ROCKETS' RED GLARE
MARKETING STRATEGY AND CONTENT CONSULTING
330 million people visited America's National Parks last year.
What would make that number zero?
When an ex-Clinton staffer watched a
plane hit the Pentagon in real time, the
experience simmered alongside his summers
immersed in backcountry Wyoming—
and years of tense conversations coordinating
the President's schedule with Secret Service
officials. What would be the 9/11 of
America's wide open spaces?
The first book in his Sage Mendiluze series,
Rockets' Red Glare, released in Spring 2025
from Blackstone Publishing.
(That's what we call the inciting incident.)
GOALS
Prove reader interest to secure book no. 2.
Get paperback release stocked in airports and casual retailers.
Build small-group and book club interest to engage word-of-mouth, especially in areas inspiring the book’s events.
PRICE PERCEPTION
His target customers were
used to Kindle Unlimited.
Free was an easier sale than his $27.99 price tag.
Unlike a craft cocktail or a movie ticket, consumers balk at spending that amount on individual titles—especially
new releases.
MISMATCHED FORMAT STRENGTHS
the author was more of a phone call guy, or an
in-person person, but his genre audience was on threads and booktok.
within his genre, readers don't often attend events by new ("debut") authors.
DEBUT BURDEN
many customers wait to read a series until more books are out, but the first title received minimal in-house support or budget. it was hard to get clarity, or amplification, on any efforts made by the author.
despite debut sales overal overall, publishers use book no. 1's performance to decide whether to buy book no. 2.
OBSTACLES
SOLUTIONS
Heavy focus on promoting deals and discounts across BookBub, Amazon, etc. vs. evergreen promotion.
Cross-promotion with Netflix’s Untamed (viewership of 50M+ within two weeks of release)
Lean into his verbal strengths—film and clip interview lines for audio overlays in Riverside.FM and to inform pitches for podcast and event appearances.
Collaborate with relevant authors and organizations.
Use timely news to amplify author’s expertise across endurance running, outdoorsmanship, government, and business.
Stoke small group and grass-roots interest—book clubs, seasonal ranches, ranger programs, veteran interest groups, etc.
RESULTS
Mentions in The New York Times, Cullman Times, Post & Courier, Elysian Magazine, and named a New York Public Library Pick for fans of Untamed,
Secured goals of book deal no. 2 and paperback release in major retailers.
Rockets’ Red Glare ranked no. 1 on Amazon for books in terrorism category.
High event attendance on self-managed tour out West and in D.C., including collaborations with NOLS, CJ Box, the Clinton Foundation, etc.
Built and organized evergreen, cross-platform content library and workflow for self-sustaining promotion, including templates and messaging for partnership inquiries, reviewer and media pitches, etc.
Blurbs from Bill Clinton, C.J. Box, George Stephanopoulos, Erskine Bowles, United States Secret Service special agent, Bob McDonough, and more.
Appearances on special interest and peer podcasts.
While the publisher recommended avoiding
political alignment, Rockets’ Red Glare also came out
in Spring 2025 when National Park budgets and
federal land protections were suddenly slashed,
furloughing rangers and other workers.
Although personally frustrating to the author (and to
me) to resist capitalizing on newsy tie-ins and his related
expertise within the media push, the context informed
our small group interest strategy and the author's emphasis
on public service: messaging that boosted event attendance,
book club inquiries, and the holistic brand awareness
that secured in-house support for book no. 2.
Operationally, I brainstormed and outlined a win-win
partnership program; for any paid opportunities like UGC
or social promotion, we'd leverage laid-off park workers
instead of traditional book reviewers and nanoinfluencers.
According to market research, most titles only breach
containment when the "non-readers" pick them up anyway.