Lauren Velasquez

Lauren Velasquez – Marketer

Passionate marketer specializing in nonfiction with 10+ years experience working at Penguin Random House and Little, Brown & Co.

Overview

For the entirety of my publishing career I have worked to promote nonfiction titles, specializing in business, self-improvement, and cookbooks. I’ve worked at both Penguin Random House and Little, Brown & Company, providing hundreds of authors with tailored, comprehensive, and creative marketing plans.


I strongly believe in the power of books to change perspectives, inspire new generations, and spread ideas. As a marketer I feel that there is something very powerful about bringing new ideas into the world, and I am passionate about helping authors find their perfect audience.


I am the right marketer for you and your book if you are looking for:

- A comprehensive marketing plan (complete with strategy, timeline, and samples)

- A social media content plan to help grow your audience and market your book before, during, and after your book launch

- Copywriting services (for social media and/or website)

- Looking for guidance on how to best use your advertising budget (i.e. Google, Instagram, etc.) - Note: I can’t run these campaigns but would be happy to answer questions and offer best practices.


Whether you are just starting out in your marketing journey, are looking for ways to expand your readership, or want to supplement the marketing efforts that your publishing team is doing, we should talk!


Getting ready to send your book into the world is such an exciting time, I can’t wait to work with you to help it make the biggest splash possible.


Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits Health & Wellbeing
Certifications
  • Bachelor of Arts, English Literature — The College of William & Mary
  • Bachelor of Business Administration, Marketing — The College of William & Mary
  • Columbia Publishing Course — Columbia University

Work experience

Self-Employed

Apr, 2018 — Present

I strategize with clients to create marketing plans according to their specific needs. These include the creation of digital assets, social media advertising, search advertising, newsletter copy, and website creation and maintenance. Since 2021, I have been on contract with Penguin Random House writing and maintaining content for the company’s vertical websites and newsletters, including and ReadBrightly.com, driving sales to all book titles.

Little, Brown & Company / Hachette

Oct, 2016 — Aug, 2018 (almost 2 years)

Implemented marketing campaigns, from conception to completion, for a number of titles across several genres including: nonfiction, cookbooks, lifestyle, business, self-help, and history. I worked closely with authors and brands to build their social media following through organic content, paid advertising, and influencer outreach.

The Crown Publishing Group / Penguin Random House

Oct, 2012 — Oct, 2016 (about 4 years)

Worked with authors and chefs published under the Clarkson Potter imprint to create brand partnerships to help promote individual titles through sweepstakes, pre-order campaigns, giveaways, blog tours, online coverage, and social media support.

Projects

Tasting Rome by Katie Parla and Kristina Gill

Our marketing campaign included a pre-order campaign where all those that pre-ordered the book would receive a collection of the author Kristina Gill’s photo prints. This campaign led to almost 5,000 pre-orders. Closer to the on sale date we also did a few creative promotions including a Blogger Tour, where 24 bloggers posted about the book and ran their own giveaway, and a Virtual Potluck where people were encouraged to share their own pictures of the recipes they created at home.

Author Showcase Event

I created and organized the Blogger Summer Social, an in-person event to showcase upcoming titles and bring together authors from our list and members of the media. Authors and journalists could taste different recipes from our books, make contacts, and request titles that they could share across social media and on their blog. Additionally, it generated a program where our authors with online platforms could lift each other up and amplify our marketing efforts.

The Recovering by Leslie Jamison

In addition to creating a complete marketing plan for Jamison’s amazing memoir, we really wanted to make a splash with booksellers. Our team created a package complete with mementos that were important to the author including photographs, postcards with key blurbs, a keychain, and matchbooks showcasing the book’s cover. These packages and galleys were sent to over a hundred booksellers, and we also gave away these packages as a prize for a series of social media giveaways.

Food: What the Heck Should I Eat? by Dr. Mark Hyman

I created a comprehensive marketing strategy for the hardcover campaign for Mark Hyman’s Food: What the Heck Should I Eat? which included extensive influencer outreach, advertising, and an affiliate marketing campaign. We wanted to push early pre-orders so we launched a social media campaign, ran early publicity, and created a pre-order incentive and reached our goal of selling 20,000 copies by the on sale date. Dr. Hyman and his team already had an established following, so for this book launch our main goal was to help expand his reach. We were able to find several new demographics that had not been reached in the past, tried new outlets including Reddit and Quora, and created a series of Facebook Live videos and Instagram stories. Our efforts resulted in the book becoming a #1 New York Times bestseller.

Obama: An Intimate Portrait by Pete Souza

I worked with Pete Souza on the marketing for his book showcasing the photographs he took while he was the official White House photographer during the Obama administration. We worked on a complete plan that included a strong social media campaign to his over 3 million Instagram followers, targeted advertising, and a pre-order campaign. The pre-order campaign gave away a beautiful print from the book to those who pre-ordered ahead of the on sale date. Our campaign generated over 25,000 pre-orders and resulted with the book becoming a #1 New York Times bestseller.

Lauren has 1 review

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Paul E.

Paul E.

Apr, 2024

I enjoyed my collaboration with Lauren. I would definitely recommend her services to any author seeking help in marketing their book. Her marketing report was very detailed and concise. She is phenomenal!

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