Building a New York Times Bestseller
When Andrew Maraniss debuted his nonfiction Strong Inside, the true story of Perry Wallace, the first African American basketball player in the SEC, he partnered with Books Forward to amplify the launch. Together, we worked to ensure the book’s powerful narrative received the widespread attention it deserved, ultimately landing it on the New York Times bestseller list.
A Strategic and Memorable Launch
The campaign began with a launch event at the iconic Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee — an especially meaningful location given the story’s roots. Andrew collaborated with Parnassus and Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, who moderated an engaging author Q&A for a sold-out crowd. From there, Andrew embarked on a national tour with stops at prestigious venues, including Politics & Prose in Washington, D.C., where The Washington Post featured the book.
Securing National Media Attention and Bestseller Status
To build momentum, our publicists targeted a mix of national and industry-specific media. The campaign resulted in high-profile coverage, such as being named a “Book of the Month” by Southern Living and national television interviews on Meet the Press and The Keith Olbermann Show. Additional features in outlets like Sports Illustrated, Shelf Awareness and Writer’s Digest helped establish Andrew as a respected voice in both literary and sports worlds.
The buzz generated by strategic media outreach, combined with Andrew’s grassroots efforts, catapulted Strong Inside to the New York Times bestseller list. This milestone reflected the impact of a well-coordinated campaign and the resonance of Perry Wallace’s story with readers nationwide.
Building a Lasting Partnership
Impressed with the results of the Strong Inside campaign, Andrew returned to Books Forward for his second book, Games of Deception, a YA nonfiction about the first U.S. Olympic basketball team. Once again, the campaign delivered: with placements in Book Riot, BookPage and Read Brightly, among others, we helped Andrew connect with a diverse audience of readers.
We also partnered on his next book, Inaugural Ballers, the true story of the first Olympic women’s basketball team, securing features in Garden and Gun, SLAM and Swish Appeal.
Andrew’s ongoing collaboration with our team showcases the value of a strong author-publicist relationship. We’re so proud to help authors achieve their goals, one bestselling slam dunk at a time.
