Shaun Loftus - Marketer
Florence, Italy
Marketing Strategist, Developmental Editor and Writer's coach with a true love of Independent Authors.
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Overview
Book Marketing and Promotion
You’ve written your book. You have had it edited to within a hairsbreadth of perfection. Your manuscript has been read by a trusted group of beta-readers. Now it’s time to send your baby out into the world. What’s next?
You need a great cover. You need a winning description, lightly loaded with category appropriate keywords and meta-data to appeal to the all-encompassing algorithms that dominate digital space. You need to identify your readers and analyze the competition. Then, we need to nestle you in the correct genre and subgenre and find the right keywords to help your readers find you. It sounds like rocket science, but it isn’t. It’s computer science.
When everything is ready, we'll market you like mad. Using price promotions, content marketing, social media marketing, and PPC and PPM campaigns, we will help you climb the charts on Amazon, Kobo, and all the best places. We will make sure to use best practices to acquire those ever-necessary 4 and 5-star reviews. We will make sure your AMS ads are serving and achieving a positive ROI, set up your platform and mailing list, and give you the resources to take advantage of everything self-publishing has to offer.
It is my goal to provide independent authors the tools, information, and coaching they need to achieve independent publishing success. Let me know if I can help you.
Warmest Regards and Good Writing,
Shaun
You’ve written your book. You have had it edited to within a hairsbreadth of perfection. Your manuscript has been read by a trusted group of beta-readers. Now it’s time to send your baby out into the world. What’s next?
You need a great cover. You need a winning description, lightly loaded with category appropriate keywords and meta-data to appeal to the all-encompassing algorithms that dominate digital space. You need to identify your readers and analyze the competition. Then, we need to nestle you in the correct genre and subgenre and find the right keywords to help your readers find you. It sounds like rocket science, but it isn’t. It’s computer science.
When everything is ready, we'll market you like mad. Using price promotions, content marketing, social media marketing, and PPC and PPM campaigns, we will help you climb the charts on Amazon, Kobo, and all the best places. We will make sure to use best practices to acquire those ever-necessary 4 and 5-star reviews. We will make sure your AMS ads are serving and achieving a positive ROI, set up your platform and mailing list, and give you the resources to take advantage of everything self-publishing has to offer.
It is my goal to provide independent authors the tools, information, and coaching they need to achieve independent publishing success. Let me know if I can help you.
Warmest Regards and Good Writing,
Shaun
Services
Fiction
Children's - Picture Books
Historical Fiction
Inspirational
Plays & Screenplays
Non-Fiction
Law
Technology
Work experience
Marketing Strategist
Self-employed
January, 2012
–
Present
(over 7 years)
Gratia Digital provides programming, site development and marketing strategy for online companies, retailers, individuals, and artists.
In addition to writing winning copy, my work has included site development, user interface development, SEO, SEM and media purchasing across platforms ranging from AdWords, Facebook, Twitter and PPC /PPM publishing platforms.
Artistic Director
FESTA Florence
November, 2007
–
Present
(almost 12 years)
FESTA Florence is an international theatre company located in Florence Italy.
As artistic director, I have directed more than 2 dozen shows, raised a generation of young actors, edited and developed scripts and been responsible for email marketing, print graphics, logistics and more.
Projects
Scars of my Guardian Angel
Scars of My Guardian Angel is a good seller in Christian Evangelical circles, but it's author want's it do do better. Like many indie authors, he did not have a marketing plan going in - but still managed to do most everything right.
Currently, we are redesigning the book cover, adding back-matter to remind readers to leave a review and to purchase the next-in-series, recalibrating all the AMS ads to counter the huge changes in Amazon's ad platform, launching new Facebook ads, and relaunching in preparation for Book 3 of the Portal Series.
Waking Up Cattywampus
Waking Up Cattywampus had a rough start in life. Originally published through a hybrid (vanity) publisher, it never received the attention it deserved.
We are currently in the process of reformatting the title, re-writing the descriptions, setting up a solid slow-drip targeted Facebook campaign, retro-fitting the author site, and will be re-launching Cattywampus this month!
Born to Be Different
Born to Be Different is a charming children's picture book, released in time for Christmas 2018.
For the launch of B2BD, we opted for a 5-day free release. During it's launch period, this books obtained 3 days at #1 in Children's Lit in the Kindle Store. More than 2,000 copies were 'sold' in the week leading up to Christmas, and in its post-sale period, B2BD is ranking in the top 50 of its main genre.
The launch plan included Facebook page and profile, a Facebook ad campaign, AMS, BookBub PPC and a narrow but effective promo targeting the most prominent promotional sites with strong lists aimed at younger readers.
The Rookie
The Rookie by Trina Riggle is a mystery title featuring an ex-sports star turned amateur sleuth. Trina hired me to determine whether or not this title was worth relaunching (it is), to determine in what ways a 2012 title would need to be updated, and to give her a marketing report to define her category and keyword selection, market viability, and closest competitors.
In addition to providing a marketing strategy for a relaunch, I was employed to give brief editorial coverage with an eye to period-specific anachronisms. The Rookie is a terrific book, and Trina is hoping to rewrite and relaunch early this year.
Cybertraps
Author Frederick Lane is a legal expert engaged in privacy issues related to digital technology. His book "Cybertraps for Expecting Moms and Dads" languished in the Amazon basement, garnering little attention. We were able to raise its profile through careful selection of keywords and more tightly finessed category selections.
As a published author and lecturer, Fred had little time to pay attention to his self-published title or his online profile. I provided services including - though not limited to - updating his Amazon profile, rewriting his blurbs and descriptions, setting up Facebook and Twitter profiles, and reviving an unhealthy email list. We test marketed Cybertraps for Expecting Moms & Dads across multiple platforms, assessing it for market viability (low) and creating a plan for 2019 which will involve expanding his readership by paying better attention to market demographics.
Fred is primarily interested in his long-term profile as an expert in his field than in single title success. Our next steps will include a refit of his website and better automated social media interaction across all platforms. He is currently updating Cybertraps for Educators, which will be our main project for spring 2019.
The Mystery of Julia Episcopa
The Mystery of Julia Episcopa will be one year old next month. Over this last year, it has sold more than 10,000 copies of the ebook, a thousand copies of the paperback and several hundred audiobooks.
We have been happily sitting in the top of our bestseller lists, including Italian Historical Fiction and Religious Historical Fiction. During our promotional periods, we are frequently the #1 Best Seller in our genre.
For this title and these authors, I assist with developmental editing, historical research, and tasks inclusive of layout and design. I oversee their social profiles, their Amazon pages, built their website platform and have curated a strong and active email list.
We are currently working on Book 2 - The Testament of the Scribe - due out in April 2019.
Acqua Morta
"Six people, trapped in a crime they didn’t commit, will have to rediscover the fundamental truth that what is done cannot be undone."
Acqua Morta is an Italian supernatural thriller, set in the Dolomite mountains of Northern Italy. I was the projects first developmental editor and saw it through it's Dec. 2018 launch.
The book hit the paid charts almost immediately, but to promote it worldwide, we opted for a 5 day free period before Christmas. During this promotional period, Acqua Morta hit the Italian best-seller lists for all genres in the Italian Kindle store (topping out at #36), as well as #1 in its main genre of 'supernatural thriller'. In addition, we hit #1 in Italian foreign language fiction in the US.
Currently, at full price, the ebook is in the top #20 in all related genres and in the top 5000 of Amazon.it overall.
Portfolio (11 selected works)
The Mystery of Julia Episcopa (The Vatican Chronicles Book 1)
John I. Rigoli, Diane Cummings
In ancient Rome, a woman flees for her life. Her enemies are those she once called ‘brother’. Hidden beneath her blue cloak are secrets men will kill for – forgeries that prove the newly self-appointed bishops are not followers of the way, but pretenders who have seized power and will stop at nothing to shape this new religion to their own ends. Now, Julia – a woman who had once walked with Ma... read more
Acqua Morta: Romanzo Thriller Soprannaturale
David Ballerini
Le ombre del passato hanno molto da raccontare e molto da nascondere, e nessuno è senza colpa - c’è sangue, tanto sangue, nell’acqua.Appollaiato tra le vette delle Dolomiti, l’Acqua Morta era stato un tempo un albergo lussuoso e uno stabilimento termale famoso in tutta Europa per le doti quasi miracolose delle sue acque. La fonte termale si era però improvvisamente e misteriosamente seccata su... read more
Born to Be Different!: For all the special little kids in the world!
John Ignatius Rigoli
Ollie didn’t know he was a big weirdo… not until the day other kids made fun of himOllie went home and he put away his costumes. He put away his capes. He closed the door on the special world he created and said goodbye to all the friends only he could see. Ollie was going to be “normal” - no different than all the other kids in the world. No one would ever laugh at him again!But Ollie had a p... read more
Dating, Love, Sex, Marriage - in the Digital Age!Are you expecting? Do you know someone who is? OR … do you someday HOPE to be? Whether you are eagerly awaiting your little bundle of joy or are still swiping left in search of the perfect mate, technology is now a critical -- and constant -- part of modern reproduction.Digital devices, apps, and the Internet offer obvious benefits: easy sharing... read more
Cybertraps for Educators
Frederick S. Lane
Cybertraps for Educators offers teachers and school administrators a frank and sobering look at the various legal risks they face from the use and misuse of electronic devices and social media. Covering a wide range of contemporary topices -- cyberloafing, cyberbaiting, loss of privacy, harassment, sexting, etc. -- this timely book explores the myriad challenges that technology poses for today... read more
The Rookie (A Hale Mary Mystery Book 1)
Trina Riggle
Hale Seton is no stranger to the locker room.With six overachieving athletic brothers and a few snowboarding medals of her own, Hale understands the concept of competition. That’s why when she sets her sights on the most brutal competition of all—professional athlete management—she has every intention of succeeding at it.But her aspirations suffer a setback when she finds her first client dead... read more
Waking Up Cattywampus: Memoir of a Transplanted Southerner
Steven Powers Chylinski
Do you know what it feels like to have someone you love—perhaps a parent, sibling, or spouse—try to tell you who you are and what to believe? If so, you are not alone. At times, those closest to us want to shape our beliefs and turn us into someone they want us to be. It’s likely that they even mean well and have our best interests at heart. Yet, that all-important question—“Who Am I?”--is one... read more
How Flynn the Loh'li Conquered His Fears
A.R. Morris
Flynn the Loh'li has a problem. He doesn't know how to encourage his little brother to overcome his fear of water, or how someone can overcome their fears at all. So, before he thinks he can help his brother, Flynn embarks on a mission to conquer his own fear of heights by climbing the tallest mountain in Lok'Ree Valley. But it's not the climb up that gives him trouble, it's the climb down!As ... read more
Mentally Ill Mothers
Cary Tennis
How does it feel to have a mom who is mentally ill?How does it feel to have a mom who in a psychotic break tries to kidnap your teenage sister? Who when released from the mental hospital throws away her medication? Who threatens and physically assaults her children? Who accuses her family of poisoning her? What is that like?Read this book and find out.What do you do with 30 garbage bags of emp... read more
Unaware by even the angels, God chose a relatively normal man, Chado Cole, to be a part of a mission that started over 6,000 years ago – a mission that holds the fate of humanity in the balance.As Chado makes his transition into the spiritual realm, his eyes are opened to the mysteries of God. Now he walks among angels, but is led by one; the mighty Warrior Angel, Uriel. This angel has watched... read more
Berlin, Germany 1932. In a time of political unrest and strife, one man finds the courage to fight back...Dr. Wilhelm "Q" Quedlin, chemical engineer and inventor, lives for his science. A woman is not in his plans—nor is it to be accused of industrial espionage.But things get worse from there.Watching Hitler's rise to power spurns his desire to avoid yet another war that will completely destro... read more
Shaun has 5 reviews
Professionalism
Professionalism
Quality
Quality
Value
Value
Communication & Punctuality
Communication & Punctuality
Shaun is an ideal book production agent! She is knowledgeable, thorough, and an excellent communicator. Technology is not my strength, and she was very patient with me at explaining all technical details. Would recommend her highly!
trudy krisher, August 2019
Shaun Loftus is an extremely professional marketeer; actually the best we've worked with thus far! She is very organized, thorough, detail-oriented, and easy to communicate with. Shaun's knowledge and skills are at the top of the chart! She is down-to-earth and a joy to work with. We have worked with others in this field, that have a long way to go before reaching her level. As an author, I hi...
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Russell Martin, June 2019
Reply from Shaun Loftus
Shaun is an excellent communicator. She knows her field (marketing) thoroughly and effectively. I would use her sevices and expertiue in a heartbeat. Nice person, too.
Steven Powers Chylinski, May 2019
Reply from Shaun Loftus
Shaun has gone above and beyond in helping me get my book republished (self published) after a disappointing experience with a former publisher. I was overwhelmed, lost and loosing my mind, but with her help and guidance I accomplished my goal. She’s very professional and knows the industry exceptionally well. I can’t thank her enough, and I can’t wait to see what else we can accomplish as we t...
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Amber Morris, February 2019
Reply from Shaun Loftus
I was so happily surprised to meet Shaun. I don't know exactly what I was expecting, and this is my first experience on Reedsy. She is just perfect for what I need right now, and our first talk has completely changed the way I think about my writing and my publishing. I'm very excited to continuing our collaboration. She understands the markets, she knows about genres; she understands the wo...
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Michael Harrawood, February 2019
Reply from Shaun Loftus
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