response and we need to try a different angle. Maybe you’ve realized you hate writing newsletters and want to focus on events instead.

We adjust your plan based on real results and your evolving priorities. The goal is momentum that builds over time—each month’s work setting up the next, rather than starting from scratch every thirty days.

That’s the whole point, right? Over time, the work compounds: your platform gets stronger, your network grows, and readers start finding you through channels you’ve built. The people who will love your book are out there, and we’re here to help you reach them.