Debuting a New Publishing Company

What started as a monthly reading series in Manhattan’s Upper East Side in 2014 had evolved into a fully-fledged publishing press by 2018, and we were thrilled to help them launch their creative debut list! Named in reference to the film Gangs of New York (and a tongue-in-cheek nod to a traumatic childhood experience by one of the reading series’ founders), Dead Rabbits Books specializes in emerging literary voices with a missional focus on “books that matter.” Their launch list deserved equally strong and unique publicity, which we were happy to deliver. 

We designed an innovative campaign for their lead premiere title, Emerald City by Brian Birnbaum, a novel which draws on the author’s real experience of being the hearing son of deaf parents, and which explores themes of deafness and parent-child relationships. We created and pitched a tailor-made media list of industry publications, particularly focusing on thematic media centered on issues pertaining to deafness and hearing impairment, as well as targeting local media for the press’ founders. Dead Rabbits’ books are modern, artistic, and fresh, and we knew they’d generate buzz online, so we also crafted a campaign strategy to target influential online book reviewers, influencers, and popular bookstagrammers. 

We’re pleased to say that thematic media such as Hearing Like Me and Limping Chicken (the “world’s most popular deaf blog” with over 6 million views) praised Emerald City for it’s nuanced and realistic approach to deaf issues and relationships, while literary industry publications like Winning Writers and Digital Pubbing lauded Dead Rabbits Books’ groundbreaking launch list and mission. 

We are incredibly passionate about supporting literary changemakers, and it was our privilege to help launch a press that is just as passionate about “books that matter” as we are!