Book Publishing & Marketing Case Studies

At MindStir Media, we work with authors from all backgrounds and support books across a wide range of genres—from business and self-help to children’s picture books and novels. The case studies below offer a snapshot of our publishing, public relations, and book marketing capabilities.

Leah Orr: Featured Case Study 2026

Leah Orr partnered with MindStir Media to build momentum for her new novel, The Retirees, through a coordinated, multiplatform book marketing campaign. The strategy focused on increasing visibility, reaching new readers, and creating strong sales activity across major retail channels. As a result, the novel became a #1 Barnes & Noble Bestseller, a Kobo Bestseller, and a #1 Amazon Bestseller, while also earning national exposure through a feature in USA Today.

The Retirees welcomes readers to The Ocean’s Edge, an eccentric 55+ community where retirement has never felt so deadly. After being ousted from the sugar empire she helped build, sharp-tongued heiress Diana retreats there expecting peace but instead joins a quirky team of senior sleuths—including psychic twins, a retired detective, a conspiracy-minded tech guru, and a nurse who may talk to animals—as they investigate cold cases and uncover secrets tied to the community’s residents. With tarot cards, dark web dives, a knowing neighborhood cat, and a serial killer on the loose, the novel is a hilarious, heartwarming, and deliciously twisted cozy mystery about redemption, reinvention, revenge, and the unexpected heroes who prove it is never too late to solve a crime.

The campaign’s impact extended well beyond the initial bestseller rankings. The Retirees went on to sell more than 25,000 copies and generate over 800 Amazon reviews and ratings, demonstrating sustained reader interest and long-term commercial success. The results show how strategic promotion, major media coverage, and coordinated retailer campaigns can help transform a new book release into a widely recognized bestseller.

Christine M. Whitehead’s Case Study

Christine M. Whitehead came to us with her newest novel, Hemingway’s Daughter. The author had penned a couple other successful novels but she wanted help to get exposure for Hemingway’s Daughter, a fictional account of the famous Hemingway family.

The novel focuses on Finn Hemingway. She knows for a fact that she’s been born at the wrong time into the wrong family with the wrong talents, making her three dreams for the future almost impossible to attain. She burns to be a trial lawyer in an era when Ruth Bader Ginsburg is being told to type and when a man who is 500th in his law school class is hired over a woman who is first in hers. She yearns to find true love when the family curse dictates that love always ends for the Hemingways, and usually, it ends badly. And finally, she’d give up the first two dreams if she were able to triumph on the third. She longs to have an impact on the only thing that matters to her father: his writing. To accomplish that would require a miracle. All three dreams are almost impossible, but it’s the “almost” that keeps Finn going. Ernest Hemingway had three sons but ached to have a daughter.

With our publishing and marketing assistance, the novel earned major coverage on Yahoo News, Yahoo Entertainment, Thrive Global and others, totaling around 2.97M coverage views. Hemingway’s Daughter became an Amazon bestseller and garnered over 1,000 Amazon review and ratings. The book is also a selection in Mariel Hemingway’s Book Club.

Rod F. Marchand’s Case Study

Rod approached us through our partner, Shark Tank’s Kevin Harrington. Rod had taken Kevin’s advice about brand-building and wrote a business book that would showcase his entrepreneurial path. The book, cheekily entitled Man…F@#K!: The Honest Reality of Entrepreneurship, published by MindStir Media, shares the honest and often unspoken reality of entrepreneurship while serving up a large dose of much-needed hope and inspiration to all business owners and entrepreneurs trying to take their companies to the next level. Unlike most other books on business, this book clearly defines the difficulties of life and the challenges of managing and building a brand from virtually nothing into a potential global company. It also accurately illustrates the struggles of working with a family business and the expectations of starting in a small market and what it takes to overcome those challenges and achieve personal and professional goals on a larger scale.

It’s a fun, yet realistic story of what it takes to keep your head up in times of trial – when all you can think is Man…F@#K! out of frustration – in order to ultimately make your dreams a reality.

Kevin Harrington ended up writing the foreword for the book and, with the help of our press coverage and various other methods, the book became a #1 Amazon Best Seller!

Along with syndicating a press release onto NBC, CBS and FOX affiliate websites, as we do for all of our PR clients, the press coverage that came as a result was also exceptionally valuable and played a crucial role in making his project a success as a first-time author.

Gary C. Laney’s Case Study

Before Gary hired MindStir Media, he told us that he was perhaps one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world that nobody’s heard of. We sought out to change that!

His book, The Power of Strategic Influence!: 10 Success Factors of Highly Influential Leaders, hit #1 on five Amazon Best Seller lists. The book features major interviews from entrepreneurs such as Tom Ziglar and John T. Hewitt. The Power of Strategic Influence will teach you how you can build your personal influence in business and make a positive impact on the world. The key? Focus not on what you get, but what you give. In 10 easy-to-follow steps called Success Factors of Highly Influential Leaders, it shows you how to access, utilize, develop, expand, and ultimately constructively use your influence to help make the world a better place.

We, of course, arranged for PR placements on NBC, CBS and Fox affiliate websites but Gary also picked up 10k+ views on YouTube and garnered some high-end coverage from Yahoo News, Thrive Global, Influencive and International Business Times. Now everyone seems to know of Gary C. Laney!

Isabell Hayden’s Case Study

Isabell Hayden’s mother approached us with her daughter’s children’s book that she wanted to have professionally published and marketed. The picture book is entitled The Adventures of Amber: Walk in the Woods, and it centers on Amber, a nature-loving girl who enjoys afternoon walks in the woods with her grandma and puppy, has an adventurous spirit and a heart that belongs to Mother Nature. She takes you on a magical journey in the woods near her grandparents’ mountain cottage. Immerse yourself in the magnificent beauty of nature with the experiences from Amber’s perspective. This book will inspire readers to go outdoors and appreciate the wonders of Mother Nature.

This MindStir Media published children’s book became a #1 Amazon Best Seller and Mariel Hemingway, the granddaughter of Ernest Hemingway, raves about the book: “The Adventures of Amber will be a great addition to your child’s home library, and it will certainly be enjoyed by everyone else at home as well.” Mariel loved the book so much that she selected it for Mariel Hemingway’s Book Club.

In addition to all of our normal PR placements, we landed a major feature in the International Business Times, Influencive, Yahoo News, Film Daily and more.

Mike Murphy’s Case Study

Mike Murphy hired us to help promote his memoir, Living in Color: A Love Story, In Sickness and In Health. The book became a #1 Hot New Release on Amazon.com.

Mike Murphy’s dream came true when he found the love of his life. Nine months later, he found a lump in her breast that would change the course of their love story forever. In this moving and honest memoir, Mike tells the story of his wife Margot’s nine-year battle with cancer and the courageous attitude with which she lived each day of her life. He also offers a window into the often-overlooked role of the caregiver, sharing his own struggles with unflinching honesty, humor and insight.

We were able to earn massive coverage for his book, including a spot on Yahoo News, American Reporter, NY Weekly and Digital Journal. Mariel Hemingway also endorsed the book, which is tied to the Love From Margot Foundation.

Elizabeth MacDonald’s Case Study

Elizabeth MacDonald, the host of The Evening Edit on FOX Business, is another one of our publicity and marketing clients. Her children’s book, TIDEON, made a major splash onto the market in 2020. The book focuses on Tideon, a little boy who doesn’t fit in. His father doesn’t like him, and the local neighbors think he’s a misfit, too. Until one day a bad thing happens that will change Tideon’s life forever: A calamity brings a miracle that makes him ocean royalty. With the help of the goddess of the moon Diana and her royal captain Ayalon the giant stag, Tideon conquers the evil thrown at him and his mother Marina and takes his rightful place in the world. You will want to immerse yourself in the world of Tideon, a world that will open your eyes to the magic around all of us.

Despite being released in the middle of the pandemic, the book still saw very solid numbers, including an online readership of about 13.7M. Benzinga and Digital Journal accounted for some major coverage.

These Celebrities have Endorsed MindStir Media