Katherine Akey

Katherine Akey – Marketer

Award-winning marketing strategist with a track record of driving social engagement, bestseller performance, and audience growth.

Overview

With a decade of experience marketing books in trade and academic publishing, I help authors grow their audience through social media, graphics, newsletters, influencer outreach, and launch campaigns. My focus is simple: building real engagement that drives lasting visibility, tailored to your voice and goals. Whether you’re launching or building momentum for your next, I’ll help you connect with readers in a way that lasts.

Services
Fiction
Contemporary Fiction Historical Fiction LGBTQ Fiction Literary Fiction Mystery & Crime
Non-Fiction
Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits Psychology Self-Help & Self-Improvement

Work experience

Hachette Book Group

Jun, 2021 — Mar, 2026 (over 4 years)
At Hachette, I was a title marketer for Little, Brown, leading campaigns that brought a wide range of fiction and nonfiction books to market, from literary and genre fiction to cooking and psychology. My campaigns have contributed to multiple prizewinners and New York Times bestsellers across categories.

Projects

Cookbook Launch Marketing for Stuzzichini by Stef Ferrari

For Stef Ferrari's cookbook featuring Italian snacks, I created a launch campaign featuring a preorder bonus book that I designed, bright graphics on social and websites, and recipe features and videos.

We received product donations for influencers from three brands and coverage in newsletters reaching five different audiences.

Cookbook Launch Marketing for Pasta Every Day by Meryl Feinstein

To launch the Pasta Social Club founder's cookbook Pasta Every Day, I worked with the author to develop a social strategy for the book launch, partnered with brands for giveaways surrounding publication and for influencer box mailings, and created graphics and photography for social and web.

More than 11 brands partnered to donate product for giveaways and influencers with a combined following of more than 7.7M+ for this book that went on to win a James Beard Award.

Book Launch Marketing for Little One by Olivia Muenter

I built a marketing campaign for author Olivia Muenter's sophomore novel Little One. This campaign included:
- An animated cover reveal video
- A rolling preorder incentive campaign featuring early access to podcast episodes and a video Q&A
- Mailings to independent bookstores, bigmouths, and influencers with a combined following of 2.1M+
- Author promotions across social, Substack, and podcast

The book was a USA Today Bestseller that reached the Goodreads Most Anticipated 2026 list.

Book Launch Marketing for Good Night, Irene by Luis Alberto Urrea

I drafted and executed a marketing plan for Luis Alberto Urrea's WWII novel Good Night, Irene. This plan covered building buzz and early reviews ahead of publication, influencer outreach and mailing, newsletter and social coverage, and a pop-up donut shop event on launch week.

The book was an instant New York Times bestseller on the hardcover fiction list and sold more than 100,000 copies in its first six months.

Portfolio

Good Night, Irene: A Novel

Urrea, Luis Alberto

Little, Brown and Company

Marketing Strategy Email Marketing
The Most

Anthony, Jessica

Little, Brown and Company

Marketing Strategy Email Marketing
Marketing Strategy Email Marketing
Marketing Strategy Email Marketing
Lonely Crowds: A Novel

Wambugu, Stephanie

Little, Brown and Company

Marketing Strategy Email Marketing

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