**Leo Chen**  
Senior Campaign Strategist  
Crimson Leaf Marketing  

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## OBJECTIVE
Drive 10,000 pre-orders and 500 verified Amazon reviews within 90 days of campaign launch for *Midnight Algorithms* (debut techno-thriller), establishing the author as a category authority in tech-fiction to secure bookstore distribution for the print edition (Phase 2).

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## TARGET AUDIENCE

**Primary Segment:**  
- **Demographics:** M/F 28-42, HHI $75k+, located in US/UK tech corridors (Austin, Seattle, London, SF)  
- **Platform:** Reddit (r/books, r/technews), LinkedIn, BookTok (TikTok), Goodreads  
- **Emotional State:** Information-overloaded, nostalgic for early-internet culture, anxious about AI surveillance  
- **Buying Stage:** Awareness → Consideration (needs social proof to convert)

**Key Insight:**  
They don't trust "marketing" but trust authentic technical credibility. They need to see the author's cybersecurity background validated by peer endorsement before purchasing, and they buy based on "if this person understands code, they'll write realistic thrillers."

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## TACTICAL PLAN

**PHASE 1: Authority Establishment (Days 1-30)**

- **STEP:** Launch "Bug Bounty" content series—author publishes real Python scripts from the book that actually run, with Easter eggs revealing plot clues  
  - **OWNER:** Author (coding) + Agency (creative direction)  
  - **TIMELINE:** Week 1-4 (3x weekly drops)  
  - **TOOL/PLATFORM:** GitHub (repository), Twitter/X (threads explaining code), Replit (live demos)

- **STEP:** Secure micro-influencer endorsements from 15 tech podcasters ( Darknet Diaries, Command Line Heroes adjacent) with audience crossover  
  - **OWNER:** Agency (outreach) + VA (tracking)  
  - **TIMELINE:** Days 1-20 (outreach), Days 25-45 (content publishing)  
  - **TOOL/PLATFORM:** BuzzStream (outreach tracking), Calendly (booking), Descript (audiogram creation)

**PHASE 2: Community Mobilization (Days 31-60)**

- **STEP:** Execute "Zero-Day Launch"—exclusive early access to Chapter 1 for 2,000 email subscribers with interactive "find the vulnerability" game  
  - **OWNER:** Agency (email automation) + Author (technical consulting)  
  - **TIMELINE:** Day 45 (drop)  
  - **TOOL/PLATFORM:** ConvertKit (segmentation), Typeform (interactive quiz integration), BookFunnel (secure delivery)

- **STEP:** Deploy TikTok/BookTok "Screen Recording" campaign—authors/fans screen-record themselves "hacking" (using provided props/scripts) into fake systems shown in the book  
  - **OWNER:** Agency (creator management) + Platform (organic UGC)  
  - **TIMELINE:** Days 35-60  
  - **TOOL/PLATFORM:** CapCut (template distribution), Hashtagify (trend tracking), GRIN (creator relationship management)

**PHASE 3: Conversion Acceleration (Days 61-90)**

- **STEP:** Amazon Advertising blitz targeting "Daemon" by Daniel Suarez and "Mr. Robot" lookalike audiences with dynamic keyword insertion  
  - **OWNER:** Agency (PPC specialist)  
  - **TIMELINE:** Days 61-90 (continuous)  
  - **TOOL/PLATFORM:** Amazon Advertising Console, Publisher Rocket (keyword research), Helium 10 (competitor monitoring)

- **STEP:** Launch Goodreads Giveaway (100 print ARCs) with mandatory "shelve + review" entry mechanism  
  - **OWNER:** VA (fulfillment) + Author (signing/ personalization)  
  - **TIMELINE:** Day 65 (launch), Day 75 (winners selected)  
  - **TOOL/PLATFORM:** Goodreads Giveaway platform, Stamps.com (shipping), Airtable (winner tracking)

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## CONTENT REQUIREMENTS

1. **Technical Blog Series: "The Code is Real"**  
   - Format: Medium articles with embedded GitHub gists  
   - Count: 4 posts, 800-1,200 words each  
   - Platform: Medium, cross-posted to LinkedIn articles  
   - Writer: Author (technical content), Agency editor (narrative polish)

2. **TikTok/UGC Templates**  
   - Format: 1080x1920 vertical video, 15-30 seconds, green screen effect  
   - Count: 5 templates with branded text overlays  
   - Platform: TikTok, Instagram Reels  
   - Writer: Agency creative team (scripting), VA (caption optimization with 3-5 hashtags max)

3. **Email Drip Sequence: "The Mainframe"**  
   - Format: Plain-text heavy (mimicking terminal font), 150-300 words per email  
   - Count: 7-email sequence (welcome → vulnerability reveal → social proof → urgency)  
   - Platform: ConvertKit  
   - Writer: Agency copywriter (conversion optimization), Author (authenticity check for technical accuracy)

4. **Amazon A+ Content (if applicable) & Ad Creative**  
   - Format: Static images (3000x1500px), headline 50-60 chars, body 150-200 chars  
   - Count: 6 variations (A/B test headlines)  
   - Platform: Amazon Advertising  
   - Writer: Agency graphic designer + copywriter

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## SUCCESS METRICS

**1. Pre-Order Velocity**  
- **How to measure:** Amazon KDP pre-order dashboard + Shopify direct sales tracker (weekly cohort analysis)  
- **Baseline:** 0 pre-orders (new author)  
- **90-Day Target:** 10,000 units (7,000 Amazon, 3,000 direct-to-consumer for higher margin)

**2. Review Conversion Rate**  
- **How to measure:** (Verified reviews ÷ Total sales) x 100, tracked via BookReport and Amazon Seller Central  
- **Baseline:** 0% (pre-launch)  
- **90-Day Target:** 5% conversion (500 reviews from 10,000 sales) with 4.3+ star average

**3. Cost Per Acquisition (CPA)**  
- **How to measure:** Total ad spend ÷ Confirmed pre-orders, attributed via Amazon Attribution links + UTM parameters  
- **Baseline:** N/A (first campaign)  
- **90-Day Target:** <$2.50 CPA for ebook pre-orders, <$8.00 for print (industry standard for thriller debut: $4-12)

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## RISK & MITIGATION

**1. Technical Credibility Backlash**  
If code snippets contain errors, the core audience will destroy the book's reputation on Reddit/Hacker News.  
*Mitigation:* Hire freelance penetration tester (via Upwork/Toptal) to audit all published code 72 hours before any public drop.

**2. Platform Algorithm Suppression**  
TikTok/Instagram may throttle book-related content due to "sensitive" hacking terminology.  
*Mitigation:* Use euphemistic hashtags (#TechThriller, #CodeFiction) rather than #Hacking, and maintain 60% organic engagement rate before boosting paid spend to avoid shadowban triggers.

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## BUDGET ESTIMATE

**Range:** $18,000 – $34,000  
**Biggest Cost Driver:** Amazon Advertising spend (60-70% of budget allocation), specifically competitive keyword bidding against established techno-thriller authors in the first 30 days to capture intent traffic.