Ashley Marudas

Ashley Marudas – Marketer

For over 12 years I've been helping authors find lifelong readers with collaboration, creativity, and marketing magic.

Overview

I've worked with authors of all experiences, genres, and backgrounds! Whether this is your very first book or your fiftieth, rest assured I'll offer you the same care and attention. My process is very collaborative - I want to hear why you wanted to write your book, who you see as your audience, and what your goals are so that we can work towards those and address them together. I've worked with budgets large and small and know how to do a lot with a little, so there will be a lot of creative brainstorming. I believe the personal touches and custom outreach is the most impactful in any campaign, whether that be to specific readers, communities, or bookstores, so you can expect that to be a priority in your campaign, too. I'm transparent and communicative, so if there is something that isn't working or that doesn't feel like a good fit I'll always be honest or expect you to do the same. I look forward to working together!

Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs
Fiction
Contemporary Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Mystery & Crime Romance Thriller & Suspense Women's Fiction
Certifications
  • Denver Publishing Institute

Work experience

Hachette Book Group

Apr, 2016 — Aug, 2022 (over 6 years)
• Directed and executed successful marketing campaigns for over 30 consumer-facing campaigns annually, including award-winning and New York Times bestselling books by authors like Elin Hilderbrand and Katie Couric. • Developed and managed comprehensive digital marketing strategies, including branded content creation, social media updates, email marketing campaigns, and SEO keyword optimization to enhance online visibility and engagement. • Achieved a significant increase of over 200% in Elin Hilderbrand's newsletter subscriber list by utilizing data-driven email marketing tactics and providing high-quality content. • Effectively communicated advertising plans, sales metrics, and marketing initiatives to various stakeholders, including partners, executives, and the sales team, using customized presentations and personalized meetings. • Collaborated with cross-functional teams, including editorial, publicity, sales, advertising, social media, and design.

HarperCollins Publishers

Jul, 2013 — Apr, 2016 (almost 3 years)
▪ Created and executed marketing campaigns for 40 major book titles per season, presenting data analytics and recaps to internal and external stakeholders, including authors, agents, and senior executives. ▪ Operated cookbook-focused platform, managing social media accounts, blogs, and monthly e-newsletter to increase brand reach and audience engagement. ▪ Designed content and managed advertising campaigns while mentoring interns on industry best practices.

HarperCollins Publishers

Apr, 2012 — Jul, 2013 (about 1 year)
▪ Produced sales materials to assist deputy publisher and head of marketing in executing targeted marketing campaigns, including analytical reports, sell sheets, and change memos. ▪ Coordinated internal teams to develop comprehensive campaign strategies by setting meeting agendas and disseminating key reports/materials.

Projects

MetaData, SEO, and Amazon Description Analysis

I work with authors to upgrade their Metadata, SEO, and book description pages to be as competitive as possible. I analyze which categories competitors are listed in, what keywords appear in the copy most often for similar titles, which categories are buzziest and busiest, and which relevant Amazon search terms appear most often in order to draft a revised description and create an Amazon book page that is as optimized as it can be.

Meta Ads

I've run plenty of campaigns across Meta (Facebook & Instagram) throughout my years in publishing, but most recently, for Reedsy authors, I've seen great engagement on the platform. Specifically, the From Muddy Water campaign below delivered a 4.47% CTR, nearly 3x higher than the previously run campaign's 1.55% CTR, which showed a major lift in audience resonance and creative relevance. I also improved efficiency by lowering the CPC from $0.38 to $0.22, allowing us to drive significantly more traffic for the same budget.

A Head Full of Ghosts

My goal for A Head Full of Ghosts was to create a bond between a new author and independent booksellers by getting an Indie Next Pick and doing very early outreach. I accomplished this with tons of handwritten and personalized notes sent with galleys the second they came in, emails hunting down sales reps, and eventually pivoting those efforts to consumer-focused efforts by focusing on social media influencers in the horror genre. AHFOG got the Indie Next Pick, a rave Stephen King quote, awards, bestseller status, and the early outreach to booksellers paid off as we invested in more books with Paul that have gone on to become Indie Next picks, bestsellers and even movie adaptations (The Cabin at the End of the World - Knock at the Cabin).
Noteworthy Awards and Accomplishments:
Winner of the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Novel (2015)
Indie Next Pick
National Bestseller

Elin Hilderbrand

I was Elin Hilderbrand's marketing lead from 2016 to 2022 and it has been a joy and highlight of my career. No one knows her audience better than Elin and working together with her to find brand partners to work with, come up with special bonus content for each book, make custom swag for giveaways, run special sweepstakes each year that helped grow her newsletter over 125% in 6 years, and run the annual Elin Meeting to boast about all that we accomplished together was a treat and an honor. Especially now that there is a TV adaptation to enjoy!
Elin has sold over 23 million copies of her books.

Red Clocks

Red Clocks was published closely to the "Me Too" movement, and my marketing outreach focused on reaching readers who wanted a book that channeled that same energy. I worked with our design and advertising team to create messaging, images, and assets that spoke to this, and we created an identifiable campaign that had content creators flooding our DMs with requests for early copies and our iconic Red Clocks enamel pins.
A Few Noteworthy Awards:
Winner, Oregon Book Award for Fiction, 2019
National Bestseller
New York Times Editors’ Choice
Indie Next Pick
Shortlisted, Orwell Prize for Political Fiction, 2019
Washington Post Notable Book of 2018
Named a Best Book of 2018 by The Atlantic, Huffington Post, Entropy, New York Public Library
Best Feminist Fiction of 2018, Autostraddle
Most Important Books of the 21st Century So Far, Vulture
Best Book of 2018 Finalist, Goodreads
Best Novels of 2018 So Far, TIME

Bestsellers and Award-Winners

I've worked on many New York Times bestsellers and award-winning books over the years, here is a quick snapshot of a few. These campaigns have required a number of collaborations with retail partners (i.e. Book of the Month, Barnes & Noble), external teams (i.e. Oprah's Book Club), and lots of personalized bookseller outreach.

Portfolio

The Hotel Nantucket

Hilderbrand, Elin

Little, Brown and Company

The Wonder

Donoghue, Emma

Little, Brown and Company

Be Frank With Me: A Novel

Johnson, Julia Claiborne

Mariner Books

The Pearl That Broke Its Shell: A Novel

Hashimi, Nadia

William Morrow

The Sweetness of Water (Oprah's Book Club): A Novel

Harris, Nathan

Little, Brown and Company

Left on Tenth: A Second Chance at Life: A Memoir

Ephron, Delia

Little, Brown and Company

How to Be Eaten: A Novel

Adelmann, Maria

Little, Brown and Company

Peach Blossom Spring: A Novel

Fu, Melissa

Little, Brown and Company

Spaceman of Bohemia

Kalfar, Jaroslav

Little, Brown and Company

The Perfect Couple

Hilderbrand, Elin

Little, Brown and Company

Red Clocks: A Novel

Zumas, Leni

Little, Brown and Company

Winter in Paradise

Hilderbrand, Elin

Little, Brown and Company

Little Weirds

Slate, Jenny

Little, Brown and Company

A Head Full of Ghosts: A Novel

Tremblay, Paul

William Morrow

You Will Know Me: A Novel

Abbott, Megan

Little, Brown and Company

The Pull of the Stars: A Novel

Donoghue, Emma

Little, Brown and Company

Going There

Couric, Katie

Little, Brown and Company

Ashley has 6 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Janie S.

Janie S.

Nov, 2025

Ashley was fantastic. Very well organized and ready with key information to assist and educate.
Chris B.

Chris B.

Nov, 2025

Ashley set up an Amazon ads campaign for my novel and oversaw it for 2 weeks. Results were less than I hoped for but I can't really blame her for that. That is why I gave 4 stars not 5 for value. She had no Reedsy reviews when I contracted her which was a bit concerning, but she recounted her ...
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Cody C.

Cody C.

Oct, 2025

Ashley was a pleasure to work with. She is extremely professional and organized (which I am not) as well as accommodating. I would highly recommend her for all marketing needs.
Shaylee G.

Shaylee G.

Aug, 2025

Ashley was my saving grace when it came to setting up Google and Meta ads for my novel. She was exceptional in every way, and I saw so much growth in my audience and interest in the three weeks we worked together.
allan D.

allan D.

Aug, 2025

Ashley is amazing. My poor computer skills prevented us from completing the job we started but that is on me, I need to spend time reading the Amazon instructions, understanding the process and then I will ask Ashley if she will take me on again, this time knowing how to do it

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