How I Created a Marketing Plan for my Publisher with Gemini 1.5 (Part I)
Many authors are familiar with the pain of having to compose a marketing plan before getting to publication… so this time around, I consciously used the tools I work on for work but now for play… Also introducing book II of my novel series, Nadiri, A Novel, of which book I is out now (available on Amazon, but please consider ordering directly from myself, my publisher, or your local bookstore!) and whose cover was created using generative AI. Another blog post soon on the cover and story behind it, see Part II here.
I will initially go through how to prepare a large, large (400 pages+) for document ingestion using Google Gemini 1.5, now available in public preview. ** BIG NOTE: if you are a creative attempting to replicate this process, DO NOT USE GOOGLE AI STUDIO AS IT IS FREE (and if the tool is free, you and your work are the product!). Sign up for a Google Cloud Platform account here, and navigate on the left side panel to Vertex AI Studio (or just search it in the search bar) to land at this page:
Transform large text into JSON safe input
In order to process large volumes of text without hiccups, I recommend transforming your manuscript into JSON safe format. After some research, nothing like punctuation for example is lost in converting your manuscript to this format- it is simply translated into a language that the large language model can understand. An easy tool to use for this quickly and easily is Freeform.com (Note: unsure how this free tool handles your manuscript content, so it is worth a look at their terms of service and agreements nowadays with generative AI lurking about at every corner hungry for data!)
The one concern I know DID get lost was the value of font formatting in my novel. Since I have multiple voices doing narration, font changes are crucial visual and narrative cues in the story. I went ahead and assumed this was a loss- but for the dry purposes of creating a marketing plan, this doesn’t seem like much in the way of loss.
So without further adieu, let’s get started! I will not be placing my whole marketing plan here, and prompts may be referred to in different sections (follow the links!) however I am putting in the most interesting parts of the marketing plan where I found GenAI was super helpful. I also want to give you a small taste of my upcoming book- not a whole piece of cake!
Logline generation
Now navigate to cloud.google.com, select Vertex AI from left tray, select multimodal:
Prompt :
“Generate a logline for the novel manuscript below that is similar to this logline, but captures the entirety of the content in one sentence that is catchy: "Wander through the streets of Egypt as misfit Hagar Khalifa searches for herself at the crossroads between East and West, Islam and Christianity, landing at an unexpected journey's end in the US Army."
<manuscript></manuscript>Notice here I used a technique called few-shot prompting, which gives the model an example of a logline I used for book I as an example. Per Anthropic’s guidelines on inserting long form text, I also used basic XML tags to indicate where my manuscript started and stopped.
Output
Here are a few logline options that capture the entirety of the content in one sentence, similar to the original but encompassing the expanded narrative:
Option 1 (Focus on Identity): Haunted by her past and ostracized for her heritage, an Egyptian-American cadet navigates the turbulent waters of love, loss, and betrayal as she battles for acceptance within the US Army and her own identity.
Option 2 (Focus on Internal Conflict): Torn between her Egyptian roots and American dreams, a young woman's journey through love, loss, and self-discovery within the US Army forces her to confront her deepest fears and redefine what it means to belong.
Option 3 (Focus on Cultural Clash): As the Arab Spring ignites revolution in her homeland, an Egyptian-American cadet grapples with cultural clashes and personal turmoil while fighting for her place within the US Army and reconciling her fractured identity.
Option 4 (Focus on Betrayal): Devastated by betrayal and disillusioned by the realities of the US Army, a young Egyptian-American woman must rise above prejudice and heartbreak to forge her own path and discover where she truly belongs.
Additional Tips:
You may want to consider which aspect of the story you want to emphasize most: identity, internal conflict, cultural clash, or betrayal.
Feel free to play with the wording and phrasing to find the most impactful and catchy combination.
Keep the logline concise and impactful, leaving the reader wanting more.I liked the loglines generated above, and I wanted the best of a select specific focus. Using a technique called prompt chaining, I submitted a follow on prompt to further refine the logline with the relevant themes as a focus. Notice that by prompt chaining, I have also somewhat created a metaprompt flow, asking the model to think a bit out of the box in certain ways when it comes to forming a logline (specifically outlining the aspects of conciseness and catchiness, leaving the reader wanting to hear more):
Create a logline that is a combination of the four options below, with an especial focus on identity and cultural clash.
Feel free to play with the wording and phrasing to find the most impactful and catchy combination.
Keep the logline concise and impactful, leaving the reader wanting more.Here are a couple of options that blend the focus on identity and cultural clash, drawing from the provided options:
Option A (Stronger on Identity): As revolution ignites in her homeland, an Egyptian-American cadet battles for belonging within the US Army, confronting cultural clashes and prejudice while navigating the turbulent waters of love, loss, and a fractured identity.
Option B (Stronger on Cultural Clash): Amidst the Arab Spring, an Egyptian-American woman's journey through the US Army becomes a battleground of cultural clashes as she grapples with betrayal, prejudice, and reconciling her Egyptian roots with her American dreamI decided to go with option B. What did Midjourney think?
Five Sentence Summary Generation:
Create a five sentence summary of the entire manuscript below, using the following as an example:
<example> Hagar Khalifa is a misfit highschooler, born and raised in Egypt to an American Christian mother and an Egyptian Muslim father. After being sent home time and time again for balking against strict Muslim rules at the local Egyptian school, Hagar transfers to the American school in town. Hagar joins the local church youth group, finds friendship, falls in love with the pastor’s son, but then, her best friend’s betrayal flattens her. Hagar’s life deteriorates: her family falls apart, and she turns to alcohol and drugs for companionship, ultimately leading to the alienation of her church friends and her first love. With all of the odds stacked against her, Hagar escapes Egypt, finding an unlikely home with the United States Army. </example>Hagar's Journey: A Five Sentence Summary
Hagar Khalifa, an Egyptian-American teenager, escapes a troubled life in Egypt by joining the US Army ROTC program at the University of Colorado Boulder. She struggles to fit in with the predominantly white, liberal student body and faces prejudice and microaggressions due to her heritage and military affiliation. Hagar's life takes a turn when her roommate's illegal activities bring the police to their dorm, leading Hagar to switch rooms and ultimately transfer to the University of Mississippi, hoping for a fresh start. Despite finding some acceptance and even love, Hagar continues to face challenges and discrimination, leading to disillusionment and a reevaluation of her dreams. Ultimately, Hagar chooses to commission into the Army Reserves, seeking a path that allows her to reconcile her dual identities and find her place in the world.Creating Chapter Summaries
This section required more experimentation with prompt engineering. In Claude 3 Opus’s documentation for long context recommendations, page numbers are recommended to keep track of pages. This definitely benefited this particular use case, as the chapter references required page numbers to determine start/stop of a chapter.
I created an outline initially on the manuscript in Google Docs, so it was as simple as creating/ inserting a table of contents and deriving the chapter start and end sections that way.
Create a short 1-2 sentence summary for each section of the manuscript below. Have the output formatted by chapter per the following examples:
Chapter 1: 1-2 sentence summary
Chapter 2: 1-2 sentence summary
Each section starts with the following titles:
Party 4
The FBI Came By 15
Now the Police Are Here 25
Updates from Another World 34
Uncertainty 39
etc…I obviously will not be listing out the chapter summaries in this post… because they are a surprise and a total giveaway! But at the very least you can see the thought process that went into prompting, and the token output limit was more than sufficient to accommodate 1–2 sentence summaries for each chapter! For the full chapter summary readouts… join my book newsletter here.
Expanding out Comparable Works with Gemini knowledge:
Part of writing a book marketing and publishing proposal is including comparable works to the book you have written, focusing on content relevance between your work and theirs, as well as prominence of those works. I already had a few books in mind, but did zero-shot prompting to see what level of creativity I could get out of the model with it just thinking for itself:
Considering the manuscript below, recommend 5-6 books and novels that have been written that are comparable in genre, content, target audience, and narration style. For each book, format it in numbered bullet points, giving the book name and author, any prominent prizes won by the book, estimated number of copies sold, any additional languages the book was translated to:Considering the manuscript's focus on a young woman navigating cultural identity, coming-of-age experiences, and challenges within the U.S. military, here are 5-6 comparable books:
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie:
Prizes: National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction
Estimated Copies Sold: Over 500,000
Translations: Over 30 languages
Similarities: Explores themes of cultural identity, immigration, and navigating different societies as a young woman.
The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers:
Prizes: Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award, Guardian First Book Award
Estimated Copies Sold: Over 200,000
Translations: Over 20 languages
Similarities: Offers a poignant and realistic portrayal of the psychological impact of war and the challenges faced by soldiers, particularly young men.
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini:
Estimated Copies Sold: Over 10 million
Translations: Over 40 languages
Similarities: Delves into themes of guilt, redemption, and cultural identity, with a focus on the complex relationship between two young men from different social backgrounds in Afghanistan.
Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie:
Prizes: Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book, Hurston/Wright Legacy Award
Estimated Copies Sold: Over 1 million
Translations: Over 20 languages
Similarities: Explores themes of family, religion, and coming-of-age in a postcolonial setting, with a focus on a young woman's journey of self-discovery amidst societal constraints.
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah:
Estimated Copies Sold: Over 4.5 million
Translations: Over 45 languages
Similarities: Depicts the experiences of two sisters during World War II, highlighting the resilience and courage of women in times of conflict. While not directly related to the military, it shares the themes of female strength and perseverance.
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath:
Estimated Copies Sold: Over 3 million
Translations: Over 15 languages
Similarities: Explores themes of mental health, societal pressures, and a young woman's struggle to find her place in the world. While not directly related to the themes of the military or cultural identity, it shares the narrative style of introspection and delving into the protagonist's inner thoughts and struggles.I ended up eliminating The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath- the parallels seemed too nebulous for me to stomach. I also eliminated The Yellow Birds, as this seemed to only reflect the male experience of war, which then led me to wonder about the model first, then possibly my manuscript. I found it interesting that Gemini8 produced a lot of male related experiences in the military, but also produced one (albeit weak) example of female experiences of war. But that is not since WW2, and I know for a fact there is literature out there outlining women’s modern experience of war. The dataset of that representation, however, is likely so small that it didn’t even make the proverbial “cut” when it came to a transformer trying to predict the most likely output given the input- which was my manuscript! So on one hand, I am left wondering if my experience mirrors more of that of a male in the Army- on the other hand, I wonder if my genre is even represented at all in the general literary community and therefore the LLM’s training corpus data.
Generating Comparable Movie, TV, and Documentary adaptations to Nadiri:
Although screen adaptations are loosely mentioned above, I wanted to generate even more ideas based off of the manuscript itself on what types of screen adaptations would be comparable to the actual content of my writing. More metaprompting here, along with some instructions on format and data points of interest to include that I know must be present:
Considering the manuscript below, recommend 5-6 screen adaptations (movies, TV shows, documentaries, and even plays) of prominence that are comparable in genre, style of narration and writing, content, and themes. List them in numbered bullet format, and include any important details such as awards won, dollars earned at the box office, and translated adaptations for the TV screen:Comparable Screen Adaptations:
Given the manuscript's themes of cultural identity, coming-of-age, and navigating complex social environments, here are 5-6 screen adaptations that share similar elements:
Ramy (TV Show, 2019-present): This award-winning comedy-drama series follows a first-generation Egyptian-American Muslim on his spiritual journey, exploring themes of identity, faith, and belonging in a modern world. Ramy's experiences with family expectations, cultural clashes, and navigating his faith resonate with Hagar's story.
The Kite Runner (Movie, 2007): This critically acclaimed film, based on the novel by Khaled Hosseini, depicts the complex relationship between two Afghan boys against the backdrop of political turmoil and cultural displacement. Similar to the manuscript, it explores themes of guilt, redemption, and the search for identity.
Moonlight (Movie, 2016): This Oscar-winning drama follows a young black man's journey through childhood, adolescence, and adulthood as he grapples with his sexuality and identity. Like the manuscript, it delves into themes of self-discovery, societal expectations, and the struggle for acceptance.
Boyhood (Movie, 2014): This unique coming-of-age film, shot over 12 years with the same cast, chronicles the life of a boy from childhood to adulthood. Its focus on personal growth, family dynamics, and the passage of time aligns with the manuscript's coming-of-age elements.
Generation Kill (Miniseries, 2008): This HBO miniseries, based on the non-fiction book by Evan Wright, offers a raw and realistic portrayal of U.S. Marines during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Similar to the manuscript, it explores the complexities of military life, camaraderie, and the psychological impact of war.
Disgraced (Play, 2012): This Pulitzer Prize-winning play tells the story of a successful Pakistani-American lawyer who confronts his cultural identity and the prejudices he faces. The play's exploration of faith, assimilation, and Islamophobia resonates with the manuscript's themes.Some surprising results here (I LOVE RAMY!) but also some not so surprising ones of yet again the rising theme of male experience of war coming into play here. I ended up eliminating Generation Kill (wtf?????) and Boyhood (Okay Okay but still) from my final list.
Also notice the first two sentences. Without needing to prompt with any “of thought” techniques, the model on its own decided to show its work by revealing the themes found in the manuscript that was used as a baseline for the follow on recommendations. Models are becoming more adept and in tune with prompting techniques like Chain of Thought and Trees of Thought when large hyperscalers instruction tune on many prompt examples that contain “of thought” thinking to provide it by default out of the box.
Generating a Genre Sales Pitch:
Next is generating a sales pitch. I decided to use my previous sales pitch as an example including the manuscript as a whole:
Considering the manuscript below, generate a Genre Sales pitch that is no more than one paragraph similar to the example below:
<example> Genre Sales:
Nadiri can cater to almost all of the top selling genres and themes found in the consumer market today, but is primarily categorized as Young Adult Women’s Fiction. Romance remains the top selling genre, and Nadiri contains themes of romance throughout the three novels, as this second novel introduces the protagonists’ coming out as queer. Religious-related books hold steady at third most popular (a strong theme explored in the Nadiri novels throughout). Books for young readers are the fourth most popular genre, of which the Nadiri mostly caters to (young adult fiction/ young adult). Books with strong female leads are said to be in the top selling books, of which Nadiri centers around (Hagar Khalifa). Nadiri also contains other themes that are currently popular on the market, such as, multicultural fiction, women’s fiction, fiction written about/by BIPOC authors, and LGBTQ+ issues, and military fiction. Issues of living as a mixed raced woman, a lesbian soldier, and military fiction are themes of later books in the core trilogy series.
</example>This manuscript transcends easy categorization, weaving together several powerful and popular themes to create a unique and captivating story. While primarily falling under the umbrella of New Adult/Coming-of-Age fiction, it delves into multicultural experiences, explores women's fiction and LGBTQ+ issues, and offers a glimpse into military fiction. The protagonist, Hagar Khalifa, a young woman navigating her identity as a mixed-race Egyptian-American and a lesbian soldier, provides a strong and relatable central figure. The narrative tackles timely and relevant topics like cultural identity, discrimination, family conflict, and the challenges of military life, resonating with readers interested in diverse stories with strong female leads. The backdrop of the Arab Spring adds a layer of political intrigue and historical context, further enriching the reading experience and appealing to those seeking more than just a coming-of-age tale.Using the “Summarize” feature in Google docs, I finally synthesized my originally written Genre Sales Pitch with the new AI generated one:
Original:
This manuscript transcends easy categorization, weaving together several powerful and popular themes to create a unique and captivating story. While primarily falling under the umbrella of New Adult/Coming-of-Age fiction, it delves into multicultural experiences, explores women’s fiction and LGBTQ+ issues, and offers a glimpse into military fiction. The protagonist, Hagar Khalifa, a young woman navigating her identity as a mixed-race Egyptian-American and a lesbian soldier, provides a strong and relatable central figure. The narrative tackles timely and relevant topics like cultural identity, discrimination, family conflict, and the challenges of military life, resonating with readers interested in diverse stories with strong female leads. The backdrop of the Arab Spring adds a layer of political intrigue and historical context, further enriching the reading experience and appealing to those seeking more than just a coming-of-age tale.
Nadiri can cater to almost all of the top selling genres and themes found in the consumer market today. Romance remains the top selling genre, and Nadiri contains themes of romance throughout the three novels, as this second novel introduces the protagonists’ coming out as queer. Religious-related books hold steady at third most popular (a strong theme explored in the Nadiri novels throughout). Books with strong female leads are said to be in the top selling books, of which Nadiri centers around (Hagar Khalifa). Nadiri also contains other themes that are currently popular on the market, such as, multicultural fiction, women’s fiction, fiction written about/by BIPOC authors, and LGBTQ+ issues, and military fiction. Issues of living as a mixed raced woman, a lesbian soldier, and military fiction are themes of later books in the core trilogy series.
Rewritten by Google Docs Summarize feature:
The manuscript is a captivating story that transcends easy categorization, weaving together themes such as multicultural experiences, women’s fiction, LGBTQ+ issues, and military fiction. The protagonist, Hagar Khalifa, a mixed-race Egyptian-American lesbian soldier, provides a strong and relatable central figure. The narrative tackles timely topics like cultural identity, discrimination, and the challenges of military life. The backdrop of the Arab Spring adds political intrigue and historical context. Nadiri, the publisher, can cater to top-selling genres and themes found in the consumer market today, including romance, religious-related books, and books with strong female leads. Nadiri also contains other popular themes such as multicultural fiction, women’s fiction, fiction written by BIPOC authors, LGBTQ+ issues, and military fiction.
Generating ideas for Book Tours:
Due to the heavy themes of military narratives in the book, I wanted to generate not only a list of the top U.S. Military bases in the country, but also popular indie bookstores nearby that would likely attract that crowd and more. Pitching a book tour is new to me, but I knew who my target audience would likely be, and figured that wherever there is a military base, there would also be a diverse metropolitan city nearby.
List the top ten US military bases in the continental United States, and some local independent bookstores that are the most popular in nearby metropolitan areas.The output was a small hallucination adventure in of itself:
Local Independent Bookstores near Major Military Bases:
Fort Hood:
The Bookworm (INCORRECT!): Located in Temple, Texas, The Bookworm offers a wide selection of new and used books, with a focus on local authors and Texas history.
Barnes & Noble - Killeen: While not strictly independent, Barnes & Noble offers a curated selection of books and hosts author events.**Notice the non-indie add there the model included, like a nagging mum who didn’t hear you the first time you said you didn’t want eggs for breakfast. No thank you, but B&N is out!Fort Bragg:
Quicksilver Books: An independent bookstore in Fayetteville, North Carolina, with a focus on new and used books, comics, and graphic novels.
**Another one, Quicksilver Books doesn’t exist… what’s going on here?
The Country Bookshop: Located in Southern Pines, The Country Bookshop offers a charming atmosphere and a curated selection of fiction and non-fiction.
I dislike Southern Pines, but I disklike Fayetteville more. Country Bookshop it is!
Fort Campbell:
Hastings Books Music & More — Clarksville: A family-owned bookstore with a large selection of books, music, and gifts.
** Permanently closed… per Google Search results! What’s going on with grounding here??
The Brass Monkey: An independent bookstore in Clarksville known for its eclectic selection of used books and friendly atmosphere.
**In fact a somewhat urbanwear/record store that is not a bookstore. Fort Campbell is out!
Fort Benning:
The Book Nook: Located in Columbus, Georgia, The Book Nook offers a wide selection of new and used books, with a focus on children’s literature.
Does in fact exist in many forms, however nowhere near Columbus, GA where Fort Benning is located.
The Book Lady: A used bookstore in Columbus with a friendly atmosphere and a wide variety of genres.
In fact located in Savannah, but I love Savannah so I’ll take it.
Joint Base Lewis-McChord:
(?) Eagle Harbor Book Company: Located in Bainbridge Island, Washington, Eagle Harbor Book Company offers a curated selection of new and used books, with a focus on local authors and environmental themes.
While the location is correct… it’s not remotely close to JBLM. Strike from the list- possibly.
