2021 CAPABILITIES DECK
CASE STUDY
WWW.THELITERARYLOBBYIST.CO M
Dawn Michelle Hardy
Championing for authors since 2002.
Publicist. Agent. Consultant. Enthusiast. Advocate. Speaker.
D
awn Michelle Hardy, “The Literary Lobbyist,” is a creative publicity
strategist and staunch advocate for self-published and traditionally
published authors. She works closely with literary agents, editors, sales and
publicity representatives, and publishers to conceptualize, execute, and track
marketing campaigns’ success.
For twenty years, Dawn has developed and facilitated multimedia publicity
campaigns that drive sales, create fan bases, land lucrative multibook deals,
garner book awards and industry honors, that helped leverage the author’s
success for on-screen opportunities, corporate sponsorships and paid speaking
engagements.
90% of clients for the past 20 years
are direct or online referrals.
10 consecutive years in creating and facilitating publicity
campaigns that have garnered awards and industry honors for
debut authors in poetry, children’s books, women’s ction,
nonction sports, and business.
WWW.THELITERARYLOBBYIST.COM
SERVICE OVERVIEW
A
bility and proven track record in developing a self-published or traditionally
published book from the initial planning and strategy stages through
publication and campaign execution.
Essential services include but are not limited to:
z Award submissions
z Pre-publication endorsements
z Bylines and author proles
z Podcast tours
z Book roundups
z Trade reviews and features
z Media author interviews
z Social media campaign management
z Virtual and IRL book events and tours
z Marketing partnerships with lifestyle and tech brands,
independent and traditional bookstores
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OVERVIEW
I
n December 2020, The New York Times published an op-ed piece, revealing that only 11 percent
of the books published in 2018 were written by people of color, with an even smaller percentage
by black authors. Although diversity in publishing is slowly integrating the predominantly white
industry, the multifaceted stories and voices of the black community remain peripheral, leaving
many talented black authors underrepresented, or relatively unknown.
Dawn Michelle Hardy, widely known as The Literary Lobbyist, is a book publicist, literary agent
and most aptly, a staunch supporter for independent authors, particularly novice black authors.
Hardy has been advocating for black writers since her start in publishing in 2002 New York Times
best-selling author, Teri Woods (“True to the Game”).
Hardy insists the major roadblock in BIPOC debut authors nding high level success is not in the
quality of content but the lack of a well-executed target marketing campaigns that they receive.
The approach taken by The Literary Lobbyist to get books into the hands of readers is often driven
by grassroots community engagement in a budget-conscious, creative and pragmatic way.
“I have never witnessed any book receive such a connective and uid plug as the media blitz
produced by The Literary Lobbyist for this novel. For three days, the solidarity among a reading
community was visible. It was awesome witnessing post after post celebrating the book and
the author”, said Donna Johnson, about the Instagram blitz for the debut self-published novel,
“Black Girls Must Die Exhausted” by Jayne Allen.
In her roles as literary agent and book publicist, Hardy, a visionary, can see the end from the
start. “[Dawn] had a vision for this project long before I was able to see it,” said Kent Babb, author
of “Not a Game: The Incredible Rise and Unthinkable Fall of Allen Iverson” (Simon & Schuster,
2015). “She read my Washington Post prole on Iverson in April 2013 and just refused to let me say
no to her about expanding the story into a book.”
As a creative strategist, Hardy believes for readers to buy and review a book, they rst need to
discover it. She starts generating publicity by granting readers early access to the author during
the book’s pre-order season. Curating an inclusive community experience between the author
and their reader helps create buzz-worthy book releases. She follows the lead-in approach by
using multiple platforms including partnering with social and professional groups, social media,
community cover reveals, on-screen interviews and radio tours and podcasts to execute a
successful launch.
Hardy’s advocacy, innovation and proven track record have made her one of the most sought-
after book publicists for debut writers.
CASE STUDY
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The Perfect Find by Tia Williams
(Brown Girl Books, 2016)
STARTING POINT: Hailed as “impossibly talented” by Lucky magazine and “Carrie
Bradshaw with melanin and a blowout” by Heart and Soul, novelist Tia Williams is
the ultimate style insider who is known for her witty, sexy, tell-it-like-it-is approach.
In 2005, the veteran magazine beauty editor (Elle, Lucky, Glamour, Teen People, and
Essence.com) created one of the fashion industry’s rst beauty blogs, the award-
winning Shake Your Beauty.
Williams is the bestselling author of The Accidental Diva and the IT Chicks series
and co-writer of ‘80s supermodel Iman’s The Beauty of Color. Her blog and books
have been featured in The New York Times, Essence, Women’s Wear Daily, The
Washington Post, Teen Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, and the San Francisco Chronicle.
CHALLENGE: Williams had not published a book in nearly ten years. She returned to publishing with her
latest title, The Perfect Find, released by an independent publishing company, a stark difference from the
major trade publishers with whom she had previously worked. Although Williams has strong relationships
with media mavens and authors, she was unsure how to best leverage them.
SOLUTION: Our team developed a publicity campaign, using multiple platforms and leveraging Williams’s
career achievements and publishing success to launch The Perfect Find multimedia campaign with
television and online appearances and peer endorsements to create a more signicant impact on her
reemergence in the industry.
We started seven months before The Perfect Find’s release date to reintroduce Williams and her previous
works to readers. We secured a pre-publication television interview at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and
a live appearance on Cheddar TV. We also received author endorsements from three New York Times
bestselling authors: Denene Millner, Nicola Kraus, Mimi Jean Pamloff, and other notable romance and
contemporary ction writers.
After Williams’s book was released, our team planned several in-person and VIP events in the New York
City area at Barnes and Noble, Twitter HQ, and Bloomingdales. Then we hosted several social media
engagements on Twitter and Facebook. We also secured byline and interview opportunities for Williams
to share and write on various topics, including parenting, book publishing culture, and beauty and style.
Additionally, our team garnered a full-page print feature Q&A in Ebony Magazine, a live radio interview with
Sirius XM’s Bevelations, and an open letter for Mother’s Day on Glamour.com.
IMPACT: Actress Gabrielle Union optioned (L.A.’s Finest, Being Mary Jane) will star in the lead role in the
feature adaptation of Williams’s bestseller, slated to premiere on Netix. Stuart Ford’s AGC Studios and Union’s
production company, I’ll Have Another, is nancing and producing the romantic comedy. Numa Perrier, whose
directorial debut Jezebel premiered at SXSW in 2019, will direct the lm.
“
This juicy page-turner is
the ultimate beach read…with
characters you’ll think about long
after the last page. The chemistry is
so steamy.
”
– InStyle
“
A page-turner that’s epically
witty, juicy and irresistible. What
a perfect, fresh take on the high
stakes that come when we fall, pick
ourselves back up, and step unsurely
into the future. It doesn’t get more
real than this.
”
— Denene Millner, New York Times
Bestselling co-author of Act Like a
Lady, Think Like a Man, and The Vow
“
The Perfect Find is just that. This
funny, fashion-lled, and ercely
provocative read is absolutely
fabulous for the grown and sexy
woman.
”
— Niobia Bryant, National Bestselling
author of The Pleasure Trap
CASE STUDY
WWW.THELITERARYLOBBYIST.COM
Black Girls Must Die Exhausted
by Jayne Allen
(Quality Black Books, 2019)
STARTING POINT: Writing under a pen name, debut novelist Jayne Allen launched
Black Girls Must Die Exhausted in September 2018. The book was available on
NetGalley shortly before its ofcial release date and remained on the site for several
months afterward. This approach allowed NetGalley reviewers to post their consumer
reviews directly on the book’s Amazon sales page, creating early reviews and buzz.
After setting up her NetGalley page, Allen ran two Category Spotlights during the
book’s release month, a Featured Title placement the following month, and two
additional Category Spotlights in February 2019. Allen requested publicity support to build the momentum
of her book’s positive early reviews.
CHALLENGE: Allen self-published her book and was unknown to the ction reading community. She needed
an introduction to a targeted group of readers and a strong social media engagement plan to capture their
attention and support to sell more books. However, Allen had no author or book website. She also had no
Facebook page and fewer than thirty Instagram followers. Our team realized we needed to build a social
media community from scratch.
SOLUTION: Our campaign strategy targeted black women who love to read contemporary novels where
the protagonist’s life mirrors their own in some capacity. We understood the target audience would eagerly
share the book’s attractive cover on their curated social media pages. We also knew the story of a black
woman who works in corporate media, has close friends, is in a romantic relationship, and deals with
fertility issues would be a major discussion topic with book clubs and online readers.
Our team used three engagement sources to connect with ideal target readers: Instagram, book reviews,
and book clubs. We facilitated a three-day blitz with twenty-ve bookstagrammers, resulting in the
book cover’s viral sharing, independent bookstore sales inquiries, and more than twenty-ve book club
appearances. The campaign included a three-city tour with a sold-out launch event at For the Culture
Beauty Supply, a black woman-owned beauty supply store in Los Angeles, California. We then booked “in
conversation” appearances at Auburn Avenue Research Library in Atlanta, Georgia, and planned a Cinco
de Mayo-themed gathering at Mahogany Books in Maryland.
Overall, we succeeded in helping Allen nd her tribe through social media and in-person events. Allen
continued to engage on social media by doing giveaways and conducting live, weekly writing workshops
with other reputable authors on Instagram.
IMPACT: In December 2020, Allen transformed from self-published to traditionally published author, inking
a four-book deal with Harper Paperbacks, a division of HarperCollins, in a pre-empting which includes her
next book after the series.
70 THE ILLUSTRIOUS WOMAN ISSUE MAY/JUNE 2019
“
Allen writes in a sharp, lively
voice that is full of warmth and
humor...Tabitha and her friends are
well-drawn, and it is the dynamic
between the protagonist and the
women in her life that propels
the story. Touching on issues of
professional womanhood, race, and
family, the author crafts a novel that
is both timely and enjoyable.
” – Kirkus Reviews
CASE STUDY
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The Noisy Classroom by Angela Shanté
(West Margin Press)
STARTING POINT: Angela Shanté is a writer, poet, editor, and educator. Shanté,
who has an M.Ed. in elementary education and an M.F.A. in creative writing, taught
elementary school for ten years before penning The Noisy Classroom, her debut
children’s picture book.
CHALLENGE: Shanté is an experienced educator but a rst-time author with limited
knowledge on how to promote herself and her book successfully.
SOLUTION: After reviewing the book, our team supplied Shanté with a list of ideal
awards for independent and debut authors. We started our reader outreach with
a mailer to children eight and younger. We understood that adults who followed
Shanté on social media would be more responsive if they saw a child posing with
the book. So we asked the parents to submit photos of their children with the book
to use as social media content and stock photography for author bylines.
While Shanté and her publisher leveraged industry reviews and virtual presentations
with schools and youth camps to promote her book, we highlighted her professional
experience and searched for timely and relevant opportunities for her to discuss
diversity in children’s literature with byline articles, “Tips to Decolonize & Diversify Your
Children’s Library” and “Limiting Summer Slide by Strengthening Reading Habits at
Home.” The Noisy Classroom also garnered inclusion in book roundups with Book Riot and Sheen Magazine.
IMPACT:
Winner, 2020 American Fiction Awards Best Cover Design: Children’s Books
Finalist, 2020 American Fiction Awards for Children’s Fiction
Finalist, 2020 The Wishing Shelf Category 2 Books for 6-8 Year Olds
Shanté announced that West Margin Press will publish her next book, When My Cousins
Come to Town, in spring 2021.
She and a few educators launched Sunday Dinner Publishing, an independent media
campaign to highlight inclusive authentic writing.
Subsequently West Margin Press hired The Literary Lobbyist in 2021 to run the publicity
for The Zee Files a 6-part tween series by Tina Wells, sold exclusively at Target and
Target.com at publication.
“
Funny and delightful! Angela
Shanté’s book reveals how the power
of a teacher’s creative freedom
ignites fun learning for students.
Praises to her and all the teachers
whose dedication and stamina
make them the unsung heroes
behind education.
”
– Pamela M. Tuck, Author,
As Fast As Words Could Fly
“
The Noisy Classroom is a fun
read, full of humor combined with
the trepidation as a young student
observes the classroom teacher
she’ll have next year. Changes are
difcult… But, it can also be exciting. If
you just give it a chance.
”
– Reader’s Favorite
CASE STUDY
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Counting Descent by Clint Smith III
(Write Bloody Publishing 2016)
STARTING POINT: Clint Smith is the author of Counting Descent, his debut
poetry collection. He is widely known for his TED Talks, “How to Raise a Black Boy
in America,” “The Danger of Silence,” and “Reframing the Narrative Around Our
Students,” which have collectively garnered more than seven million views. Smith,
a staff writer at The Atlantic with a Ph.D. in education from Harvard University, has
been published in The New Yorker, The Guardian, The American Library Review,
Boston Review, Harvard Educational Review, among other publications.
CHALLENGE: Promoting poetry outside of the spoken word scene can be
challenging, especially for poets who are not signed with a traditional publishing
house or have a promotional team or resources. In preparation for future work, Smith wanted our help
to expand his audience beyond the poetry community into the mainstream nonction readership. He
specically requested us to promote him in independent bookstores across the U.S. and literary magazines
who are often booking bigger platformed authors of traditional publishers.
SOLUTION: Our team researched and established relationships with independent and college bookstores,
tech companies, and literary magazines throughout the U.S. Since Smith was pretty new in publishing, we
used his TED Talks’ popularity, bylines, and education achievements to create the perfect introduction to
promote Counting Descent in bookstores.
We launched Smith’s book tour with more than twenty appearances across ten cities, selling advanced
copies and copies at the promotional events. Six thousand books were sold in the opening six weeks of
publication with media coverage in The Boston Globe, BK Nation, Salon.com, Slice Magazine, WUSA-TV’s
Great Day Washington, Cheddar TV as well as special presentations at Twitter and Pandora headquarters.
We concluded the campaign with a two-page photo spread in Mosaic Literary Magazine and a ticketed
event hosted by The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York City.
Since the release of Counting Descent, Smith was named in the 2018 Forbes’s 30 Under 30 list and Ebony
Magazine’s 2017 Power 100 list. His rst nonction book How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the
History of Slavery Across America, will publish in June 2021 with Little, Brown and Company.
IMPACT:
Winner, 2017 Black Caucus of the American Library Association Literary Award
Finalist, 2017 NAACP Image Awards ‘One Book One New Orleans’ 2017 Book Selection
“
So many of these poems just
blow me away. Incredibly beautiful
and powerful.
”
– Michelle
Alexander, Author of
The New Jim Crow
“
Counting Descent is a tightly-
woven collection of poems whose
pages act like an invitation to New
Orleans, to the spades' table, to
mom's kitchen, to the kiss on a
woman's wrist, to conversations with
hydrants and cicadas...
”
– Elizabeth Acevedo
CASE STUDY
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The Beast Side: Living and Dying
While Black in America
by D. Watkins
(Hot Books/Skyhorse Publishing 2015)
STARTING POINT: D. Watkins, one of the most inuential voices in education
empowerment to emerge during Freddy Gray’s death, debuted his rst collection
of essays, The Beast Side: Living and Dying While Black in America in 2015 with
Hot Books. Watkins has appeared on several news outlets in his native Baltimore,
Maryland and nationally on Meet the Press before the book’s release.
CHALLENGE: Skyhorse Publishing had hit a wall with pre-publication endorsement
and requested support to secure praises from inuencers in activism, black culture and media.
SOLUTION: Within two weeks of outreach The Beast Side,
our team delivered ve endorsements that were all printed
on the book jacket. Skyhorse liked our work and asked us
to continue booking television and radio appearances for
Watkins. We booked guest appearances on H.I.S. Turning
Point on BET, MSNBC with Melissa Harris-Perry Your Black
World, Democracy Now!, Al Jazeera, RT America, and Arise
TV during the six-week launch period. We also booked radio
appearances on NPR’s Fresh Air, SiriusXM’s The Maggie Linton
Show, and WOL’s The Bev Smith Show. The media coverage
along with a series of in-person events resulted in The Beast
Side making The New York Times Best Sellers list in race and
civil rights.
IMPACT: Since the release
of The Beast Side, Waktins
has written The Cook Up: A
Crack Rock Memoir published
by Hachette Book Group in 2016, which landed on The New York Times Best
Seller list. He also wrote We Speak for Ourselves: How Woke Culture Prohibits
Progress, published by Simon and Schuster in 2019. The book was the 2020
selection for One Book Baltimore, a local collaborative that promotes literacy
to seventh and eighth graders, their families, and community members by
reading the same book and engaging in dialogue.
“
D. Watkins is a very sharp young
talent who transformed himself
from a dealer on the streets to
an adjunct professor, and most
important, to a leading voice of his
generation who is determined to see
justice for the black community. The
Beast Side is raw, intelligent, and at
times humorous—and a necessary
narrative in these challenging
times!
”
—Michael Eric Dyson,
author of The Black Presidency:
Barack Obama and the Politics of
Race in America
“
The 21st century Civil Rights
era is upon us and one of the most
compelling new voices to listen
to is D. Watkins. The Beast Side is
a riveting and important read no
matter what your preconceived
notions are on the state of race
relations in America today.
”
—Chuck Todd, correspondent on
NBC’s Meet the Press
“
Firing off dispatches from that part of
the America we left behind, D. Watkins is
making a denitive argument for so many
men and women ruthlessly marginalized
by a society that fails to measure itself
on any humane terms. This is a Baltimore
voice in angry service of other unheard
Baltimore voices, and The Beast Side is, by
extension, a blunt, eloquent argument for
the forgotten in our cities. He has arrived,
and by the sound of things, he is here to
hold us all to account.
”
—David Simon, author of The Corner
and creator of HBO’s The Wire
