## OBJECTIVE
Generate 2,000 verified pre-orders and secure 50+ organic BookTok/Bookstagram posts within 90 days to ensure "The Silent Contract" (debut psychological thriller) hits Amazon's Hot New Releases list in the Domestic Suspense category on launch day.

## TARGET AUDIENCE
**Primary Segment:** Women aged 28-42, suburban/urban, active on TikTok (BookTok) and Instagram (Bookstagram), currently reading authors like Ruth Ware and Alex Michaelides, emotionally seeking escapism with intellectual payoff, currently in the "awareness-to-consideration" buying stage (scrolling #TBR lists but not yet committed to pre-order).

**Key Insight:** This reader needs to see "social proof of exclusivity"—evidence that trusted micro-influencers have already read the ARC and are treating it as a "secret they can't wait to share"—before they will commit to a pre-order rather than waiting for post-launch reviews.

## TACTICAL PLAN

**STEP 1:** Execute targeted ARC (Advance Reader Copy) seeding to 50 mid-tier BookTok creators (50k-500k followers) with engagement rates above 4%, using personalized packaging that mirrors the book's legal-thriller aesthetic (evidence bags, red string, case files).
- **OWNER:** Agency (Crimson Leaf Marketing) handles identification via AspireIQ and outreach; Author provides signed bookplates
- **TIMELINE:** Days 1-14 (outreach), Days 15-30 (physical shipping), Days 45-75 (content publication window)
- **TOOL/PLATFORM:** AspireIQ for influencer CRM, TikTok Creator Marketplace for verification, Pirate Ship for discounted USPS media mail

**STEP 2:** Launch Amazon Advertising Sponsored Products campaign targeting "psychological thriller," "domestic suspense," and long-tail keywords ("books like Gone Girl 2024") with aggressive bidding on pre-order placement.
- **OWNER:** Agency PPC Specialist
- **TIMELINE:** Day 30 (campaign launch) through Day 90 (continuous optimization)
- **TOOL/PLATFORM:** Amazon Advertising Console, Publisher Rocket for keyword research and competitor ASIN targeting

**STEP 3:** Deploy "Case File Confidential" lead magnet funnel—offering a free PDF of the real legal cases that inspired the novel's plot—in exchange for email signup, followed by a 5-email nurture sequence ending with time-sensitive pre-order bonus (exclusive epilogue).
- **OWNER:** Author writes case file content; Agency builds funnel in ConvertKit and manages Facebook Lead Gen ads; VA monitors daily lead flow
- **TIMELINE:** Days 1-10 (funnel build), Days 11-90 (traffic and conversion)
- **TOOL/PLATFORM:** ConvertKit for email automation, Facebook Ads Manager for cold traffic acquisition, BookFunnel for PDF delivery

**STEP 4:** Host 100-copy Kindle giveaway on Goodreads (60 days pre-launch) to generate "Want to Read" shelf velocity and algorithmic recognition, followed by structured review request campaign to winners 10 days post-launch.
- **OWNER:** Agency manages Goodreads Giveaway platform setup and winner communication
- **TIMELINE:** Days 30-45 (giveaway active), Day 60 (winners selected), Days 75-90 (review conversion outreach)
- **TOOL/PLATFORM:** Goodreads Giveaway (standard listing), BookSprout for additional ARC distribution to reviewers

**STEP 5:** Activate "Insider's Jury" launch team—recruiting 100 superfans into a private Facebook Group—providing daily social assets (quote cards, TikTok green-screen templates, Instagram Story stickers) for a synchronized 14-day content blitz leading to launch.
- **OWNER:** VA manages community moderation and daily posting; Author conducts weekly live Q&As; Agency creates all visual assets
- **TIMELINE:** Days 60-75 (recruitment via email list), Days 76-90 (daily content drops and engagement)
- **TOOL/PLATFORM:** Facebook Groups (private), Canva Pro for template creation, Dropbox for asset distribution

## CONTENT REQUIREMENTS

1. **ARC Press Release:** 400 words, PDF letterhead format, written by Agency, highlighting legal-thriller hook and author credentials
2. **Influencer Pitch Templates:** 3 variations (150 words each), plain text email with merge tags for personalization, written by Agency
3. **"Case File Confidential" Lead Magnet:** 2,500-word PDF with case summaries and reading group guide, designed in Canva, written by Author
4. **Email Nurture Sequence:** 5 emails (200-400 words each), hybrid plain-text/HTML format, written by Author with Agency copyediting for CTA optimization
5. **Social Asset Library:** 30 quote cards (1080x1080px), 15 TikTok video templates (1080x1920px with trending audio suggestions), 10 Instagram Story templates with interactive polls, copy written by Agency, design executed by VA in Canva Pro
6. **Amazon Book Description:** 150 words (HTML formatted), keyword-optimized for "psychological thriller" and "domestic suspense," written by Agency

## SUCCESS METRICS

**1. Pre-Order Conversion Volume**
- **How to measure:** Weekly aggregation of Amazon KDP and IngramSpark sales dashboards (tracking units, not revenue)
- **Baseline:** 0 units (debut author), **90-Day Target:** 2,000 pre-orders

**2. Influencer Content Velocity**
- **How to measure:** Track hashtag #SilentContractThriller plus direct @mentions; sum total video views across all platforms using TikTok Analytics and Instagram Insights screenshots provided by creators
- **Baseline:** 0 impressions, **90-Day Target:** 75+ pieces of content with 500,000+ combined views and 15% average engagement rate

**3. Lead Magnet Cost Per Acquisition (CPA)**
- **How to measure:** Facebook Ads Manager spend divided by ConvertKit subscriber growth (new leads only, excluding existing author list)
- **Baseline:** N/A, **90-Day Target:** 1,500 new subscribers at $2.00 CPA or lower

## RISK & MITIGATION

**Risk 1:** Influencers receive physical ARCs but fail to post content (ghosting), wasting $750+ in printing/shipping costs.
**Mitigation:** Require signed digital agreement before shipping confirming posting obligation with specific date range, and withhold $50 Amazon gift card incentive until content is live with pre-order link visible.

**Risk 2:** Amazon's algorithm fails to recognize sales velocity due to insufficient early reviews, causing the book to stall in rankings despite ad spend.
**Mitigation:** Distribute 50 additional digital ARCs via BookSprout and NetGalley 45 days pre-launch with explicit "review on launch day" instructions to secure 25+ verified reviews within 48 hours of publication.

## BUDGET ESTIMATE

**Range:** $8,500 - $14,000

**Biggest Cost Driver:** Physical ARC production and influencer incentives ($15 per package for custom evidence-bag packaging, printing, and media mail shipping × 50 influencers = $750, plus $50 performance incentive × 50 = $2,500, totaling $3,250 for the influencer seeding component alone).