Gemma Shelley

Gemma Shelley – Marketer

An award-winning Marketing Director with 20 years campaign experience with Penguin Random House, Hachette (Little Brown) and Egmont.

Overview

Hi, thanks for looking at my profile!

I am one of the most highly skilled and accomplished books marketer in the publishing industry having worked extensively across every genre (kids, adult, crime, romance, celebrity non-fiction, lifestyle, history, classics and even education!) both in the UK and Internationally. I have worked for Penguin Random House, Hachette and Egmont over the past two decades.

From Colleen Hoover and Rebecca Yarros to Mark Billingham and Lee Child, I've worked on campaigns that have been seen by millions on a global scale.

Authors have told me I'm great to work with - thinking both creatively and ambitiously on their behalf.

I have recently founded my own business but would love to offer my wealth of expertise to budding authors who are keen to be seen and to be read!

In terms of what I can offer:

Social Media (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube) account management so if you need help building a community, I can do that for you!

Meta advertising

Copywriting

Consultancy

Asset creation for ads

Full marketing plan and strategy as well as implementation

Amazon AMS (for keyword search and optimisation)

Amazon A+ Pages

Google Ad Words

Outdoor advertising

Digital advertising

Brand strategy

Point of sale (Posters, bookmarks, flyers) for bookstores which I can offer out to Waterstones and Indies

Event management

Hope to hear from you!

Cheers,

Gemma

Services
Fiction
Contemporary Romance Cozy Mysteries Humor & Comedy Psychological Thriller Romantic Fantasy Science Fiction Women's Fiction
Awards
  • Nibbies Shortlisted for Marketing Strategy of the Year for Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
  • Winner - BMS Award for Innovation
  • Winner - BMS Award for Creativity
Certifications
  • CIM Marketing Diploma

Work experience

Self-employed

Jun, 2018 — Apr, 2025 (almost 7 years)
Executing trade and consumer campaigns across the entire commercial fiction and non-fiction list for authors such as Colleen Hoover, Mark Billingham, Rebecca Yarros, Jack Whitehall, Sarah Ockwell-Smith and many more.

Self-employed

Jun, 2012 — Jun, 2018 (about 6 years)
Managed the international marketing strategy across all PRH imprints and high profile authors. Key achievements include creating global bestsellers for Fifty Shades and The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins as well as creating an industry-leading digital platform.

Projects

Facebook Advertising for Verity by Colleen Hoover

Tested various copylines to promote Verity by Colleen Hoover to determine how best to position her thriller compared to the romance titles. The best lines focused on the reading experience not the characters or plots so I used this creative for Amazon A+ pages and also for meta advertising, achieving the following result in the first tranche of advertising.

Results
- Click through rate: 4.5%
- Uplift in Sales on Amazon during advertising period: 70%

Twelve Secrets by Robert Gold

I helped author Robert Gold launch a brand new crime series set in the fictional town of Haddley. I ran meta advertising, Amazon AMS, Kindle deals, socials, newsletters as well as setting up experiential events at crime festivals and in shopping centres. There were so many highlights but the main one was hitting the Sunday Times charts on the release of the paperback in December 2022 and hitting the Amazon top 10 charts on multiple occasions through utilising Bookbub and social advertising.

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Series of book proofs created to launch Fourth Wing as part of the world-building campaign created for Rebecca Yarros. Each proof represented one quadrant (the Riders, Scribes, Infantry and Healers) and world-building is key for SFF and SF and Romantasy so this was the very start of building the buzz for a book that went on to become a global bestseller. The campaign was shortlisted for the Nibbies Marketing Strategy of the Year.

Portfolio

The Wrong Hands: The Next Detective Miller Novel (Detective Miller Novels Book 2)

Billingham, Mark

Atlantic Monthly Press

Marketing Strategy Email Marketing Paid Advertising Metadata Optimization
How to Survive Family Holidays: The hilarious memoir from the stars of Travels with my Father

Whitehall, Jack

Sphere

Marketing Strategy Email Marketing Paid Advertising
A Game of Lies: A Novel

Mackintosh, Clare

Sourcebooks Landmark

Marketing Strategy Email Marketing Paid Advertising Metadata Optimization
Fourth Wing (The Empyrean Book 1)

Yarros, Rebecca

Entangled: Red Tower Books

Marketing Strategy
Verity

Hoover, Colleen

Grand Central Publishing

Marketing Strategy Email Marketing Paid Advertising Metadata Optimization

Gemma has 20 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Tricia V.

Tricia V.

Sep, 2026

Gemma has been incredibly supportive. My request for marketing guidance was quite vague and she narrowed down what I needed to do in such a way that it is possible and accessible and reduces stress. Her advice has been on-going and I appreciate her willingness to work within my rather chaotic li...
Read more
Gemma S.
Thanks Tricia, I'm so pleased you found it helpful. I appreciate there can be SO many marketing activities that knowing where to start can be really daunting and I'm glad I could help narrow that d...
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Carrie P.

Carrie P.

Aug, 2026

Gemma was absolutely fantastic to work with. She is so sweet, encouraging, and knowledgeable, and she really helped me focus my efforts and build a marketing plan that feels manageable and strategic for my romance series. As an indie author, it can be incredibly overwhelming trying to figure out...
Read more
Gemma S.
Ah thank you so much Carrie, it was a delight working with you too and I can't wait to read all the books in your series! Also very much enjoyed our Off Campus chats, haha!
Kat T.

Kat T.

Jul, 2026

Highly knowledgable and a delightful person to work with
Gemma S.
Thank you Kat, it was so lovely to meet you and work with you too! Cheers, Gemma
Rinn M.

Rinn M.

May, 2026

Working with Gemma was such a pleasure! She helped me create a clear plan for my debut and offered thoughtful advice I wouldn’t have considered on my own. I’m so grateful for her insight and support.
Gemma S.
Thanks Rinn, it was a pleasure to work with you too!
Valerie C.

Valerie C.

Apr, 2026

Gemma is absolutely fantastic! She is such a star and helped through the whole process with patience and enthusiasm for the project. She’s so knowledgeable and creative, and absolutely a necessity for a debut author. So grateful to have had her in my corner!
Gemma S.
Hey Valerie, thanks for your lovely review! Hope you're having a lovely spring and I look forward to hearing about what you write next! Cheers, Gemma

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