Your book is the beginning of something bigger.
Your book is on its way. Now what? The pub date is coming, your publisher’s publicity team is stretched thin, and the to-do list keeps growing: pitching, Substack, events, your website. Ignite Studios helps you launch your book into the right rooms and turn it into talks, corporate work and new clients.
Ignite Studios is for you if:
A book in progress or a pub date on the calendar, ideally 6 to 12 months away
You see your book as the start of something bigger: a platform, a movement, a business, your next book
You want one strategic partner for the launch and everything that comes after
You're ready to write, pitch, post and speak
If your launch is less than eight weeks away, we won’t have enough time to do this well. Still writing? The Ignite Writers Collective offers 1:1 editing and coaching to get you across the finish line. Not sure where to start? Take the quiz.
What We Build Together
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Your signature talk, workshop or program built from your book, so your book keeps working long after pub date.
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Your story angles, talking points, and a targeted pitch list of outlets, podcasts, and editors, plus companion essays that put your ideas in front of the readers who need them.
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A content strategy that sounds like you and builds an audience that lasts beyond launch week, including how to use your Substack to grow a readership of your own.
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Where to show up, who to partner with, and how to turn events, panels, and conversations into momentum and not just calendar entries.
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Making sure everything a reader, producer, or editor finds when they Google you tells the same story your book does.
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A system for capturing every contact from your launch and tour, prioritizing and following up with each one, so the rooms you're in turn into business.
HOW IT WORKS
Three phases. One strategy. Built around your pub date.
❋ Phase 1 — Investigate
We clarify your book, your audience and what comes next. You’ll walk away with your core message, media angles, your signature talk, offer sheet, and a launch roadmap, plus the assets: pitches, essays, talking points, a content plan, an event strategy and website updates.
Your launch goes live. Depending on your package, my team handles outreach or you lead it with my coaching. Either way, we adjust as responses come in.
❋ Phase 2 — Illuminate
We turn your launch into business. Every contact from your launch and tour goes into one system, the people most likely to hire you get a personal follow-up first, and a 30-day sprint after your tour turns interest into proposals. Many authors work with me for six months or more, starting before pub date and continuing well past it.
❋ Phase 3 — Ignite
Many authors work with me for six months or longer, starting well before pub date and continuing through launch.
Case Study
Helen Krug von Nidda, Closing the Fulfillment Gap (September 2026, Post Hill Press)
Helen first came to me in August 2022 planning to self-publish. We shaped her proposal and agent strategy, she signed with Aevitas Creative Management, sold the book to Post Hill Press, and we worked on the manuscript together. Six months before publication, we built her launch plan: talking points, a podcast and media list, a Substack outreach plan, draft essays, interview prep, social strategy, and a plan for using her network for bulk orders and events.
The Results:
Media: the USA Today bestseller list, #2 on Amazon in her career category, NBC News Daily, a Forbes feature, and mentions in Katie Couric's and MM LaFleur's newsletters
Podcasts and Substack: six podcast appearances and counting, plus features on Substack
Events including independent bookstores in Connecticut, New York, Portland and Los Angeles, Soho House, The Grand, Smith College, The Gathering and a Women's Media Group panel
Bulk orders: 275 copies across six organizations: TD Synnex (125), Google (50), Smith College (50), The Grand (20), Soho House (15) and The Gathering (15)
Corporate work: paid talks at Google's Black Women Summit and at Oracle, and ERG programming interest from Google and TD Synnex
We've all been told that without a huge platform, your book is dead in the water. Helen started with about 900 Instagram followers and 800 newsletter subscribers. The work was figuring out which of her communities were most engaged and asking them directly. Her paid talks and corporate interest came through a referral and HR contacts she already knew.
“Working with Ruthie has been a game changer in getting my book and message out into the world. The level of expertise, guidance and care made for a successful launch. I felt supported throughout and can’t recommend Ignite Studios highly enough if you’re considering a launch strategy that sticks.”
Why work with me
I've been on every side of a book launch.
As an author, I launched The Mother Code with interviews, essays, and excerpts in NPR, the Guardian, Time, The Wall Street Journal, Oprah Daily, and Fortune, and the book was named one of Elle's Best Books of the Year.
As an editor, including as deputy editor of ForbesWomen, I sat on the receiving end of thousands of pitches. I know which ones get opened, and why.
As a coach, I’ve spent seven years guiding authors from first draft to agent to Big 5 deal. Ignite Studios is where all of that comes together.
All engagements are a minimum of three months.
Strategy and Accountability: I build the plan with you, shape your offers and pitches, and keep you on track. You do the outreach.
Full Launch: I build the plan, and my team handles media and event pitching, plus follow-up with your contacts from your own inbox. Nothing goes out without your approval, and your relationships stay yours.
Pricing is tailored to your book and goals. Apply to learn more.
Investment
Not ready for the full partnership?
Launch Strategy Session — $500. One focused session to map your launch priorities and media angles. Credited toward an Ignite Studios engagement if you sign on within 30 days.
Essay Pitching Package — $1,500 per essay. I help shape your essay, research the right outlets and editors, and write the pitch.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Ideally 6–12 months before your pub date. Long-lead media (magazines, some podcasts, major outlets) books months in advance.
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Publisher publicity teams are often excellent and almost always stretched thin across many titles. Ignite Studios works alongside your publicist, filling the gaps and building the platform that outlasts your launch window.
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It depends on your package. With Strategy & Accountability, you do the outreach and I shape every pitch before it goes out. With Full Launch, my team handles pitching, outreach, and follow-up for you. In both, your essays and posts are written by you, so they sound like you. I help you shape and sharpen them.
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Yes!
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No. The best time to design your offers is before the book is finished, because knowing what the book leads to can shape the book itself. Start with the Offer Design Sprint.
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Your corporate relationships come from your own network, and that's where the best opportunities usually start. We help you organize them, prioritize them and follow up on every one.
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Only with your approval, from your own inbox, using templates you've signed off on. Personal notes to your most important contacts are drafted for you to review and send yourself.
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Yes. We build your signature talk, speaker one-sheet and a target list of 20 to 30 conferences and programs that fit your topic. With Strategy and Accountability, you send the pitches and I shape each one. With Full Launch, my team handles the outreach.
